Ballast Two valve stems per tire

[davrow]

I'm going to fill my tires, just bought the adapter tool (don't have it yet... Amazon)

Most of the posts I've read over time and just now doing a search mention having to bleed air. The tool wants you to stop pumping to bleed... seems like a waste of time.

How bad to the rim/tire would it be to install a second valve (tubeless, of course) so you could fill (or drain) through one while the other acts as the air bleed? They would have to be close together so always having one at a more convenient position for normal airing up wouldn't be possible.

I realize this would double your chances of knocking a valve stem off by hitting a branch or something, also of getting a valve stem air leak. What other pros or cons might there be?

What are your thoughts?

 

[SandburRanch]

With 2 stems gravity has always worked well.

 

[sleepybozo]

I've considered doing this. The valve stems could be directly across from each other, you'd just need a piece of tubing long enough to raise a funnel above the upper one, then just pour the fluid in. The tractor would have to be jacked up enough to take the weight off the tire, just high enough so the tire still touches the ground to take the weight of the fluid off the bead. I haven't come up with a downside, other than having to break the bead to put the new valve stem in. You'd want short valve stems, of course. I'm considering swapping the tires to the opposite sides to widen the stance, so I could even install the new valve stem on the other side of the rim so there would always be one on the outside. Two valve stems would also make it easier to drain most of the fluid, if necessary.

I haven't come up with any cons, except the task of doing it, which isn't that big a deal, and you only have to do it once per rim, as opposed to getting a pump, gathering the required hose and container for the fluid. And by making the filling and draining easier, you could, for instance, fill the tires in the fall for traction in snow, then easily drain it for summertime mowing, if desired. I haven't actually done it yet because I figure there must be a downside that I haven't thought of, or somebody would already be doing it.

 

[whis]

might be hard to get valve stem to seal, if you notice the wheel has a flat spot were the stem is

 

[davrow]

It was pointed out to me that the effort of installing a second stem would, most likely, far exceed the benefit of having one. Unless, as mentioned by sleepybozo you have a need to fill/empty seasonally.

Mostly I was disregarding the installation and considering this a thought exercise. I anticipate only filling once for a decade or two, so I personally am not going to the trouble of installing a second stem. But I think it might be nice if that were an option when buying tractor rims.

 

[CJONE]

Why would you use a valve stem? Just drill and tap a 1/8" hole across from the valve stem, fill to the hole in the top of the rim and put the pipe plug in it. CJ

 

[davrow]

Why would you use a valve stem? Just drill and tap a 1/8" hole across from the valve stem, fill to the hole in the top of the rim and put the pipe plug in it. CJ

Actually that sounds like a really good idea. I hadn't thought far enough to consider alternatives to the valve stem. Well done.

 

[prs]

My most recent tractor has a Schrader valve on both sides of each wheel. The intent was to allow duals to be mounted rear and or front without blocking access. Sure made ballast filling easy-peasy.

prs

 

[CJONE]

Actually that sounds like a really good idea. I hadn't thought far enough to consider alternatives to the valve stem. Well done.

If I remember right almost all tap sets come with a 1/8" NPT tap so they are very common. Anyway with a little air in the rim/tire it will keep all the shavings out of it also. CJ

 

[CJONE]

double post.

 

[boomer1025]

Why would you use a valve stem? Just drill and tap a 1/8" hole across from the valve stem, fill to the hole in the top of the rim and put the pipe plug in it. CJ

Might not be enough metal to cut threads in.

 

[boomer1025]

Why would you use a valve stem? Just drill and tap a 1/8" hole across from the valve stem, fill to the hole in the top of the rim and put the pipe plug in it. CJ

Might not be enough metal to cut threads in.

 

[CJONE]

If that's the case then the rims are rotted out. CJ

 

[boomer1025]

How thick do you think the rim are ??

 

[varmint]

You can probably check the thickness of the rim's metal by simply looking at the edge where the tire seats... there's a lip on all the rims I have looked at. Rear tires probably only are running 10-12 lbs of pressure, and the plug is a small area, so even 1/8th inch of rim should be enough to hold a protected plug.

 

[Deere Dude]

Double the valves = double the trouble. Every time you go into a pile of brush you stand the chance of bending or breaking them off.

Filler valves have a air relief in them so as you pump liquid in, the air will purge out at the same time. When liquid comes out of the relief the tire is full. Of course the valve stem is steel and has a larger diameter than the standard stem. My rears have larger stems than the front to accept these filling valves.

 

[CJONE]

How thick do you think the rim are ??

1/8" to 3/16 or better. CJ

 

[CJONE]

How thick do you think the rim are ??

1/8" to 3/16 or better. CJ

 

[CJONE]

If/when the time comes and I have my tires apart, I will weld a 1-1/2" x 2" nipple to the rim over the valve stem and put a pipe cap on it. learned that on most if not all of the forestry equipment that had tires on it had protectors for the stems. Cheap and easy to do. CJ

 

[boggen]

1,000 upon 1,000 of 12v on demand pumps out there. every 4 wheeler utv/ atv, to pull behind sprays for riding lawn mowers. have these 12v on demand pumps. so when you pull trigger on the wand pump turns on and it sprays. let off trigger, pump turns off and no water is sprayed.

the tire filler tool. close valve on unit = 12v on demand pump shuts off. undo air bleed valve. wait a few seconds. close bleed valve. open fluid valve. pump turns on automatically.

turning the pump off. while air is being bleed = keeping the fluid from coming and spraying all over, when you bleed the air out.

============
i have seen one better "fluid filler tool" out there. it might be common thing folks are buying now.
the standard remove the core of the tire nipple. then screw in the fluid tool. the fluid tool has a longer pipe that sticks up into the tire to bleed out air. and then around this longer tube. fluid comes in. ""kinda 1 pipe inside of another pipe thing"". so you can fill tire with fluid at same time you bleed the air out. going through the same tire nipple. and you just run the bleeder air hose back to container you are pumping from. so end of hose hangs above the fluid surface. so you pretty much attach and forget for a few minutes. and never needing to bleed air / turn on/off pump.



p.s. i think there was an on/off valve for the fluid hose. so you could back the off the fluid. and give the air a chance to escape the closer tire got to being 75% or so filled.