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Fixing Slow Leak in Tractor Tire

jcdammeyer

jcdammeyer

John
Premium Member
It's a 20x8.0 Turf tire. Has a slow leak. Evidence shows it's been repaired at least once as there are plugs in one place. Dumped into this tote filled with water I can't see any bubbles but over time this guy goes flat while the other one does not.

Based on the valve stem this guy is still tubeless and the tread is in decent shape.

A pair of tubes from Amazon is $32 while Cdn. Tire wants $35 for one. Likely a better quality but...

The next question is do I need to take this to a tire shop or can something like this be worked on at home? What would be a reasonable charge to have a user supplied tube installed.

I do remember from my bicycle days that if you accidentally pinch the tube you can crack it can make a slow leak. So who's to say a commercial shop won't do that if they didn't also sell the tube?

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Suggestions?
 
David said:
I have tire irons for motorcycle wheels if you want to give them a go.
Click to expand...
I read that for a two week slow leak I should put soapy water around the rim seal and let it sit for a while. If the leak is there it will show up. Solution is to sand blast the rim edge and repaint.

Hmmmm. I happen to know someone who just got a sand blaster cabinet...
 
You can do a tube yourself and home with irons if you decide to go that route, hardest part is breaking the bead, probably take you 30-40 minutes per tire

Best tip I can give you for that, is leave 5-10 psi of air in the tire, breaking the bead on tires with soft sidewalls can be a real pita, especially if they have been on a while, I have a tire machine and that's what I have to do with atv tires to get the bead to break
 
Add dish soap to the water and try again. The the valve cap off in case the stem is leaking at the core. If it's getting low the air is getting out somewhere.
If it's leaking through the stem, replace the valve core.
If its leaking around the stem, replace the stem. You can do this with the tire still on sometimes.
Leaking anywhere else, pull the valve core, break the bead and patch the tire.
I've had decent luck breaking the bead with either a hydraulic jack wedged between the car and the tire or just driving over the tire as close to the rim as possible.
90 bucks at PA.
 
I've used soapy water on both sides around the rim and the valve stem. No luck as in no leak discovered. I'll try the actual valve body and then the place where it's been repaired once. So strange. Normally a leak is easy to find.
 
Not throwing any shade here but did you put air in the tire before testing? I've done the thing where you take off the low tire, dunk it, no bubbles. Then the light bulb comes on. Oops, forgot to air it up first,
 
jcdammeyer said:
So strange. Normally a leak is easy to fi
Click to expand...

Don't beat yourself up, slow bead leaks can be almost impossible to detect, I've had a few I couldn't find, take it to a tire shop thinking 'well they do it every day, they are likely better than I am at ir', and they don't find it either, just end popping the tire off and re-mounting it, 50/50 fixes it
 
Doggggboy said:
Not throwing any shade here but did you put air in the tire before testing? I've done the thing where you take off the low tire, dunk it, no bubbles. Then the light bulb comes on. Oops, forgot to air it up first,
Click to expand...
Yes. Normal pressure is 10PSI and rim is stamped with 30PSI which is what was in the tire for testing. Methinks that extra pressure might well seal the leak while the lower pressure and load of the tractor on the tire causes enough flex to start the leak again. It could be on the inside and soapy water would be difficult to spot.
I think I'll go with the suggestion that I just live with it until I get pissed off enough to buy a new wheel/tire. Cheapest route.
 
jcdammeyer said:
I've used soapy water on both sides around the rim and the valve stem. No luck as in no leak discovered. I'll try the actual valve body and then the place where it's been repaired once. So strange. Normally a leak is easy to find.
Click to expand...

Normally yes, but there is always that one tire from hell that only leaks when you drive on it and sometimes even only when you are not looking at it. It happens. I have one like that on my truck right now. Even the tire shop couldn't find it. It's been debeaded twice, the rim polished, and sealer added. It drives me totally bonkers. So far I've just learned to live with it. But I'll prolly put a tube in it at some point.
 
Simply solution to try first.
Tire Slime.
It is a liquid with particles that plug small leaks.
Just let out the air, remove the valve stem. Squeeze some Slime in. Reinstall stem. Done. :)

Highly recommend. Have used it many times - especially on off road dirt bike - installed before the leak or flat and you don’t even know that it saved you a trail side problem IMG_4102.jpeg
 
CWret said:
Simply solution to try first.
Tire Slime.
It is a liquid with particles that plug small leaks.
Just let out the air, remove the valve stem. Squeeze some Slime in. Reinstall stem. Done. :)

Highly recommend. Have used it many times - especially on off road dirt bike - installed before the leak or flat and you don’t even know that it saved you a trail side problem View attachment 67097
Click to expand...
www.tireject.com

Slime Tire Sealant Review - Stop using tire Slime read this first! – TireJect

We tested all the major competing tire sealant brands against TireJect and found the same result each time in our tire sealant review line up. Slime tire sealant and other brands are made with a thick gel like base using long strand cotton or polyester fibers while one brand has an entirely new...
www.tireject.com www.tireject.com
 
That tire looks suspiciously shiny. The rubber may have hardened, and you may not have a good seal at the bead.
Since it's been patched already, just stick a tube in there.
I broke the bead on my sub-compact tractor tire by just cranking down the tongue jack of my enclosed trailer onto it. The kid who had come to fix the tire as a free warranty job learned a new trick that day, and praised me at the dealership.
 
jcdammeyer said:
www.tireject.com

Slime Tire Sealant Review - Stop using tire Slime read this first! – TireJect

We tested all the major competing tire sealant brands against TireJect and found the same result each time in our tire sealant review line up. Slime tire sealant and other brands are made with a thick gel like base using long strand cotton or polyester fibers while one brand has an entirely new...
www.tireject.com www.tireject.com
Click to expand...
Not an issue (yet) on tractor times, but sealants are a no-no on TPS tires.
 
I think he means TPMS, tire pressure monitor system

That green slime makes such a mess, i dont think it works for a damn, and expect to pay more when the tire guy pops that tire off full of it
 
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