ChazzC
Ultra Member
Yes, thanks.
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Fixing Slow Leak in Tractor Tire
- Thread starter jcdammeyer
- Start date
Yes, no leak.
DPittman
Ultra Member
The way all tire beads used to be broke on our farm was with a jack-all/farm jack under the hitch of a large tractor and then if needed (usually) a sledge hammer was used with great force (and precision) along the sidewall of the tire to help break the bead. Then came out the tire irons to remove the tire from the rim if need be. It was a horrible job in my opinion.
DPittman
Ultra Member
A squirt bottle filled with watered down kids bubble making solution can't be beat.
Check the rim itself, had few over the years that the rim had a poor weld and cracked or eat through, sometimes when the rim is in 2 half’s, it leaks between, and will come out though spindle hole.
Maybe something to do with the “air” around Victoria, though that may plug small holes.
Maybe something to do with the “air” around Victoria, though that may plug small holes.
FatherWes
Wes
You said there’s an old plug in the tire. Check there carefully. Not uncommon for those ‘worms’ to spring a leak.
Tubes work, but you lose the ability to just insert another plug if you get another puncture. You can still pull the tube & patch but that’s a bit more work.
I have a bunch of Hawthorne trees on my property. Those thorns puncture tires like they were made for that purpose. I’ve fixed way too many leaky tires.
I’ve got a sheet of 3/8” thick rubber between the tire & the tube. The thorns still get through.
I’ll be trying the slime next time.
Tubes work, but you lose the ability to just insert another plug if you get another puncture. You can still pull the tube & patch but that’s a bit more work.
I have a bunch of Hawthorne trees on my property. Those thorns puncture tires like they were made for that purpose. I’ve fixed way too many leaky tires.
I’ve got a sheet of 3/8” thick rubber between the tire & the tube. The thorns still get through.
I’ll be trying the slime next time.
Yeah we have Hawthornes too. And blackberries.
Good point. I've used the bubbles too. So far no luck. I'm thinking the flex and load on the tire causes it to leak. I think I'll first try and fix the steering. Depending on the pitch of the ground I could be turning the steering wheel 180 degrees. It's very worn out.
Heh heh... I have the technology...
Tire Slime:
Yep - it makes a mess.
Yep - tire repair shops hate it and may charge you extra due to the mess.
I’m not sure if it will damage a tire pressure monitor. Many cars now use the ABS system to indirectly monitor tire pressure. The ABS monitors changes in rotational speed due to a reduced tire diameter which is directly proportional to a change in tire pressure (therefore no tire pressure monitors).
But - Tire Slime DOES WORK to plug a slow leak!
As I said above - I used it in off road tires. Not automotive tires.
There is not much about a dirt bike that isn’t messy. So a bit of Tire Slime just adds to the fun.
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FYI - motorcycles wheels with spokes need a tube or the air leaks out at the spokes. BUT - the system I used had a small tube with 100psi air pressure that squeezed the tire bead against the rim and sealed it from leaks at the spokes. The system is called Nuetech Tubliss. So why would you want to spend $150 a wheel to do that instead of $15 for a regular tube?? Off road dirt biking on rocky trails can get a pinch flat unless they have at least 10psi tire pressure. A pinch flat happens when a rock squeezes the tube against the rim and cuts it. Pinch flats do not happen with the Tubliss system. To help reduce pinch flats, many off roaders use HD tubes. But HD tubes are heavy and substantially add to undesirable unsprung weight. Also, with the Tubliss system you can run 5psi and gain traction when it slippery conditions. I ran with the Tubliss system and Slime.
Nuetech Tubliss Gen 2
TRACTION IS THE KEY TO PERFORMANCE! Rip holeshots, double from the inside line, dominate slippery single track, smoke the competition & have more fun! TuBliss replaces conventional inner tubes with a small red 100 psi insert that creates two different pressure zones inside the tire itself. This...
langsoffroad.com
Tire Slime:
Yep - it makes a mess.
Yep - tire repair shops hate it and may charge you extra due to the mess.
I’m not sure if it will damage a tire pressure monitor. Many cars now use the ABS system to indirectly monitor tire pressure. The ABS monitors changes in rotational speed due to a reduced tire diameter which is directly proportional to a change in tire pressure (therefore no tire pressure monitors).
But - Tire Slime DOES WORK to plug a slow leak!
As I said above - I used it in off road tires. Not automotive tires.
There is not much about a dirt bike that isn’t messy. So a bit of Tire Slime just adds to the fun.
- - - - - -
FYI - motorcycles wheels with spokes need a tube or the air leaks out at the spokes. BUT - the system I used had a small tube with 100psi air pressure that squeezed the tire bead against the rim and sealed it from leaks at the spokes. The system is called Nuetech Tubliss. So why would you want to spend $150 a wheel to do that instead of $15 for a regular tube?? Off road dirt biking on rocky trails can get a pinch flat unless they have at least 10psi tire pressure. A pinch flat happens when a rock squeezes the tube against the rim and cuts it. Pinch flats do not happen with the Tubliss system. To help reduce pinch flats, many off roaders use HD tubes. But HD tubes are heavy and substantially add to undesirable unsprung weight. Also, with the Tubliss system you can run 5psi and gain traction when it slippery conditions. I ran with the Tubliss system and Slime.
Nuetech Tubliss Gen 2
TRACTION IS THE KEY TO PERFORMANCE! Rip holeshots, double from the inside line, dominate slippery single track, smoke the competition & have more fun! TuBliss replaces conventional inner tubes with a small red 100 psi insert that creates two different pressure zones inside the tire itself. This...
Most cars still use a tpms sensor in the wheel, only some use the abs setup . I didn't say it will damage the sensor, I don't know if it does or not, i wouldnt try it, 20$ for the slime, maybe 30$ for a tpms sensor, whatever extra the tire shop may charge you, you're way behind what a typical shop charges to plug a tire.
Ive pulled plenty of atv and trailer tires that were full of the green slime, it obviously didn't work for them or I wouldn't be taking the tire off. It *might* work on an extremely small multi day leak, but not on the average puncture or leak and ive never come across it on a dirt bike tire, because like you said, they run tubes. For what that stuff is marketed as and for, i stand by what i said, it doesn't work worth a damn and is a waste of money.
surprisingly in the Rockies we have many sharp rocks to cause pinch flats, side wall tears, etc etc, i have ridden back to the truck on the tank or the tail on more that one occasion, I would agree, thats not very much fun
slow-poke
Ultra Member
If you go to the trouble of taking them off the wheels, tubes make sense to me.
Just a FYI, racing slicks are often run without tubes. Without tubes they leak down in days. Hot tip rub Dawn soap all over the inside of the tires. They will still leak down, but more like 6-8 weeks. Not sure about other soap brands but instructions were clear need to use Dawn, it fills the microscope pores in the rubber. I tried it and it does work.
Why no tubes? If the slick is not screwed to the rim the slick will rotate on the rim and pull the tube with it. Some folks don't want to drill holes for the screws in their brand new super expensive light weight rims.
Just a FYI, racing slicks are often run without tubes. Without tubes they leak down in days. Hot tip rub Dawn soap all over the inside of the tires. They will still leak down, but more like 6-8 weeks. Not sure about other soap brands but instructions were clear need to use Dawn, it fills the microscope pores in the rubber. I tried it and it does work.
Why no tubes? If the slick is not screwed to the rim the slick will rotate on the rim and pull the tube with it. Some folks don't want to drill holes for the screws in their brand new super expensive light weight rims.
I can't remember (surprise) where but I read some where about putting a pint of soapy solution into the tire thru the valve stem, sloshing it around and then pumping up the tire. The pressure forced the solution out from inside the tire and was easier to see the wet spot on the outside of the dry tire.
The farmers will know about the valve stem adaptors for filling the tractor tires will fluid for weight.
Haven't tried it myself but it sounds plausible.
The farmers will know about the valve stem adaptors for filling the tractor tires will fluid for weight.
Haven't tried it myself but it sounds plausible.
It's not a great day when the calcium finally rots off the valve stem. It leaves a rather large puddle under your trailer.
Dan Dubeau
Ultra Member
My opinion on low speed tires with slow leaks like this is to simply just fill em, until they become fast leaks.... I can fill the tire a lot of times before I come close to the effort expended sticking a new tube in it. My experience with the expensive import tubes are they don't seem to last long anyway, so by the end of the season or beginning of next, you're right back where you started. My "yard" is a bit more of an offroad adventure that a nice manicured lawn though, so it's certainly harder on tires than normal, and I just bake having to fill tires into the job.....Sidewalls really take a beating here.
I'm also convinced that some of this import rubber is just porous. I've tried to find leaks in small lawnmower tires too, and the very slow ones are sometimes impossible. I've found more leaks around valve stems than anywhere else.
The slime is a great idea, but what a mess if you ever need to replace the tire for something like a sidewall slice or other reason. It's not cheap either.
I'm also convinced that some of this import rubber is just porous. I've tried to find leaks in small lawnmower tires too, and the very slow ones are sometimes impossible. I've found more leaks around valve stems than anywhere else.
The slime is a great idea, but what a mess if you ever need to replace the tire for something like a sidewall slice or other reason. It's not cheap either.
I've had "calcium" in the rear tires of my loader tractor since the first year I got it. I LOVE the extra weight! I did spring a leak in the one tire 30 years ago when one of my sons backed the tractor into a barn with 6" spikes in the posts to hang stuff off. That flat was fixed with a tube to stop the calcium from eating away at the rim. Oddly, that rim has rusted more than the other. Both still great though.