tire - valve stem leak

[Wingnut]

I just finished doing some bush-hoggin' and heard an unpleasant sound when I turned my L3710 off ... a wet bubbling hissing.
I checked and one of the back tires (filled with Calcium Chloride) is bubbling abay from the top of the valve stem.
- do they usually just fill the tire, or put in a tube and fill that?
- is there any way to replace a valve stem without taking off the tire, siphoning off the fluid, fixing the problem and replacing the fluid?

too bad that common sense ain't

 

[Bird]

Wingnut, first of all, I guess you know that calcium chloride is highly corrosive, and parked where what leaks out won't do too much damage. It will sure kill any vegetation it gets on. Secondly, I've never heard of putting it in a tubeless tire because it will corrode the wheel. It's supposed to be in a tube type tire. And thirdly, you say it's bubbling at the "top" of the valve stem? Does the valve core simply need to be tightened? If it's leaking from around the valve stem, I'd say you're going to have to break it down, patch a tube, etc./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif Good luck.

Bird

 

[JimBinMI]

Wingnut,

You must have listed your tractor model wrong! Wen and Bird said that Kubota's NEVER need anything, NOTHING, NADA!!

It must be Blue or Green or Yellow or White or Red or ?

JimBinMI

The world without Blue would be too Orange!

 

[Wingnut]

Jim ... nothing wrong with the Orange at all ... it's the danged black thing that keeps it off the gound that's crying!

That's about what I feared, Bird ... I've got a bucket trying to catch most of it now ... not sure why it's weeping so much since prior posts had mentioned 70% - 80% full ... and I made sure that the stem was at the very top when I stopped. Fortunately, what is running out of the garage is going down the paved drive and into the ditch where it can kill all the reeds it wants to! I just hate to see money leaking away like that.
I tried tightening the stem but I'm afraid if I tighten it any more, it'll break .... and that would really suck!
Can't and why it would start leaking ... was just cutting grass at the end (had zapped all the sucker willows earlier in the day.

Dang, that was dumb, wasn't it ... answering both of you in one post ... ner get to be a STAR that way ... bwahahahahaha

too bad that common sense ain't

 

[Bird]

JimBinMi, I said the Kubota doesn't need any repairs; didn't say anything about the tires (mine are Goodyear on the front and Firestone on the rear), and I ripped a valve stem right out of one of my front ones pushing a big pile of brush awhile back./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Bird

 

[jdkid]

Hi ya Wingnut
seeing i don't know what bush-hoggin is (word not used in New Zealand) but if it's moveing or choping bush ya may have got the valve stem hit but a stick and pinched it on the rim ..ya can stop it from happening again if thats what happened by tack welding a bit of 1 1/2 -2 inch pipe abit longer than the valve around the valve stem (some even put screw on tops on too) i have seen skidders in the logging game rip the valve stem clean off ..the idea might help ya
cya
JD Kid

 

[Bird]

Wingnut, you have my sympathy, but I'm afraid that's about all I can do for you. You're just going to have to have that one broke down and fixed, or do it yourself if you know how; not a fun job.

Bird

 

[TomG]

Far as I know, there's always a tube in a liquid filled tire. From the post, it's not clear if it's the valve stem that's damaged or the valve core that's in the stem. If liquid is leaking out the top of an apparently undamaged valve stem, I guess you've tried replacing the valve core.

 

[Rowski]

You may what to jack up the wheel that's leaking so the fluid doesn't get pushed out as the tire goes flat.

 

[MChalkley]

Actually, TomG, there usually isn't a tube in tractor tires, whether they're hydroinflated or not. Some people use tubes if they want to use calcium chloride for ballast to get the extra weight so the stuff doesn't eat up the rims. Sometimes, too, a tire will get a bad puncture and they'll patch the tire from the inside to keep debris out, then put in a tube to hold air. But otherwise, tubes are the exception rather than the norm.

Mark