Ballast Right Rear Tire Ballast Fluid Leaked! What Do I Do?

[USNative]

Ok here's my problem guys,

I was out in my shop today and happened to look over at my tractor and noticed a pretty good sized puddle around the right rear tire so I took a closer look and noticed that around the valve stem looked wet and a little rust color at the base of the stem. I put my finger on the wet spot and tasted it and sure enough it was the calcium chloride leaking. So I take the cap off the stem and there is a constant flow of the ballast running out . I get my little tool to try tightening the valve stem and it fell apart and then continued to leak but even worse now. I am thinking what should I do now?

I don't want this ballast leaking all over the shop and I need to get it stopped so I put the cap back on but it continues to drip rapidly . I started the tractor and moved it so the valve stem was straight up on top but it continued to leak. I decided to take the lower stem housing off to let it bleed out until the ballast was below the valve. I think that was a mistake becuase the ballast started spraying out , I think due to the air pressure in the tire. I had no choice but to let it go until the air pressure was gone. Dang good thing I put the bottle jack under it . Just got done cleaning the flooded shop. I sure hope they put tubes in the tires as I know that calcium chloride is corrosive. I am gonna be mad if they didn't tube these tires! I now have very little air pressure left in the tire so the tractor at this point will have to stay right where it is.

Anyone have any help on what I can do to fix this? I guess I had a bad valve stem. I have no idea for sure how much of my ballast I lost but it had to have been around 10 gallons. I definately need to get a new stem but my main concern is the fluid I lost. Do I need to fill it back up to match the other tire in weight? I would think so. I didn't realize how messy fluid filled tires can be until this happened. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[kjung17]

This happened on your new 3038!? Call your dealer.

 

[USNative]

This happened on your new 3038!? Call your dealer.

Yeh, I am definitley gonna call John Deere. I would hope that this will be a warranty issue. I can't take it to the original dealership I bought it from in Bozeman MT. because I have moved and the closest dealership is in Great Falls MT.

I take it kjung , you are telling me that this is a warranty issue since my tractor is so new , is that right?

I wonder if I will have to take the tire in or can the dealership send someone out to fix this? Is this a warranty issue? Man, I sure don't want to have to try and load that tire as heavy as it is with the fluid in it.

If anyone has had a similar situation as mine any information on how it was handled would be appreciated.

This tractor is only a half year old and only 30ish hours on it. I have just started to put serious use on it.

Thanks

 

[kjung17]

I would contact the dealer where you originally purchased the unit. They will likely make arrangements to send a tire guy out to fix your tire on site. I would be concerned with the liquid in the tires. You mentioned calcium chloride. Most places have been using fluids that are less caustic. Good luck. Let us know what happens.

 

[V1Rotate]

If the dealer can't help you right away, you can buy a new valve stem and remove the core and insert it into your existing stem. It might be that your stem is ok just the insert went bad.

 

[USNative]

Well heres the latest. I called the dealership this morning where we purchased the tractor and explained to them the situation and it seemed as they were going to get it fixed under warranty but then later I get a call beck from them saying that they talked to the guy that did the ballast work on it and he said that the tube was probably leaking so there must be a puncture somehow and there was nothing he could do.

So John Deere tells us it will not be a warranty issue and he didn't know what to tell me. At this point I am getting a little irritated because I already explained to them that the leak was coming directly from the valve stem. He obviously wasn't listening when I told him where the leak was coming from. I told him also that I have only got 36 hours on my tractor and I haven't had it anywhere to puncture the tire. Heck, the only thing I have used it for is moving manure and sod and clearing snow out of my driveway. I am just now starting to use the tractor.

Anyway I also told him that if they will not warranty it on a tractor this new I will not be buying another John Deere product and will look into other brands if I make another purchase.

He then said "well let me look into this some more , I will see what I can do , I may have to do some cussing but I will see what I can do and get back to you".

So now it's gonna be a bit of a waiting game to see how this comes out.
I am pretty darn mad at this point because I told them from the get go that the leak was staight out of the valve stem and they try to turn it into some other cause so they don't have to cover it.

They are the ones who hired the man to put in the ballast and since it was his work (or part) that was flawed then I don't think we should have to pay for it. They should cover this under warranty and then make the ballast guy reimburse them. If he still refuses to cover this I am going to contact John Deere Corporate about this. I don't want to have to do this but it's the principle of the whole thing.

I explained exactly where the leak's coming from and they either didn't listen or they are just trying to get out of covering me on it.

Meanwhile the tire is still dripping ballast out of the valve onto the shop floor while I am waiting to here back from them. Not a very happy guy at this point.

I'll post back later with my results. I am NOT going to roll over on this issue, I can guarantee you that. Thanks for the replies so far.

 

[sal64]

Ok here's my problem guys,

I was out in my shop today and happened to look over at my tractor and noticed a pretty good sized puddle around the right rear tire so I took a closer look and noticed that around the valve stem looked wet and a little rust color at the base of the stem. I put my finger on the wet spot and tasted it and sure enough it was the calcium chloride leaking. So I take the cap off the stem and there is a constant flow of the ballast running out . I get my little tool to try tightening the valve stem and it fell apart and then continued to leak but even worse now. I am thinking what should I do now?

I don't want this ballast leaking all over the shop and I need to get it stopped so I put the cap back on but it continues to drip rapidly . I started the tractor and moved it so the valve stem was straight up on top but it continued to leak. I decided to take the lower stem housing off to let it bleed out until the ballast was below the valve. I think that was a mistake becuase the ballast started spraying out , I think due to the air pressure in the tire. I had no choice but to let it go until the air pressure was gone. Dang good thing I put the bottle jack under it . Just got done cleaning the flooded shop. I sure hope they put tubes in the tires as I know that calcium chloride is corrosive. I am gonna be mad if they didn't tube these tires! I now have very little air pressure left in the tire so the tractor at this point will have to stay right where it is.

Anyone have any help on what I can do to fix this? I guess I had a bad valve stem. I have no idea for sure how much of my ballast I lost but it had to have been around 10 gallons. I definately need to get a new stem but my main concern is the fluid I lost. Do I need to fill it back up to match the other tire in weight? I would think so. I didn't realize how messy fluid filled tires can be until this happened. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

i had same prob with my jd990 you need to jack back weel up turn valve stem straight up then unscrew valve stem air will come out then put in new valve stem add air, also rap some nylon tape on valve stem threads.

 

[V1Rotate]

Good luck!

 

[Zebrafive]

I would tell the dealer come out and take it apart and if the tube is punctured, I pay if not you pay.

Have you determined if you have tubes or tubeless? My tractor (bought used has loaded tires, one has a tube one does not. I think it was originally tubelees, had a flat and repaired with tube.

I do not like the idea of calcium choride in my tubeless tire.

 

[Chuck Oppermann]

Is the leak from the valve core itself? Or is the leak from the stem itself? Could it be leaking from the outside edge of the valve stem? If it is a tube and leaks around the edge, maybe it is a hole in the tube. You just started working the tractor quite a bit and it doesn't take much to crack a valve stem. I just broke two off from hitting small branches and my tractor only has 50 hours on it. Could you take a picture and point out exactly where the thing leaks?

Good luck