Valve Stem Mod

[Redbug]

I was out in the woods pushing tree debris the other day. I heard a hissing sound...and the first thought was hydro line leak. The sound was coming from a front tire. A limb had rubbed up against the tire and busted off the brass valve stem. I slowly drove the tractor out and onto the trailer. A new brass valve stem cost $4 and $12 to remount the tire. I now keep a spare valve stem in the tractor toolbox. These valve stems unscrew about halfway up. The upper half is what broke off. You would think the manufacturers would think of these everyday life things and add better protection...

First pic is the OEM valve stem cover which does not protect much.

Second pic is my modification. I cut a piece of pipe, ovalled it and welded it to the OEM cover.

 

[PSDStu]

I like it Redbug! Thats a great idea!

 

[weldingisfun]

That oughtta' do it! Great idea!

 

[N80]

I really like that. Nice work. Good protection but still room enough to get a gauge or chuck on it, etc.

Mine did not come with any cover at all. Odd thing is, I've never damaged a front one, can't imagine why not. I damaged a rear one when my lift arm stabilizer came loose and banged it up. But my rears are on the inside and that seems to help protect them.

I really wish I knew how to well.....and had all the stuff to do it...

 

[Skyco]

I've worried about that on my BX24- it has NO protection around the stems.
I noticed some of the big machinery has about a 2" pipe nipple with a pipe cap screwed on covering the entire valve stem- now THAT is protection
I wonder why nobody makes an emergency valve stem that can inserted from the outside until a proper repair can be made? Seems like it would be relatively easy to make with an expanding rubber portion. Probably afraid of liability when some doofus uses it on his SUV, drives 90 and it lets loose

BTW one doesn't have demount/remount the tire to replace a valve stem- I've used a jack under my truck trailer hitch to break the bead and shove the sidewall down far enough to reach inside and insert a new valve stem

 

[Redbug]

I got to thinking about my predicament later after all was fixed and well. I could have easily ruined that front tire for good, since I driven it out with the loose tire wobbling on the rim to a place I could get my trailer into, to load up. I was lucky. If I were thinking straight, I should have lowered the bucket, lifted the front end and drove out backwards. Possibly using the rear brakes to help turn. Anybody tried that approach?

 

[N80]

I've driven off my front rim twice. I just lift the front end with the FEL, pull the wheel off, throw it in my truck and take it somewhere I can fix it. Either back to the cabin or to my B-I-L's shop down the road.

If I did most of my tractor work somewhere in which a shop was a long way off, I'd carry my air compressor with me.

 

[ben2go]

That's slick.I've seen those off road truck ones used, where you have valve stem that screws into a valve on the wheel.They have a screw on cap and onlt stick up an 1/8th of an inch.

 

[PAB_OH]

I got to thinking about my predicament later after all was fixed and well. I could have easily ruined that front tire for good, since I driven it out with the loose tire wobbling on the rim to a place I could get my trailer into, to load up. I was lucky. If I were thinking straight, I should have lowered the bucket, lifted the front end and drove out backwards. Possibly using the rear brakes to help turn. Anybody tried that approach?

Snapped the front right stub axle on my Kubota earlier this past winter http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/grey-market-tractors/115794-front-wheel-fell-off.html. I had to drive it back up the hill in reverse using the bucket as a skid. Worked well, though I wasn't too happy to find out the way I did.

 

[Soundguy]

I was out in the woods pushing tree debris the other day. I heard a hissing sound...and the first thought was hydro line leak. The sound was coming from a front tire. A limb had rubbed up against the tire and busted off the brass valve stem. I slowly drove the tractor out and onto the trailer. A new brass valve stem cost $4 and $12 to remount the tire. I now keep a spare valve stem in the tractor toolbox. These valve stems unscrew about halfway up. The upper half is what broke off. You would think the manufacturers would think of these everyday life things and add better protection...

First pic is the OEM valve stem cover which does not protect much.

Second pic is my modification. I cut a piece of pipe, ovalled it and welded it to the OEM cover.

Lots of heavy equipment have a piece of pipe welded over the stem, and it is threded to accept a cap.. this keeps it clean too.

soundguy

 

[Gary Fowler]

One day when working in Peru, I saw a farmer coming down the road with one tire removed from his tractor. THe front axle would not flex far enough before it hit the limiting stops to allow the axle hub to hit the ground. He just simple removed the rim and drove it home to fix the tire.
It was on a big Massey Ferguson 375 row crop tractor but the same might work in an emergency for smaller tractors but just have to go really easy.

 

[Soundguy]

Some do. i have seen valve stem protectors that were optional equipment on tractors back from the 40's

soundguy

 

[ampsucker]

i need to do something like that on my bx. broke off one of the front valve stems just last week plowing the garden. a guess a heavy dirt clod bent it over too far and ripped the soft rubber of the stem.

i like the idea of being able to screw a cap on. problem is i have to dis mount the tire to be able to weld to the rim. maybe a winter project?

amp

 

[ampsucker]

i liked the pipe welded on to protect the valve stem idea. but, didn't have time to mess with dismounting and doing the fabrication work, so here is my solution. so far, it has been working, but a couple of passes through the garden with the plow next week should tell the tale.

basically, its as simple as waiting till your oem valve stem breaks off, then take the tire to a professional tire shop and ask them to replace the stem with the shortest, all metal valve stem they have. they are used for high pressure applications like heavy duty truck and trailer tires, etc. i had to go to several shops before i found one with the right parts. if you can't find them locally, just order them online and then you'll have them to replace as each of your oem stems goes bad.

amp

 

[KevPH1]

I worked on off-road wheeled forestry equipment. Most Hyro-AX and skidders use a short piece of black pipe threaded with a pipe cap installed. The threaded pipe welded at the valve stem and capped with the pipe cap. A good system,except you will need a pipe wrench to check/add air.

 

[Soundguy]

I worked on off-road wheeled forestry equipment. Most Hyro-AX and skidders use a short piece of black pipe threaded with a pipe cap installed. The threaded pipe welded at the valve stem and capped with the pipe cap. A good system,except you will need a pipe wrench to check/add air.

Yep.. my post back on page 1, ( # 10 ) said this exact same thing.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/116005-valve-stem-mod.html#post1397596

soundguy

 

[Skyco]

And I had said it back on page 1 post #5 nanner nanner naaa naaa

 

[Soundguy]

Good ideas just never go away!

soundguy

 

[woodlandfarms]

Mine snapped off anyway, but I abuse my tractor...

 

[Redbug]

Hey, that's real good idea with the short valve stems! I had never seen such short ones. Amp...do those short ones also screw apart, (with o ring and shrader valve in the top half), like the longer ones? Or are they all one piece?

Sorry Soundguy, Skyco gets the gold star...post 5....nanner nanner naaa!