Constantly flat front tire.

[EddieWalker]

Foam will pay for it's self if it keeps me from running one extra day per year figure $175 per flat for the rear tire plus 1 day down in getting a tire fixed if it is fixable, $30 in fuel getting it fixed plus paying crew to pick there nose while the tractor is not working.

Plus the saftey margin in that the tire don't ever need aired up.

$1500 for foam per machine seems cheap to me.

It's this line of thinking that convinced me to foam my front tires. It's just a matter of time until I do them on my CUT.

Eddie

 

[woodchuckie]

I've not had any punctures on my tires but have had plenty of trouble keeping air in the fronts. Low air is one reason but the most occurring cause has been loosing a valve stem because of the close contact I have working in the woods clearing and maintaining trails and driving in ruts deep enough to damage, pull out, or push in the valve stem. I've seen some models that had stem protection but mine had none. So I recently put some on after the last episode with my tire. Hoping they will work. I haven't used it much since I added the protection.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I have foam in the front tires of my 870 with loader

The only way to replace a foam filled tire is to use a sawsall to cut it off---then throw it in the trash.

Unless you recap it.

Can you recap a tire while on the rim? I thot they used heat and pressure and would have to have access to both sides of the carcass.
larry

 

[taborekle]

The cheapest easiest is to put some tire sealer in it. If that don't work go to the next step.

I doubt that tire sealer would work, as typically it will wallow in the lowest point of the tire (the tread). As the bead is at about the highest part of the tire, I don't think that tire sealer will work.

I would tube it.

 

[J_J]

I simply don't know why some of you guys don't think the tire sealer will not work, and lies in puddles at the bottom of the tire. If you put the correct amount in, it should cover the complete inside of the tire, I have broken down tires, and the slime/snot compound covered the complete tire. If there is any extra slime in the tire, it will roll around and run/drip down, and fill the bead area, etc. On a 26 X 12 X 12, I use about 32 oz's. On a large tractor tire, you would probably use about two gal of slime. It has worked for me over the years. I used to do a lot of plugging, but now use mostly slime or an equivalent.

 

[Duffster]

Can you recap a tire while on the rim? I thot they used heat and pressure and would have to have access to both sides of the carcass.
larry

I haven't had any done yet but I'm looking at buying a set of rims with wornout foam filled tires on them from my tire guy. He said they can recap them. I have used recaps for a while and these rims and tires seem like a good deal so I thought I would give it a try. I think he said it would be about $15 a tire more since it was still on the rim.

 

[cowboy357]

I doubt that tire sealer would work, as typically it will wallow in the lowest point of the tire (the tread). As the bead is at about the highest part of the tire, I don't think that tire sealer will work.

I would tube it.

It might seem that way, but as J J stated it DOES work , its actually better for bead leaks then punctures . Bob

 

[jimmysisson]

I have had numerous flats with locust thorns, or something similar, not sure. Tubes get punctured by the thorns, tire flat next morning. When I hog my widow neighbor's, I sometimes get 30-40 per tire, front and rear. I work the thorns out with an ice pick - only thing that will get in next to them. They're usually flush with the rubber surface, so no pliers will work. Main trouble is inside the tire, where just the tit of the thorn sticks in, often just enough to wreck a tube. You run your palm around the inside surface, and wait to get scratched.
It almost seems like tubeless tires with slime would be less troubled by thorns. I've used slime in the tubes before and it does work. You just have to run the tire long enough to get it fully distributed. Then again as JJ said I might have not used enough. At times I've jacked the front end and just rolled the tire a dozen times to distribute the slime.
Now I have tubes in my R1 fronts, with slime, and they hold OK. I might try tubeless next round though, adding slime for insurance.
Jim

 

[EddieWalker]

While I agree that Slime and similar products do work, they have limitations and I think that's where the problems start. As mentioned by others, it's not effective on valve stem issues. It dosn't do anything for dirt and debri build up along the beed, and it only works on fairly small puncture holes. While I've spend allot of money on Slime and other brands, I've also had repeated flat tires on the fronts of both of my tractors. The rear tires are Slimed, and doing fine, but they don't take the beating that the front tires do.

In fact, my zero turn mower has solid tires from the factory. I can't say for sure why they did this, but can guess it's because there was a problem with flat tires and commercial mowers were losing time fixing them instead of making money mowing lawns.

Slime will work until it's unable to deal with the damage. If you have a place that's nicely taken care of and you are more in the maintenance mode, then I think Slime is an excellent choice. If you are doing allot of work clearing the land, then Slime is only marginal in keeping air in the tires.

For me, the real question came down to how much time is lost dealing with flat tires when I could be accomplishing something that is important to me. Slime didn't do what I had hoped it would, so I took it to the extreme and foamed the tires. No more flats... EVER !!!!

Eddie

 

[Soundguy]

I've got a lawnmower rear tire i may slime or fix-a-flat.. something to coat the insides...

It's a real bugger... it will leak down flat in 2 weaks.. or be low in 1 week. I've pulled it off and sumbmerged in water multiple times.. no bubbles! have replaced the valve stem.. and there is no rust on the rim. bead is smooth as is valve stem hole I've used the black rubber-liquid bead sealer even... tire still goes flat. at this point I'm thinking it's just real porous rubber..

soundguy