Filled Rear Tire Meets 16-Pennies

colestin · Aug 22, 2006

When I pulled the nail out it sorta squirted. I thought "So that's what the calcium stuff looks like". I stuck the nail back in the hole, and finished mowing. So far so good.

Dealer, on the phone, says "Try a plug before you pay Les Schwab to pump it out and fix it". So I'm at NAPA, and the parts guy is yelling from the counter, "No, that one to the left... that's the one you need right there!". I took it to the counter and paid for it. It said "Steel belted radial repair kit" on it.

Back at the ranch I attempted to follow the simple instructions on the package. I used the reaming tool to clean out the hole (which is all the way through one of the lugs on an R4 tire). Then I used the insertion tool, which looks like a cross between a screwdriver and a crochet needle, to jam the brown slimy rope-like plug into the hole. I tried several times, using several of the plugs. Each time they would stick to the tool and get pulled out of the hole with it. Next I used silicone lubricant on the tool and was able to place a plug, but it came poopin' out of the hole right away.

Sad story, I know. Do I need to take the 400 pound tire in to town and get it fixed (to the tune of sixty bucks), or did I just buy the wrong plug kit? C'mon, you old timers. Help out a igner'nt noobie.

Mark LaCoste
Somewhere near Ashland, Southern Oregon

schmism · Aug 22, 2006

id unload the tire (jack up the tractor)

move the hole to the top side so no "water" was leaking out and leave it for a bit to let the hole dry.

the needle thing has a slit in the bottom that is suppose to release the sticky rope thingie. Ive found it "works better" if you make the slit a bit larger with a dremel or simular which allows the plug to release easyer.

Billy_S · Aug 22, 2006

If the tire has fluid in it, it probably has a tube in it. Unless you want to remove the fluid, take the assembly apart, repair the tube, put it back together, then pump the fluid back in, call Les. You are going to end up doing that eventually anyway as a plug won't work.

gordon21 · Aug 22, 2006

You did release all the pressure in tire before trying to plug it right??? And you did try this with the hole up at 12 o'clock???

I have never seen a plug pop back out. Then again, silicone lubricant was not the right thing to use. You needed to use tire patch GLUE. Use a bigger plug. They come in different sizes. Walmart, NAPA, almost anyplace selling auto parts will have the kits and the plug refills.

JerryG · Aug 22, 2006

After you get the plug in, give the handle a quarter of a turn and then pull it out. The plug should stay in.

texasjohn · Aug 22, 2006

I push the plug half way in but the two ends are still sticking out maybe an inch ... then simultaneously twist and jerk, fast, backwards to remove the tool while leaving the plug there. The plug should exit the tool where the split is in the eye if you jerk it fast enough. I'll admit I've not done this to a tractor tire, but to trailer and pickup tires.

colestin · Aug 22, 2006

Thank you, all! Okay... this is all good advice. I will be following up on it, hopefully tonight. A new patch kit will be gotten on the way home.

I have the tractor axactly as advised. The injured tire is lifted slightly with a bottle jack on the axle. Hole is at twelve o'clock. Pressure is very low. Will report back with tonight's results. Oh yes, it's a tubeless tire. Maybe another discussion is warranted about whether calcium should be used without a tube, as I understand it is corrosive to metal.

Stand by...

gordon21 · Aug 22, 2006

Make sure you are pushing the plug in far enough so the bend is fully inside the tire carcass. You only need two stubs about 1/2" long sticking out when you are done. It is better to have more plug inside the tire than out. Use the glue and the plug will slip in easier and then stay. Wait a couple minutes and then inflate the tire. Trim the plug portions sticking out with a single edge razor blade approx 1/8" above the surface of the tire. Put that blade into your kit for future use. The plugs are tough to cut. If you leave too much, you leave the possibility of something snatching the plug and yanking it out.

Once you have done 10 or 15 plugs, you can confidently do a car or truck tire that is not filled with liquid while still on the vehicle. No jack, no lugnuts to remove. All you need is a plug kit and a 12volt compressor and the willingness to get down in the dirt to fix your tire on the spot beside the road.

Plugging your own tire for $0.19 in less than 10 minutes and getting yourself back on the road is a very satisfying feeling. Especially when you see helpless people beside the road knowing that some wrecker service may not show up for an hour or more.

colestin · Aug 22, 2006

Hello Lewis. Here's a question. There was no glue in the kits I saw. What kind of glue? That would probably help.

I stopped at the tire shop on the way home and described my experience. The tire guy said that if the plug is squirting back out then the hole is too small. But after reading your post I think that the tool may be too short to get the plug far enough in. I have to push really hard to get it there, and even then there may have been 1/2 inch before the handle was clean against the tire. I feel like giving it one more try before hauling the tire in to town.

-ml

Brad_Blazer · Aug 22, 2006

The glue is the same kind that comes with inner tube patches. It acts like a lubricant until it sets. You might want to clean the hole with a solvent such as brake cleaner spray when you re-ream it to get rid of the silicone lube. In my experience silicone keeps most things from sticking.