Filled Rear Tire Meets 16-Pennies

[Superduper]

Never done this to tractor tire but have used them with great success on many truck/auto tires. Firstly, silicone is definitely a no-no. The sticky plug has adhesive that does, yes, require glue to lubricate it. The silicone, in all probability, contaminated the hole and you'll need to ream it out again good, to ensure that there is no more silicone. Imagine silicone lubricant "just like WD-40" and silicone sealant which does not adhere very well to rubber and when cured, almost nothing sticks to it, or, or still another example is silicone wax. I attribute the plug squirting back out to the silicone. If yours did not come with glue, get another brand that does have it. They are available on the shelf of almost all auto parts stores. If you still can't find it, spit will work better than silicone. Yeah, I know...

Normally, the plug IS indeed difficult to shove into the hole, even for a small automotive tire. Since your nail penetrated completely through a lug, this is a good thing as there will be more "meat" for the plug to adhere to. However, it will require a very forceful hand to insert. Don't bother pounding, it won't work and will merely bounce. If there wasn't water, it would most certainly be easier if the hole was at the 9 o'clock or 3 o'clock position so that you can face it and can apply more force. But since your tire is filled, you have no choice. Unfortunately, with the fender in the way, it will be hard to get good leverage. Glue will lubricate it and if you hold the plug with one hand in place, you can almost always remove the tool without much trouble. My concern for you is that the lug on tractor tires are especially thick and the plugs are normally designed for auto tires which aren't nearly as thick. If this is the case, then I would advise using two plugs together and rather than loop at the center of the plug, loop closer to one end. This will allow the plug to extend all the way through the tire, and still ensure that you have double thickness on the plug. By the way, deflating the tire means that you don't have to deal with water squirting out, but I have found that when deflated, it is way more difficult to insert the plug because the soft tire will absorb the insertion force. Rather, a filled tire will be firm and you won't be fighting the elastic properties although again, I have not tried a tractor tire and it may be firm enough without being inflated. Hope this works for you.

 

[AndyMA]

Is the tool long enough to get through the tire lug? Also as others have suggested, I'm sure you now have hole at top but do you have tractor jacked so that weight is off tire? If not I suspect that fluid is helping push plug out.

Andy

 

[AlanB]

I want to throw my 2 cents in.

Make sure you bought the "good" kit that had the T handle tools with a nice beefy handle on it too press on. Not the tool set that looks like a screwdriver.

Spend the couple bucks and get the rubber prep for patches (cleaner) and the rubber cement for tire patches. They should have been right beside the other stuff you picked up at NAPA.

Clean that hole thoroughly now with the reamer and pouring the rubber cleaner too it.

Lube up the plug with the glue, push it all the way through so the loop end is inside the tire. I assume, that you are centering the plug in the eye of the tool correct? I push the plugs in too where barely any plug is sticking out, saves me the trimming step.

I do not run filled tires, but I can tell you that there are a number (I bet about 6) of those plugs in my rear tires on my tractor and untold #s in our mowers and mowing trailers. The ones in my tractor have been there at least 2 years.

There is no way in heck I would run the calcium in a tubeless wheel without a tube. It will be expensive on down the road when you are replacing those wheels.

 

[colestin]

Again, guys, thanks for all the help. Today I will look for the better kit that has a t-handle and glue in it.

I didn't really try to lube the plug with silicon. I notice that the plugs stuck to the tool better than they should, so I spayed a littl on the tool, then wiped it pretty clean with a shop towel. It didn't make a big difference.

Maybe it will be best if I do take the tire to town and have a tube put in this time.

-ml

 

[AlanB]

It is one of those things that when you see someone do it once, or get it sorted out yourself, you will go, crap, this is easy........

The right tool, I went back and re-read your original post and you described it as a screwdriver handle. Makes all the difference in the world.

Should be about $10 or less for a very, very nice set.

The T handle will make all the difference, and lube it with the glue. You are trying to push one a long distance through a lot of rubber if it is in the bar of an R-4.

I hate to tell you this, but it will probably not be the only flat you are going to get, so you may as well learn to deal with them.

During the spring months, we run an average of one tire plug a day.......It can wear you out. Wife is better at doing them then me sometimes. And you would not believe what we pull out of the tires. Worst one this year was a 1/4" socket extension, driven through "backwards" big end inside the tire. I pulled and pulled and tugged and could not get it out, finally just shoved it in and plugged with 2 plugs. Demounted the tire when I got home because I wanted to see what it was! Same tire still on the mowing trailer today.

Good luck, you will get it, but it sure helps to have the right tool for the job.

Hmm, on edit and a bit of help from Google

How to Use a Tire Plug Kit

This is how I do it.

 

[Superduper]

Tubing the tire may fix it, but then it guarantees that everytime you get another flat, you'll require help again to fix it. The plug kit works. A proper fix will last the life of your tire. But you won't be able to plug a tubed tire. Again, I've always had best success with an inflated tire. A soft deflated tire makes it harder to insert the tool / plug as the rubber springs back whenever you push.

 

[texasjohn]

AlanB has provided a link that is the next best thing to being there... good work

Regarding tires filled with Calcium... I had a tractor that came from the north and had loaded tires... made it impossible to handle the tire myself when it got a flat/leak ... had to call in expensive tire repair people... on ranch call... They drain out the fluid, repair the tire and refill with air. Had this experience with both tires.

Then about 5 years later the rims absolutely rusted thru and had to have metal patches welded to them rims... a temp fix at best.

My net is: my experience is that the calcium destroys the rim, over time and is the most expensive weight you can use, not the least expensive. Get any kind of ballast or wheel weight other than filling the tires with calcium.

 

[hilld]

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...

While the tire might say tubeless, when they fill them with calcium chloride, they will 99% of the time put a tube in it as calcium chloride is very corrosive and will rust your wheel in a very short about of time. When Les Schwab filled my tires, they charged me for 2 tubes (I didn't watch them, but I am assuming that they are in there). The reason your plug will work is that you have a tubeless tire (it will hold the air), but the calcium will be shloshing against the wheel and cause it to rust (fast).

If I were in your situation, I would take the tire to Schwabbie and let them fix it right.

Derek

 

[Billy_S]

I totally agree with Derek. If the tire has fluid in it, there is a high degree of probability that it has a tube in it. A plug is not a proper repair to ANY tire, but is absolutely not proper for a tire with a tube in it, whether it is a tube type tire or not.

 

[colestin]

Thanks again, this time especially to AllanB and Texas John. I got a better plug kit, I viewed AllanB's "how to" thing. I know some have said to go a different route, but for now I'm a'patchin.

Using the patch kit glue as lube and the t-handle tools the fix was incredibly easy. So easy I don't beleive it yet. Seems to be holding pressure. That's going to be a great ending to this story. However, I do foresee going to inner tube. These rims are probably expensive to replace.

YeeHaw, Thanks, and keep the rubber side down, guys.