Tires Front flat tire, It wasn't funny for a couple minutes

[coffeeman]

Hi all

Got this flat front tire on front of tractor. The tire is sepearated from the bead so I can't air it up to see where the leak is. I thought I could plug the hole. So I started thinking and that is a bad move for me. I remember reading about someone seating the bead with starting flluid. Now I got a plan.

I lifted the tire off floor. I doused it down with the fluid. I had already cranked a strap around the tire to try and get the tire closer to the wheel. I threw the match in. A slight poof; then flames. The loose strap ends that I squeased the tire with caught on fire. They are nylon and burn fast. Also, the open tire was burning inside. All this in the garage in my house. I gotta tell you all; that burning strap and tire gave me a real start for about 2 minutes.

Here's a question? Can the tire be aired up without good tire equipment? I have it off the tractor now.

Cheers....Coffeeman

 

[BTDT]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/98372-flat-tire-service.html

They had a similar situation. Hope it helps. Who knew that owning a tractor would be so much fun

 

[thatguy]

Years ago i saw a man seat a tractor trailer type tire using ether.. it was sorta cool to watch him, but I dont think i would try that..

Can someone explain to me how that helps seat the tire? Is it the vacuum created when the ether is lit?

thanks

brian

 

[SPYDERLK]

Years ago i saw a man seat a tractor trailer type tire using ether.. it was sorta cool to watch him, but I dont think i would try that..

Can someone explain to me how that helps seat the tire? Is it the vacuum created when the ether is lit?

thanks

brian

Its pressure caused by the rapid heating of the volume of gas inside the tire as it burns. Actually a soft explosion that could go wrong and actually continue pressurizing the tire to failure after it seats if there is enuf combustible mix inside.
larry

 

[coffeeman]

Its pressure caused by the rapid heating of the volume of gas inside the tire as it burns. Actually a soft explosion that could go wrong and actually continue pressurizing the tire to failure after it seats if there is enuf combustible mix inside.
larry

I was just looking over the tire again. There is no bead to speak of in the rim. So the ether would have trouble seating tire.

There is a radio program: Car Talk. I listen to it sometime. Not long ago they had a riddle on fixing tires. A guy was driving through Mexico and got a flat just as he pulls into this old shop with a lot of junk cars around. The guy has no spare. There's a couple kids around. They have to fix the tire; no tire machine. So they break the bead away from tire and proceed to take the tire off the rim using tire tools and rubber hammer etc. They fix the tube and put tube back in. The kids ask traveler, "Do you have an air pump?" No air pump and they didn't have one either. The used to have one that was run by gasoline as they had no electric. But, it broke and they sold it. "Don't worry" , the kids said. "We''ll get it pumped up." The question was; How did they get tire pumped up?

Cheers.... Coffeeman

 

[thcri]

The either way can be dangerous. I take a good size rope around the tire and start twisting it. Pull a crow bar in the rope to give you leverage and keep twisting. The tire will come up to the rim eventually. It has never failed me to date.



murph

 

[DavesTractor]

Hi all

Got this flat front tire on front of tractor. The tire is sepearated from the bead so I can't air it up to see where the leak is. I thought I could plug the hole. So I started thinking and that is a bad move for me. I remember reading about someone seating the bead with starting flluid. Now I got a plan.

I lifted the tire off floor. I doused it down with the fluid. I had already cranked a strap around the tire to try and get the tire closer to the wheel. I threw the match in. A slight poof; then flames. The loose strap ends that I squeased the tire with caught on fire. They are nylon and burn fast. Also, the open tire was burning inside. All this in the garage in my house. I gotta tell you all; that burning strap and tire gave me a real start for about 2 minutes.

Here's a question? Can the tire be aired up without good tire equipment? I have it off the tractor now.

Cheers....Coffeeman

I banned the explosive method in our shop. The guys were having too much fun and I was getting too nervous. We have an old forklift propane cylinder, happens to be aluminum. I fill it with 175 PSI. I have a 2" ball valve and a 12" piece of pipe that is sort of crushed at the end. I put the pipe up against the bead, have someone hold the tank and open the valve all the way. The CFM is tremendous and it works everytime so far. Of course if you use a pipe that isn't flattened and stuff a potatoe in in, then crack the valve...it's a whole new ball game .

They make these in a smaller version, you see them on ebay. Search for bead blaster, or something similar.

 

[JerryG]

"Don't worry" , the kids said. "We''ll get it pumped up." The question was; How did they get tire pumped up?
Cheers.... Coffeeman

Did they use a hose from a spark plug hole in an engine?

 

[simonmeridew]

putting a rope around the tire and twisting it works well, but the last time I had to do a front tire that had come off(about a month ago) I used one of those straps with a ratchet type assembly; I think you have a lot more control over the process, because once you get the strap(or rope) tight you start putting air in, while holding onto the tire, and about now you need to grow a third hand. If you use a ratchet strap thing, you can tighten it nice and tight, and it stays there, I usually put a little dishwash detergent around the rim and bead, that helps to lubricate and make the bead slippery and slide around a bit better
simonmeridew

 

[coffeeman]

Did they use a hose from a spark plug hole in an engine?

You got it. I had to wait all week to get the answer. I couldn't figure out the solution. The car guys mentioned there would be a little gas also sent into the tire. OK though in an emergency. Lots of pressure can be pumped to the tire.

Cheers

 

[Shirleyshusband]

Must have been a bad weekend for tires! I knocked the tire off it's bead and also put a couple dents in the rim. Rocks! I lifted up the tractor in the field using the FEL. Got the bolts off (no easy chore, next weekend, I'm re-doing them all). Beat the rim back in shape with a wood block, metal block and sledge hammer. Got the tire back on the rim with two crow bars. Put (as simonmeridew did) a wratchet strap around the tire as tight as I could. Put air on it from my little pancake compressor. Then I just "tapped" the tire with a hammer while air was going in. It seated itself. Use CAUTION when removing the strap. I ran up 100 lbs of pressure to seat it good, tested with soapy water, hit the rim in a few spots again with the hammer to seal it better. Lowered the pressure to 45 and put it back on. Held air for two days with no leaks yet. I'll see what it looks like next weekend...

 

[George2615]

The tool Dave's Tractor described is available but costly. But it will seat the bead. It's just an air tank with a 1/4 turn ball valve that releases all the pressure at once through a pipe that is flattened on the end.

 

[coffeeman]

Put (as simonmeridew did) a wratchet strap around the tire as tight as I could. Put air on it from my little pancake compressor. Then I just "tapped" the tire with a hammer while air was going in. It seated itself. Use CAUTION when removing the strap. I ran up 100 lbs of pressure to seat it good, tested with soapy water, hit the rim in a few spots again with the hammer to seal it better. .

Good point to mention using caution when removing strap. I was removing a bungee strap once and the strap sprung away and struck me on the face just below the eye. Big red scratch on my cheek. Close call! You never know where it comes from next and you can't be too carefull. I would guess the rachet strap could cause damage to someone if it broke and everything else went wrong too. The byword is; be safe.

Does anyone remember the strap they used to use to put tires on; when gas stations usually had a garage and a tire machine. As I remember you would cinch this thing around the tire and it had a place to put air into it. Once the bead was made there was a relief valve on the thing and it would go limp and it was off. I wonder if you can still buy these things?

Cheers Coffeeman

 

[coffeeman]

Must have been a bad weekend for tires! I knocked the tire off it's bead and also put a couple dents in the rim. Rocks! ...

I wonder what an old used rim and tire would cost? Could you even get one? I think it might not be a bad idea to have a spare front tire. Those darn flats seem to happen when you don't have half a day to goof around. Old one off and spare on.

Cheers

 

[Mike Donihoo]

I too, have had my share of tire troubles. I had a flat on my new 5500 2wd front tire. I put a plug in it. It did not last two days. Put another one, same thing. Ended up buying a tube from TSC and installing it myself. Five months and no pressure loss.