Old 11.2-24 tires, worth retubing after patching main hole in tire?

[rangerfredbob]

One of the rear tires on my old Kubota developed a leak on me today (it's only 50 years old, POS ), tried airing up but it only lasted 45 minutes... The tires are old Bridgestone with all the weather checks but good tread of course (no lug separation or anything though). I think it's got a tube in it judging by the plastic nut on the valve stem, tire is filled, still has most of the fluid, doesn't smell like anything and clear, calcium?

How hard is it to extract the fluid from the old tube? Drill pump with the tire fill adapter easy or more complicated? I could rig up a venturi vacuum pump into a 5 gallon bucket, I is a redneck after all . Possibly drilling out the valve stem and inserting a tube for a fluid extractor or something too...

That brings the next part, new tires and tubes are $950 on Amazon with free delivery, that's an investment in a 50 year old tractor... not out of the question but figured I'd ask opinions... FWIW the wheels have no external rust, from looking at my brothers like 8 tractors with filled tires that's a reasonable judge that the insides might be ok...

Annoyingly everything online is a week and a half out, if I get a tube for this tire I'll likely go local, if I go that route I'll put a big ol patch over the main area the leak is happening at as it's a somewhat substantial crack...

Sorry, that got long winded...

 

[rangerfredbob]

Found a monday delivery tube, ordered some big patches with it, will stop at HFT tomorrow for a fluid extractor and drill pump to use with my liquid fill kit I ordered.

I think I'll use these tires for a while, just put back the fluid I extract for now, found out Walmart has the cheapest tires online apparently, nearly $300 cheaper than Amazon even going with Carlisle tires... will save that for a winter or further project, it's mowing season and I've gotten 10 years out of the tractor so far... not to mention it's the heart of mowing season so it's when I need the dang tractor

Still welcoming opinions, wouldn't be surprised to hear my methods are dumb

 

[zzvyb6]

There may be future leaks & splits on the way, for both sides probably. I suggest you get the new tires, drain as much fluid if the fluid is other than salt water. Beet juice is expensive. Save this stuff. If you depend on your tractor for daily or weekly use, bad tires when you need the tractor is No Joy. B But if you only drag it out because of guilt, patch and get the process of repairing a tire working really well. You're gunna need it a lot.
BTW: I found some used loaded wheels & tires thru F.B. and they were a perfect fit after enlarging the lug holes by 1/2 a mm. I see a lot of tires at local consignment auctions. What do you have out there for monthly farm auctions ?

 

[LouNY]

I would drain the tire, that is actually the easy part.
You should have a two piece liquid fill valve stem remove the small portion and using a liquid fill adapter.

You can drain it using air pressure, inflate the tire roll the valve stem to the bottom and the air pressure will push the fill fluid out, keep air air up as needed. It will get most of the fill out that way, if you allow the tire to flatten while doing so. If you can use a hill to help with elevation change once you get most of the way empty the siphon effect will get most of the last out.
Then clean and dry the inside of the tire and patch and reinforce the bad area of the tire with "tire boot patches" they are stronger then tube patches and actually have cord and a tapered edge.

Blackjack actually has boots designed for sidewall application, to reinforce the sidewall of a tire and prevent the crack from pinching the tire or admitting debris in to damage the new tube.
Sidewall Boots Archives - BlackJack Tire Supplies, Inc.

 

[sandman2234]

With my schedule, almost no job has a priority that can't be put off till next week, so consider that. I had a Ford 1100 4x4 that the original rear tires had so much cracking that I filled them with water so as not to have to worry about loosing air. I also ripped a section of the tread out all the way around, so the cords were showing. I kept driving it another couple of years before I sold the tractor. The new owner thought he should buy new tires, so I stopped and picked up some from a tractor used parts place on the way to deliver the tractor to him. (He was a good friend)
Slow rotating tires aren't like the tires on our cars and trucks, and will go a lot longer in a condition that we wouldn't even think about in a highway vehicle!
I cut a sidewall on my Kubota front tire, 11.2x24 and grabbed a used one off of one of my Allis Chalmers tractors and headed for the tire place. The guy I called said bring it in, but when I arrived, he told me he had just sent all his guys home and didn't have anyone to do it. I went by the tire shop that my company uses for my semi and they said they would do it. When they started working on it, the tech asked me if I wanted to fix it or just change it out. I said "you can fix that?" He said "yes" and I thought it would be a challenge so went with a repair. That tire has an open gash about 1/2" x 4" tall, going from rim to tread direction and has been holding air, and taking whatever my FEL throws at it for almost 2 years now.
David from jax

 

[rangerfredbob]

It's just mowing season, I don't really depend on it but it's the only thing I have that will mow the reed canary grass... There isn't much for regular farm auctions over here anymore, the rona killed off most of it. I've been keeping my eyes open for good used tires for a while and anything that looked usable was like $300 a pair or they were mismatched and still like $200... Unfortunately the '70's Kubotas are a bit different lug style although it might be a standard 6 bolt pattern on the axle...

That's the kind of patch I got, there's some 4x6" patches that should work good. I also got one of those fillers, the tube only has one valve stem.

We'll see if $80 of stuff (tube, fill adapter and patches) will get me going for the summer, I'm aware I'm not likely to get much more than this summer out of it but don't want to do the labor of doing two tires right now. Conveniently I've mowed everything before so I know there isn't anything that is just going to stab a tire...

 

[rangerfredbob]

I see what you mean about the two part valve stem now... there is a joint in the middle...

I have no doubt I could fix the tube unless the issue is at the stem which at this point it's better to have a spare tube just in case...

Last year I put on two new front tires which is nice, those old ones were thin...

 

[careyo63]

On my Bridgestone 9.5/9-24 on a 45Yr. old Yanmar. Which is basilcly my lawnmower also. I had dry cracks that started to split. Gempler has or did have a complete Full tire insert reline. New tubes !!
I really had no choice to repair or replace both. When I bought the tractor from a dealer he told me what to do if or when I have problems. Which I had to call back Yrs. later and ask where he got them.
They was showing cracks at the lugs back then in 2008. Which are still huge. The reline was in 2016 Hundreds of Hrs on them and not the first complaint. Back then it was Real Cheap with the tire shop install and cost was less than 1 new tire. what they look like today. Covers the side wall also

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[LouNY]

I have seen the liners were you get two halves and lay in the tire and the tube holds them in place. And then here is a newer style that is one piece;
Pricing | Solving all your flat tire needs | Tire Gard of Elida, Ohio

 

[rangerfredbob]

Oof, haven't looked this close at the tires before... they're pretty cracky...

drained like 17 gallons out of the tire so it didn't lose much fluid... the inner bead broke easy, the outer bead broke me, I gave up for the day, I only have a 4 pound duck bill hammer handy and I went around the bead twice and it didn't budge so I went inside and bought one of the screw type bead breakers, will be here Wednesday... if I could move the tractor I might have tried the lip of the bucket but don't want to risk that mess while on jackstands...