Rims So my rims are rusting

[sreeb]

Cub 7305 with 41x14.00-20 turf tires (rims marked 20xw11) on the back. After some googling, I think these are tubeless.

I bought this used ~10 years ago. Repo/auction so I have no history. Tires were filled with water. I didn't give much thought to it.

Went to move it today (it has been sitting in place doing nothing but running a chipper for a few months) and one of the tires is very low.

I see that there is rust at the edges of the rim and signs of rusty water escaping.

I assume that they were filled without rust inhibitor and now I have a rust problem to deal with.

New rims look like they are ~$300 so I really want to avoid buying new ones.

Any suggestions on where I go from here?

How hard would it be for me to dismount a tire this size with cheap tools?

 

[mikester]

There are shops out there that can sandblast and powder coat rims/wheels you need to search your area.

Removing the tires from the rims with only a few cheap tools only takes patience, your sweat, a few skinned knuckles, and a couple of choice words. Breaking the bead can be a PITA on small wheels.

 

[bigdeano]

I've changed a lot of car tires by hand. I break the bead loose with a bumper jack I saved from my '66 Nova, using the rear bumper on my pickup for weight. After that a couple of tire irons and muscle will get the tire off.

 

[sandman2234]

I have basically the same issue with the front tires on a Ford 1100 sub compact. In my case, the rims probably won't be worth spending the money to have them sandblasted and painted due to the metal being anywhere from thin to not there. I have not found a set of rims, at any price so am considering my options of buying the same rim and cutting out the center and replacing with the correct 6 lug pattern, or building adapters to adapt 5 lugs to my 6 lug hub. Mine is 4x4 so it does matter on the tire size, although I have a set of rear rims that would work if I found front R-1 tires and rims, to replace my turf tires. (since this will now become a lawn mower, I should stay with the turfs).
Good luck finding your rims!
David from jax

 

[PILOON]

I had a rim problem also.
Fronts were rotted out and being a Mutsubishi parts are rare and costly. (previous owner had loaded with Calcium)
I needed 12" rims and suddenly a light bulb flashed.

I purchased 12 " trailer rims, cut out the centers and had a local machine shop Laser cut with CadCam programming new centers to fit with proper center cut out and drill the 5 mounting hole pattern.
Since weight is my friend on a tractor I had the centers made from 5/16 stuck.
Using a spacer block to prop the center 'disc' at desired height I proceeded to weld the 'big washer' onto my new rims.

Now onto my 2nd winter plowing and totally pleased with my DIY rims.

Machine shop was $55.00 and the rims (used) were $25/pair. (was planning on new but the used suddenly 'popped up')
Labor free. (me).

Besides Calcium loading crabbing from plowing had placed undue loading on the rim centers and eventually chewed out the mounting holes.

 

[Looking4new]

I have a chrome plated, 15x7? 6 stud wagon wheel model of rim that will fit 6 bolt GMs.
It is looking for a new home.

 

[buickanddeere]

Dry tubless with cast weights or tubes with liquid ballast. Calcium Chloride is patient and relentless. It will eventually find metal to corrode.

 

[BrokenTrack]

Replacing rusted through rims is pretty easy and cheap actually and does not take dismounting the tire completely from the rim, nor taking the rim off the tire. I have done this twice now with the rear tires of my L2500 Kubota and saved A LOT OF MONEY. Total cost was about $20 in some steel at the local hardware store and $50 for a new inner tube per tire.

The first thing to do is to get the fluid out (I just stabbed the inner tube through the rust hole with a knife with cut part at the bottom of the tire so weight squishes out all the fluid. Then jack one tire up at a time and start fixing the problem.

You ill want to break down the beat on one side, but just enough to pull the now deflated and unfilled tube out of the tire. Then pry the edge of the tire over so you have room to work around the rusted out spot. Pices of 2 x 4 work good at jamming the tire over.

To fix the rusted spot, buy some 3/16 flat bar at the hardware store in several widths. More than likely the rusted out spot is by the valve stem since they often leak fluid there. That means there might be several "steps" in the rim as it goes in profile from outside to inside. Using a grinder with a cut off wheel, cut the steel to length so that it extends into sound steel and not rusted spots. Tack weld the steel down on the inside of the rim, tacking it, then smacking the hot tack with a hammer, allowing the flat bar to contour around the rim. You might have to put in 1 or two pieces of steel beside one another to cover the area. Then weld 100% around the steel you added. If you burn through, fill the hole.

Now put a thick grinding wheel on your grinder and hit every weld and make sure there is not a sharp spot or spatter anywhere on the inside of the rim. If there is, it might catch on the new inner tube and ruin it. It must be smooth.

If you are near the valve stem, measure where the hole for it goes, and drill it out.

Now put in the new inner tube and remount the wheel, blow up to pressure and all that. Now using some bondo, go over the rusted out area in the rim that is now backed by steel welded to the inside. Fill and smooth as best you can, sand and then paint your rms to match your tractor.

My wheels were 24 inches in diameter so this cost me $120 for both rims, but that is cheap compared to buying new one, but for a strong repair that is almost indistinguishable, it is well worth doing. Time is about an hour and a half per tire.

 

[Dave M7040]

Two wheel drive or 4 wd

If 4 wd, great care needs to be taken in matching the rolling circumference of front and rear tire and wheel assemblies to avoid serious drive train damage.

Manufacturers used to provide a label on the seat back like this one on the first page below.
Now you are left on your own or, if lucky, with a knowledgeable dealer.

I think Piloon's solution of making up new rims is the best using parts from other wheels.

You don't want to have a number of patches welded into your rim and suddenly, as the tire bead seats, you get a strip of metal in the face.

I can weld but would not trust my work in an application where someone could get hurt. There are excellent welders around. Perhaps you are one or can find one.

In my opinion, the risk of pyrolysis is too great to be welding anywhere near a rubber tire even a partially dismounted one,
This reaction is one which starts unseen and can build up to dangerous levels after you have reassembled the tire on the rim.

https://www.ihsa.ca/pdfs/safety_talks/tire_explosions_pyrolysis.pdf

Dave M7040