Stinkin' flats!

[TC29-dude]

I finally got down to the farm to speed some quality tractor time...I open up the shed and find that both my back tires are flat. I wasn't too surprised since I was cleaning up some trash piles last time out. But dang...I was planning to bolt on my tooth bar and go to town.

Since I am going to be cleaning trash piles for the a while yet I am thinking about getting the tires (R4s) foam filled. Can someone tell me the process for this? Do I call a tractor/tire shop and tell them to come fix them? Do I take the tires off and take them in for repair?

Any idea how much filling / fixing them is going to cost? Is there a certain kind of foam to use? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I did manage to get my deer stand built and I spent some time riding my 4 wheeler so the trip wasn't a complete bust.

 

[Bird]

You can certainly save money by taking the tires to a shop, although handling rear tractor tires can be quite a job because they're heavy. There are tire shops that will send a truck to your location to fix the flats; a little more expensive, but a lot less work for you. I don't know the oost of having them foam filled, but I know some of my neighbors, a brother-in-law, and some of Tractorbynet's members have changed their minds after learning the cost; it's high. And of course, it also make the tires much heavier to handle. In my opinion, it's the best way to go if you can afford it.

 

[DieselPower]

A cheaper alternative would be to just add tire sealant to the tires. Doesn't add weight like foam filling does but it does seal holes up to about a 1/4 inch. Other advantages are you install it yourself and don't have to remove the tires from the tractor. There was a good thread here on TBN about tire sealers a while back.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/100282-tire-slime.html?highlight=tire+sealant

 

[jinman]

Fixing flats is something I have not had to do much on my TC. I used to have to deal with flats all the time on my previous two tractors, but got the front tires foam filled and bought new tires for the rear on my old Ford Jubilee. Many years ago, foam filling the fronts was $135. I suspect the rears foam filled would be nearly $1000 each on R4s.

If you just put sealant in the rears, you will not be able to fill them with fluid and gain the advantage of rear ballast. If you don't need ballast, that could be a good solution.

My best solution for a tubeless rear is to plug it if the hole is not too big. Since you didn't know the rears were going flat, that sounds like a very slow leak and one that could plugged easily. Do you have electricity and an air compressor. I can't imagine having a tractor and not being able to air up tires. If you don't have electricity, I'd recommend a gasoline engine powered compressor.

The cost of the compressor, tire repair tools, and patch kits will still be less than filling one rear tire with foam. On a small tractor such as yours, I think you can handle your own flats and be more self-sufficient for any circumstance. That said, if you don't want to ever fill the rear tires, a small compressor you can run off your car battery and 5 gallons of tire sealant could be your solution as DieselPower suggested.

 

[have_blue]

As a rule, I think sealants should be avoided. I think they should be used only if absolutely necessary. If you have nails, wire, or a thorny tree of 2, removing them is easier in the long run than gunking up your tires or fixing flats all the time. If you have lots of honey locust or mesquite, you may have no choice but to use sealant.

 

[TC29-dude]

I have power but it's on the other end of the property far away from the tractor. I am planning on turning power on to the shed but it's very old and I want to inspect the wiring first.

You guys aren't making it easy! 1K to foam fill each tire? Yikes.

I used to work in a tire shop as a kid...I have changed tons of car tires but I have never worked on a tractor tire. Plugging may the way to go.

 

[AndyMA]

The legit tractor tire dealers I use don't even like to work on tires that have been slime filled and consider plugs as something an amateur does as a temp patch. They always take the tire off and grind the inside and put a patch on the inside of the tire.

Andy

 

[PineRidge]

We used to get flats on a monthly basis until we gave the sealants a try. Haven't had a flat since we injected all 4 tires. I'll take the sealant over a flat any day.

 

[Bird]

They always take the tire off and grind the inside and put a patch on the inside of the tire.

Andy, I was working in my Dad's service station when the first new cars came out with tubeless tires, so I was still doing tire work when the early plugs came on the market and they were pretty bad. So I was like your tire men; wouldn't have one fixed at all except to have it removed and patched on the inside until 1991. The later generations of plugs work very well, and in fact, some of the experts claim they are better than the patch on the inside because the patch on the inside still leaves a bit of a hole on the outside into which sand, dirt, etc. can be introduced. And abrasives moving around in there as the tire flexes may cause more problems later.

In 1991, I worked for the summer in my brother's tire dealership in Anchorage and they only used plugs unless the customer requested a patch on the inside and said they'd never had a failure with the type of plugs they were using. And that's when I started using the plugs and so far never had a failure with one.

 

[Skyco]

I prefer the patch plug combo- all in one- looks like a giant roofing nail made from rubber..you buff the inside apply the glue and pull it through. Solves the problem of the hole left and gives the security of a large glued down patch inside

Patch Rubber Co. - Puncture Repair - Pilot Wire Patch Plugs