Valve Stem Protection Idea and Advice...

[budcampo]

Hello James...
Anyone that has the skills to operate a welder, BUT is lacking the "don't weld a pressurized vessel", is really not needing a warning 'don't do it...'.

If such a person is out there, and they go through life making irresponsible choices, all you are doing is postponing the time they finally make their last careless blunder.

I do not encounter very many folks that fall into that group... especially that can also afford welding equipment and a rim with a tire on it to weld...

There are accidents all the time... Some involving people that have grown accustomed to being warned about the most obvious risks... then when there is no one around to warn them... boom an accident 'happens' ...
That could have been prevented by allowing that person to self destruct during one of their earlier misadventures, there is some natural selection that you need to allow, least the herd looses all common scenes...KennyV

I was thinking the same thing, pretty stupid move, and it was the first thing I thought of... but I do appreciate the warning, even the most level headed people make mistakes, and a warning like this could save someone a lot of pain or their life!

Also that Surevalve thing looks sweet, I think I'm going to go that route, seems easier and cheaper! Thanks for the advice!
I'd also say that the not so level headed folks out there are no less entitled to a warning that could save their life, or many warnings for that matter

 

[Skyco]

:

Off roaders face this issue and have come up with alternate ways of dealing with it ...you can google appropriately ... or, here are two links with their advertising blurbs:


Surevalve (TM) The Valve Stem / Tire Valve For Off Road Use "The Surevalve has a subriminal valve core for maximum protection for your extreme off-road adventures. The outer valve stem is double sealed to prevent air, dirt, and water from penetrating and corroding the valve core. The valve stem is the weak link in the tire and rim assembly. When participating in extreme off-road activities you are at a great risk of severing your valve stem. The last thing that you want when you're in a mud hole is to get a flat tire due to a broken valve stem.
Amazon.com: Flush Mount Chrome Valve Stem System (Set of 4): Automotive "The new Flush Mount chrome valve stems are the perfect way to set your new wheels off. Unlike most valve stems that are very tall tall and stick out, these "Flush Mount" valve stems give a clean smooth look to your new wheels. These are perfect for use with highly polished wheels to smooth out the look of that ugly valve stem. They work on almost all aftermarket and factory wheels that require normal valve stems.

"With this unique design you only need one valve stem to air up your tires. To air up your tires simply unscrew the cap and screw in the valve stem. Then apply air like normal. When you are done simply unscrew the valve stem and screw in the flat cap for the ultimate look.
BUT, A READER ADDS: yeah those are nice until they start to leak at the grommet like any metal stem does eventually and you have to dismount the tire to fix it. They are also slow to air down through the "detachable stem" and take longer to air up when done. Also if you happen to lose the "detachable stem" you're screwed untill you get a new one.

I like those flush mount stems but I could see the removable part getting lost. They should include a new tire chuck that doesn't require that stem or 4 stems so you have lots of spares. It would really suck if you had the stem in your tool box at home while you needed to put air in your tire while at your land 100s of miles away.

I had posted about installing the Surevalve system a couple of years ago in one of the other "bust your valve stem" threads- they work great. Had some minor leakage after they broke in a little, only noticed it because the Slime in my tires made a wet spot that collected dust around the stem base, never had a measureable air loss. Tightening them down again fixed that, no more leaks. They can be snugged down more externally without breaking the bead.
As for losing the adapter, well yeah, one stays in my truck, which is always near the tractor and another is in a little baggy tie wrapped in the battery compartment. I had 4 of them, no idea what happened to the other two

 

[jimmer2880]

I had posted about installing the Surevalve system a couple of years ago in one of the other "bust your valve stem" threads- they work great. Had some minor leakage after they broke in a little, only noticed it because the Slime in my tires made a wet spot that collected dust around the stem base, never had a measureable air loss. Tightening them down again fixed that, no more leaks. They can be snugged down more externally without breaking the bead.
As for losing the adapter, well yeah, one stays in my truck, which is always near the tractor and another is in a little baggy tie wrapped in the battery compartment. I had 4 of them, no idea what happened to the other two

Good to hear from someone who has tried them. I like them. I'll have to opt for some of those if/when I ever need new tires.

 

[jimmer2880]

Here is another link of a tragedy. This is a lengthy study after the death. If you weld on a rim, dismount the tire, and let everything cool down really well. Please be careful.
James K0UA

http://www2.worksafebc.com/PDFs/investigations/IIR2005108320019.pdf

Something isn't clicking for me. In the study, it said the valve stem was removed and the air hose was attached.

If the air hose was attached, why didn't the pressure relief on the compressor open? Or - did the pressure build so quick that the relief valve wouldn't have been able to keep up?

hmmm.....

EDIT: No way am I thinking it's safe to weld on a rim with a tire attached. Something just didn't make sense.

 

[k0ua]

I think it occurs so quickly that no relief valve would stop it from blowing up, I cannot find the case where supposedly 2 men were killed after they were aware of tire Pyrolysis, and thought breaking the bead would be enough to prevent the tire from blowing up, and supposedly the gas production was of such a volume that it reseated the bead and blew up before they could get away. I dont know if this is true or not, but I remember seeing it a few months ago. If you read the who study link I posted, apparently the guy was actually hit by a flap of the tire and killed, but from the damage around the area, he may have been killed from the blast alone, or other bystanders would have been killed if any had been there.
James K0UA

 

[Redbug]

Valve stem mod....been there done that...here's an older thread...
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/116005-valve-stem-mod.html

 

[woodchuckie]

Do you have any pictures?

Here's a picture with the cap removed.

 

[TripleR]

Here's a picture with the cap removed.

Thanks, I am going to show that to my son who is our welder etc.

 

[leonz]

You can visit the OSHA home page, the Firestone home page and the Goodyear home page and you wil see a lot of accidents that did not have to happen; a mounted car tire can kill just as easily as the TIRE is the pressure vessel;.

 

[CANdiyMXER]

I have read the postings in the forum for over 2 years and can't get over the incredible amount of knowledge and experience found here. I have used many of the suggestions in maintaining my machine and making a couple of custom attachments for it. Keep up the great work!

I have an Kubota MX 5000 and using a back blade to remove snow put my front wheels in the crusty snow bank sometimes. This caused damage to the valve stem and demounted my tire a few times. I also noticed that my summer work with the front end loader in rocky ground had caused damage to the wheel studs. To get around this I looked at doing the welded valve stem protectors, but found it wouldn't offer protection to the wheel studs.

I ended up installing tubes and had two 3/8 by 17" steel plate water cut into disks and used them as hubcaps. The hub caps are held on by 4- 5 1/2" carriage bolts with nylon quick-tite bolts which exactly cover the exposed thread on the carriage bolts. My Kubota rims already have square knockouts so it was easy. It has worked fine ever since.