Valve stem protectors

IslandTractor · Jan 13, 2011

Redbug said:
Ohhh, I did not know...You were talking about that kind of protector!!!!

Handsome dog. Looks like he is still a puppy too.

BJN644 · Jan 13, 2011

Jeff Lary said:
I just went back and re-read the post responce and not sure how you folks do it but up here they put the ballist inside the tube,... You dont want calcium in a wheel unless it is inside a tube or soon 10 or 15 years you will be buying new wheels.They do in some places use a non corrosive ballist but it is not availabe where i go.

Jeff, you're right between 2 Whittamore & Sons locations, they use the non-corrosive ballast. It's either ballst star or rim guard, both beet juice stuff. Better for your rims and environment.

Redbug · Jan 13, 2011

Hi Island...Yes, Pal was just a pup when I took that pic. He is almost 3 years old, now.

Jeff Lary · Jan 20, 2011

Yes i have heard of the Beet juice based stuff i may look into it some day.Whittimores is a really good place by the way bought my bush hog there and a sister to my Partner 5000 plus god i've cut a forest of trees with these two saws ,when i go into the woods i have seen trees actually get up and sneak away.

grsthegreat · Feb 12, 2011

my new kioti dk45se hst has valve stem protectors on the front tires only...i cant figure out why there not also on the rear tires. there filled with rimguard now...so i cant do bubkiss about it now. if they ever shear off, im welding ones like they have on the front.

IslandTractor · Feb 13, 2011

grsthegreat said:
my new kioti dk45se hst has valve stem protectors on the front tires only...i cant figure out why there not also on the rear tires. there filled with rimguard now...so i cant do bubkiss about it now. if they ever shear off, im welding ones like they have on the front.

If I recall correctly, the valves on the rears are on the inside (near the axle) and pretty well protected. If your valves are on the outside like in the front, it may be that your rears are not set to the widest stance.

Oldpath05 · Jun 12, 2014

Since 07, when I bought my tractor, never had a problem with a valve stem braking, until now, on a brand new rear tire. After 600 hrs. I had new tire's put on because on the 4 ply tire, the tread was getting down and one rear tire had a real bad 2" cut in it, and leaking, it was fixed once 4 years ago. When I bought the tractor, I thought some day when I replaced the tire's, I would weld on stem protector's, but never did brake the rear stem, and I haul out my firewood every year and logs, the stem has had sticks hit it before, but the difference now is, my old tire's were tubeless, filled with RimGaurd and had lot stronger valve stems. Now I have tubes in the tires, filled with calcium, and the tube valve stem breaks real easy if a stick hits it.

So to make/weld on valve stem protection, I have to take the tires back off the tractor, take them back out to the tire garage, (30 mi away) dismount, bring the rims back home, take rims back out another $100.00 +, didn't really want to do that. I thought if I look on TBN, I could find someone, anyone, anybody, who made clamp on bolt on valve stem protectors, so I could have some idea what to make, then I came to a conclusion, there's no such animal. So I spent all day last Saturday trying to come up with something, anything, now I have these to test out, I just don't want to take the tire back off, and the moral of the story is, if your putting tubes in the tires, while the tire's are off, weld on stem protectors before the new tire goes on.

IslandTractor · Jun 13, 2014

Oldpath05 said:
Since 07, when I bought my tractor, never had a problem with a valve stem braking, until now, on a brand new rear tire. After 600 hrs. I had new tire's put on because on the 4 ply tire, the tread was getting down and one rear tire had a real bad 2" cut in it, and leaking, it was fixed once 4 years ago. When I bought the tractor, I thought some day when I replaced the tire's, I would weld on stem protector's, but never did brake the rear stem, and I haul out my firewood every year and logs, the stem has had sticks hit it before, but the difference now is, my old tire's were tubeless, filled with RimGaurd and had lot stronger valve stems. Now I have tubes in the tires, filled with calcium, and the tube valve stem breaks real easy if a stick hits it.

So to make/weld on valve stem protection, I have to take the tires back off the tractor, take them back out to the tire garage, (30 mi away) dismount, bring the rims back home, take rims back out another $100.00 +, didn't really want to do that. I thought if I look on TBN, I could find someone, anyone, anybody, who made clamp on bolt on valve stem protectors, so I could have some idea what to make, then I came to a conclusion, there's no such animal. So I spent all day last Saturday trying to come up with something, anything, now I have these to test out, I just don't want to take the tire back off, and the moral of the story is, if your putting tubes in the tires, while the tire's are off, weld on stem protectors before the new tire goes on.

http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/Oldpath05/media/IMG_20140606_202504_zps2a637dd8.jpg.html

http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/Oldpath05/media/IMG_20140611_170341_zps3643e050.jpg.html

http://s1274.photobucket.com/user/Oldpath05/media/IMG_20140611_170315_zps18548f7d.jpg.html

Why not just block the rear axle, open the valve to release all pressure, then weld on a simple protector? You just need a few short beads of weld. No reason you cannot weld on a mounted wheel so long as pressure cannot build up. To be even more secure, add some water or WWF to the tire and weld below the fluid to absorb the heat.

rd_macgregor · Jun 13, 2014

There are some very educational videos on pyrolysis (here's and example: Wheels of Fire Training Video - YouTube ). Note the narrator says tires have exploded even with the stem core removed and even with the bead broken before welding! I'm not sure if filling with water would protect against this risk or not.
Bob

IslandTractor · Jun 13, 2014

rd_macgregor said:
There are some very educational videos on pyrolysis (here's and example: Wheels of Fire Training Video - YouTube ). Note the narrator says tires have exploded even with the stem core removed and even with the bead broken before welding! I'm not sure if filling with water would protect against this risk or not.
Bob

Interesting video but it was of a pressurized tire. The announcer says it can happen without a valve core but I don't see how heat could be transferred so rapidly if at all if the area being welded was "under water" as heat would be dissipated rather than starting pyrolysis.