Possible fix for riding mower tires
- Thread starter paul2112
- Start date
xtremek
Well-known member
What a bout Slime? I'm going to try that in the lawn tractor I drug home. I used it in my mower tires that had slow leaks.
You've still got to keep it under 90 on the corners, even with that stuff. Hey, a lawn tractor my ex-brother in law gave me one time years ago had an inner tube in one of the front tires. I could tell that because it was bulging out the rip in the tire that he had duct taped over.
sc3013
Well-known member
I tried the slime in my two wheel trailer, old tires, lots of weather checking. A couple of hours later the tires looked like greenwall tires, more slime on the outside than the inside. I just went and picked up two new wheel-tire combos.
OP . . that's a cheap fix worth a try on lawn mower tires. I also hate the slime. Brother's wheelbarrow had the slime and it just blew up one day and luckily it didn't get all over me when helping him with firewood.
If the flex seal doesn't hold, then I'd go with inner tubes next.
If the flex seal doesn't hold, then I'd go with inner tubes next.
I sometimes volunteer at a Recycling Center. People occasionally bring in USA made lawn equipment tires from the 1950's and up to dispose of and those tires look better than the new ones we get today from China. No cracks or fading. Look as glossy as a healthy dog's nose. What the Hades is up with that.
I have had good luck with Slime in my lawn equip tires, I found the trick is that you do have to drive them at high speed for 5 to 10 minutes for the slime to coat the entire inside not easy to do with lawn equip.
What I do is use a rod or bolt in the vise as a axel and use the belt sander to spin the tire/wheel.
What I do is use a rod or bolt in the vise as a axel and use the belt sander to spin the tire/wheel.
retDAC
Well-known member
I used Slime on a riding mower rear tire. Had sidewall cracks so I held it flat and at various angles wobbled it all around on one side, flipped it, did the same to the other side as well as rolled it vertically 360. No more leaks in two years.
Some things I do to keep lawn equipment tires from leaking: remove the tire when it's new right off the bat, clean the rim, get a can of tire bead seal from napa, and slather the rim and tire where it seals, then refill it with air while it is still tacky.
on used rims this also helps but I usually have to take a grinder with a wire wheel to the rim and clean it up real well.
any tires that leak from holes or sidewall get a tube, even though they're tubeless. sometimes I will line a decent tire with a lot of sidewall cracks with pieces of rubber on the inside before I put a tube in.
Tubes are no longer $3 ea, so I save every tube I get. learn to properly patch a tube, and you can make a low speed tire last a looong time...I've got old tubes with a dozen patches on them. of course we're not talking high speed on the road, <10mph is just fine.
I even fixed an old sears from the '60's with a completely torn sidewall with a piece of tire glued inside with a tube inside that...
those tire/rim combos you buy at the tire store are cheap china made and can be bent and out of round, I find they rarely seal once they've been out in the weather more than a month or so without breaking them down and using a good amount of bead seal...
on used rims this also helps but I usually have to take a grinder with a wire wheel to the rim and clean it up real well.
any tires that leak from holes or sidewall get a tube, even though they're tubeless. sometimes I will line a decent tire with a lot of sidewall cracks with pieces of rubber on the inside before I put a tube in.
Tubes are no longer $3 ea, so I save every tube I get. learn to properly patch a tube, and you can make a low speed tire last a looong time...I've got old tubes with a dozen patches on them. of course we're not talking high speed on the road, <10mph is just fine.
I even fixed an old sears from the '60's with a completely torn sidewall with a piece of tire glued inside with a tube inside that...
those tire/rim combos you buy at the tire store are cheap china made and can be bent and out of round, I find they rarely seal once they've been out in the weather more than a month or so without breaking them down and using a good amount of bead seal...
xtremek
Well-known member
Hey Paul, let us know how your fix works out. I've got a bunch of lawn equipment tires that need help. I thinkI'll use Slime on the ones that aren't real bad, but I've got a couple I don't think Slime will work on.
mtwaterguy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2007
- Messages
- 3,518
I found new lawn tractor tires with wheels at Lowes. $50 less $5 for veterans disc. The tire store wanted around $100 for just the tire.
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
On John Deere tractors which are notorious for air leaks, a thin coat of silicone sealer around where the bead goes will take care of it. The front tires are the worst for leaking, ad alsmost impossible to munt yourself, so if you take it to a tire place, tell them you ant some silicone sealer around the bead area.
They frown on Slime. If they have to change a tire, it is a frickin' mess. Almost any tire guy will ***** about it. Plus it leave the rim grimy, and if there is too much in there, it will leave their machine grimy. They aren't too happy about that.
I hate messing with a tube all for the fact that if the tire gets low, the tube wants to slide inside of the tire, leaving the valve stem on an angle. Then of course if it gets off on too far of an angle and you got to fill the tire, it will pop the tube where the valve stem goes into the tube.
They frown on Slime. If they have to change a tire, it is a frickin' mess. Almost any tire guy will ***** about it. Plus it leave the rim grimy, and if there is too much in there, it will leave their machine grimy. They aren't too happy about that.
I hate messing with a tube all for the fact that if the tire gets low, the tube wants to slide inside of the tire, leaving the valve stem on an angle. Then of course if it gets off on too far of an angle and you got to fill the tire, it will pop the tube where the valve stem goes into the tube.
zkdiesel
Well-known member
It's called bead sealer......
yes bead sealer, comes in a square can at napa. silicone will be a mess once it dries, changing a tire after would probably not seal unless you could scrape that mess out. the bead sealer is like liquid rubber. we actually used it in the manufacture of fibermetal welding helmets at a place I used to work. bought it right from Napa...has all kinds of uses, but it is specifically made for sealing the bead on tires.
lawn tires are only supposed to be inflated to something like 5-8psi, which is not much to keep pressure on the bead if there's any imperfections it won't seal. I see people put 20-30psi in their tires and it stretches them all to heck and causes the sidewalls and everything to crack even worse...
also they do make tubes with threaded valve stems to keep them from slipping. they're like dirtbike or high end bicycle tubes...
lawn tires are only supposed to be inflated to something like 5-8psi, which is not much to keep pressure on the bead if there's any imperfections it won't seal. I see people put 20-30psi in their tires and it stretches them all to heck and causes the sidewalls and everything to crack even worse...
also they do make tubes with threaded valve stems to keep them from slipping. they're like dirtbike or high end bicycle tubes...
sorry didn't mean to get too far off topic. your idea is a good one and I may try it (but hate spending $20 on a can of that stuff). Just wanted to add some other hints to your initial post.
justme-
Well-known member
As a mechanic on lawn equipment - please don't use slime then bring in a tire asking for it to be fixed. Makes my day go poorly and makes your bill higher. That stuff is a royal mess inside the tire and makes changing a tire or putting in a tube a nightmare.
I don't understand the OPs comment on tubes - we sell tubes, larger ones can get up there, but the highest cost we stock is under $25. 90% of lawn tractors we tube the rears it's a $15 tube and costs $20 labor unless you have slime in it. Once tubed it should be good for years unless you put a nail or something through it.
I'm curious how well the spray works, but honestly I'm not optimistic it'll hold long term. Old tires are dried out and I can't imagine that holding well to the spray. We tube a lot of tires (more than I care to count) and I think I've only seen 4 replacement tires on lawn equipment. (8 sets or replacement tires for Honda snowblowers this winter and 2 other blower tires so far). Hondas always get over inflated (8psi) and stretched. the others were from badly torn sidewalls.
I don't understand the OPs comment on tubes - we sell tubes, larger ones can get up there, but the highest cost we stock is under $25. 90% of lawn tractors we tube the rears it's a $15 tube and costs $20 labor unless you have slime in it. Once tubed it should be good for years unless you put a nail or something through it.
I'm curious how well the spray works, but honestly I'm not optimistic it'll hold long term. Old tires are dried out and I can't imagine that holding well to the spray. We tube a lot of tires (more than I care to count) and I think I've only seen 4 replacement tires on lawn equipment. (8 sets or replacement tires for Honda snowblowers this winter and 2 other blower tires so far). Hondas always get over inflated (8psi) and stretched. the others were from badly torn sidewalls.
xtremek
Well-known member
Ok, I got it, no Slime. I didn't think about it, but now that you said it, it makes sense that the stuff is nasty. Thanks for the education. On the plus side, I'll be the only one who will be touching those wheels/tires.
I change about 400 tires a year at work with a type of slime in them, yes its messy and I have to clean the casings before they go back to the recap shop. It saves roughly 600 flats a year that I would have fix. So slime on I say.