Leaking tires

[gnxtc2]

All my pneumatic tires on my shop equipment (power washer, handtruck, Scag mower, etc, etc) keep going flat. Besides having them filled with foam, what can I do to keep them from going flat? Has anyone gone to foam filled tires?

Billy T.
[email protected]

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Depends how rotten they are. a new tube wils usually do the trick.
Filling them with fix a flat can work on things that are driven enough, and solid rubber (or steel) tires have a long and illustrious history in the materiel handling industry.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Martin makes a 10” no flat that can be bought at my local farm supply for about $17 each. I used them on my large pot sandblaster so it would not fall over in storage if a tire went flat. Love them so far. Planning to put a pair on my generator. No time for flats in a hurricane power outage.

This, but I get it for $17.
https://www.wilmar.com/Sku/29-6767/...w-tooth-tread-tire-098663063203-354dbusw242pt

 

[Fedwrench]

If possible, get solid rubber tires from harbor freight. The smell will linger but, we replaced the tires on our AC machine, dollies, and hand carts and no more flat tires.

 

[Larryjones]

Those don't need to be balanced so slime should work.

 

[Packard V8]

Filling them with fix a flat can work

so slime should work.

Some "flat-fix" solutions are just nasty. I ruined a couple of wheels; some are corrosive, some are water based and that's akin to leaving the wheel immersed in water year-round. No more flat-fix in my garage; fix the leak with a new tube, a sandblasted and powder-coated wheel, or whatever is needed.

jack vines

 

[Kev442]

Want to hear a lazy mans solution? I let all the air out and then coated the exposed part of the beads with black RTV. Re-inflated while wet. Worked rather well, but I do not recommend for a mower.

 

[Farmall450]

A tube or some sort of slime.

Yes, it's gross, but you aren't going to rot out a wheelbarrow rim with it and it'll make it effectively nail proof.

 

[The_Geologist]

All I do is tube them anymore. Slime just never did the trick for me, the few times I tried using it.

Tubes have been effective for me until the tire gets to the point it is so dry rotted and cracked that the tube starts getting pinched, and starts to leak. Then, I finally replace the tire. I've gotten several more years out of these kinds of tires that way.

 

[Sine Swept]

I put a solid rubber tire on my wheelbarrow, best decision I ever made.

Currently it is filled with the chrome trim I pulled out of the trunk of the car I'm working on!

 

[Mr_B]

decent foam filled way to go, still have some give yet always ready to go and far safer for equipment on wheels .
avoid hard rubber unless flat floors and minimal moving .

 

[Barnabas]

My wheel barrows and hand trucks have all gone to air-less, solid tires. I get mine from Northern Tool and Agri-Supply. No regrets.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Tubes are the best solution, but I just bought some bead sealer so I will let you know how it works !

 

[dscheidt]

Tubes are the best solution, but I just bought some bead sealer so I will let you know how it works !

When I worked in a tire shop, I put bead sealer on the hand cart tires. Worked fine one the rusty, mishapen old rims. I probably cleaned the bead surface with the buffer we used for auto wheels.

 

[Urambo Tauro]

Try to find the source of the problem. If the tire and/or tube leaks, your next course of action should depend on how that leak got started. If tubeless, check for a good bead seal and clan off any rust that might be preventing it. As already said, use seam sealer if appropriate. If using an inner tube, make sure there are no sharp edges in the inner wheel poking at the rubber.

And don't forget valve stems! If you have to replace one on a tubeless setup, make sure the metal around it isn't rusting away. And if it's an inner tube, check the hole for rust and make sure that valve stem is centered through the hole and stays there as the tube is inflated.

 

[cgrutt]

Bead seal sometimes does the trick. I bought a can at local auto parts store for under $20 and have used it on a bunch of equipment usually fixes problem. I did have wheel Barrow which had a dry rotted tire obviously no good for that lol.

 

[redmondjp]

Want to hear a lazy mans solution? I let all the air out and then coated the exposed part of the beads with black RTV. Re-inflated while wet. Worked rather well, but I do not recommend for a mower.

I've done the same thing successfully - reinflate before the RTV cures to seat the tire beads on the rim, and then deflate to just enough air to hold the tire against the rim (so air doesn't leak through the uncured RTV) - this last step may be overkill, but it's worked for me.