Putting a tube in a front tire that got a nail in it

[jbeall]

Hi All,

I've got a John Deere 2210 SCUT, and it picked up a nail in the front tire.

The tire's got plenty of tread left. I'm thinking about putting a tube in it, which would be something like one-third the cost of putting a new tire on it. Any issues with this?

I could also try to patch it but I'm not sure if that would work in this case--would the FEL use putting extra weight on those little front tires make a patch job start to leak?

-Josh

[SonnyT]

I would go with the tube!

[Hugh-SS/16]

Where I work we put these in everything... 3000lb cars to 7000lb pickups

takes 3 mins

[kennyd]

Originally Posted by Hugh-SS/16

Where I work we put these in everything... 3000lb cars to 7000lb pickups

takes 3 mins

That has my vote as well. Certainly worth a try for the price and reduced labor. I have one in my front left R4 tire now that been holding for over a year now.

[meburdick]

Let's see... Front axle max weight on your tractor is what... 1,000lbs? 1,500 lbs? 2,000 lbs?

Axles in my trailer are 5200 lbs. And I would use one of those patch kits on the trailer, providing the hole is in the face of the tread. So, in my reasoning, that patch is plenty strong enough to use on the fronts of your tractor. I might think twice for the rears if they're filled... Dunno... Still might try it there just to see.

If you have a hole poked through the sidewall, whole different story - get a new tire.

[glc]

I also agree with the plug. Awesome invention. Probably last the life of the tire.
It's a tubeless tire,so if you decided to tube it,the tire still has to be patched. So if a tubeless tire is patched,why bother with the tube.


Greg

[JFordBronco]

I have numerous nails/thorns/glass/crap in my front and rear tires. I added 3 gallons of SLIME to my rear tires and a gallon each to the front tires, seals up good and dont have to worry about it Give that a whirl...

[jbeall]

Hi All,

Thanks for the suggestions. I went with a Slime tire plug kit. $3 at Walmart. And it turns out I had two leaks, not just one. I managed to push one of the plugs all the way into the tire (oops), but on the second attempt I got the plug 2/3 of the way, as the instructions said to do.

I cut the excess off and took it out for a mow for about an hour. So far so good! I also used soapy water on the plugged areas to check for leaks, and I couldn't see any visible bubbling with the tire at full pressure (22psi).

-Josh

[jbeall]

Originally Posted by glc

It's a tubeless tire,so if you decided to tube it,the tire still has to be patched. So if a tubeless tire is patched,why bother with the tube.

Why do you have to patch a tubeless tire to put a tube in it? I've put tubes in my garden tractor's tires when they sprung a leak, and it seemed to work just fine...?

[Hugh-SS/16]

As said, those plugs will withstand pressure, most passenger car tires run about 40-45 psi (truck tires are closer to 65) and the patches are one size fits all, goes in any tire, that type of deal. As long as your tires wear evenly, the plug will simply become flush with the tread and wear with the rest of the tire. Glad to see you got it fixed.

[kennyd]

Originally Posted by meburdick

If you have a hole poked through the sidewall, whole different story - get a new tire.

On a car/truck I would agree, but I would have no issue plugging a sidewall on a tractor tire.

[kennyd]

Originally Posted by jbeall

Hi All,

Thanks for the suggestions. I went with a Slime tire plug kit. $3 at Walmart. And it turns out I had two leaks, not just one. I managed to push one of the plugs all the way into the tire (oops), but on the second attempt I got the plug 2/3 of the way, as the instructions said to do.

I cut the excess off and took it out for a mow for about an hour. So far so good! I also used soapy water on the plugged areas to check for leaks, and I couldn't see any visible bubbling with the tire at full pressure (22psi).

-Josh

Good news. You will find that very handy to have around for all your vehicles.

[Kbeitz]

The Slime will ruin your rim and no one will want to touch it when it come time to put on a new tire...

[JFordBronco]

fix a flat ruins your rim, never had any issue with slime in my tires - utility trailer, atv tires, huntin truck....

[meburdick]

Originally Posted by kennyd

On a car/truck I would agree, but I would have no issue plugging a sidewall on a tractor tire.

I wouldn't consider plugging / patching any tire with a hole or cut in the sidewall. That's where the tire gets its strength, and any "injury" makes it weaker. The last thing I would want is to have that tire fail while I'm toting around 1,000 lbs of material in the loader or lifting something significant with the 3PH.