[nomochevys]

Today I took the front tire off the riding mower. Been putting this off forever. Anyway, it has a pinhole in the sideway right next to the rim. :fing20: I was hoping it was in the main tread but no.

Other than buying a new tire is there any hope of fixing this?

 

[curry7500]

put a tube in it. i have pluged them sometime but they are hard to get hold but if it does it will be ok

 

[Bob E]

Tubes are the best way to go, but do a search in this forum for liquid laundry startch. I had a rear tire with sidewall cracks that would go flat within a few hours. I Decided to try that stuff before buying a $20 tube. It's going on two weeks now and that tire hasn't lost 1 psi.

 

[mowerbeast]

Depending how big it is, you might be able to fix it temporarily with a can of fix a flat. I had a tire on my ariens that had some cracks in the side and lost air after about a day and that got it to hold air.

That said however, it's not really designed as a perminant solution, and if you regular tow anything or put any heavy wieght on it, I would be wary of using it if the hole is bigger than the tip of a pen or all the way through.

 

[rayjay]

I tried Slime for the first time about a month ago and I am definitely now a believer. The gallon jug is the best value. About $30 at Walmart . The first unit I used it on was a Craftsman refurb. The unit is low time 2006 model. The back tires held air just fine but the fronts would leak down in 4 or 5 days. I put about 15 pumps in each front tire and they no longer leaked. Then I treated all 4 tires on my Ford yard tug. The left rear had badly cracked sidewalls and would leak down in about a week. After Slime it's lost no more than a pound in over 3 weeks.

What I did for the tires that had sidewalls I was worried about was to remove the rim from the unit and after pumping in the Slime I sloshed the Slime around both sidewalls before reinstalling the wheel.

I've since treated enough tires that my gallon is about gone.

 

[rayjay]

The problem with tubes is that the valve stem hole in the rim isn't located in the right place for use with a tube.

 

[buffy12590]

I tried Slime for the first time about a month ago and I am definitely now a believer. The gallon jug is the best value. About $30 at Walmart . The first unit I used it on was a Craftsman refurb. The unit is low time 2006 model. The back tires held air just fine but the fronts would leak down in 4 or 5 days. I put about 15 pumps in each front tire and they no longer leaked. Then I treated all 4 tires on my Ford yard tug. The left rear had badly cracked sidewalls and would leak down in about a week. After Slime it's lost no more than a pound in over 3 weeks.

What I did for the tires that had sidewalls I was worried about was to remove the rim from the unit and after pumping in the Slime I sloshed the Slime around both sidewalls before reinstalling the wheel.

I've since treated enough tires that my gallon is about gone.

Be careful the long term results are not good. The rims will rot, the residue is very difficult to remove if you replace a tire, and the stuff just wears out, after awhile and you will be in the same situation, flat tire and now a problem getting the rim cleaned to use a tube.

 

[DonF]

You can use a tube patch on the inside of the tire.

 

[engine2quarters]

HuH? Hole not in the right place to use tubes. Haven't seen a hole in a rim that I couldn't put a tube into. Please clarify Rayjay.
The only one rim that had me baffled was on a Troy Bilt Econo-Horse rototiller. The only tube available was one with a right angle stem. The parts guy said to take it home and see if it would work. It didn't, so we retuirned it and bought a smaller tube that worked perfectly. Only putting 5 - 8 pouds of air into it.
Most tube stems are offset, not centered. Install the tube with little or no air in it, re-install the tire and pump up the tube. The tube will form itself to the rim and tire.
Just got in a bunch of wheel barrows, all junked because the tires were flat. Bought all the 8" tubes the auto parts store had, $7 each. Wheelbarrows are going for over $50, each. I tube everything, except the solid 'no-flat' tires!

 

[mrcaptainbob]

Just replaced a set of fronts a month ago. The old ones went bad from sidewall cracks from age. I got so tired of fixing flats when I first moved in here I broke down and got a gallon of Slime. I read a LOT against using it. Been here for around ten years now. After breaking the beads I could see there was a mess in there. Promptly got the garden hose and rinsed the Slime away. Dismounted old tire and expected sever rim rot. That's what I always read. Hmmm. I'm baffled. Why are these rims not all corroded and rotted? Well, I cleaned them up, dried them off, put the new shoes on and aired them up. Needless to say, I Slimed them immediately. I'm a believer.

 

[nomochevys]

Thanks for the suggestions. Im going to try some fix a flat first and then possible some slime. I am so sick and tired of having to air up this tire every time I get the mower out I cant even tell you. Its just a little bitty pin hole in the oddest place. The odds of having a hole where it is must be 100000 to 1 but my luck is usually rotten with these things. The mower is 11 years old so I may have to end up buying a new tire anyway.

Thanks

 

[robert_p43]

I had an old snapper lawn tractor that I had to pump up a front tire every time I mowed. I finally looked closely and saw about 6 plugs, a couple were in the side walls. I finally bought the small thing of slime and used it. I used that tractor for 2 or 3 years and never had to put air in again. I also warned the new owner about it when I sold it.

 

[jhon]

You can use a tube patch on the inside of the tire.

Yes, Yes, Yes, and do this even if you plug it. The motor pool where I work always patches the inside of tubeless tires after they plug them.
They do this for safety, but too bad they probably will forget to tighten the lug nuts.....:banghead3

And there's always laundry starch.

 

[rayjay]

A lot of time the sidewall is not smooth and the patch won't seal.

 

[rscurtis]

I used B&S tire sealant when I had my rental business and never saw a rotted rim. When the old sealer was washed away, the surface of the rim was like brand new. Don't confuse it with "fix a flat", which I would not recommend.