Beet juice explosion, valve stem fail

[JackJ]

Attempting to adjust the rear tire pressure on my BX this evening, I unscrewed the plastic valve cover, but the whole valve came loose from the stem, spraying me and half my garage with beet juice.

At first I thought the valve core had come out, but it was actually the whole valve--the outer threaded part + the core--that had come loose from the plastic/rubber stem. Right now it's just a light press fit holding it back in place.

I don't know much about tires, but I assume a new stem + valve assembly inserted from inside the rim is the fix for this. My problem is the beet juice.

Is there any possible way to fix this with the juice in the tire? I'd be happy to let a tire place do it, but I'm not sure who locally deals with RimGuard. I'll call my dealer in the morning, but they're 40 miles away, and presumably this is their busiest time of year. I assume they're still open to support local farmers, but not sure how COVID-19 is affecting their business.

I've got a BX1870 with turf tires--how much does a RimGuard loaded rear tire weigh? Can I roll it up a wide board into the back of hatchback? (No truck or trailer, unfortunately.)

Thanks for any advice,
Jack

 

[miketrock]

probably nobody will answer you until you post a picture … LOL

 

[thebicman]

I looked up the weight of rim guard/beet juice and it adds 80lbs to the tire assembly. Should be able to get it into your hatch as long as it will support the weight.

 

[charleneandrich]

I had the exact same problem. Called Rim Guard and they told me that they learned (the hard way) that Rim Guard and the rubber stems and the glue are incompatible over time. The solution is to take your wheel tire combo to the Rim Guard dealer (they can tell you who’s closest) and have them replace the valve stem with a metal one. The dealer should be able to reuse your Rim Guard and only charge you for the amount lost in the process. And yes, you should be able to roll the HEAVY wheel/tire into a vehicle. In my case the dealer had a big guy who could lift it out! I couldn’t!


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[BigG]

Take both tires in while you got to go to the tire shop.

 

[charleneandrich]

Yes, definitely! That’s what I did...


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[JackJ]

Thanks for the responses. Rim Guard has a web form that once you fill out and submit, sends an automated list of local dealers. I'm in luck that I've got an LS dealer 2 miles away who apparently sells beet juice. Hopefully they'll be able to fix it fast. And yeah, I'm definitely changing both stems to metal. Don't want to deal with this again.


Pictures would have been amusing. If rim guard were red instead instead of brown, I would have looked like an extra in a slasher film, splattered from the waist up. Very glad I was wearing glasses, and that it wasn't anything more noxious. But the garage sure stinks. This will finally motivate me to do a proper cleaning, as I've got beet juice all over the place. Sticky stuff.

Jack

 

[D2Cat]

Jack, glad you found a solution and it's close by. I am wondering how that juice taste. Is it bitter, sweet, salty?

 

[kkk]

Been there with calcium...no fun.
Beet juice is slightly less offensive.
I've yet to have a foolproof valve stem...seems simple

 

[GeoHorn]

I’d guess that removing the wheel/tire assy and rotating it such that the vavle-stem is UP... then only air would be released. This would allow you to reduce the pressure until you get it to the shop where the stem will be replaced.

The weight of a loaded tire is so dangerous...be careful.

 

[Howling]

As a reference my BX R4s weight 140 pounds each. Your turfs will be more.

 

[SDT]

Attempting to adjust the rear tire pressure on my BX this evening, I unscrewed the plastic valve cover, but the whole valve came loose from the stem, spraying me and half my garage with beet juice.

At first I thought the valve core had come out, but it was actually the whole valve--the outer threaded part + the core--that had come loose from the plastic/rubber stem. Right now it's just a light press fit holding it back in place.

I don't know much about tires, but I assume a new stem + valve assembly inserted from inside the rim is the fix for this. My problem is the beet juice.

Is there any possible way to fix this with the juice in the tire? I'd be happy to let a tire place do it, but I'm not sure who locally deals with RimGuard. I'll call my dealer in the morning, but they're 40 miles away, and presumably this is their busiest time of year. I assume they're still open to support local farmers, but not sure how COVID-19 is affecting their business.

I've got a BX1870 with turf tires--how much does a RimGuard loaded rear tire weigh? Can I roll it up a wide board into the back of hatchback? (No truck or trailer, unfortunately.)

Thanks for any advice,
Jack

Your dealer (or tire shop) replaced the OEM neoprene valve stems with a two piece metal "water valve" before installing the Rim Guard. Doing so is recommended practice.

Apparently, the outer, replaceable part of the water valve was not properly tightened to the inner part and it unthreaded rather than did the valve cap.

No need to replace anything (aside from the lost ballast). Simply screw it back on tightly.

Verify that the one on the other wheel is properly tightened.

SDT

 

[mikester]

If you are taking the rims off I'd also suggest welding valve protectors on your rims at the same time. Nothing like having a branch tear off a valve.

It's also less messy to keep the valves at the 12 o-clock position when working on loaded tires.

I'm not sure what's worse - slimy calcium or sticky beet juice!

 

[Pau7220]

I guess there a lot to be said for plain old washer fluid.

 

[GeoHorn]

Or air.... and an implement on back for weight.

 

[JackJ]

Fixed! Despite being further away, I decided to start with my Kubota dealer, hoping they would take care of me quickly. And they did: Got both my rear wheels to them around 9AM Saturday morning, and about 30 minutes later they had installed new metal valve stems and topped off the Rim Guard, for a nominal fee. So a big thanks to Humphrey's Outdoor Power in Greencastle, IN. They were clearly very busy but didn't hesitate to take care of me right away.

Couple of comments on other posts: There was no mechanical connection between the metal part of the valve and the rubber/neoprene stem.

I do put weight on the 3PH when using the loader. My property is very hilly, so I like having the tire ballast to lower the center of gravity, and to improve traction. If I'd added it myself, I would have gone with windshield fluid. But it came with the tractor.

 

[gas man]

Or air.... and an implement on back for weight.

you must not work your tractor hard enough, beet juice, wheel weights, and rear ballast here. sometimes I still find myself on 3 or 2 wheels!!

 

[SDT]

Or air.... and an implement on back for weight.

Bingo.

I change/repair my own tires and never use liquid ballast.

I do use cast iron weights and/or ballast boxes.

SDT

 

[SDT]

Fixed! Despite being further away, I decided to start with my Kubota dealer, hoping they would take care of me quickly. And they did: Got both my rear wheels to them around 9AM Saturday morning, and about 30 minutes later they had installed new metal valve stems and topped off the Rim Guard, for a nominal fee. So a big thanks to Humphrey's Outdoor Power in Greencastle, IN. They were clearly very busy but didn't hesitate to take care of me right away.

Couple of comments on other posts: There was no mechanical connection between the metal part of the valve and the rubber/neoprene stem.

I do put weight on the 3PH when using the loader. My property is very hilly, so I like having the tire ballast to lower the center of gravity, and to improve traction. If I'd added it myself, I would have gone with windshield fluid. But it came with the tractor.

Are you saying that the OEM neoprene valve stems were not replaced with water valves when the liquid ballast was added?

If so, shame on whomever did that.

Such is poor practice in order to save a very few dollars.

SDT

 

[jimmyjoe]

TIP
Dad told me 50 years ago that any time you work on a tire with fluid in it, to have the valve stem at the top and jacked up.