Foam fill for gage wheels on landscape rake?

[sheepfarmer]

My trusty landscape rake has one tire that leaks air, and it is a pain to get the tire to seat well enough against the rim to fill. It is actually a pain to even get to the valve and get anything hooked on it snugly so air goes in. Tire stores no longer work on anything except car tires, I took a hand seeder wheel in last year and they wouldn't touch it.

So I am thinking about some kind of foam, or Fix a Flat or something. Doesn't have to ride nice, just has to hold a round shape. Suggestions? How do you install the foam that folks use on their tractor tires? Does it come in a can? I wouldn't need much, these are small wheels. Which is probably why they leak, stiff rubber and a small diameter.

Thank you!

 

[Daren Todd]

Sheepfarmer, what size tires are on your landscape rake? Or what brand model is your landscape rake? There may be an option of swapping the tire for a solid wheel depending on the size/ design.

 

[sheepfarmer]

Sheepfarmer, what size tires are on your landscape rake? Or what brand model is your landscape rake? There may be an option of swapping the tire for a solid wheel depending on the size/ design.

Hi Daren, went and looked at it, and it is a Woods LR72 landscape rake, and the tires are labeled 9 X 3.5, 4 ply. This is the only implement I have had any problems with. Flimsy. The shaft that holds the wheels is prone to bending too. All I do with it is rake horse manure and the bark on my arena.

 

[Daren Todd]

Here's a run flat option if the center shaft is the same size. A tad bit pricey though.

Might be able to find similar on eBay for a better price.

https://www.amazon.com/Martin-Wheel-9x3-50-4-Carefree-assembly/dp/B06XXBDX32


Just googled your model to see how they mounted and what the gauge wheel looked like.

 

[sheepfarmer]

Yes that is a bit pricy. I googled foam filling tires and it sounds like you have to drill holes in them and pull out the fill tube or something. Started to sound less easy than I thought initially. Google claimed there were tire dealers that would foam fill tires from farm implements, so I can try calling around tomorrow and see if that is cheaper.

 

[Russell King]

You can use Slime if you can get the valve stem out. It comes in bottles without propellant and you can just squeeze it into the tire and air it back up.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Daren Todd]

You can use Slime if you can get the valve stem out. It comes in bottles without propellant and you can just squeeze it into the tire and air it back up.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Most jugs of slime come with a valve stem remover. If not, a valve stem tool can be purchased at the local autoparts store for a couple bucks. I ended up getting a big jug when My kids were teens and mowing the yard. For some reason, they could always find something to puncture the tire. Big jug came with a built in hand pump. Tires had green spots all over them, including the sidewalls when I finally sold that mower

 

[D2Cat]

If you could come up with some kind of hubs, these would solve your problem.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Tires-Sm...596913?hash=item1ca2463ef1:g:x-oAAOSwooRajutt

These have a 3/4" axle. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Marathon-9...149123?hash=item1a34de8983:g:-CkAAOSwNiNZsfkq

Or these: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Marathon-T...825581&hash=item4d4c82c101:g:b9kAAOSwwlZaw5Xz

 

[sheepfarmer]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the links. Want to solve the problem asap since it has suddenly become spring here. I guess I'll pull the wheel out of the holder and see what kind of hub it has to start with. It held air all winter, but one use and it is flat again. Filled it up again but it seaped out again immediately. I suppose I could look for a tube for it. Some kind of problem where it doesn't seal to the rim. It would hold air for a week or two last summer, but this is hopeless.

 

[Ike]

Slime will rust your wheel hub. I had a 6 foot finish mower and it had the small wheels on it. They were always flat. A tire place that did ag tires filled them for me. I think it was around 25.00 a tire

 

[Tooljunkie]

The small tires are a real pain to fix. I usually tube them.
If i cant use a tube i will do my best to seal the rim,a product for sealing the bead, or when im really fed up with a leaking rim,a bead of good silicone sealant.Buddy’s golf cart had a rim that constantly leaked. I siliconed it. Messy,clean up is a chore but it stopped the leak.

Those little wheels, if i ever replaced them, i would try to get 2 piece rims with tubes. Then its easy to repair,replace tires or tubes. The rims bolt together.

 

[BAP]

Sheepfarmer, go on EBay and type in Bush Hog Wheel in search, you will come up with a lot of solid wheels that would work better than an air filled tire.

 

[mattwithcats]

Second the Slime...

Make sure you get the bottle, and not the aresol can.

4-8 ounces should be the ticket...

I put Slime in my cars compact spare....

 

[sheepfarmer]

Armed with these suggestions I set out wheel in hand, and found a tire place nearby that said they foamed and fixed small tires. Goodyear Commercial tire repair. Went there and young man said he thought he could seal the rim leak for little money with bead sealer, and if it didn't work then we could move on to slime, foam etc. Sounded good to me. Turned out no charge, it was the boss that fixed it. He thought it would hold at least a year, so we'll see. Foaming, he said you need a week, they send them away.

I was standing in the battery store, (the generator saga continues) before that, and a farmer came in to get two big batteries for his JD and he mentioned that the Farm Coop in Charlotte could fix darn near any kind of tire and they foamed tires. So met several nice people and fingers crossed the bead sealer will work.

Thanks guys!

 

[D2Cat]

A few years back I had a 300 gal spray rig with 15" tires on it. One always leaked down. In disgust, one day I broke the tire down and put a thick coat of pine tar on the bead. (Yep, that's what I had in the barn) Never leaked after that! I don't remember what ever happened to that wheel/tire.

 

[sheepfarmer]

A few years back I had a 300 gal spray rig with 15" tires on it. One always leaked down. In disgust, one day I broke the tire down and put a thick coat of pine tar on the bead. (Yep, that's what I had in the barn) Never leaked after that! I don't remember what ever happened to that wheel/tire.

Took me a while to remember what I used to use pine tar for...thrush! You put it on the frog in horse feet. Haven't seen it in years...about the same consistency as the sticky black stuff gooped on my wheel..

 

[Dwarner]

I foam filled my leaf vac trailer tires with Home Depot Great Stuff. Very easy for small tires. Drilled 1 hole in the tire opposite the valve sprayed the foam into the valve stem. Once filled I replaced the valve and put a plug in the 7/16 drilled hole. Don't remove the plug for a full day or the foam will start squeezing out the drilled hole.

 

[bcp]

There are about 4-5 different kinds of "Great Stuff." Some is tough and rigid, another is softer and flexible. Fire stop, rodent stop, etc.

Bruce

 

[D2Cat]

Sheepfarmer, yes thrush and some baseball players use it on the handle of their bats. Remember George Brett in about 1983 when the Royals were playing the Yankees. Caused a big ruckus.