R4 Tires and Tubes

[knightgang]

We had a piece of barbed wire puncher the tire and tube on our 'Bota. I thought, no big deal, go break it down, patch the tire and reassemble, go back to work.

I thought all was well until the next morning and the tire was slack again. Upon inspection after breakdown, the tube was pinched when the tire beam went back on the rim and put another hole in it. Okay, patched it...

Now back to work, until the tractor got stuck a few hours in to work and we heard air bleeding out of the tire form underwater. Damn, again.....

So, break it down again and one of the patches has a hole in it. Not sure if it was form a bead pinch or not...

So, I have another tube on the way for replacement and my question is this; How can you prevent the bead pinch when re-airing the tire and seating the bead on the rim? I don't want to damage another $65 tube when reassembling this tire.

I have inspected the inside of the tire to ensure that the wire is not still there and causing problems, otherwise, I am at a loss....

BTW, the tire size is a 420/70R24 R4 tire and I am using a 14.9R24 Tube.

 

[Lil Foot]

I have always used LOTS of cheap talcum powder when assembling tubed tires- along with a partial inflation of the tube, just enough to give it a little shape, rather than an easily pinched flat, limp noodle.

 

[85Hokie]

Lil foot nailed it ....

A little lube and a little air, gets everything lined up where it should be !

I have fy-uked a many of tubes when trying to get them from pinching

 

[knightgang]

I assumed it was getting pinched during inflation as the bead was starting to seat. The tube would have had shape by then. I suppose it may have been caught on the pinch prior to that and remained pinched during the bead seat.

On the next assembly, I will get the tire on the rim, then partially inflate the tube and knock in on the bead to insure that no portion of the tube remains in the way prior to continuing the inflation to seat the bead.

This is a case where a little more detailed care and patience during the process may be the best.

 

[D2Cat]

The tube you've had trouble with, is that the original tube? If not, you may be using the wrong tube if the valve stem is located in the wrong position.

The tube valve stem needs to be located(on the tube)so it's not being forced into the wheel hole by the air pressure only. It needs to be able to reach the hole in the wheel without force. (Some valve stems are off to the side more then others).

If you ever have the wrong tube style in a wheel it wasn't made for, when the tube goes flat the valve stem will be sucked in...to get to where it shouldhave been in the first place.

Man, that's as clear as mud!!

I'd inflate the tube to get the wrinkles out, then deflate and make sure it is laying correctly. It should be pretty easy to get the bead back on the rim without pinching the tube if you have the correct tire irons, or good tire machine.

 

[knightgang]

The tube you've had trouble with, is that the original tube? If not, you may be using the wrong tube if the valve stem is located in the wrong position.

The tube valve stem needs to be located(on the tube)so it's not being forced into the wheel hole by the air pressure only. It needs to be able to reach the hole in the wheel without force. (Some valve stems are off to the side more then others).

If you ever have the wrong tube style in a wheel it wasn't made for, when the tube goes flat the valve stem will be sucked in...to get to where it shouldhave been in the first place.

Man, that's as clear as mud!!

I'd inflate the tube to get the wrinkles out, then deflate and make sure it is laying correctly. It should be pretty easy to get the bead back on the rim without pinching the tube if you have the correct tire irons, or good tire machine.

Are these tractors delivered new with Tubes in the tires? I ask because I really do not know, the tire says tubeless and the first time we had a flat, I attempted the repair as such and ended up destroying the tube that was inside. To that end, the tube that was in it to begin with was a 11.2/12.4R24 tube, better suited for a R1 tire or a semi truck tire. The tire shop said that size tire needed the 14.9R24 tube. I am pretty sure it is correct, there are no issues with the stem, I think it was a rush to assemble and inflate/seat the bead and a portion of the tube was caught because we began airing it up while laying flat vs. the tire in a standing/upright position.

 

[rentthis]

It has been my experience when dealing with tractor tires that the best thing to do is to take it to your tire guy and have him fix it. He might be able to patch the tire internally so you can go tubeless.

 

[knightgang]

It has been my experience when dealing with tractor tires that the best thing to do is to take it to your tire guy and have him fix it. He might be able to patch the tire internally so you can go tubeless.

These tires have quite a bit of wear on them and might take many many patches to seal. Besides, most of my work right now is clearing my land for a house build, mostly on weekends and holidays. By the time we have an issue, the any shop open on a Saturday would be closed when we got there and the weekend would be shot. The tubes allow me to do a DIY repair and get back to work fairly quickly.

Everyone I know around here has tubes in their tractor tires.

 

[BadDog]

I put tubes in my rear R1s a while back, but that was really just because I was fluid loading them.

Nothing wrong with tubeless, and depending on type damage, tubeless may be a LOT easier to fix at home. The most common tire damage is a simple puncture due to nail or similar, and these are fixed in about 60 seconds with a plug kit, then back to work. Tubes, not so quick or easy.

And if the plugs experience a slow leak (not uncommon) or just bother you on principle, then next time you break it down, or when convenient to un-mount the tire (perhaps at a budget tire store), the plugs can be exchanged for an interior patch, which is a superior repair. And even those can be done just almost as easily as patching a tube, you just have to remove the tire from the rim rather than just pushing the bead into the well to work the tube out. Then again, tractor beads are notoriously heavy and difficult to work with home shop tools, so I'll concede that point to tubes...

 

[knightgang]

And I do plan on filling mine with water at a later date. Right now we are working in a very wet area and I do not want to add to much excess weight. Once things start to dry or we transition to more solid ground, water filled rears are on the way.