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For years I have been putting tubes in old riding mower tires. Today these tubes do not hold air for a year. Any advice is appricated. 4 inch snapper tubes are a challenge but I get it done with a bench vise, 2 pair channel locks and 2 flat screw drivers or car brake adjusting tools. Of course I use the cheapest tubes but I would be willing to pay more for quality.

I don’t think you are going to like this, but I’ve found that putting in tubes in a 4” tire is a waste of time and effort. I now recommend that you replace the tire and if needed rim. I know this is not cheap, but when you include my labor the cost in the long run is better. The only thing you might try is getting tubes with sealant in like these, but you may end up replacing them also. https://www.grainger.com/product/SLIME-Inner-Tube-1MRF1?opr=PDPRRDSP&analytics=dsrrItems_1MRF3

tagpop said:

For years I have been putting tubes in old riding mower tires. Today these tubes do not hold air for a year. Any advice is appricated. 4 inch snapper tubes are a challenge but I get it done with a bench vise, 2 pair channel locks and 2 flat screw drivers or car brake adjusting tools. Of course I use the cheapest tubes but I would be willing to pay more for quality.

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You certainly know how to challenge yourself.
I've no idea why a 2 piece wheel / rim isn't made for a tubed tire but they aren't to my knowledge. That would be too simple I suspect.

Through the years I've learned that a floor model drill press works well to hold small wheels. For starters, the inspection of the inside of tire for foreign objects is a challenge and secondly installing a tube in those tires without pinching it with a tire iron is another challenge. I wish you well in your efforts and I buy my tubes from my Farmer's Co-op, but I'm a country kid.

So you spend 2 hours of seat & toil only to sue a 2 bob tube that fails in service
If you are going to the effort of changing a tube in a 4" rim, then use a good tube like a carslile

I use a product called Slime in my mower tires. Perfect for small punctures and tubes that won't hold air. It comes in small squeeze bottles and large jugs with a pump. You can get it at Walmart, it is not expensive.

I have found, on recommendation, that antifreeze works quite well as a sealant. For tubeless tires it washes out easily when repairing them.

If i tube a tire i use either Carlisle or Kenda tubes. If the tubes fail in one year something else is wrong. I won't tube 4 or 5 inch tires. Depending on what the customer wants i will either slime it or mount a new rubeless tire. I don't give any guarantee with slime. A lot of folks complain cheap mower tires "just leak" when they have not prepped the rim properly to seal the bead.

Rivets said:

I don’t think you are going to like this, but I’ve found that putting in tubes in a 4” tire is a waste of time and effort. I now recommend that you replace the tire and if needed rim. I know this is not cheap, but when you include my labor the cost in the long run is better. The only thing you might try is getting tubes with sealant in like these, but you may end up replacing them also. https://www.grainger.com/product/SLIME-Inner-Tube-1MRF1?opr=PDPRRDSP&analytics=dsrrItems_1MRF3

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Good advise, and I would add that fix a flat fixes 70% of slow side wall leaks if you apply and spin to spread it on the sidewalls everywhere by going for a ride. Cost of complete wheel is almost always cheaper - period. Life is to short!

A word of caution. The brand Fix a Flat tire inflator is basically what amounts to latex paint. It is designed to be a TEMPORARY fix for a flat tire. If left in a tire it will separate into rubbery crap and water which will rust the crap out of a rim. I have dismounted dozens of tire with some type of snot sealant in them and Fix a Flat is the worst for rusting rims.

Hammermechanicman said:

A word of caution. The brand Fix a Flat tire inflator is basically what amounts to latex paint. It is designed to be a TEMPORARY fix for a flat tire. If left in a tire it will separate into rubbery crap and water which will rust the crap out of a rim. I have dismounted dozens of tire with some type of snot sealant in them and Fix a Flat is the worst for rusting rims.

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I am yet to find any tyre goo that does not lift the powder coating and rust the rims which is why I never use any of them unless specifically asked to and then I make the customer specify which goop they want me to use.
Then when a new tyre gets fitted they wonder why it keeps on going down , which is because the rim is rusted so bad it can not make a seal against they tyre
So in order to sae $ 40 on a tyre they end up spending $ 150 on a new rim.

Customers don't really like it when i charge them an extra $20 to mount a tire when it takes an extra half hour to clean the crap off the rim then remove the rust with scotchbrite on the die grinder and then paint the rim.

Hammermechanicman said:

Customers don't really like it when i charge them an extra $20 to mount a tire when it takes an extra half hour to clean the crap off the rim then remove the rust with scotchbrite on the die grinder and then paint the rim.

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Way too cheap
I charge a full hour if it just needs a scothbrite & wash
If it needs painting then it is 2 hours + $ 15 for the paint

Thanks for all the feedback and most of it I have done, if I was a professional I agree just replace tire with a new one and seat it correctly. But I am a shade tree lawnmower old man now and glad I keep my air compressor handy. When I do put a tube in I dry and clean the inside of the used tire the best I can, sprinkle a little talc powder on the tube and inside the tire. And check the inside of the wheel and remove burrs left from wheel manufacturer and sometimes put duct tape around the inside center incase I missed a burr. When a mower is cutting uneven check you tire pressure first.

I put Dawn dish detergent on the inside of tubeless tires when I mount one. Just take a rag and wipe it all around the inside and let it dry before you air it up. I used to drag race a lot and we put Dawn in our slicks which have thin sidewalls and tend to leak slowly.