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I've never worked with tire tubes before. Tire appears to be okay as best I can tell. Any information on how to replace a tire tube?

Thanks.

Follow up. I just watched a few videos about fixing the front small tire and none of them involved anything with the tube, just the tire. How do I know there is a tube to replace for sure? Maybe it is the tire itself?

Thanks.

Deflate the tire by removing the Schraeder valve core. Once all pressure is out, see if the valve is press fit into the rim or loose. Press fit and it's tubeless. Loose and it's a tube. You can put a tube into a tubeless tire.

Looking at your picture, it would help if you washed the wheel first and then took a closeup on the valve. As best as I can tell, it looks like a tubeless tire valve. FWIW, I run slime in both my front tires. It works great. Many tire fillers melt the inside of the tire, but slime appears to just coagulate in the hole. Easy to wash out when needed.

Sounds like there is a small tool to remove the valve core?

If it ends up being tubeless, I need to buy a new tire, but then it's basically just prying it off the wheel and prying the new one back on and inflating?

Hustler27 said:

Sounds like there is a small tool to remove the valve core?

Click to expand...

Cheap too.

Hustler27 said:

If it ends up being tubeless, I need to buy a new tire, but then it's basically just prying it off the wheel and prying the new one back on and inflating?

Click to expand...

If it's just a leak, then you just need to patch it or install a tube. What do you think is wrong with the tire?

Slow leak. Last fall I could inflate and it would be just fine for 2 or 3 hours of mowing, but a week later when I'd mow, it would need to be inflated again.

A bit of dusting off and it does say it's tubeless. 11x4.005 nhs

I don't see any visible issues (cracking, something puncturing it etc.).

Two options then...

Option #1) Fix the flat...

• over-inflate the tire a bit and put it in a tub of water to find the leak.
  • Don't forget to mark it well with a crayon
• Deflate tire
• Break beads on both sides of the tire from the rim
• Making sure the opposite bead slides into the "drop down", carefully pry the beads off of the tire on the same side
  • Cussing is optional
• Buff, glue and patch the hole
• Reinstall and inflate tire

Option #2) Use slime

• Go to the store and buy Slime
• Deflate tire
• Pump in the required amount of slime
• Inflate tire and go for a ride to spread slime
• No cussing needed
  • But a Margarita would be nice!

I worked as a mechanic for thirty years with half of those years with Goodyear Tire and Rubber. The smaller the tire, the more difficult they can be. While I would never use fix-a-flat, and especially not in a passenger car or truck tire, I don't mind using slime on turf tires.

Well, option two sounds desirable. Can I spray it in and then start to mow (whenever I can get the last blade to come off for replacement?) Or does it need to set over night etc?

Thanks!

Now just to decide on a what to buy for my first torque wrench before making the trip to menards.

Tyre slime does not work particularly well in mower tyres
They do nor spin fast enough or get hot enough to work properly.
Most of them will attack the paint & rust the rim
IT only ever gets used here when a customer demmands it gets put in.
The bumf from Stens says their new brew does not rust rims then again they said the old brew did not promote rust either.

Well damn. I just got back from the store with a bottle of slime and was going to ask how to figure out how much to put in. Now that's a bad idea because it's going to ruin the rims? Not shaping up to be a good day here. Bought a breaker bar, as was suggested, to get the stuck on blade off and all that did was give me a round bolt after two tries. Lawn needs to be mowed and I still have a tire I can't drive on and a blade I can't replace.

Hustler27 said:

Follow up. I just watched a few videos about fixing the front small tire and none of them involved anything with the tube, just the tire. How do I know there is a tube to replace for sure? Maybe it is the tire itself?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

the valve stem either seals to the rim with a fat ring lip or it doesnt and is narrow

as for tubes in tires, most will be tubeless and when they start leaking air people pop in a tube because in most cases you wont wear out the tread on the tire unless you are going way to fast in turns. front tires you can buy for like $25 but the rear tires you will pay around $50 for those so $10 tubes make a lot more sense

Hustler27 said:

Well damn. I just got back from the store with a bottle of slime and was going to ask how to figure out how much to put in. Now that's a bad idea because it's going to ruin the rims? Not shaping up to be a good day here. Bought a breaker bar, as was suggested, to get the stuck on blade off and all that did was give me a round bolt after two tries. Lawn needs to be mowed and I still have a tire I can't drive on and a blade I can't replace.

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well that sucks, if cutting the bolt head off doesnt solve it then go to ebay and buy a new spindle, most come with new top pulley and blade mounting bolts. chances are the bearings in yours are shot so i would just go ahead and replace them while you are doing all of this

some spindles are as cheap as $25 depending on your model part number is

and always always always use never seize on the blade bolts and just tighten it good but , DO NOT CRANK DOWN ON IT SUPER TIGHT

As already mentioned, cut the head off & replace the bolt .
Fix a flat works better on mower tyres than slime
On the bottle should be volume of slime for the size of tyre.
A small front tyre uses about 1/2 pint and will only work if there is a hole in the tread
Most mower tyres end up leaking through cracks in the sidewalls
To fix them you have to put in enough to fill the tyre at least to the rim.

keakar said:

well that sucks, if cutting the bolt head off doesnt solve it then go to ebay and buy a new spindle, most come with new top pulley and blade mounting bolts. chances are the bearings in yours are shot so i would just go ahead and replace them while you are doing all of this

some spindles are as cheap as $25 depending on your model part number is

and always always always use never seize on the blade bolts and just tighten it good but , DO NOT CRANK DOWN ON IT SUPER TIGHT

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What do you use to cut the bolt head off? This sounds like another expense.

I'll look into spindles and see what they cost. That sounds cheaper than the $30 breaker bar I just bought tonight.

I'll buy some never seize for the bolts when I put the new blades on. First time I've ever changed blades, so I'm sure it's because I left them on too long in the first place.

bertsmobile1 said:

As already mentioned, cut the head off & replace the bolt .
Fix a flat works better on mower tyres than slime
On the bottle should be volume of slime for the size of tyre.
A small front tyre uses about 1/2 pint and will only work if there is a hole in the tread
Most mower tyres end up leaking through cracks in the sidewalls
To fix them you have to put in enough to fill the tyre at least to the rim.

Click to expand...

Help me out here with your experience I guess? Previous post said use slime and never use fix a flat.

The Chairman said:

Two options then...

Option #1) Fix the flat...

• over-inflate the tire a bit and put it in a tub of water to find the leak.
  • Don't forget to mark it well with a crayon
• Deflate tire
• Break beads on both sides of the tire from the rim
• Making sure the opposite bead slides into the "drop down", carefully pry the beads off of the tire on the same side
  • Cussing is optional
• Buff, glue and patch the hole
• Reinstall and inflate tire

Option #2) Use slime

• Go to the store and buy Slime
• Deflate tire
• Pump in the required amount of slime
• Inflate tire and go for a ride to spread slime
• No cussing needed
  • But a Margarita would be nice!

I worked as a mechanic for thirty years with half of those years with Goodyear Tire and Rubber. The smaller the tire, the more difficult they can be. While I would never use fix-a-flat, and especially not in a passenger car or truck tire, I don't mind using slime on turf tires.

Click to expand...

What about a third option. What does the process look like if I buy a new tire? I've never done tire work before.

I do not us any gunk in a tyre unless the customer demands it.
Fix a flat is latex based and a foam so it will gt into cracks in the side wall, but it is not and never was intended as a permenant repair, it was and always is a "get you back home" emergency repair.
It requires heat to set it off and mower tyres never get hot enough
Slime was designed for the lunar rover where gravity is 19% of that on earth so again it can fill the tyre and make a temporary repair .
It is heavy and sits on the bottom of the tyre where it can plug PUNCTURES, some times but usually not.
Over time it will lift the paint and being water based will start rusting the rim.
If the rim is powder coated ( and most are ) they rust under the paint and eventually around the valve hole .
Then before the tyre can be fixed, you have to strip the wheel back to bare metal and paint it properly, then leave it for a week to go hard before fitting the tyre.

However we are putting the cart before the horse.
The first thing to do is find out where it is leaking from .
As you have already been instructed, take the wheel off , inflate it to the maximum as moulded into the side wall then immerse in water .remove the wheel & mark where the bubbles come from.
Tubeless tyres can be plugged using mower or pushbike plugs , not car or motorcycle plugs as again these need heat from the tyre to glue themselves into the hole.
I use the North Labs tyre plugs and am yet to have one fail and I would fit about 30 or so each season ( Bouganvillias are very popular round here ) .
On a really big hole I have some tractor plugs I get from the Tractor Supply, look like the same thing only the plug is about 1 foot long and it will fix a very big hole.

So get the wheel off & into some water then marked & photoed
Post the photo so we can then give you good advice for your problem & not general advice for everyones problems

The Chairman said he would never use fix a flat in a motor vehicle tyre and he is quite right.
It is only a get you home temporary fix and if left in too long can & has caused tyres to suddenly blow out on motor vehicles , not mowers.

I use a cut off wheel in an angle grinder then a cold Chisel with a dumpy hammer to remove the blade bolt heads
Normally just an X all the way through the head will work but as you have never done this before a strait line from one flat to the opposite one so you have 6 little triangles of head then smack the cut line with a cold chisel and each little triangle should break off.
Usually once 1 or 2 have gone the bolt will come out with a lock jaw or other pliers.
You can grind the entire head off with a standard grinding disc if you want but it takes a long time .
The 1mm wide cut off wheels work so much faster but you must cut all the way through the bolt right down into the blade,

DO NOT PUT ANY GOO ON THE NEW BOLT
Torques are always for a new bolt in a clean dry hole unless otherwise stated
Putting never sieze on the bolt will have you tightening it 20 more than you should and will make it easier for it to overtighten in use because the friction between the threads will be substantially lower.
The threads are not the problem, the head is the problem
It is being pulled too tight against the blade.
When you get it off examine the remainder carefully, it will not be stretched, it will be perfect because there was no problem with the thread.

Try to avoid Face book and You tube unless it is a specific site some one on here sends you to
Most of the idiots who post have less than no idea what they are doing and are just ego maniacs in love with themselves.

Hustler27 said:

What do you use to cut the bolt head off? This sounds like another expense.

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you can just use a hack saw but a side grinder or reciprocating saw would be much less work but if the bearings are bad in it then there is no point messing with it

make sure the belt is off and you engage the blade lever so it releases the brake on the spindle pulleys then spin the blades by hand and listen to rthe bearings, if you hear a whirring or grumbling the spindle bearings are bad and need replacing. also spin the idler pulleys while you are at it, they should be completely smooth and silent when spinning or they need changing, the idler pulley bearings generally go bad after a couple of years

whats the make and model number of your mower?

keakar said:

the valve stem either seals to the rim with a fat ring lip or it doesnt and is narrow

as for tubes in tires, most will be tubeless and when they start leaking air people pop in a tube because in most cases you wont wear out the tread on the tire unless you are going way to fast in turns. front tires you can buy for like $25 but the rear tires you will pay around $50 for those so $10 tubes make a lot more sense

Click to expand...

Not sure last time you you bought tires but i wish i could get good tires for that price.

My $0.02 on tire sealants and nlade bolts. Everybody has their own way. I never use fix a flat. Just amounts to thick latex paint. It will separate to white snot and water and rust the hell out of rims. For large punctures i use Slime with the chunks of rubber in it. Makes a mess in the tire but doesn't separate and rust the rims like fix a flat. My choice for dry rot and small leaks i like Liqui-tube. Any liquid in tire is a mess but if a customer wants to not replace an expensive tire or buy a tube i put it in.
As far as blade bolts i just put some grease on the bolt and zip it with the impact a few hits. Never had a problem getting blades off or one coming loose. Round hole blades self tighten anyway. Especially if the blade hits something. Star hole blades don't self tighten when you hit something. It just breaks things.

Hustler27 said:

What about a third option. What does the process look like if I buy a new tire? I've never done tire work before.

Click to expand...

You still have to remove and then reinstall the tire to the rim. That's the hard part, mate. Take it to a shop if it's too much for you.

bertsmobile1 said:

Tubeless tyres can be plugged using mower or pushbike plugs , not car or motorcycle plugs as again these need heat from the tyre to glue themselves into the hole.

Click to expand...

I have to agree with this as well. I am adverse to plugging a tire, but this is a turf tire, so you're not going to have a blow out. Plugging car tires cause many separations, so avoid that. Patch or replace are the only two options for a highway tire.

keakar said:

whats the make and model number of your mower?

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Model # 931899