Tire pops off the rim

[Big-Rich]

I have a 48" Hustler Raptor SD for 9 years and over the past few years the rear tire comes off the rim, rarely but a total nuisance when it does.

I have cleaned the bead but it still happens.

I plan to pick up some bead sealant (X-Tra Seal Tire Bead Sealer 14-101) but I know that is really for pitted rims and not for tires coming off the bead.

Has anyone had this problem and, if so, what did you do to fix it? If you have had this issue, did bead sealant work for you?

I'm hoping the bead sealant has strong enough adhesive that it will act like a sort of glue and not just a gap filler.

 

[MParr]

What’s causing the problem? Under inflated or flat? Bad rim? Tire worn out?

 

[Rivets]

Most times the cause is an air leak. Never had a tire come off the rim when it was properly pressurized. Before your remove the tire from the rim, fill to 30 psi and spray everything, tire and rim, with a mixture of water and dish soap. Fastest way to find leaks.

 

[Big-Rich]

Thank you MParr and Rivets.

I do keep the tire pressure monitored and it is not leaking. It's good when I start mowing and at some point, POP, it's off the rim! I am 300 pounds and I'm sure that doesn't help.

I did have a bead leak in that tire a few years back, I almost forgot about it. At that time I did the soapy water squirt and saw the tiny bubbles.

Now that I recall that, I bet I stretched the tire when I removed it to clean up the rim and tire mating surface. If that's true, I'm wondering if the tire sealant will make up for the stretching? I now see that "X-Tra Seal Tire Bead Sealer" comes in three different thicknesses 14-101, 14-101A, and 14-101B.

I wouldn't go through all this if the replacement tires weren't so crazy expensive. Part # 600692 (tire only) goes for $150.00. Even substitute tires are over a hundred bucks. You'd think this was a car.

Anyone find a suitable tube for this size and rim type?

 

[Hammermechanicman]

Amazon.com

 

[Forest#2]

You might try putting a tube in it.
If that don't work out for you, get a push mower that has solid rubber tires (no air) and it will help you lose some of the excess weight that you mentioned you probably need to lose.
Most generally when a tire is bead is coming loose the tire is under inflated.

Is this the front tire or rear tire?

 

[Big-Rich]

You might try putting a tube in it.
If that don't work out for you, get a push mower that has solid rubber tires (no air) and it will help you lose some of the excess weight that you mentioned you probably need to lose.
Most generally when a tire is bead is coming loose the tire is under inflated.

Is this the front tire or rear tire?

You may be jumping to conclusions Forest#2 . I am also 6'8" tall. That's me on the Hustler in my Avatar. I had to buy handle extensions to fit my legs under the steering arms. Yes, I could use to lose a few, but it ain't what it seems.

For what it's worth, I do have a push mower that I use in the ditches they have around my house. North Carolina's solution to drainage, but you won't catch me out there with the temps in the 90's and me in my mid 70's doing the rest of the property without a riding mower.

It is the rear tire. I check the tire pressure regularly. Hustler calls for between 10 and 12 PSI. I have a measurement between the mower frame and the floor so I'd notice even a slight loss of air pressure. It isn't tire pressure, it just goes pop. I fill it back up and it's good to go for at least a few mowings.

I'd certainly go for a inner tube before investing in solid tires. Solid tires in that size would be very expensive, if they even make them.

Small correction, the manual calls for between 8 and 12 psi, I keep it between 10 and 12.

Here's an excerpt from the manual:
----------------------
It is important for level mowing that the tires have the same
amount of air pressure. The recommended pressures are:
Drive wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12 psi (55-83 KPa)
Front wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12 psi (55-83 KPa)

 

[MParr]

You could put a tube in it. With the age of the tires, they could be dry rotted and be leaking from multiple cracks.
Keep the tires at 12 psi.

 

[Rivets]

Fill tire to 15 psi. Use the unit for about 20 minutes and recheck the pressure. Loss in pressure means you have a leak probably caused by a crack in the tire which shows itself during use. No loss in pressure recheck after another 20 minutes. It would be the first time I’ve heard of a tire coming off the rim if it is holding the proper pressure.

 

[Big-Rich]

Thank you MParr & Rivets, I will try the troubleshooting tips you suggest and they do make sense. I will add that when the problem occurs it seems to occur when I'm doing considerable maneuvering which is adding horizontal torque to the tire when I hit a dry, rough surface like the driveway etc.

I don't think it is dry rotted and leaking slowly since it is up to pressure when I start mowing. I was out mowing yesterday when you were replying and the mowing was incident free.

I will try the 15 lb. experiment this weekend since I am pretty far behind on my chores. If it passes the "over-pressure" test, I will try the bead sealant next and swap the rear tires left to right to see if that helps or hurts.

I decided there is no reason to wait on the 15 lb. pressure test so I pumped it up this morning and will check it again before and after the next mowing. Mowing for me is a little under 2 hours so that should be a good test. If it maintains pressure that rules out slow leaks in my opinion. If it pops, I'm back where I started this discussion. If it loses pressure, I'm going to plan to either try the bead sealant or replace the tire since that would indicate the rubber is dry rotted like Rivets suggested.