Tip & How-To about Garden

Seal bead on flat tire to refill with air

Most lawn tractor tires are now tubeless and when they go flat the seal of the tire bead and rim are lost. It is very difficult to restore the seal in order to refill the tire and determine what caused the flat. Here is my tip to seal the bead, & fill the tire, without having to remove the wheel from the tractor. Wrap a length of heavy rope, or a fabric hold down strap centered around the outer circumference of the tire tread and secure with minimum slack. Place a bar, long box wrench etc. between the rope and tire and turn in whatever direction you choose keeping the ends of bar above the rope. As you turn the rope will begin to twist and cinch and collapse the center of the tire causing the bead to evenly seal against the rim.
Add air until you feel pressure building then back off cinch as you fill until you are sure bead will hold on its own. This works great on wheel barrow tires as well.
Good Luck


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