Broken valve stem fixable?

[J.Wondergem]

When I worked in a tire shop the we absolutely hated when someone would bring in a tractor rear for repair. Especially if it had chloride in it. They charged extra because it was harder to do off the tractor than on it. The extra charge often would have covered the cost of a service call.

That's what I found out when I took one off and brought it in.

 

[DanielW]

When they pull the tire off to replace the tube, take the rim home before they put the new tire on and weld a short (2" or so) piece of angle on the rim to protect the valve stem in the future. I don't have any pictures of ours, but if you google, 'tractor tire valve stem protector' you'll see lots of images of what folks have done.

 

[super99]

At the risk of being reprimanded again for offering friendly advice.......

I'd take the wheel off, load it in my truck, take it to the tire shop, tell them to fix it the proper way, go for a coffee, maybe two, go back to the tire shop, pay the man, load the wheel, go home and put the wheel back on.

Done, good and proper, no muss, no fuss, wash up, relax and have a piece of cake.

It isn't a car or truck tire that can be put on a machine. If I was in the tire business, I would refuse to fix it unless it was still on the tractor!!

 

[miangus]

Look at TR218 or Milton S-462 for glue on valve stem. Slide new stem into place over a match stick so to center over old existing hole.

I have used this item. It works just fine. I get them at the local Autopart's store.

 

[DanielW]

I should have also added: Even if you don't weld the protector on, I'd still take the bare rim home to give it a proper clean up and paint the inside. That chloride will have leaked all over the inside, and tire shops generally don't have the time to clean it up properly, and they almost certainly won't paint it. You don't want any traces of chloride left on there and rusting the rim from the inside out.

That's assuming you take the tire to them to do. But I also agree with the others - it's way easier for them to work on when it's left on the tractor, and they'll probably prefer it that way. The only reason we don't do that is because the closest tire shop that does ag tires is about 2 hours away and they don't travel this far.

I wouldn't try using any of the glue-on replacement stems. I used to use them (and still have some around), but if that tube is newer than about 20 years old, it probably won't work: Newer tubes have plasticizers in the rubber that prevents patches from sticking. Bit of a pain, because you can no longer patch a tube when you're in a pinch. Or rather, you can, but it probably won't hold up for very long.

 

[Jim.ME]

It isn't a car or truck tire that can be put on a machine. If I was in the tire business, I would refuse to fix it unless it was still on the tractor!!

It all depends on the shop. The local shop here will take them on the tractor or off, they want the business. They have hoists and are equipped to handle them without being hooked to a tractor.

 

[Brown David]

It all depends on the shop. The local shop here will take them on the tractor or off, they want the business. They have hoists and are equipped to handle them without being hooked to a tractor.

Same here.

 

[Brown David]

It isn't a car or truck tire that can be put on a machine. If I was in the tire business, I would refuse to fix it unless it was still on the tractor!!

It's a good thing you're not in the tire business then.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

For all of you who recommend "take the tire off and take it to the tire shop," this tire is, or will be, filled with Calcium Chloride fluid which weighs on the order of 11lbs per gallon. He doesn't appear to have a way to pump the fluid in/out at this time.

Does he have a forklift or skidsteer to handle a loaded tractor tire? We don't know. What we do know is throwing a loaded tire in the back of a pickup truck and taking it to town isn't something a normal human being can do by hand. Not to mention the fluid from the broken valve stem dripping all over the truck.

In this case if you can't do it yourself it's well worth the cost of a service call to have them come and do it on the tractor.

 

[Brown David]

For all of you who recommend "take the tire off and take it to the tire shop," this tire is, or will be, filled with Calcium Chloride fluid which weighs on the order of 11lbs per gallon. He doesn't appear to have a way to pump the fluid in/out at this time.

Does he have a forklift or skidsteer to handle a loaded tractor tire? We don't know. What we do know is throwing a loaded tire in the back of a pickup truck and taking it to town isn't something a normal human being can do by hand. Not to mention the fluid from the broken valve stem dripping all over the truck.

In this case if you can't do it yourself it's well worth the cost of a service call to have them come and do it on the tractor.

Agreed.

 

[Jim.ME]

For all of you who recommend "take the tire off and take it to the tire shop," this tire is, or will be, filled with Calcium Chloride fluid which weighs on the order of 11lbs per gallon. He doesn't appear to have a way to pump the fluid in/out at this time.

Does he have a forklift or skidsteer to handle a loaded tractor tire? We don't know. What we do know is throwing a loaded tire in the back of a pickup truck and taking it to town isn't something a normal human being can do by hand. Not to mention the fluid from the broken valve stem dripping all over the truck.

In this case if you can't do it yourself it's well worth the cost of a service call to have them come and do it on the tractor.

I agree and I fully understand the weight calcium adds to his tire. As usual we are all making suggestions with little info on his situation, tools, and equipment based on our own experiences and resources. I have methods and equipment to change a tire or tube and ballast if I want; or I can handle and haul loaded tires, he may have such as well. Some I do myself, some I take to the shop (a service call here is way more than the shop charge), Timing usually plays a part in the decision. He has to decide which suggestion/route is best in his case.

He did mention getting a new tube and breaking it down himself early on in the thread, no mention of whether or not he could handle the ballasting part himself.

 

[wore out]

View attachment 5199

Several years ago I had a tire tear open on my 4020. I had a spare that was in decent shape except that the valve stem was broken off similar to yours. It used CH3 insert (the second type posted by Jim.ME).

I cleaned up the stem, and a new CH3 fit nicely, but there was nothing to secure it as the part with the internal threads was broken off.

I found a brass nut that fit the remaining external threads next to the plastic nut and silver brazed it to a brass compression fitting nut that fit over the smaller part of the valve stem insert.

The part I made has held the valve stem insert in place, leak-free for several years.
.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Several years ago I had a tire tear open on my 4020. I had a spare that was in decent shape except that the valve stem was broken off similar to yours. It used CH3 insert (the second type posted by Jim.ME).

I cleaned up the stem, and a new CH3 fit nicely, but there was nothing to secure it as the part with the internal threads was broken off.

I found a brass nut that fit the remaining external threads next to the plastic nut and silver brazed it to a brass compression fitting nut that fit over the smaller part of the valve stem insert.

The part I made has held the valve stem insert in place, leak-free for several years.
.View attachment 6105

That there is what separates the men from the boys.