Flat tire :(

[Pooh Bear]

The front left tire on my 8N is flat. It has a tube in it. The leak seems to be right at the base of the valve stem. The valve stem hole in the rim is rough and rusted out a bit. I'm wondering if I could somehow get away with just putting a new tube in it for now, or should I order a new rim ($80) and wait for it to get here. Could I clean up the hole any so it doesn't cut a new tube. I really don't want the tractor to be down for that long while I wait on a new rim to get here. The tire now will hold air for about 2 hours. I don't want to spend the $80 but I don't want to pay for the same repair twice.
What should I do.

Pooh Bear

Early 1949 8N, Dunlap TN.
http://web.bledsoe.net/~poohbear2767/whereilive.htm
(are there any tractor boneyards close to here?)

 

[Royse]

If its not rusted too bad, you can take the tire off, clean up the rim and weld a washer over the hole.
Grind the edges down smooth and put in your new tube.
If its rusted really bad, clean it back a ways, weld in a patch over it and drill a new hole for the valve stem somewhere else around the rim.
I've had to do the latter with some rear rims that had chloride leaks.

 

[Den N Ms]

Pooh Bear.Tou can weld or braze a large flat washer with a hole to accommodate the valve stem over the old rusted hole.Works great!

 

[Pooh Bear]

I thought about welding a washer over it.
Except I can't weld. I can burn rods.
and sometimes I manage to stick two pieces of metal together.
But I'm no welder.

How long does it take to get a rim shipped from the YT store?

Pooh Bear

 

[Royse]

sometimes I manage to stick two pieces of metal together

LOL Funny Pooh Bear!
A man's got to know his limitations!
Certainly you know someone around there who can weld though?
If you clean it and provide the washer they'd probably weld it for a cup of coffee.
Not sure how long it takes to get a rim shipped.
Usually they're pretty quick on other stuff though.

 

[oldtanker]

I can weld but we have a welder in town. His work is fantastic! He is very reasonable on his prices. You should be able to find a welder near you who can do a simple repair like that.

Rick

 

[DON TX]

If it's not too bad, JB weld will build up the rough area enuff to sand it smooth. Remove the rust first. HTH
DON TX

 

[Ultradog MN]

A friend of mine bought a beat up 4600 earlier this summer. The PO had had the same rusty hole in the rim problem and fixed it with the top of a plastic bottle.
Classy!

Slide show of the tractor here

 

[NoNewParts]

Like UltraDog's pic,
enlarging the hole and using a nylon stepped bushing
glued on from the inside works well if you don't weld.
I have one tractor that has a inch diameter valve stem hole that
someone made a rubber boot into, that the valve stem comes thru.

if you keep an eye on ebay, your $80 should
find you a good rim......with a tire attached

 

[Ken Pike]

Clean up the rust on the inside, cut a piece out of the old tube & make a hole for the valve stem of the new tube to poke through.

 

[Charles Krammin]

My brother had a old bus tire go flat, on his UP hunting trip, due to a rusted valve stem hole. He just used his high power rifle to blast a new hole (perfect size) and cover old hole with cut up tube. You got any hunting friends?
Charles Krammin SW MI

 

[souNdguy]

break it down and weld a washer over the enlarged hole.. grind it smooth and remount.

remove any rust and paint the rim when you do so...

 

[W_B]

Ultradog, that poor tractor is a mess! What's he going to do with it? Any estimate what it would cost to get it into some reasonable shape?

 

[Pooh Bear]

I'm just gonna order a new rim. I went out and looked at it in the daylight and the hole is just too far gone. The metal flakes off with my fingers. I'm not sure it could be welded at this point. Might just blow more holes in it.
Thanks for all the suggestions tho.

Pooh Bear

 

[ASEguy]

That is kinda rough. Farmer friend has a 4600 and it's a tank. Really tough old three cyl. diesel.

 

[Ultradog MN]

Funny story:
My pal Kenny bought the tractor off Ebay. We knew it was rough and seller didn't know if it ran. He had taken it in trade and didn't have much $ in it.
He was an IH man and mostly just wanted it gone. We went to Southern Iowa to pick it up. When I saw it I burst out laughing cause it was SO rough. Kenny was depressed about it (which made me laugh all the more - typical for us around here) At first the seller was worried but then got caught up in the humor and we went around poking fun at all the 'fine' points on the tractor and at Ken's long face.
Then he knocked $300 off the price which made Ken finally smile. He ended up getting it for a Grand.

We got it home, hooked a chain to it and pulled it and the poor old tractor actually runs pretty good. Motor good, gears good, hyds good, PTO good.
I had parted out a couple of 3/4000s so between the extra parts I had and some used ones off Ebay and a couple of boneyards we have mostly everything to make a good tractor out of it now.
We split it for new seals everywhere and fixed the clutch shaft, rebuilt the whole front end and just gotta get to it and get the paint on it one of these days. He should have a pretty fair tractor when we're done.
I still tease him about his long face but he usually gets me back with interest.

 

[trouttman]

(quoted from post at 19:22:40 08/27/12) The front left tire on my 8N is flat. It has a tube in it. The leak seems to be right at the base of the valve stem. The valve stem hole in the rim is rough and rusted out a bit. I'm wondering if I could somehow get away with just putting a new tube in it for now, or should I order a new rim ($80) and wait for it to get here. Could I clean up the hole any so it doesn't cut a new tube. I really don't want the tractor to be down for that long while I wait on a new rim to get here. The tire now will hold air for about 2 hours. I don't want to spend the $80 but I don't want to pay for the same repair twice.
What should I do.

Pooh Bear

Early 1949 8N, Dunlap TN.
http://web.bledsoe.net/~poohbear2767/whereilive.htm
(are there any tractor boneyards close to here?)

Pooh Bear, use JB Weld. Take the tire off clean up the rim, wire brush etc.
and build it back up with JB Weld. Fixed mine about five years ago still works.

When I went by the tire shop to pick up new tube and have the tire mounted, they were doing the same thing to a racing cart wheel.

trouttman

 

[Pooh Bear]

I ordered a new rim from this site today.

Pooh Bear

 

[douglloyd]

Pooh Bear,

I am up in Kingston, just east of town. There are several good scrapyards in Sweetwater, and one that I have been meaning to check out in Andersonville.

Doug in east TN

 

[Pooh Bear]

I didn't think about anything up in that direction. (between Chattanooga and Knoxville). I was only thinking of up toward McMinnville or Crossville

Anyway, I already ordered a rim. Hope the other side is in good shape.

Pooh Bear

 

[36 Coupe]

I have used a 22 to make holes for the damper shaft in stove pipe but wont try shooting rims with a 30/30.

 

[Pooh Bear]

Here is what the old rim looked like:

As you can see the hole is really rusted out
and has sharp edges all around.

Pooh Bear