lawn mower tire tubes

[SDE]

Tire has a leak. I broke it down and I could not see the hole on the inside of the tire, but I could see it on the thread bar. So I bought a 15-6-6 tube. As I was attempting to put it in the tire, it occurred to me that I should have bought a tube for an 8 inch tire. It held air for a day and I then the tube split on the side going around for all but 4 inches.

So should I get a tube for an 8 inch tire or put Slime in it?

 

[old]

You most likely got a junk China made tube. BTDT and had more then one go bad from the get go

 

[Phil Tibbetts]

I agree with Old, Chinese tubes are junk.. HF tires with tubes will be flat within a couple months most of the time. Don't waste your time and money.IMO

 

[MarkB_MI]

Slime seems to work well on mower tires.

 

[J Hamilton]

Best thing to do is repair or replace the tire. China tubes will not last long and tire slime will rust and ruin the rim

 

[Fred Werring]

I've had some success cutting a boot from a piece of inner tube, rubber cementing into place.

 

[caterpillar guy]

I don't do the Harbor Freight thing very often. I have got a couple tire wheel and all set ups for my hand cart with decent results. They were cheaper than a tire alone 1 has been on there a year or a bit more and has been fine. About as long as those little and cheap tires will last anyway.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Sounds like it got pinched under the tire bead during inflation. Still not clear if the last number was 6, why would you want to put in an 8 inch tube.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Amazon is my source for lawn mower tubes.
Order the tube the same size as on the tire.
I ordered a twin pack. Good price.
I only use slime on the bead.
Tubes are better.

 

[Steve@Advance]

Have you priced a new tire?

The more popular ones are not too bad. That has been my most successful route, a new tire, clean and seal the bead with bead sealer.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

What size is the tire? If it's a 15x6.00-6 then an 8" tube will pinch.

If you stretched a 15x6.00-6 tube over an 8" rim, it's no wonder it split.

 

[Russ from MN]

I have had good luck with slime, I use it in anything that turns slow, it can affect balance.

 

[Janicholson]

Get a quality patch Kit. clean and abrade the inside of the tire at the leak. Use the largest patch(2 inch square or round) let the glue dry. Apply the patch and roll it into place with a small roller (even a dull pizza cutter) from its middle to the edges. Jim

 

[SDE]

I put a 15-6-6 tube in a 15-6-6 tire. It needed to be stretched to get it on to the rim. When you inflate the tube it should expand in all directions, but it can not because it is already tight to the rim. This is why, IMO, that people are having all of these failures. The tube starts out with thick enough material for the amount of air that needs to go in it , but all the expansion is going in one direction. With an 8 inch tube it could expand toward the rim also.
Just my opinion based on this one experience.

 

[SDE]

A pinch would create a leak that would allow the air to escape slowly and continuously. I used care and tire tools. I really don't think it was pinched.

 

[SDE]

I had a ATV tire that I could find the leak on the outside, but not on the inside. I patched the inside twice and it still leaked. I believe that the air was escaping thru a weak spot somewhere else, other than directly under the exit. I think the same thing is happening here.

 

[SDE]

No I haven't, but I guess I should have. I assumed that this would be simple, but I was wrong again.

 

[kcm.MN]

I went through that problem recently. The tubes I got kept finding holes in them, but directly in the seams of where the tubes were folded for packing. The rubber is crap, and it's thinner than older, better tubes.

I looked around and ended up finding a better deal on Amazon Warehouse for $58. Brand new mounted tires for my mower and no leaks.....yet!

And yes, I tried going up in size. Even got the more expensive tubes with the fully threaded valve stems. Didn't matter. The expensive tube also got a hole in a fold seam. No amount of high-priced glue and patches with utmost care and extended drying/clamping times would keep the problem fixed.

Save yourself some trouble and either let a tire shop fix the hole (make sure they'll honor if it leaks) or buy new mounted tires.

This is what I got:
https://www.amazon.com/MARASTAR-21446-2PK-15x6-00-6-Assembly-Replacement-Craftsman/dp/B06XX6BM2R

Slightly narrower than OEM tires and more rounded, but work beautifully. Now I need to replace axle bushings on the transaxle, but the wheels were never lubed so are stuck on there. Oh, the fun!

 

[Fritz Maurer]

I didnt mean pinched by you. I meant the tube getting caught between the rim and the tire bead if it is inflated before the bead is home. Depending on the type of rim, it may take considerable air to get the bead to start sliding home. If the tube is under pressure in this position, the tube will roll in between the rim and the tire. That would account for pinch damage most of the way around the side of the tube. If you are going to try another tube, blow it up BEFORE you pry the second bead over the rim, and remove the valve core. This will unfurl the tube in the tire the way it normally would be. Use plenty of soap on tubeless rims to minimize the seating pressure.

 

[Jim.ME]

You had to stretch it over the outer part of the rim, which is larger than the 6-inch bead area, but once you got it over the outer part and it dropped into the center of the rim was it loose? The ones I have done were, so they could expand in all directions.

This post was edited by Jim.ME on 09/29/2022 at 04:15 pm.

 

[SDE]

No, it was snug.