Snowblower tires

Posted by GoHabsGo on October 30, 2009, 10:41 am

My snowblower tires are too soft. I try pumping them up with
my bicycle pump but they seem to stay at the same level. Are they
losing air around the rim? How can I get them to hold air?

Thanks,

Larry

Posted by Oyabun on October 30, 2009, 10:52 am

On Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:41:12 +0000 (UTC), GoHabsGo

>My snowblower tires are too soft. I try pumping them up with
>my bicycle pump but they seem to stay at the same level. Are they
>losing air around the rim? How can I get them to hold air?
>Thanks,
>Larry

Remove the wheels from the blower and dunk them under water to find
the leaks. Or pour soapy water on the rim with the wheel horizontal
and look for bubbles. If they are leaking from the rims you can push
the tire away from the rim, clean the rim surface with some emery
cloth and refill the tire pushing in from the tread as needed to
reseat the tire bead into the rim. All this would be kind of hard to
do though if you just have a bicycle pump but it can be done. Or you
could just remove the wheels and take them to a local tire shop. I've
seen them work on small wheels before. Can also take them to a
place who works on garden tractors and mowers.

Posted by Jules on October 30, 2009, 2:01 pm

On Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:52:47 -0400, Oyabun wrote:

> Remove the wheels from the blower and dunk them under water to find
> the leaks. Or pour soapy water on the rim with the wheel horizontal
> and look for bubbles. If they are leaking from the rims you can push
> the tire away from the rim, clean the rim surface with some emery
> cloth and refill the tire pushing in from the tread as needed to
> reseat the tire bead into the rim.

And if you have a ratchet strap it sometimes helps to do this up tightly
around the tire's perimeter in the middle, as it helps the bead seat a
better as the tire's inflated.

If the snowblower is old and is anything like my ancient lawn tractor,
getting the wheel *off* in the first place might be an art in itself... :-)
(one of my lawn tractor ones leaks over a few weeks, but the wheel's
jammed solid on the axle so I just live with it)

Posted by Oyabun on October 30, 2009, 3:57 pm

On Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:01:05 -0500, Jules

>On Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:52:47 -0400, Oyabun wrote:

>> Remove the wheels from the blower and dunk them under water to find
>> the leaks. Or pour soapy water on the rim with the wheel horizontal
>> and look for bubbles. If they are leaking from the rims you can push
>> the tire away from the rim, clean the rim surface with some emery
>> cloth and refill the tire pushing in from the tread as needed to
>> reseat the tire bead into the rim.

>And if you have a ratchet strap it sometimes helps to do this up tightly
>around the tire's perimeter in the middle, as it helps the bead seat a
>better as the tire's inflated.
>If the snowblower is old and is anything like my ancient lawn tractor,
>getting the wheel *off* in the first place might be an art in itself... :-)
>(one of my lawn tractor ones leaks over a few weeks, but the wheel's
>jammed solid on the axle so I just live with it)

Probably just as easy to replace the tires without removing the wheels
if the sidewalls are cracked. While off, clean the rim edge off. If
not the OP's got enough info to get-r-done.

Posted by Van Chocstraw on October 31, 2009, 1:00 pm

Jules wrote:

> On Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:52:47 -0400, Oyabun wrote:

>
> And if you have a ratchet strap it sometimes helps to do this up tightly
> around the tire's perimeter in the middle, as it helps the bead seat a
> better as the tire's inflated.
>
> If the snowblower is old and is anything like my ancient lawn tractor,
> getting the wheel *off* in the first place might be an art in itself... :-)
> (one of my lawn tractor ones leaks over a few weeks, but the wheel's
> jammed solid on the axle so I just live with it)
>
>

Try some Rust Buster PB penetrating catalyst on the axle. Apply it every
day for a week and the wheel will come off easily.

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