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Did I perhaps miss the obvious question here; What does the fix-a-flat leaving a residue have to do with the tubes failing? Thanks in advance for your reply.
Hi .what would make a 48" rider hard to push the forward and reverse pedal. It just started two weeks ago cutting the front yeard. If you can help, I'd appreciate it.
Hello had question my PTO stop engaging the deck blades, when I try to push the lever it gets stuck and don't engage. I changed my cable already. Is it my clutch I'm guessing??
Sounds like my neighbors Cub cadet he brought to me for repairs . It had a laundry list. He beged to get fixed as cheap as possible. I finally got it done. I charged for parts but gave him my labor cause he was my 80 year old neighbor. Then it was one thing after another. Every time I turned around it was back for something else. He acted like it was something I did. I finally told him not to bring it back or I was going to shoot it and bury it in the back yard. 20 years of neglect was not going to become my life time mission. Love your channel. Now I mow his lawn for free LOL. Oh he buys my gas LOL
I have some super-cheap clients like that and they are usually well-off financially. The old joke is: "Those guys still have their communion money." The richer they are the cheaper they are. The best thing to do is give them some reason why you can't do the work for them and let them go find another sucker to work for free.
The fact that you took the tires off of your personal mower to make things right with the customer says a lot about what type of business owner you are. Great job! I wish there were more small businesses like that.
Well sir that mower was not worth fixing in the first place as it was a worn out "money pit". Now if one is up to doing in depth mechanical restoration and doesn't mind the cost of parts one can completely go through an older mower and get a few more seasons out of it and possibly ten or fifteen mowing seasons depending upon how deep they go. But these people who take stuff into a repair shop who think they are saving are in for a real surprise when the cost can add up to exceed the cost of a new one (a compatible unit mind you). I tell people this "I didn't make it and I didn't break it, this is what it is going to cost, takes it or leave it. And by the way this is the estimate charge and I will include it as a credit towards the cost of the job if I take it. Is this arrogant you ask? No it is business.
Maybe that is a price she paid to learn a lesson. The lesson is assess better and discourage extending life on cheap equipment. had it been a 3-5 year old mower of that style okay but common sense said this type of mower doesn't usually
@@billywird Have you priced the new flimsy junk out there? $300 to get another 5-10 years out of what you have is a BARGIN! I had a customer sink $900 in a Troy-Bilt "Big Red" 54" deck mower only to catch it on fire while mulching leaves last fall. $250 to fix that mess and another $150 to replace the Vari-Drive pulley and main drive belt this spring. Total=$1300 for a great running, excellent cutting mower. New 54" cut mower? $3600-$4500 for the big box store version! Dealer versions are surely much more. Not nearly as well built as the older ones, don't even have a real frame in them. So in my humble opinion-money well spent!
3:50 thats where Chickanic messes up. She should have called. Communication is key in ANY relationship. Love your channel :) If you would have called your customer probably would not be so upset. This is one of the biggest reasons I try to do my own repair and why I love your channel because you teach me to be a better repair person.
Agreed. Worked in a similar shop and my boss would always go ahead without calling and it would be a problem EVERY SINGLE TIME. Not once did he get someone to pay full price when he did it.
Hey Chic! I messaged Fix-A-Flat and made up a story(basically your story,lol) and they replied as follows... " While Fix-a-Flat is in a liquid state, it is water soluble and can be removed with a paper towel, rag or preferably, soap and water. Once it has dried, Fix-a-Flat must be removed using odorless mineral spirits (normally available at hardware stores or art supply stores)." So I don't know if this helps but maybe soak the rims and tires in mineral spirits and try and see if that solves anything. I hope I help to some degree, recently discovered your channel and you have saved me a small fortune, thanks for all you do, it is appreciated!!! Thanks Again, Mike
@@thomasjoseph5876, my entire point with my comment was that Bre has had this happen many times and I was just trying to help. According to the manufacturer, it's water soluble and in the worse cases mineral spirits. If it comes off as easy as the Fix-A-Flat folks say it does it could just be an alternative to new tires and rims. Thanks for your comment, I'm not telling anyone to do anything, Bre just acted as if she could use some input on the issue.
Mineral spirits aren’t safe of rubber not rated for it. Road rated tires have additives to resist petroleum products. Off road usually don’t. Makes them less tacky and lower traction.
The point is that she should have contacted the company, like you did. It isn't enough to know how to work on a lawn mower. If she is going to put herself in a position for people to rely on, then she needs to be proactive in constantly improving both her knowledge AND communication skills with customers. She failed at both in this case.
Having run a business myself, I understand your frustration. Occasionally, in order to keep the customer happy and protect your reputation, you bend over backwards and eat time and materials then call it part of the cost of running a business. Keeping the customer informed is always the best policy but tough to do when they don't give you all the information to begin with. Thanks for all the tips.
I used this tire sealant stuff that came in powder form that had to be mixed with water. It was a lot like Green slime and is a much better quick fix/long term fix than "fix a flat". I operated a Moffet "off-road forklift" for years and ran the green slime stuff in all the tires. It does get stinky after a few years but, the tires would last for years. I kept the air pressure at 15psi and running over nails and stuff all the time at construction sites. It doesn't get hard and it's not that bad to clean out.
You just described everything that happens in my life!!! I’m a DIYer former electrical motor repair guy, exercise equipment designer and manufacturer ( we were a small company so I was also the metal cutter, welder, drill press guy, powder coater, assembler.. you get the idea.), airline pilot… now retired. I try to keep all of our home jobs in house (me fixing sh*i!😂). It seems like all my projects are just like this! You get one thing fixed, then, immediately something else breaks! I love your channel! More importantly I love watching women like you and my wife roll their sleeves up and do things that most men wouldn’t have a clue how to do. Rosie’s Riveters!! You go girl!! BTW.. I have been guilty of using fix o flat. Only in emergencies!!😂😂
Well, young lady, you are about the best at showing your well deserved frustration and at the same getting your point across! Understandably giving truth to the fact that there are many lousy products out there! I found this channel a few weeks back and I really enjoy it . Keep up the good work that you do.....
I am glad to hear that the shop I work for isn't the only shop that is at 3-4 weeks. When we do the original estimate, we will not even call the customer if the repair is under $250.00 and we tell them up front. Some are ok with it, but it also keeps the garbage equipment from coming into the shop. We also will not accept wheels that have Fix-A-Flat in it. If the customer does not tell us, we automatically replace the tires and rims.
Glad to see customers in US act the same way as in Norway, haha.. And they want it repaired in the same hour, lol. We tell them every time when they ask what to do with their equipment. Get it in for service and check up right after season is over. Maybe 1% do this. Thanks for the upload! 😊👋
Wow you are one of the last honest mechanics out there!!! I actually mean that you are very conscientious about your customers money and how much they are spending..... this is becoming rare! Thank you!!!! Looking forward to your next video!
Real world examples of a shop. I appreciate your page and I watch it frequently. I own and maintain a 2008 JD LA125 that has given me 3 lifetime’s worth of service. Great Presentation. Carry On.
You are absolutely right. You never touch a tire that has fixed a flat or any other type of similar product. FYI, it is not very cost effective due to the time consumption that it takes, but paint thinner will get fix the flat residue out. But as I said, it's not very easy and extremely time consuming and time is always money. You're always better off as a mechanic and for the customer to get a new tire.
I do my own tires on my tractors and atv. I have used Tireject in the past on my atv and will continue to do so. Solves your leak issues quickly and washes off with water when you get into them! Great product!
I never used fix a flat before and glad of it. I have used Gemplers tire sealant military grade. I have had to change a tire with it in it but it never got hard like that. It stays gummy and I wiped it out and used a rag with a cleaning solvent to wipe up the residue. It wasn't nothing like that was. Thanks again for doing these informative videos.
This is the first time I have seen your video and I’m sorta delighted, not that you had an impossible situation but that someone else had one, not me. I’m a 77 yr old widow lady who has only been doing this stuff herself for maybe eight years and I thought it was just me. Thank you. Also I’m sorry, what a lousy job.
Used transmission fluid will remove Fix-A-Flat. If you don't have used transmission fluid you can go to your local auto repair shop and they will 99% of the time give you free used transmission fluid.
To see sooo many mowers being fixed at your shop, it's pretty clear you all do good work. However, you said it is an 18 year old tractor! You really are responsible for communicating with the customer before fixing additional problem!
I enjoyed the video. Several years back, I had an older zero turn that nickeled, dimed, and quartered me to death. I thought maybe I could only get another season out of it. So, I drilled and filled the front tires with foam. I bought a new one the next year and gave the old one to my son. This is his third season using it, and all he has done is change oil, installed new blades, battery, and this year he has foam filled the dry rotted rear tires.
Good video. A family member gave me their old lawn tractor, which had 2 dry cracked front tires. When I mentioned it needed tires, the response was to use Fix a flat. What part of cracked they didn't understand is beyond me. Two new tires and cleaned up the wheels and good to go.
Having picked up scrap metal for a living several times in my life I had to learn the modern miracle of tire plugs. They don't particularly work well with tubed tires, but do usually do fine with radial tires. True story..I ran the same balding tire for about 6 years in and out of scrap yards, etc. It finally gave up the ghost after 37 plugs. Guy at the tire shop was quite intrigued..😂 I'm finally of the age where I can afford tires..
Love your show ! Top notch !!!! Btw,,, not sure you do this but,, when reinstalling a screw into plastic ALWAYS turn screw opposite direction until the threads find there " home " and fall into ORIGINAL TREADS. This keeps from STRIPPING ORIGINAL threads out. Learned this years ago at the OMC week long school in Wakeagon, Illinois. I'm sure you know this but it was my way of getting this info to others on the tube. 🙂 From one wrench to another Stay safe my friend !!
The UA-cam Channel Project Farm did a good review of some of the various "Fix a Flat" solutions available. If I remember correctly "Fix-a-Flat" was NOT one that performed very well. My personal preference for small tires is to find the puncture and plug it. It's not like I need to worry about the tire coming apart at high speed or anything!
The problem I've seen with lawn tires is unless it is a visible nail (new roofs are a gift that keeps on giving), it is likely a pile of hard to see thorns or other stuff fibrous material. It will be cheaper to replace the tire or use slime.
Did they test tireject? It's expensive but works amazingly. Onelonelyfarmer has a video where he rolls a new tire/wheel down a hill shoots it mulitiple times with a gun, then puts tireject in it and it holds for months. He has another video where he drills holes in a $2,000 tractor tire , puts tireject in it and inflates it. It was still holding air a year later.
@@frotobaggins7169 I was just going to suggest tireject because One lonely farmer on UA-cam ues that and has done shit to tires just to prove how good it works. I don't mean he purposely goes out in destroys good tires though
First time a came across you let alone a female mechanic and i have to say your awesome. Id rather listen..take advise and learn from you then the other male mechanics any day..Thank you for being very professional and also being a great teacher of your craft. Much success to you and your family..
If you ever run into this again and you absolutely must get it thrown back together quick, you can try *baby powder* in there to allow the tube to slide on the tire and rim. Not only will it cover up the sticky parts, it works as a lubricant between two pieces of rubber. I used to commute with a bicycle for awhile in San Diego and I tried the bicycle version of this stuff once because I kept getting thorn punctures and it was a nightmare doing field repairs on it all the time. I think they called it green slime. It was equally difficult to get it off and once it was in there it hung up on the tube to keep it from moving inside the tire. You'd get wrinkles that would pinch under pressure and use which would eventually end up with a wear hole. Baby powder fixed it for me. Here's what you do, fill the inside of the tire with it and rotate around until absolutely everything inside the tire is coated, then dump it back out. Use the same powder to rub all over the new tube. Once you put it in, the powder will act as a lubricant. Something that helps is put the tube in the tire and fill it up with one of the tire beads off. Make sure everything is good with no wrinkles, then reduce to like 1-2 psi and put the tire the rest of the way back on. This will keep everything straight and you shouldn't have any more failures, at least not right away.
She should never be surprised like this again. Just ask if a slime product was ever used when it comes into the shop. If yes, charge the appropriate the amount to clean up and/or replace what ever is needed.
Talcum powder is a good way to lubricate a normal , fairly clean assembly , very true , and I would guess that the failures after reassemly/tube installation may well have been due to the tubes sticking in place and being pinched to the point of failure. BUT I would suggest that if you have rims that are so gunked up as those that is likely a result to be expected; I would say don't even try it if you can't clean em up , she may have wanted to try lacquer thinner &/or brake parts cleaner on those , and the tires are very likely goners unless you find a solvent that works real well and won't degrade the rubber (much if at all) when used 🫤🧐🤷
Same luck as I seem to have, do what you think is the hard parts first, then when you get to what you think is the easy part- Surprise!!! Would be great if you got the full story from the customer first, but where's the fun in that! Thanks for sharing, great advice!
In Automotive repair in Canada if you exceed the quote by over $100 (Cad so like 65 lol) you must inform and get consent from the customer. otherwise they can simply refuse to pay past the $100 extra. I think you run a respectful honest business but always a good idea to keep the customer informed and in the loop.
My background is in electronics engineering. I have fixed a multitude of things over the years. I felt that in my soul when she mentioned she had to take something off her own personal equipment to make a client happy. That's good business practice she doing. I understand her struggle!
I just changed a rear tire on my customers zero turn and it was super full of this purple goo, i made sure he understood the extra charge in addition to the charge of replacing the tire, i agree with you what a pain in the butt.
My first inclination would be to toss the rim into the cabinet and sandblast it clean - them prime and repaint. Likely too time-consuming in your operations - but I am a DIY problem solver at heart and love to tinker... GREAT show - and I can't imagine the frustration you feel with these cases. You rock!
I've never found sandblasting to work, much more likely to just build up on the Fixaflat. For EMERGENCY use it has it place but otherwise it's just evil from a mechanics point of view
The owner shouldn't be mad at all. He neglected his rider and ruin his tires and rims by using fix a flat. Equipment wears out and breaks down. But his neglect and bad decisions to try and fix it is on him. Todd from da Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Nope not the shop's fault at all, but the Customers don't see it that way, I remember being screamed at for failing a car for safety inspection, because the only Rotors on it were nothing more than Fins, and bare metal brake pads. Never understood how a Customer's neglect of their vehicle is the Mechanic's fault
i put fix a flat in my 2 front lawn mower tires and then 3 years later decided to put tubes in and had no problems. I scraped out any hard pieces and then rinsed the rest off with boiling hot water. No problems at all! The reason why I decided to put tubes in was due to the fact of too much side wall dry rot.
If the owner had any sense he would have brought that unit in and asked "what can you give me on trade in on a new one" (that is if Chickanic sells new machines).
@@billywird anyone that wants to get an old lawn mower repaired might be wealthy cheap or poor. It would be nice though if the wealthy person was trying to get it fixed up to either donate it to a poor person or sell it for a low price as a running mower. That does not usually happen though!
Great advice, Bre. I worked in a mechanics shop and a tire store and if we broke down a tire that had fix-a-flat in it, it was “job over.” That stuff should be outlawed. Not only does it make a nasty, sticky mess, it’s fumes are also flammable. We had guys rip off the valve stems on tubeless tires (to be changed later) to get the air out quickly and the fumes rushing out of the valve stem hole could make your eyes water or catch your eyebrows on fire if you were lighting a cigarette at the time. The only stuff I’d recommend using if you have to put something in is green Tire Slime. It’s non-flammable and can be hosed off a rim on a tubeless tire or tossed out with a bad tube. My Craftsman rider uses a tubeless setup so the lazy way of fixing a leak is either green Slime or a tire plug until I can break the tire down and patch it from the inside as tubeless tires are pricey and getting more expensive.
Tire prices are getting high just like everything else. I replaced the rear tires on a John Deere 145, I wound up putting bigger tires on because the original size cost $8 more per tire, still for the 2 tires 23 X 10.5 - 12 was $138.61 that included shipping.
@@robertheinkel6225I suppose the thinking is if you can afford to buy a fancy car without a spare, you can afford to buy a new tire and rim when the fix-a-flat destroys them both.
Using a tube is really all that will fix the sidewall cracks that appear on mower tires when they age...even slime usually won't fix those, plus then you have a nasty mess...
This is good to know. I have heard that fix a flat is best to stay away from unless, like you said, you are stranded out somewhere, and it's the only option. It will certainly never go in my Husqvarna rider's tires! I have to do a lot of my own repairs and maintenance due to a limited budget, and so I depend on UA-cam videos a lot. Thanks so much!! I just subscribed!❤
Same here! I refuse to repair or work on any tire that has fix a flat in it, however I will replace one that has been slimmed, because it doesn't require cleaning the rim, slime actually protects the metal, PC C is another option ,but both are nasty to work with, keep rocking 😎👍
Once you have to re-tube a calcium filled tire, you will look back at everything else as walk in the park. And when a calcium filled tube leaks, it eats the rim. Also, they seem to be used heavily on honey wagons. Extra fun.
@@JasonW. I agree , sadly , the whole rim rusted open . Thankfully I had another old tractor with intact rims that fit . Thankfully there are new non corrosive products . Happy fixing
Love your channel. Happened across it a couple few weeks ago, and pretty much just enjoy watching your approach to different problems, and what you do to solve them. Very informative on all fronts. Keep up the good work!
Great that you did that for the customer. You have lots of patience. With all the problems that rider mower had it almost sounds like the customer got the mower off the curb. lol. I’m happy with my self propelled Toro SmartStow. Worst problem was the carburetor got a little water. I cleaned it out, replaced the float, and it starts first pull ever since. Love it!
Started out in the tire business a looong time ago. Took a hiatus then got back into it for a short time. Never dealt with "Fix a flat" the first time. Second time around was eye opening. Destroys tires permanently. If it's all you have in an emergency, then go for it, but be prepared to pay. Chickanic, have you shown your shop layout? I'm particularly interested in tires. Keep up the good work.
Have you heard about cars not coming with a spare tire, but a can of fix a flat? Thankfully there's a spare in all of our vehicles, but I was shocked that this is a thing now.
Thankfully, I have managed to avoid the stuff. Supposedly, mineral spirits might clean it up but I have never seen that in action - the claim remains a question mark.
I’m the worst at procrastination. Did a valve adjustment and blades last weekend and discovered it had leaking head and sump gaskets. Thanks to channels like yours I’ve watched probably over 100‘s of hours of engine repair and rebuilds. Never messed with that fix a flat stuff before, now I know how terrible that stuff truely is.
Funny thing is, I think that might have worked, half way thru pulling everything apart and cleaned the head surfaces last night. The gasket looks intact and not “blown”. But I have a full Briggs gasket kit. So plan on using all new anyways.
Keeps the tube from moving. It'll get pinched somewhere, or even wear a hole in it. I tend to fill tubes partially and let them deflate before putting all the air in, just in case. A bunch of hard bumps inside the tire is no good. The tires flex and the bumps will be rubbing the tube. Tubes also have to be warm. Let them sit in the sun. Cold rubber won't stretch well. A seam may tear.
Hi Bre hope all is good with you and yours ! Sometimes you just have to roll with it , the customer sounds a bit unreasonable but in the small engine world one mad customer can do a lot of damage to your name. I think you and your husband handled the situation like true professionals . Good on you . Cheers 🍻
She didn't keep the customer in the loop, and she didn't contact the manufacturer of Fix-a-Flat to learn what to do. I would have been mad, too. If she doesn't own her mistakes, she's going to be confused over the next angry customer. She is advertising herself as an expert in this area, so people would understandably expect her to constantly improve her knowledge. One viewer here contacted the company. If they can do it, she could have. Even if the end result was that it was cheaper to replace the rims and tires, she would have shown herself to be a more professional problem-solver to her customer and viewers here. This should have been an important learning moment for her too, but she missed it.
My dad used to put tire talc in a tire with tubes. Acted like a dry lube for the friction between the tube and tire. Possibly (in a pinch) you could put baby powder in the tire and roll it around to coat it. Powder would stick to the goo and possibly let the tube do it's thing without sticking to the tire. Just a thought.
Corn starch works for that. It's not totally necessary but does work on bicycle tubes to make installation easier and prevent chafing for low pressure mtn tires.
There is a new product out called liquid tube that Dirt Perfect on UA-cam used on his volvo off road 6 tire dump truck I think he has had it in the tires for a year now.
Same here. The trick I learned in the 60-ies, every tube I put in since had a good bath in talk. And talk treatment of the inside of the tire. Hopefully you can get a real mineral talk, not the corn powder they sell now. It is about friction between the tube and the tire, that wears the tubes over time.
Yeah but you didn’t have fix a flat in it! I’ve used it and suffered the consequences when it came time to fix it right. Lacquer thinner and a wire wheel are only solution. I wound up throwing tires away and cleaned rims.
You must have a great reputation in your community because based on all the mowers I see in the video you have tons of work, not to many small engine places have a load of work like you have.
I like you and believe you know what you’re doing. Just one thing tho, I found out a long time ago an old Murray mower in most cases just isn’t worth fixing. I just repaired equipment on the side when not working my main job. I realize you are a shop owner open to the public, big difference. We used to refer to cheap mowers as always a money trap trash but now everything’s so expensive it’s easy to get pulled into a tuff situation. Love what you do !
Old stuff is the worst. Seized bolts, missing items, obsolete gaskets, anything you need, been sunk a few times, water in the fuel ect. Nevermind its old as dirt.
@@baileyhatfield4273 Or maybe it's computer controlled high pressure fuel injection. Those powerheads also suffer similar slings and arrows along with a host of new problems that can get expensive. I've disassembled and rebuilt outboard carburetors on my campsite picnic table, not going to accomplish that with fuel injectors.
I was in the business for 30 years. After experiencing the same issues with fix a flat. We began to use permanent type tire sealers such as Slime or True Ride with great success. Stale gas was often a source of aggravation for us. Some customers refused to believe that the gas in their gas cans was no good.
I had a successful lawn care business back in the mid eighties. Most of our equipment was painted a familiar green color. We were sticklers for careful cleaning and maintenance. We kept an ancient Murray homeowner style rider mower mostly as a backup in case one of our every day machines went down. That old Murray was a beast; heavy, ugly and cantankerous. It was also very reliable. I have to say that the whole fixaflat thing never came up! Lol. I enjoy your content. Thanks for everything you do.
My uncle had a Murray rider with a single cylinder kohler around 20hp with a 42 inch deck. He had a large property and he put that thing through hell for 20 years. He used to get drinking and run over small trees, hit stumps, rocks, tree roots and 12-18 inch ant hills, he drove it through spots that had water just below the air filter and cut shoulder high hay with it ramming it back and forth at times to make trails behind his house. I was shocked at how much abuse it took over the years. Other than belts and spindles he only did wear and tear stuff on that thing most times he just smashed things back into shape with a sledgehammer.
@@davidbrennan5 I have a late '90s 42"- cut Murray rider with a B&S OHV single-cylinder, bought from a friend 18 years ago for $350, including a steel dump-cart. Only 'improvements' it needed included a diagonal brace inside the steel 'dashboard', as it would flex whenever I turned the wheel, plus a fuel shut-off valve. Otherwise, mostly routine repairs and maintenance, and parts have been cheap - of course with me doing the work!
@@billgilstrap1778 He gave that unit to my cousin and he still uses it. I bet it has over 8k hours on it now. I ended up buying a used one almost identical with a 18hp Kohler pro single cylinder about 10 years ago and it runs like a champ still. I just keep fixing wear and tear stuff only on it. I don't think the newer homeowner riders will hold a candle to the older ones.
A mechanic many years ago shared with me a similar story. He informed me that the customer put the slime style fix a flat in his tires. The slime literally ate the metal rims over time, which ruined the rims, so the lawn mower needed new rims as well as new tires.
I immediately put slime in the front tires of the zero turn. Then again, those things will go flat sitting over the winter, and replacing 3.5x4.00 tires is a process I hate to do so I replace the tire/rim assembly when the tire no longer is useful.
Hey Chickanic, you are a beautiful soul. Always thinking of others. Even to the point where you take a loss to please a customer. But in reality, that so-called loss was an investment. An investment that will ALWAYS pay you back... manyfold. We love your channel ❤️ !
Bre, it's so good to see you again. I'm very sorry to hear about all of the troubles, but I'm sure that all of this will work out. It's really good to see all of the projects you have in backlog. It could be worse. You could have no backlog at all. I'm wondering if the Green Slime stuff leaves the same kind of residue. Wishing you the best.❤
I was wondering about Slime as well. I was thinking of putting that in preventive measure. I don't want to do that if its going to be a problem down the road
Don't use Slime in your tires either. It will rot the rims and is an awful mess to clean up. Ask me how I know this. There is a very good product called Tire Ject that is a latex based sealer that isn't messy at all and is harmless to rims. It is expensive but works quite well. I use it in tractor tires and implement tires on the farm.
Gee, I always knew fix a flat and Slime were a temporary fix but never thought they caused that much damage to the tire and rim. I love watching your videos, it’s cool to see a woman mechanic getting some respect for her knowledge and skills
Slime-type sealants are not destructive, they are soap-based and might be messy to clean but they won't destroy tires and rims. We use slime type sealants often in rider tires (and other small tires with pin hole leaks) with great success. Fix-a-flat, no, Slime, yes.
Many tire shops stop when they discover leak sealers. I've begun using 4-5 oz of atf and so far it's working in my 90's rider. There's probably fix a flat in there too, no telling. Also, I slide a wood block underneath in case one goes flat so the rotten tires don't get pinched. Yep, it needs new tires...
@@ebachy Water soluble sealants which aren't corrosive, can usually be removed without tons of work. I've been rather successful using a bit of automatic transmission fluid as a sealer for tubeless tires.
@@ebachy the owner never found what punctured the tire, just put fixaflat in. So whatever punctured the tire is still in the tire and now punctured the tube and will continue to do so until it is removed from the tire. Common with folks who use sealant to "fix" "leaks" which are actually punctures from debris. Gotta remove the cause of the air loss, THEN use a sealant... Preferably water-based latex and only enough to get things buttoned up.
I am no longer using a rider, but used to have a geared STX38 JD for at least a couple of decades with front tires that became hard to find / replace as the machine outlasted its own time in the market. I did about 95% of my own maintenance and would never have dreamt of NOT using tire sealant, but MultiSeal rather than Fix-a-Flat. Never had an issue--worked great.
There is some expensive stuff called Ride-On made for motorcycles that does not dry out. Water will dissolve it. But NO kind of "sealant" will work in a tube type tire. There is simply nothing for it to seal against. Tubes are too thin for sealant to work.
@@oldarkie3880 Yes..Why do so many people seem to have such an aversion to using a tube?..I can't figure it out..they will try just about ANYTHING else, but NOT A TUBE...???
@@dyer2cycle i have put many tubes in dry rotten lawnmower tires and they would run for many more years. It's not like your going to wreak if it blows out.
I enjoy your videos , I know some about mowers and riders . Your videos help with what I can control . I really try to keep good gas with stabilizer! About 8 years ago I kept a blower in our garage. Every time I needed it it started and ran but one morning it ran about one minute and locked up! I believe it was water in the gas mixture! Now I watch the gas.
Shame Chickanic, you had all that hassle. The same thing happens in the motor trade where things "cascade". Another well presented and sincere video. Love it. I guess there must be other brands of "flatty fixes" that don't do that. I have just put some in my quad, so I hope it won't b as bad as your experience when I come to change the tyres which are nearly worn out. God Bless.
It's for emergencies only not repairs. You use it to get off the side of the road and then get the tire repaired immediately. It'll eat the metal in the rim and destroy your rim if left in the tire. ua-cam.com/video/Tf6zf8lwzJg/v-deo.html
Things have a tendency to snowball as we used to say in the north. I’m sure this will change how you assess things going forward. Tough business, and very often people are unreasonable
Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I knew from my off-road racing days to use 'only in a dire emergency' but that was 30 years ago and thankful for the vivid reminder.
I’ve watched several of your videos, and I appreciate them all. I love the detail that you tell everybody in the honesty and integrity that you keep with each one of your videos. It is great to see, and hear somebody that is not biased, but gets to the point and says what needs to be done and how it needs to be done and we really appreciate what you do. Thanks for your videos can’t wait to see more. They have really helped me in my situations. Bless you all. 9:06
Have you considered offering a discount to customers who bring equipment in the fall? That way equipment would be ready to pull out and use in the spring.
Stupid question....is there anything you could put on the rim and tire to make them ok to put a new tube in? I have no idea about these things....it was just a thought?
Thanks for the heads up. While I did have a 'very slow' leak in 2 of my tires on my rider, I would just use a pump. A bicycle pump because it was a pain to get out the extension cord, hook it all up for a tire so small. One tire was the back, 20-30 bumps usually did the trick, maybe 10-15 in the 1 front tire. So glad I did not use fix a flat! Because I have used it on my car. Glad I found your channel on a channel recommendation. Now a subscriber. Too broke to send my stuff to to get things fixed. Gotta do it myself. And to think, I took power mechanics (small engine repair) in 9th grade shop. However, that was 1972-1973.
That stuff is really hard on your tires and rims. 😂 People always wait until the last minute to check there equipment. I check mine all through the winter 😊
I think if anything, I’d try modern tubeless tire sealant that’s used for mountain and road bike tubeless tire set up. It works well and it’s much easier to clean up, although still a big mess if just put in. It does dry up over time and needs to be replaced every 6-12 months depending. I’ve never experimented with it on a tractor tire though.
I had great experience with tire slime. It stays liquid and has particles in it that patch the tire from the inside, so if you have it in your tire and drive over a nail, as long as the liquid passes the hole as you drive it will patch itself. It's great for mowers and slower equipment, because you will literally never get a flat, unless you hit something that creates a large hole. I wouldn't permanently use it in fast vehicles though, because it is liquid in your tire and it will shake at speed. It is great as a fix if you're stranded, because when you get to a repair shop it washes out with water.
That's really good to know! I am probably one who would do such a thing, untill I saw your video. I always fix my own tires and that saves me some time and money. Thank you very much Bree!
I usually plug or tube my rider and golf cart tires. I'm curious what your opinion is of Slime though. Is it any better than the aerosol foam junk? My neighbor swears by it but I'm skeptical.
OMG, I was just gonna put slime in a tire on my zero turn. This must be Devine Intervention! Thank you for the video. I’ve just started watching your videos. I acquired a 2015 Husqvarna Z246 zero turn with a house we just bout and am learning by the University of UA-cam on its care. Thank you!
My tire guy filled a backhoe with some goo. You can pull a nail and it'll selfheal the hole. Had the same stuff put in my wood splitter and it holds air for the first time in years. Not all goo is equal
Yep. I hate fix-a-flat. When I was on the road all the time my wife got a flat on our riding mower. Of course she went and got 2 cans of fix-a-flat and "fixed" it. Fast forward to the next mowing season and you can guess what happened. I spent over $100 on tires and rims for our mower. Oh yeah, it was the big back tires that she "fixed".
Your videos are so great! I learn (and plan to learn a lot more) from them. Thanks to my dad, who did not like fix-a-flat (botch-a-flat?). He always said, especially for the small wagon, lawn mower, etc. tires, to put in a tube. Done that for many years (with the small stuff and even my tractors and non-roadable trailers), and have never been disappointed. Thanks again for great videos. And the best for your business!!!
It can be fixed. You use a bottom facing wire brush on a grinder, being careful not to overdo it. You are going to grind a bit into the tire no matter what but you can fill that area with the compound, cover with a patch, then the outer compound over the top. We've done a bunch of them.
this why i closed my small engine repair. too many of these stories and not big enough bank roll to give evrybody the dream story. finally told everyone F.O. and just go buy a new mower. My hats off to you.
I have a rear tire that sometimes you have to fill everytime you mow or may be fine for months. I bought tubes but haven’t yet put them in. I “almost” went the slime or sealer route.
@@greywolfe1114 slime does not go hard like that fix a flat so don't worry about using slime, I use it on motorcycle's when travelling in remote places, it works a treat
Two things I have found that might remove that "fix-a-flat". Because it removes everything else. Those two things are lacquer thinner and "Easy Off" oven cleaner (in the YELLOW can). The neat thing about Easy Off is that it does not harm plastic (though it may stain it). Try those next time (Easy-off first, and not at the same time though).
Dear Sensei Chickanic, I feel your pain - people almost never want to accept responsibility for THEIR OWN ACTIONS. Do not let the whiners & complainers get you down! Thank you for your well explained and well edited information.
Hey Chickanic and thanks for your video. We had record rainfall here in California and the spring grasses are taking over. I have a 2007 Craftsman (Husqvarna) 48" with awesome 26HP Kohler twin that does not burn oil. Tractor ran great until a year or so ago when forward and reverse drive became sluggish. I noticed that the back plate was cracked at both axle mounts and part of the front transmission mount was missing. This may have loosened the tension in the drive belt thus causing sluggish motion. I did replace the idler pulley. Any troubleshooting/repair tips you may have would be greatly appreciated! 😊
This typically happens when you pull a heavily loaded trailer or drive your rider over really rough terrain at higher speeds. 90% of these failures are on riders being driven with a loaded trailer where the back-and-forth jostling tweaks the rear panel and bends and cracks the trans axle mounts. So, slow down, lighten any load you're pulling around and you'll be ok.
Thanks for Watching! Find a link to all of my "Must Have", Favorite Tools HERE!! www.amazon.com/shop/chickanic?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfshop_aipsfchickanic_9ERPFPBNGQ924P8NS63B
I bet they rode their yard for at least a year thanks to that $8 can of fix a flat
Did I perhaps miss the obvious question here; What does the fix-a-flat leaving a residue have to do with the tubes failing? Thanks in advance for your reply.
Hi .what would make a 48" rider hard to push the forward and reverse pedal. It just started two weeks ago cutting the front yeard. If you can help, I'd appreciate it.
Hello had question my PTO stop engaging the deck blades, when I try to push the lever it gets stuck and don't engage. I changed my cable already. Is it my clutch I'm guessing??
Soak it in vinegar. 100 dollars says it wipes right off within 24 hours.
Sounds like my neighbors Cub cadet he brought to me for repairs . It had a laundry list. He beged to get fixed as cheap as possible. I finally got it done. I charged for parts but gave him my labor cause he was my 80 year old neighbor. Then it was one thing after another. Every time I turned around it was back for something else. He acted like it was something I did. I finally told him not to bring it back or I was going to shoot it and bury it in the back yard. 20 years of neglect was not going to become my life time mission. Love your channel. Now I mow his lawn for free LOL. Oh he buys my gas LOL
Wish you were my neighbor
Yeah, I got me one of those too.
I have some super-cheap clients like that and they are usually well-off financially. The old joke is: "Those guys still have their communion money." The richer they are the cheaper they are. The best thing to do is give them some reason why you can't do the work for them and let them go find another sucker to work for free.
@@1notgilty Amen and Amen...and they are usually the least grateful, most self entitled customer as well!
....And shortly later, you find out they have gone on a nice overseas holiday, and you have helped pay for it!. I avoid those people like the plague.
The fact that you took the tires off of your personal mower to make things right with the customer says a lot about what type of business owner you are. Great job! I wish there were more small businesses like that.
Well sir that mower was not worth fixing in the first place as it was a worn out "money pit". Now if one is up to doing in depth mechanical restoration and doesn't mind the cost of parts one can completely go through an older mower and get a few more seasons out of it and possibly ten or fifteen mowing seasons depending upon how deep they go. But these people who take stuff into a repair shop who think they are saving are in for a real surprise when the cost can add up to exceed the cost of a new one (a compatible unit mind you). I tell people this "I didn't make it and I didn't break it, this is what it is going to cost, takes it or leave it. And by the way this is the estimate charge and I will include it as a credit towards the cost of the job if I take it. Is this arrogant you ask? No it is business.
working poor....
It's also a sure method to go broke.
Maybe that is a price she paid to learn a lesson. The lesson is assess better and discourage extending life on cheap equipment. had it been a 3-5 year old mower of that style okay but common sense said this type of mower doesn't usually
@@billywird Have you priced the new flimsy junk out there? $300 to get another 5-10 years out of what you have is a BARGIN! I had a customer sink $900 in a Troy-Bilt "Big Red" 54" deck mower only to catch it on fire while mulching leaves last fall. $250 to fix that mess and another $150 to replace the Vari-Drive pulley and main drive belt this spring. Total=$1300 for a great running, excellent cutting mower. New 54" cut mower? $3600-$4500 for the big box store version! Dealer versions are surely much more. Not nearly as well built as the older ones, don't even have a real frame in them. So in my humble opinion-money well spent!
3:50 thats where Chickanic messes up. She should have called. Communication is key in ANY relationship. Love your channel :) If you would have called your customer probably would not be so upset. This is one of the biggest reasons I try to do my own repair and why I love your channel because you teach me to be a better repair person.
Agreed. Worked in a similar shop and my boss would always go ahead without calling and it would be a problem EVERY SINGLE TIME. Not once did he get someone to pay full price when he did it.
Hey Chic! I messaged Fix-A-Flat and made up a story(basically your story,lol) and they replied as follows... " While Fix-a-Flat is in a liquid state, it is water soluble and can be removed with a paper towel, rag or preferably, soap and water. Once it has dried, Fix-a-Flat must be removed using odorless mineral spirits (normally available at hardware stores or art supply stores)." So I don't know if this helps but maybe soak the rims and tires in mineral spirits and try and see if that solves anything. I hope I help to some degree, recently discovered your channel and you have saved me a small fortune, thanks for all you do, it is appreciated!!! Thanks Again, Mike
At how much per gallon of mineral spirits? $15 ? $20 ?
@@budbuddybuddest, if a company runs into this sort of thing regularly then having it around, and charging for it, only makes sense.
@@thomasjoseph5876, my entire point with my comment was that Bre has had this happen many times and I was just trying to help. According to the manufacturer, it's water soluble and in the worse cases mineral spirits. If it comes off as easy as the Fix-A-Flat folks say it does it could just be an alternative to new tires and rims. Thanks for your comment, I'm not telling anyone to do anything, Bre just acted as if she could use some input on the issue.
Mineral spirits aren’t safe of rubber not rated for it. Road rated tires have additives to resist petroleum products. Off road usually don’t. Makes them less tacky and lower traction.
The point is that she should have contacted the company, like you did. It isn't enough to know how to work on a lawn mower. If she is going to put herself in a position for people to rely on, then she needs to be proactive in constantly improving both her knowledge AND communication skills with customers. She failed at both in this case.
Having run a business myself, I understand your frustration. Occasionally, in order to keep the customer happy and protect your reputation, you bend over backwards and eat time and materials then call it part of the cost of running a business. Keeping the customer informed is always the best policy but tough to do when they don't give you all the information to begin with.
Thanks for all the tips.
I wish there were more honest and knowledgeable mechanics like you.
I used this tire sealant stuff that came in powder form that had to be mixed with water. It was a lot like Green slime and is a much better quick fix/long term fix than "fix a flat". I operated a Moffet "off-road forklift" for years and ran the green slime stuff in all the tires. It does get stinky after a few years but, the tires would last for years. I kept the air pressure at 15psi and running over nails and stuff all the time at construction sites. It doesn't get hard and it's not that bad to clean out.
I watch a ton of UA-cam videos. You are in the top three.
Fixed a lot of my small engines by watching your videos.
Keep up the excellent work.
You just described everything that happens in my life!!! I’m a DIYer former electrical motor repair guy, exercise equipment designer and manufacturer ( we were a small company so I was also the metal cutter, welder, drill press guy, powder coater, assembler.. you get the idea.), airline pilot… now retired. I try to keep all of our home jobs in house (me fixing sh*i!😂). It seems like all my projects are just like this! You get one thing fixed, then, immediately something else breaks! I love your channel! More importantly I love watching women like you and my wife roll their sleeves up and do things that most men wouldn’t have a clue how to do. Rosie’s Riveters!! You go girl!! BTW.. I have been guilty of using fix o flat. Only in emergencies!!😂😂
Well, young lady, you are about the best at showing your well deserved frustration and at the same getting your point across! Understandably giving truth to the fact that there are many lousy products out there! I found this channel a few weeks back and I really enjoy it . Keep up the good work that you do.....
I am glad to hear that the shop I work for isn't the only shop that is at 3-4 weeks. When we do the original estimate, we will not even call the customer if the repair is under $250.00 and we tell them up front. Some are ok with it, but it also keeps the garbage equipment from coming into the shop. We also will not accept wheels that have Fix-A-Flat in it. If the customer does not tell us, we automatically replace the tires and rims.
In 6 days, I'm picking up my brand-new John Deere rider, a twin cylinder baby from the local J D dealer thanks to this channel's advice.
Update?
By dealer you don’t mean a big box store like Lowes or Home Depot
@@jadesluv No. The advice was to go to an actual JD dealer that sells only JD. The mowers at Lowes and Home Depot are not made by John Deere.
Got to just love working with people. Lol. Customer Service, in my own opinion, is one of the hardest jobs on the planet!
Glad to see customers in US act the same way as in Norway, haha.. And they want it repaired in the same hour, lol. We tell them every time when they ask what to do with their equipment. Get it in for service and check up right after season is over. Maybe 1% do this.
Thanks for the upload! 😊👋
Wow you are one of the last honest mechanics out there!!! I actually mean that you are very conscientious about your customers money and how much they are spending..... this is becoming rare! Thank you!!!! Looking forward to your next video!
Real world examples of a shop. I appreciate your page and I watch it frequently. I own and maintain a 2008 JD LA125 that has given me 3 lifetime’s worth of service. Great Presentation. Carry On.
You are absolutely right. You never touch a tire that has fixed a flat or any other type of similar product. FYI, it is not very cost effective due to the time consumption that it takes, but paint thinner will get fix the flat residue out. But as I said, it's not very easy and extremely time consuming and time is always money. You're always better off as a mechanic and for the customer to get a new tire.
I do my own tires on my tractors and atv. I have used Tireject in the past on my atv and will continue to do so. Solves your leak issues quickly and washes off with water when you get into them! Great product!
I never used fix a flat before and glad of it. I have used Gemplers tire sealant military grade. I have had to change a tire with it in it but it never got hard like that. It stays gummy and I wiped it out and used a rag with a cleaning solvent to wipe up the residue. It wasn't nothing like that was. Thanks again for doing these informative videos.
I put fix’a flat in all tires 12 years ago, still going strong. That being said I enjoyed the video, sometimes things just go downhill no matter what
This is the first time I have seen your video and I’m sorta delighted, not that you had an impossible situation but that someone else had one, not me. I’m a 77 yr old widow lady who has only been doing this stuff herself for maybe eight years and I thought it was just me. Thank you. Also I’m sorry, what a lousy job.
Well I'm screwed...oh well live and learn. Thanks for all you do I enjoy your channel !
Used transmission fluid will remove Fix-A-Flat. If you don't have used transmission fluid you can go to your local auto repair shop and they will 99% of the time give you free used transmission fluid.
Thanks! I was thinking of trying this on a porous sidewall problem but now no way! Your the best !
To see sooo many mowers being fixed at your shop, it's pretty clear you all do good work. However, you said it is an 18 year old tractor! You really are responsible for communicating with the customer before fixing additional problem!
I enjoyed the video. Several years back, I had an older zero turn that nickeled, dimed, and quartered me to death. I thought maybe I could only get another season out of it. So, I drilled and filled the front tires with foam. I bought a new one the next year and gave the old one to my son. This is his third season using it, and all he has done is change oil, installed new blades, battery, and this year he has foam filled the dry rotted rear tires.
Good video. A family member gave me their old lawn tractor, which had 2 dry cracked front tires. When I mentioned it needed tires, the response was to use Fix a flat. What part of cracked they didn't understand is beyond me. Two new tires and cleaned up the wheels and good to go.
Sounds a bit ungrateful, someone gave you a running mower and you wanted them to put new tyres on it as well?
Having picked up scrap metal for a living several times in my life I had to learn the modern miracle of tire plugs. They don't particularly work well with tubed tires, but do usually do fine with radial tires. True story..I ran the same balding tire for about 6 years in and out of scrap yards, etc. It finally gave up the ghost after 37 plugs. Guy at the tire shop was quite intrigued..😂 I'm finally of the age where I can afford tires..
Love your show ! Top notch !!!!
Btw,,, not sure you do this but,, when reinstalling a screw into plastic ALWAYS turn screw opposite direction until the threads find there " home " and fall into ORIGINAL TREADS. This keeps from STRIPPING ORIGINAL threads out.
Learned this years ago at the OMC week long school in Wakeagon, Illinois.
I'm sure you know this but it was my way of getting this info to others on the tube. 🙂
From one wrench to another
Stay safe my friend !!
The UA-cam Channel Project Farm did a good review of some of the various "Fix a Flat" solutions available. If I remember correctly "Fix-a-Flat" was NOT one that performed very well.
My personal preference for small tires is to find the puncture and plug it. It's not like I need to worry about the tire coming apart at high speed or anything!
The problem I've seen with lawn tires is unless it is a visible nail (new roofs are a gift that keeps on giving), it is likely a pile of hard to see thorns or other stuff fibrous material. It will be cheaper to replace the tire or use slime.
Did they test tireject? It's expensive but works amazingly. Onelonelyfarmer has a video where he rolls a new tire/wheel down a hill shoots it mulitiple times with a gun, then puts tireject in it and it holds for months. He has another video where he drills holes in a $2,000 tractor tire , puts tireject in it and inflates it. It was still holding air a year later.
@@frotobaggins7169 I was just going to suggest tireject because One lonely farmer on UA-cam ues that and has done shit to tires just to prove how good it works. I don't mean he purposely goes out in destroys good tires though
Flat Out works great for preventing flats
Inner tubes are an easy fix
First time a came across you let alone a female mechanic and i have to say your awesome. Id rather listen..take advise and learn from you then the other male mechanics any day..Thank you for being very professional and also being a great teacher of your craft. Much success to you and your family..
If you ever run into this again and you absolutely must get it thrown back together quick, you can try *baby powder* in there to allow the tube to slide on the tire and rim. Not only will it cover up the sticky parts, it works as a lubricant between two pieces of rubber. I used to commute with a bicycle for awhile in San Diego and I tried the bicycle version of this stuff once because I kept getting thorn punctures and it was a nightmare doing field repairs on it all the time. I think they called it green slime. It was equally difficult to get it off and once it was in there it hung up on the tube to keep it from moving inside the tire. You'd get wrinkles that would pinch under pressure and use which would eventually end up with a wear hole. Baby powder fixed it for me. Here's what you do, fill the inside of the tire with it and rotate around until absolutely everything inside the tire is coated, then dump it back out. Use the same powder to rub all over the new tube. Once you put it in, the powder will act as a lubricant. Something that helps is put the tube in the tire and fill it up with one of the tire beads off. Make sure everything is good with no wrinkles, then reduce to like 1-2 psi and put the tire the rest of the way back on. This will keep everything straight and you shouldn't have any more failures, at least not right away.
She should never be surprised like this again. Just ask if a slime product was ever used when it comes into the shop. If yes, charge the appropriate the amount to clean up and/or replace what ever is needed.
Talcum powder is a good way to lubricate a normal , fairly clean assembly , very true , and I would guess that the failures after reassemly/tube installation may well have been due to the tubes sticking in place and being pinched to the point of failure. BUT I would suggest that if you have rims that are so gunked up as those that is likely a result to be expected; I would say don't even try it if you can't clean em up , she may have wanted to try lacquer thinner &/or brake parts cleaner on those , and the tires are very likely goners unless you find a solvent that works real well and won't degrade the rubber (much if at all) when used 🫤🧐🤷
Thank you for explaining the need for lubrication between tire & inner tube.
Same luck as I seem to have, do what you think is the hard parts first, then when you get to what you think is the easy part- Surprise!!! Would be great if you got the full story from the customer first, but where's the fun in that! Thanks for sharing, great advice!
In Automotive repair in Canada if you exceed the quote by over $100 (Cad so like 65 lol) you must inform and get consent from the customer. otherwise they can simply refuse to pay past the $100 extra. I think you run a respectful honest business but always a good idea to keep the customer informed and in the loop.
At one time it ewas 10% inUS for car or motorcycle repairs. No idea if it still applies?
One of my favorite channels. A+!! Basically you have taught everyone how to repair their own.
Thank you for all you do !! Your advise is always awesome and super well explained.... thank you!!
My background is in electronics engineering. I have fixed a multitude of things over the years. I felt that in my soul when she mentioned she had to take something off her own personal equipment to make a client happy. That's good business practice she doing. I understand her struggle!
What a story - I've already had this experience, but I appreciate you sharing given your HUGE workload! Good luck!
I just changed a rear tire on my customers zero turn and it was super full of this purple goo, i made sure he understood the extra charge in addition to the charge of replacing the tire, i agree with you what a pain in the butt.
Sounds like you found the product tire Slime.
It's people like you that make UA-cam great!!❤
You've got to be damn good at what you do to have people willing to wait their turn for weeks. Kudos
Small engine shops are a super rare thing these days, even the bad ones are booked for weeks
or the only one in the area.
Anyhow, i would bring my stuff to her anytime if it was not 10.000 km from my yard..
My first inclination would be to toss the rim into the cabinet and sandblast it clean - them prime and repaint. Likely too time-consuming in your operations - but I am a DIY problem solver at heart and love to tinker... GREAT show - and I can't imagine the frustration you feel with these cases. You rock!
It would ruin the sandblasting beads, gumming them up!
I would have done the same thing. blast it and bomb can the stupid thing. It don't have to be Hollywood on the inside.
I've never found sandblasting to work, much more likely to just build up on the Fixaflat.
For EMERGENCY use it has it place but otherwise it's just evil from a mechanics point of view
Excellent $300 solution.
Torch it, Wire Wheel, then paint. Or just buy a new rim.
I love that she often states the $ a customer would rationally spend. I appreciate that and she is awesome!!!
But- the mower has "sentimental value"!
The owner shouldn't be mad at all. He neglected his rider and ruin his tires and rims by using fix a flat. Equipment wears out and breaks down. But his neglect and bad decisions to try and fix it is on him. Todd from da Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Nope not the shop's fault at all, but the Customers don't see it that way, I remember being screamed at for failing a car for safety inspection, because the only Rotors on it were nothing more than Fins, and bare metal brake pads. Never understood how a Customer's neglect of their vehicle is the Mechanic's fault
i put fix a flat in my 2 front lawn mower tires and then 3 years later decided to put tubes in and had no problems. I scraped out any hard pieces and then rinsed the rest off with boiling hot water. No problems at all! The reason why I decided to put tubes in was due to the fact of too much side wall dry rot.
Your exactly right from lower peninsula of Alabama
If the owner had any sense he would have brought that unit in and asked "what can you give me on trade in on a new one" (that is if Chickanic sells new machines).
@@billywird anyone that wants to get an old lawn mower repaired might be wealthy cheap or poor. It would be nice though if the wealthy person was trying to get it fixed up to either donate it to a poor person or sell it for a low price as a running mower. That does not usually happen though!
Great advice, Bre. I worked in a mechanics shop and a tire store and if we broke down a tire that had fix-a-flat in it, it was “job over.” That stuff should be outlawed. Not only does it make a nasty, sticky mess, it’s fumes are also flammable. We had guys rip off the valve stems on tubeless tires (to be changed later) to get the air out quickly and the fumes rushing out of the valve stem hole could make your eyes water or catch your eyebrows on fire if you were lighting a cigarette at the time. The only stuff I’d recommend using if you have to put something in is green Tire Slime. It’s non-flammable and can be hosed off a rim on a tubeless tire or tossed out with a bad tube. My Craftsman rider uses a tubeless setup so the lazy way of fixing a leak is either green Slime or a tire plug until I can break the tire down and patch it from the inside as tubeless tires are pricey and getting more expensive.
Tire prices are getting high just like everything else. I replaced the rear tires on a John Deere 145, I wound up putting bigger tires on because the original size cost $8 more per tire, still for the 2 tires 23 X 10.5 - 12 was $138.61 that included shipping.
Many automotive tire shops won't work on a tire that has Dix-A+Flat in it for safety reasons. In Case of Emergency ONLY, Consumers!
Unfortunately, fix a flat comes standard in most cars without a spare.
@@robertheinkel6225I suppose the thinking is if you can afford to buy a fancy car without a spare, you can afford to buy a new tire and rim when the fix-a-flat destroys them both.
Using a tube is really all that will fix the sidewall cracks that appear on mower tires when they age...even slime usually won't fix those, plus then you have a nasty mess...
This is good to know. I have heard that fix a flat is best to stay away from unless, like you said, you are stranded out somewhere, and it's the only option. It will certainly never go in my Husqvarna rider's tires! I have to do a lot of my own repairs and maintenance due to a limited budget, and so I depend on UA-cam videos a lot. Thanks so much!! I just subscribed!❤
Same here! I refuse to repair or work on any tire that has fix a flat in it, however I will replace one that has been slimmed, because it doesn't require cleaning the rim, slime actually protects the metal, PC C is another option ,but both are nasty to work with, keep rocking 😎👍
Once you have to re-tube a calcium filled tire, you will look back at everything else as walk in the park.
And when a calcium filled tube leaks, it eats the rim.
Also, they seem to be used heavily on honey wagons. Extra fun.
@@JasonW. I agree , sadly , the whole rim rusted open . Thankfully I had another old tractor with intact rims that fit . Thankfully there are new non corrosive products . Happy fixing
Love your channel. Happened across it a couple few weeks ago, and pretty much just enjoy watching your approach to different problems, and what you do to solve them. Very informative on all fronts. Keep up the good work!
Great that you did that for the customer. You have lots of patience. With all the problems that rider mower had it almost sounds like the customer got the mower off the curb. lol. I’m happy with my self propelled Toro SmartStow. Worst problem was the carburetor got a little water. I cleaned it out, replaced the float, and it starts first pull ever since. Love it!
Started out in the tire business a looong time ago. Took a hiatus then got back into it for a short time. Never dealt with "Fix a flat" the first time. Second time around was eye opening. Destroys tires permanently. If it's all you have in an emergency, then go for it, but be prepared to pay. Chickanic, have you shown your shop layout? I'm particularly interested in tires. Keep up the good work.
Have you heard about cars not coming with a spare tire, but a can of fix a flat? Thankfully there's a spare in all of our vehicles, but I was shocked that this is a thing now.
Thankfully, I have managed to avoid the stuff. Supposedly, mineral spirits might clean it up but I have never seen that in action - the claim remains a question mark.
I would love to see a video of how you change/repair lawn tractor tires (small, front tires). Thanks for all you do!
I’m the worst at procrastination. Did a valve adjustment and blades last weekend and discovered it had leaking head and sump gaskets. Thanks to channels like yours I’ve watched probably over 100‘s of hours of engine repair and rebuilds.
Never messed with that fix a flat stuff before, now I know how terrible that stuff truely is.
Try some fix-a-gasket. It might work on the head!
(hahaha)
Funny thing is, I think that might have worked, half way thru pulling everything apart and cleaned the head surfaces last night. The gasket looks intact and not “blown”. But I have a full Briggs gasket kit. So plan on using all new anyways.
@@TheBandit7613 Not sure if they make it anymore, but Motor Honey used to be the "make valve guide stop smoking until it is sold" fix
@@JasonW. I used to put a small amount of that in my Toyota and the mower. Start low and go slow.
Just curious why new tubes would not hold air? How does the FixaFlat contribute to that? Love the channel and keep up the great work.
im guessing the hard chunks of the dried chemical pierced the tube.
Keeps the tube from moving. It'll get pinched somewhere, or even wear a hole in it. I tend to fill tubes partially and let them deflate before putting all the air in, just in case. A bunch of hard bumps inside the tire is no good. The tires flex and the bumps will be rubbing the tube. Tubes also have to be warm. Let them sit in the sun. Cold rubber won't stretch well. A seam may tear.
Thanks for the help. Always good to get advice from an actual professional!
Hi Bre hope all is good with you and yours ! Sometimes you just have to roll with it , the customer sounds a bit unreasonable but in the small engine world one mad customer can do a lot of damage to your name. I think you and your husband handled the situation like true professionals . Good on you . Cheers 🍻
She didn't keep the customer in the loop, and she didn't contact the manufacturer of Fix-a-Flat to learn what to do. I would have been mad, too. If she doesn't own her mistakes, she's going to be confused over the next angry customer. She is advertising herself as an expert in this area, so people would understandably expect her to constantly improve her knowledge. One viewer here contacted the company. If they can do it, she could have. Even if the end result was that it was cheaper to replace the rims and tires, she would have shown herself to be a more professional problem-solver to her customer and viewers here. This should have been an important learning moment for her too, but she missed it.
@@friedenhiker1032💯
My dad used to put tire talc in a tire with tubes. Acted like a dry lube for the friction between the tube and tire. Possibly (in a pinch) you could put baby powder in the tire and roll it around to coat it. Powder would stick to the goo and possibly let the tube do it's thing without sticking to the tire. Just a thought.
Corn starch works for that. It's not totally necessary but does work on bicycle tubes to make installation easier and prevent chafing for low pressure mtn tires.
Green slime hasn't effected mine in 4 years, yelp changed a tire out last week looked perfectly new inside
That green slime works great
If I eventually get a big bill that’s fine
There is a new product out called liquid tube that Dirt Perfect on UA-cam used on his volvo off road 6 tire dump truck I think he has had it in the tires for a year now.
Thanks for the info. Never have used that stuff. Will stick to putting a tube in tire.
On bike tires, I use talcum/baby powder to keep the tube/tire interface from sticking. Seems like an easy solution to your stickiness problem.
Great tip.
Same here. The trick I learned in the 60-ies, every tube I put in since had a good bath in talk. And talk treatment of the inside of the tire. Hopefully you can get a real mineral talk, not the corn powder they sell now. It is about friction between the tube and the tire, that wears the tubes over time.
@@my2be4me I will talk to my tires and see if that helps, but using talc might be better.
Yeah but you didn’t have fix a flat in it! I’ve used it and suffered the consequences when it came time to fix it right. Lacquer thinner and a wire wheel are only solution. I wound up throwing tires away and cleaned rims.
Lol talk about talc, I'll tell ya. Had lots of talk about the talc in them tires
You must have a great reputation in your community because based on all the mowers I see in the video you have tons of work, not to many small engine places have a load of work like you have.
I like you and believe you know what you’re doing. Just one thing tho, I found out a long time ago an old Murray mower in most cases just isn’t worth fixing. I just repaired equipment on the side when not working my main job. I realize you are a shop owner open to the public, big difference. We used to refer to cheap mowers as always a money trap trash but now everything’s so expensive it’s easy to get pulled into a tuff situation. Love what you do !
Hi Bree, I go through the same pyramid scenario working on old outboard motors in my business. I feel your pain. Sail on! You're a good show.
Old stuff is the worst. Seized bolts, missing items, obsolete gaskets, anything you need, been sunk a few times, water in the fuel ect. Nevermind its old as dirt.
@@baileyhatfield4273 Or maybe it's computer controlled high pressure fuel injection. Those powerheads also suffer similar slings and arrows along with a host of new problems that can get expensive.
I've disassembled and rebuilt outboard carburetors on my campsite picnic table, not going to accomplish that with fuel injectors.
I was in the business for 30 years. After experiencing the same issues with fix a flat. We began to use permanent type tire sealers such as Slime or True Ride with great success.
Stale gas was often a source of aggravation for us. Some customers refused to believe that the gas in their gas cans was no good.
I had a successful lawn care business back in the mid eighties. Most of our equipment was painted a familiar green color. We were sticklers for careful cleaning and maintenance. We kept an ancient Murray homeowner style rider mower mostly as a backup in case one of our every day machines went down. That old Murray was a beast; heavy, ugly and cantankerous. It was also very reliable. I have to say that the whole fixaflat thing never came up! Lol. I enjoy your content. Thanks for everything you do.
2 ply tires keep fixaflat dreams alive.
My uncle had a Murray rider with a single cylinder kohler around 20hp with a 42 inch deck. He had a large property and he put that thing through hell for 20 years. He used to get drinking and run over small trees, hit stumps, rocks, tree roots and 12-18 inch ant hills, he drove it through spots that had water just below the air filter and cut shoulder high hay with it ramming it back and forth at times to make trails behind his house. I was shocked at how much abuse it took over the years. Other than belts and spindles he only did wear and tear stuff on that thing most times he just smashed things back into shape with a sledgehammer.
Those Kohler iron sleeves were bullet proof!
@@davidbrennan5 I have a late '90s 42"- cut Murray rider with a B&S OHV single-cylinder, bought from a friend 18 years ago for $350, including a steel dump-cart. Only 'improvements' it needed included a diagonal brace inside the steel 'dashboard', as it would flex whenever I turned the wheel, plus a fuel shut-off valve. Otherwise, mostly routine repairs and maintenance, and parts have been cheap - of course with me doing the work!
@@billgilstrap1778 He gave that unit to my cousin and he still uses it. I bet it has over 8k hours on it now. I ended up buying a used one almost identical with a 18hp Kohler pro single cylinder about 10 years ago and it runs like a champ still. I just keep fixing wear and tear stuff only on it. I don't think the newer homeowner riders will hold a candle to the older ones.
A mechanic many years ago shared with me a similar story. He informed me that the customer put the slime style fix a flat in his tires. The slime literally ate the metal rims over time, which ruined the rims, so the lawn mower needed new rims as well as new tires.
I immediately put slime in the front tires of the zero turn. Then again, those things will go flat sitting over the winter, and replacing 3.5x4.00 tires is a process I hate to do so I replace the tire/rim assembly when the tire no longer is useful.
Hey Chickanic, you are a beautiful soul. Always thinking of others. Even to the point where you take a loss to please a customer. But in reality, that so-called loss was an investment. An investment that will ALWAYS pay you back... manyfold. We love your channel ❤️ !
Bre, it's so good to see you again. I'm very sorry to hear about all of the troubles, but I'm sure that all of this will work out. It's really good to see all of the projects you have in backlog. It could be worse. You could have no backlog at all. I'm wondering if the Green Slime stuff leaves the same kind of residue. Wishing you the best.❤
I was wondering about Slime as well. I was thinking of putting that in preventive measure. I don't want to do that if its going to be a problem down the road
Don't use Slime in your tires either. It will rot the rims and is an awful mess to clean up. Ask me how I know this. There is a very good product called Tire Ject that is a latex based sealer that isn't messy at all and is harmless to rims. It is expensive but works quite well. I use it in tractor tires and implement tires on the farm.
Gee, I always knew fix a flat and Slime were a temporary fix but never thought they caused that much damage to the tire and rim. I love watching your videos, it’s cool to see a woman mechanic getting some respect for her knowledge and skills
Slime-type sealants are not destructive, they are soap-based and might be messy to clean but they won't destroy tires and rims. We use slime type sealants often in rider tires (and other small tires with pin hole leaks) with great success. Fix-a-flat, no, Slime, yes.
Many tire shops stop when they discover leak sealers.
I've begun using 4-5 oz of atf and so far it's working in my 90's rider. There's probably fix a flat in there too, no telling.
Also, I slide a wood block underneath in case one goes flat so the rotten tires don't get pinched.
Yep, it needs new tires...
What about FlatOut? Same issues? I didn't hear why the new tubes started leaking right away - a chemical reaction or mechanical pinching?
@@ebachy Water soluble sealants which aren't corrosive, can usually be removed without tons of work.
I've been rather successful using a bit of automatic transmission fluid as a sealer for tubeless tires.
@@ebachy the owner never found what punctured the tire, just put fixaflat in. So whatever punctured the tire is still in the tire and now punctured the tube and will continue to do so until it is removed from the tire. Common with folks who use sealant to "fix" "leaks" which are actually punctures from debris. Gotta remove the cause of the air loss, THEN use a sealant... Preferably water-based latex and only enough to get things buttoned up.
From a military man... You went above and beyond the call of duty. God bless you.
Good morning doll 😁.... Hey first commenter is me. Love your vids. I even watch you fix stuff that I don't own.
Aw! Thanks!
I am no longer using a rider, but used to have a geared STX38 JD for at least a couple of decades with front tires that became hard to find / replace as the machine outlasted its own time in the market. I did about 95% of my own maintenance and would never have dreamt of NOT using tire sealant, but MultiSeal rather than Fix-a-Flat. Never had an issue--worked great.
Just put tubes in. Low pressure does not work with tubeless tires. IMO
There is some expensive stuff called Ride-On made for motorcycles that does not dry out. Water will dissolve it. But NO kind of "sealant" will work in a tube type tire. There is simply nothing for it to seal against. Tubes are too thin for sealant to work.
@@oldarkie3880 Yes..Why do so many people seem to have such an aversion to using a tube?..I can't figure it out..they will try just about ANYTHING else, but NOT A TUBE...???
@@dyer2cycle, my tubes are some kind of plastic instead of rubber. The glue for rubber tubes won't stick.
@@dyer2cycle i have put many tubes in dry rotten lawnmower tires and they would run for many more years. It's not like your going to wreak if it blows out.
I enjoy your videos , I know some about mowers and riders . Your videos help with what I can control
. I really try to keep good gas with stabilizer! About 8 years ago I kept a blower in our garage. Every time I needed it it started and ran but one morning it ran about one minute and locked up! I believe it was water in the gas mixture! Now I watch the gas.
Shame Chickanic, you had all that hassle. The same thing happens in the motor trade where things "cascade". Another well presented and sincere video. Love it. I guess there must be other brands of "flatty fixes" that don't do that. I have just put some in my quad, so I hope it won't b as bad as your experience when I come to change the tyres which are nearly worn out. God Bless.
It's for emergencies only not repairs. You use it to get off the side of the road and then get the tire repaired immediately. It'll eat the metal in the rim and destroy your rim if left in the tire.
ua-cam.com/video/Tf6zf8lwzJg/v-deo.html
Things have a tendency to snowball as we used to say in the north. I’m sure this will change how you assess things going forward. Tough business, and very often people are unreasonable
She did a great job! Oh... and down South we call it 'Mudballing'!! ; /
Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I knew from my off-road racing days to use 'only in a dire emergency' but that was 30 years ago and thankful for the vivid reminder.
I’ve watched several of your videos, and I appreciate them all. I love the detail that you tell everybody in the honesty and integrity that you keep with each one of your videos. It is great to see, and hear somebody that is not biased, but gets to the point and says what needs to be done and how it needs to be done and we really appreciate what you do. Thanks for your videos can’t wait to see more. They have really helped me in my situations. Bless you all. 9:06
Have you considered offering a discount to customers who bring equipment in the fall? That way equipment would be ready to pull out and use in the spring.
Free pick up and delivery John Deere dealer around Christmas thru February.
Stupid question....is there anything you could put on the rim and tire to make them ok to put a new tube in? I have no idea about these things....it was just a thought?
Hell no, she's done her job now you do yours and take care of your own
I tried that at my shop, but you really can’t change human nature. Yes, a few jobs came in early, but only a few.
That's snowblower season!
Thanks for the heads up. While I did have a 'very slow' leak in 2 of my tires on my rider, I would just use a pump. A bicycle pump because it was a pain to get out the extension cord, hook it all up for a tire so small. One tire was the back, 20-30 bumps usually did the trick, maybe 10-15 in the 1 front tire. So glad I did not use fix a flat! Because I have used it on my car. Glad I found your channel on a channel recommendation. Now a subscriber. Too broke to send my stuff to to get things fixed. Gotta do it myself. And to think, I took power mechanics (small engine repair) in 9th grade shop. However, that was 1972-1973.
You are a good business woman. Good luck in your future projects !
That stuff is really hard on your tires and rims. 😂 People always wait until the last minute to check there equipment. I check mine all through the winter 😊
I think if anything, I’d try modern tubeless tire sealant that’s used for mountain and road bike tubeless tire set up. It works well and it’s much easier to clean up, although still a big mess if just put in. It does dry up over time and needs to be replaced every 6-12 months depending. I’ve never experimented with it on a tractor tire though.
I had great experience with tire slime. It stays liquid and has particles in it that patch the tire from the inside, so if you have it in your tire and drive over a nail, as long as the liquid passes the hole as you drive it will patch itself.
It's great for mowers and slower equipment, because you will literally never get a flat, unless you hit something that creates a large hole.
I wouldn't permanently use it in fast vehicles though, because it is liquid in your tire and it will shake at speed. It is great as a fix if you're stranded, because when you get to a repair shop it washes out with water.
I've tried to get my dad's mower back together. You are my newest inspiration. It's a true challenge for a novice like me. Thanks
That's really good to know! I am probably one who would do such a thing, untill I saw your video. I always fix my own tires and that saves me some time and money. Thank you very much Bree!
What a great job you did. Fantastic advice.
Putting a tube in a tire that doesn’t require one isn’t smart and creates more problems than it fixes.
I usually plug or tube my rider and golf cart tires. I'm curious what your opinion is of Slime though. Is it any better than the aerosol foam junk? My neighbor swears by it but I'm skeptical.
OMG, I was just gonna put slime in a tire on my zero turn. This must be Devine Intervention! Thank you for the video. I’ve just started watching your videos. I acquired a 2015 Husqvarna Z246 zero turn with a house we just bout and am learning by the University of UA-cam on its care. Thank you!
My tire guy filled a backhoe with some goo. You can pull a nail and it'll selfheal the hole. Had the same stuff put in my wood splitter and it holds air for the first time in years. Not all goo is equal
What was it please?
Yep. I hate fix-a-flat. When I was on the road all the time my wife got a flat on our riding mower. Of course she went and got 2 cans of fix-a-flat and "fixed" it. Fast forward to the next mowing season and you can guess what happened. I spent over $100 on tires and rims for our mower. Oh yeah, it was the big back tires that she "fixed".
Your videos are so great! I learn (and plan to learn a lot more) from them. Thanks to my dad, who did not like fix-a-flat (botch-a-flat?). He always said, especially for the small wagon, lawn mower, etc. tires, to put in a tube. Done that for many years (with the small stuff and even my tractors and non-roadable trailers), and have never been disappointed. Thanks again for great videos. And the best for your business!!!
It can be fixed. You use a bottom facing wire brush on a grinder, being careful not to overdo it. You are going to grind a bit into the tire no matter what but you can fill that area with the compound, cover with a patch, then the outer compound over the top. We've done a bunch of them.
Are you insane. On personal but not in business. Time is money
@@cheetoz6902 It takes less than 10 seconds with the grinder, the rest is what you'd be doing already with the compounds.
Labor is a cost.
I appreciate that you save a tire but is the customer willing to pay the price? Or on the contrary, is shop owner willing to forego the labor cost?
@@CallEmAsISeeEm For 10 seconds with a grinder? Really?
Great tutorial, thanks!
this why i closed my small engine repair. too many of these stories and not big enough bank roll to give evrybody the dream story. finally told everyone F.O. and just go buy a new mower. My hats off to you.
Love your videos…wish I had known this about a month ago 😂. Well at least I know what to expect when I have to get new tires. Thanks for all you do!
I have a rear tire that sometimes you have to fill everytime you mow or may be fine for months. I bought tubes but haven’t yet put them in. I “almost” went the slime or sealer route.
@@greywolfe1114 slime does not go hard like that fix a flat so don't worry about using slime, I use it on motorcycle's when travelling in remote places, it works a treat
The real problem here was, the customer was far from honest as to the condition of their mower. You definitely went the extra mile.
Buyers are liars
@@usecommonsense-o7n I think most shops take a cash $125 non-refundable diagnostic fee applicable to the repair before they touch it. This is why.
You saved me just in the nick of time. Thank you for your helpful and entertaining videos.
Interesting. I did that to my mower 10 years ago. Still holding fine. I sold it last year, looking at it now, though.
Two things I have found that might remove that "fix-a-flat". Because it removes everything else. Those two things are lacquer thinner and "Easy Off" oven cleaner (in the YELLOW can). The neat thing about Easy Off is that it does not harm plastic (though it may stain it). Try those next time (Easy-off first, and not at the same time though).
Bissell oven cleaner works better. I had a neighbor who removed the paint off a truck fender with it. He sprayed it and let it sit overnight.
@@danielfreakdaddyalexander5930 : I've never seen Bissel oven cleaner. Probably not available in Taxada.
I don't know where you shop but I bought two {tire and rim combo} for a total of $65 from Amazon, so far they work great!
Dear Sensei Chickanic, I feel your pain - people almost never want to accept responsibility for THEIR OWN ACTIONS. Do not let the whiners & complainers get you down! Thank you for your well explained and well edited information.
Good words . 👍🇬🇧
Hey Chickanic and thanks for your video. We had record rainfall here in California and the spring grasses are taking over. I have a 2007 Craftsman (Husqvarna) 48" with awesome 26HP Kohler twin that does not burn oil. Tractor ran great until a year or so ago when forward and reverse drive became sluggish. I noticed that the back plate was cracked at both axle mounts and part of the front transmission mount was missing. This may have loosened the tension in the drive belt thus causing sluggish motion. I did replace the idler pulley. Any troubleshooting/repair tips you may have would be greatly appreciated! 😊
This typically happens when you pull a heavily loaded trailer or drive your rider over really rough terrain at higher speeds. 90% of these failures are on riders being driven with a loaded trailer where the back-and-forth jostling tweaks the rear panel and bends and cracks the trans axle mounts. So, slow down, lighten any load you're pulling around and you'll be ok.