Wow, what a great presentation. You made it interesting and you explained everything well with excellent descriptive grammar. I liked all the choices. An ENORMOUS thank you 😊
Thanks for these ideas---I have golf cart tires with slow leaks all over my place and got tired of buying new tire replacements. This gives me the courage to try slime and save a ton of money. I can't wait to try the foam on my handtruck tires that keep going flat!!!
Foam will work but only short term. Once it sits with weight on it, it will develop flat spots in the tire where the foam crushes. Foam insulation is an expanding polyurethane, which creates a hard and inflexible foam that the bubbles crush after hardening instead of flexing like with a rubber foam.
Slime works great! Put it in the tire and mow the grass, that gets the sealant spread everywhere inside the tire. Fix a flat makes a horrible sticky mess that is very difficult to remove and it is flammable. Slime will just wipe out of the rim with a paper towel. Great video!
Thank you. The riding mower has a slow leak in the front. I can fill it once every 2 weeks & it’s fine. This video saved me money because I decided to just keep filling it with air so that I don’t have to mess with any product until absolutely necessary. I know some complain about Slime & Fix-a-Flat but I believe that’s more about what it can do to the wheels on a car over time. When I do need to use a product for the riding mower I’ll try to locate the hole for a patch & if I can’t find it then I’ll try Slime. Thanks again. You saved me some money & whole lot of time. 👍
Some times you can put them under water and you still can't find a real slow leak, even way over filling them with air! seems front tires are the worst as you have all that grease in the hubs.
Great presentation... Really tired of pinching my finger's {& learning new words} doing the installing a tube, fixing the tube and back to tubeless thing. The "gaps & cracks" foam is where I'm going. Thanx!
I have been using Tire Slime for years on farm equipment tires that take a lot of abuse. It's about the only way to keep them rolling. Love it and highly recommend it for tires that are subject to constant punctures.
I have repaired bicycle tires in the past, but for my lawn mower I was not sure. So for the past 2 years, I have been filling my LM tires with air each time I took it out. By the end of the day the tires would go flat again...I did the same thing next time and everytime. Now I have found the above ways to fix the tire and will do so. Thanks
This is awesome...I've got a can of Great Stuff in the garage and I came to UA-cam to see if anyone's used it to fix a tire...and now It's out to the garage to drill a few holes in an old handtruck tire (and then use it for a Kayak Kart.)
Maybe someone else has already said this, but, the tube of rubber cement just lays there looking forlorn and not getting any attention. You are supposed to put some the whole length of the plug material. It makes it easier to push unto the hole. It is called a plug not a patch. Maybe you are too young to remember actual tire patches. They had combustible fiber in a tin container with the rubber patch on the bottom. There was a clamp designed to hold it tight on the tube and you lit the fiber with a match. the heat sealed the patch to the tube. For a tubeless tire, there was a "boot" that was put inside the tire and sealed over the hole. My dad owned a service station and a tire shop. I patched a lot of tubes and tires. That was also back when we pumped the gas for the customer. I was skeptical when all of the tire shops started using plugs and wouldn't do patches any more. I thought they wouldn't hold up, but I was wrong. I have plugged a lot of tires and they have lasted until the tire wore out. Good video. Thanks for sharing.
Great comment, you are correct I am not skilled in the art of patching tires. I thought the glue was already built into the actual plug but I was wrong and should have used the cement. Thanks for watching
Good advice on using Slime. My first try was on a terrible old lawn cart tire that's weather checked but no nail holes that I can find. It held pressure for a couple hours but now is going flat again. I'll now try what you demonstrated. I'll remove the tire and use a lot more Slime than needed. If Slime works on this tire this whole thing should have been used as a commercial for Slime. lol
@@MowerMike Several years ago I found a very nice bicycle free but it had a flat tire. I used tube Slime on it and it's working fine today. It didn't work on the rim leak on my Silverado. Before the tire guy works on it next week I'll tell him about the Slime lol.
I haven't tried the slime but Fix a Flat works great on these smaller tires as the beads don;'t stay sealed and you don't have to use the whole can on the tire. Just enough to seal the tire and do it to all the tires. You may have to do this each year if you live in cold environment. Neighbor spent over $250 putting tubes in all 4 tires.
when I've used the tire patches I believe once you get the gooey stick in the needle your supposed to put glue on it before inserting it in to the tire? Maybe there are different types where you don't also use glue
You keep calling them tire "patches," but in reality they are tire plugs. I used to work in the manufacturing of these and went to car expositions around the world. I sold millions of these. One demonstration I used to use at the conventions was to take a drill and drill a hole in a car tire and immediately plug it. By the end of the convention, that tire had maybe 75 plugs in it. Just a word of caution. The plugs aren't intended for sidewall punctures in any kind of road vehicle. Although it might work, I wouldn't recommend it. The absolute best way to repair a tire is to plug it and then demount the tire and place an actual patch on the inside of the hole with cement. However, just a plug will almost always work. The plugs are manufactured in such a way that the vulcanization of the rubber is initiated, but the heat that comes from driving the vehicle on the road finished the vulcanization process and makes the repair pretty permanent.
So doesn't that mean the plugs would not be a good choice for a lawnmower or snowblower, which never move fast enough to generate enough heat to fully vulcanize the plugs?
IIRC, someone at the Garage54 channel put cement in car tires. It was a rough ride and very heavy but worked. Maybe the foam would work there for anyone with the patience to mess up until they get it right consistently.
Think ill foam my front tires on my rider nothing to lose right...lol ..it'll fix my slow leaks anyway. Back tires I'll definitely slime I get a leak . Great video!
Put the 3/8 drill back in your toolbox. That tire with the foam in it is forever committed to that wheel. Have you ever taken a tire off of wheel that has been repaired with Fix-A-Flat or some other goo? It's not pretty or healthy!
@@MowerMike Not a drilled hole perhaps, but it will seal a hole from a 3/8" diameter object that pushes through the tire. And maybe it would have passed the drill test if you had put the tire to use or at least rolled it for a while to let the fibers and magic sauce do their thing.
Lol that's how I fixed my brother's dolly tire (expanding foam) that was almost 6 years ago and it's still going strong 😆 didn't think it would work I was just a teenager trying to save money
Thanks for providing a thorough comparison! We recently bought a JD X330 riding mower and have put on 18 hours so far.... However, we live in an area with lots of rugged terrain, cactus, and yucca. It's bested both fronts already! Our servicer recommended foaming the tires to make them impenetrable. So far, I have found most individuals use the gap and crack to get the job done. My only question is how long before the foam starts disintegrating. Would you recommend foam filling over buying a pricey tire?
I highly suggest not putting foam in it. Just take it to a local tire shop and have them put a tube in it. I have a ton of foam videos and tried every way to make it work. It will last about 2 mows before it breaks down. Check out this video ua-cam.com/video/c8ACxgM7Y2Q/v-deo.htmlsi=NvxcNAvw8e7Q0Wfj
For slow leaks it seems slime could work but it might loose its efficiency over time. Sometimes the slime might even spew out for some punctures and it seems no amount will fix that type of issue. Then the next course of action is to plug it. Iv never had any issues with a plug assuming you can find it.
I am a believer using slime the first thing i do when getting a mower or ate is ad slime in I used it first in a 48 in riding mower 15 years ago then a atv 12 years ago and a 52 in zero turn mower 8 years ago and a side by side atv 7 years ago and i still use all of these and have not fixed a flat tire yet also have used it in auto tires the great thing about slime is its water soluble
Just had to replace a tire that the slime couldn't fix. Was surprised to find it was still liquid in there after 6 years and washed right off. Fix a flat turns into a rotten milk, stinky chunk your not getting off. I have a tree with thorns in my yard so I had flat tires after my first month mowing but not for 6 years. I caught a piece of wire through the sidewall mowing at my club field and nothing would fix it. EHH, it was time for me fronts anyways, was more Slick then tread.
I tried this with my lawn tractor rear tire that had a slow leak. Just to clarify, I don’t use the tractor much. It might be several months in between so it dose sit a while and the tire might be flat. Once filled it will hold overnight. I used Slime. I first jacked up the rear off the ground, put about 16 oz into the tire then replaced the stem valve. Turned the tire about 10 times. Filled the tire to 15 psi and drove it around the yard for 10 minutes. The next day it was flat again! Let it sit for a few days, needed it to move some mulch so I pumped it up again and saw where the slime was coming out. There was a crack in the tire, slime was bubbling out. After moving the mulch around and before I put the tractor back, I sprayed the whole tire with some Flex Seal I had then filled the tire to 15 psi. Now after a month, it’s still at 15 psi! Can’t say if the Slime combined with the Flex Seal did the job it could be one or the other, but the tire is holding air.
Mike Fisher. I would put my money on the flex seal, slime i have never seen it work at all . I would call it a worthless product. If others have had different experience. Ok .
@@theoldmanreed8818 I doubt very seriously flex seal sprayed on the outside of the tire is stopping a leak. probably work on the inside where it would have to be forced through the hole before it could leak creating a compression seal. Being on the outside it would rely 100% on adhesion and unless it is vulcanizing probably would not hold.
I've never used the tire plug glue on vehicles either and they have never leaked again regardless. Those plugs have plenty of glue/stickiness to them already. 👍
Interesting video but the problem with using foam is that as you drive it the foam breaks down and then you're left with a tire that's useless. What I have done on a fairly rotted tire that's tubeless and had tons of sidewall leaks I would go out and buy an inner tube and install it and voila no more problems. Much cheaper than buying a whole new tire.
I'm gonna use the foam on two dollys i have, both with bad tires (cracks) and leaky tubes also. But after each use I'm going to store them off the wheels. I'm only going to drill one hole though, and remove the valve stem also. So total of 2 holes, opposite of each other and on different sides of tire. I'm going to put about a tablespoon of water in the tire and get it wet inside also.
@MowerMike it worked fine for light duty. I'm still letting it cure. I'm going to dunk it in a tub of water and let it soak for a day. It's been drying in dry sunny air for 4 or 5 days now. I injected the foam into the inner tube itself whole inside the tire so I think it's having cure delay due to lack of air. I ended up drilling 4 holes in a cross pattern on the outside of the tire only.
My experience with Slime is that it just doesn't work well and is a screaming mess to clean up when you finally take the tire off to put a tube in it. I'd love to have a foam which would work to let me fix my own tires, but foam just doesn't replace air for proper tire performance. I use foam run flats on wheelbarrow, handtruck, etc, but not on mowers which run at 3-4 psi.
With the foam filled tire I would only do 2 holes a fill hole and a smaller one to release the extra pressure plus to fill the whole tire all around it
Okay, I tried it twice on my front zero turn tire. Once with filling through valve stem(no holes drilled) and a 2nd time with 6-8 holes drilled in the sidewall. Both times tire filled up nicely and was flat again the next day. Not sure why it isn’t working for me.
Ive heard a few people use automatic transmission fluid, and had good results. Has anyone tried that? Does it work? Will any of these work with tubes ?
I think the problem with the foam is that over time it will break down. I don't know the life time and it would depend on use. It's probably a good cheap fix for many basic situations(small tires without too much load).
@@MowerMike You should look in to something that you can combine with it that will make it stronger or find a different material. There are various ways to expand things using air so maybe mixing in fiberglass insulation with some type of polyurethane foam would work. Something in there has to provide the structural stiffness that can absorb most of the load and the foam has to be able to not tear apart(so it has to be flexible). For example, there are "foam beds" which has a strong foam structure that generally doesn't break and is really flexible *but* it doesn't have a let of compression strength. If you could find a way to use it and strength it up without causing it to be brittle then it would work very well).
About 4 ounces of a cheap brand of Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) works great for slow leaks.... I've used it so many times and work 99% of the time.
@@roberttavenner9398 it works 99% of the time on mower times for me. I repair abut 30 tires a year. Try at least 4oz and more if it still leaks. It could be the valve stem also.
I didn't have a plug for a hole in my little lawn tractor tire. so I cut a piece of gas line, swabbed it in loctite foam(can) shoved it in with my trusty ol plugger set it on fire let it sit, held 20lbs which was way too much but just testing it. So now until I get another tire it looks like my tire has a "tooma". I have plugged thousands of tires, quite literally, working on garage for 15yrs,and I winced in the annoyance guaranteed to come when it's time to hook up the baby tire changer to the shop changer. There's always multiple leaks, then people bring their own tubes that also leak; all around headache but I do it anyway. Not tackling these mower/tractor tires is not only cowardly, its like seeing a mouse or roach in a house and just shrugging & walking away. Btw, replacing the air with foam is a total NPC zombie move
I have real good luck out of plugs, on tubeless tires. Its a must to cut it off flush with the tire. Don't let it hang out. It will get caught on some thing and pull out
You "PLUGGED" the tire. You kept using the term "PATCHED" the tire. There's a difference. Not trying to be a smarty pants, just trying to avoid any confusion on the part of your viewers. Very good video!
14:53 I'm about to use some Fix a flat just because i have some. You're suppose to drive on it for a awhile after using fixaflat. It is really just expanding foam, however i have heard of people messing up thier tire by using to much rendering the tire useless. As for the exspanding insulation i would like to see if it works if you have both tires filled like that or if its just better to use tires? You also forgot the black bead seal which is older than slime & better from what i have been told?
With the caps & crack foam it seems to work with the tire stationary on the bench, but how did work when the tire was actually in use? Did the foam sealant in the tire break up and lose its sealant?
@@pdloder I appreciate you clearing that up. Be bold in life and stop beating around the bush. If you are into crappy tire videos check out my “Wheels and Tires” playlist.
The seal broke on the tire, and I was able to get the air back in it, and it was nice and hard. But then it broke again. The tire is not bad. Its just the seal broke. Any suggestions?
I use Lock tite foam in low speed utility tires. It is not urethane based. The label says it is flexible and it certainly has somewhat has much more give than the urethane foam. So far so good.
@@MowerMike My foam fill was a fail this morning but it seems to have sealed the 5 dog punctures and I was able to air it up and so far so good. I have brand new front tires that wouldn't seal at the beads so I did the bead sealer yesterday morning only to find out that the tire that my dog attacks every time the blades start had 5 punctures in the side walls. I already had 2 plugs in the side walls because of her and I just wasn't gonna put 5 more plugs in the tires. Hopefully this foam can still work as a tire sealer so the tire can still hold air.
When you are plugging you want air left in the tire, so you don't remove the reamer until you are ready to plug the tire. Also it might work on a mower tire, but typically you never plug a sidewall. On a car tire I would never do it, but on a mower tire I'd probably patch it instead
I have used the plug on a semi tractor drive tire that had a bolt go through the side wall. It lasted over a year until I was ready too replace tires. I was often maxed out at 80,000 pounds.
What If the lawn mower tire is completely flat. Should I put some air in the tire , then put the slime sealant in the tire then run the tire around? Thank you in advance
Start with air and see if it is leaking from a certain spot. If you can pin point one hole use a plug. If it leaking from around the rim or several places maybe slime. But really the best is putting a tube in it. Any local tire shop will do that for ya
I just want to know.. How in the heck did you get the big rim off the tractor? I've tried everything. WD-40, PB Blaster, Heat, Pounding it, can't get that sucker off.
Tire plug Employee: “We need some sort of sealant to mix with the tar for it to work.” Tire plug manager: “We’re going through a re-org so there’s no money, just use snot.”
I suggest just trying it and seeing how it works. You bought is so give it a whirl. If it doesn’t work try the foam method in my other video. It doesn’t matter if you already have foam in the tire. Good luck!
Great video. Sick of taking my John Deere zero turn to their service centre for tyre fixes - they charge like wounded bulls, not deer 🤣. We can get Slime here in Australia so think I'm going to give that a go & see how long the fix lasts. In any event it's going to save us a couple of hundred $$ each time there's a leak if it works for any half decent amount of time.
A couple hundred Australia Dollars, I am not sure if that is a lot or not lol. Slime seems to work about 50% of the time. Is a good first option, if that doesn’t work try putting a tube in it. ua-cam.com/video/xPGrzX6YhKs/v-deo.html
@@MowerMike If I was paying with US$ it'd be a hell of a lot cheaper due to exchange rate 🤣. Bought the Slime flat tyre kit at the local auto store & seems to have worked a treat. Added bonus of the unit inflating the tyre after feeding the Slime is great too. If things go south I'll try your tube suggestion.
Well that is no good. What I would do is if you can take the wheel off take it to a tire shop and they can put a tube in the tire. (Make sure to pick up the nails before you mow again ;)
This idea ads a lot of weight but it will keep it in a shape to roll. Fill the whole thing with concrete.Actually put a lot of pressure in tire put it in a tub of water locate leaks and plug them with a rope plug best cheapest way to keep my tire flying down the freeway. Fix side walls any small hole
Wow, what a great presentation. You made it interesting and you explained everything well with excellent descriptive grammar. I liked all the choices. An ENORMOUS thank you 😊
Glad it helped
Thanks for these ideas---I have golf cart tires with slow leaks all over my place and got tired of buying new tire replacements. This gives me the courage to try slime and save a ton of money. I can't wait to try the foam on my handtruck tires that keep going flat!!!
Good luck glad to help! I suggest starting with slime. I have several videos on the foam failing that will give you a chuckle.
Foam will work but only short term. Once it sits with weight on it, it will develop flat spots in the tire where the foam crushes. Foam insulation is an expanding polyurethane, which creates a hard and inflexible foam that the bubbles crush after hardening instead of flexing like with a rubber foam.
The run flats I have came from Harbor Freight, not home made.
Awesome video - after watching, I've got full confidence I'll get Big Red out mowing again soon - thank you!!!!
Glad it helped, Big Red will get’r done!
Slime works great! Put it in the tire and mow the grass, that gets the sealant spread everywhere inside the tire. Fix a flat makes a horrible sticky mess that is very difficult to remove and it is flammable. Slime will just wipe out of the rim with a paper towel. Great video!
I agree Slim is my go to. Glad your enjoyed it
Thank you. The riding mower has a slow leak in the front. I can fill it once every 2 weeks & it’s fine. This video saved me money because I decided to just keep filling it with air so that I don’t have to mess with any product until absolutely necessary. I know some complain about Slime & Fix-a-Flat but I believe that’s more about what it can do to the wheels on a car over time. When I do need to use a product for the riding mower I’ll try to locate the hole for a patch & if I can’t find it then I’ll try Slime. Thanks again. You saved me some money & whole lot of time. 👍
Sure thing glad to help
Some times you can put them under water and you still can't find a real slow leak, even way over filling them with air! seems front tires are the worst as you have all that grease in the hubs.
I like those methods. The foam was funny as hell.
Thanks am just having fun
😂😂
Sweet. This foam thing explains why I saved my old busted HF tires. Lol
Beware watch my other foam videos before you start pumping foam!
Great presentation... Really tired of pinching my finger's {& learning new words} doing the installing a tube, fixing the tube and back to tubeless thing. The "gaps & cracks" foam is where I'm going. Thanx!
Slow down, check out my other foam tire videos first. It doesn’t work long term
I have been using Tire Slime for years on farm equipment tires that take a lot of abuse. It's about the only way to keep them rolling. Love it and highly recommend it for tires that are subject to constant punctures.
I agree is good stuff but gross lol
No I havnt@@ChappySinclair
Thank you! This was awesome comparing them all! 😊
Glad it helped was fun making it
Super helpful video. Th patch seems to be the best but too much work, so the slime one looks the best for me. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Very nice presentation, I'm going with the tire slime myself. thank you
Can’t hurt, glad you enjoyed it
I have repaired bicycle tires in the past, but for my lawn mower I was not sure. So for the past 2 years, I have been filling my LM tires with air each time I took it out. By the end of the day the tires would go flat again...I did the same thing next time and everytime. Now I have found the above ways to fix the tire and will do so. Thanks
Man don’t bike on flat bike tires. New tubes are super easy on bikes. Unless you just like the daily beatings lol
Great video reviewing the options
Glad ya enjoyed it!
Great video, thanks!!
if its froze on the axle just change the tire on the unit. did it with all sorts of tires for the 15 years as a tirman at goodyear
This is awesome...I've got a can of Great Stuff in the garage and I came to UA-cam to see if anyone's used it to fix a tire...and now It's out to the garage to drill a few holes in an old handtruck tire (and then use it for a Kayak Kart.)
Haha it works great. I have quite a few of these videos on my wheel and tire playlist. It has been a journey for sure
Useful testing, thanks. FYI for others, summary/results start at 14:29.
It was fun, I am coming out with an updated foam video soon.
Thanks that’s a great idea
Maybe someone else has already said this, but, the tube of rubber cement just lays there looking forlorn and not getting any attention. You are supposed to put some the whole length of the plug material. It makes it easier to push unto the hole. It is called a plug not a patch. Maybe you are too young to remember actual tire patches. They had combustible fiber in a tin container with the rubber patch on the bottom. There was a clamp designed to hold it tight on the tube and you lit the fiber with a match. the heat sealed the patch to the tube. For a tubeless tire, there was a "boot" that was put inside the tire and sealed over the hole. My dad owned a service station and a tire shop. I patched a lot of tubes and tires. That was also back when we pumped the gas for the customer. I was skeptical when all of the tire shops started using plugs and wouldn't do patches any more. I thought they wouldn't hold up, but I was wrong. I have plugged a lot of tires and they have lasted until the tire wore out. Good video. Thanks for sharing.
Great comment, you are correct I am not skilled in the art of patching tires. I thought the glue was already built into the actual plug but I was wrong and should have used the cement. Thanks for watching
Oh! yes the good old day of patches.
Good looking out thank you
Glad it helped! Was a fun one to put together
I use Slime on my mower for holes mostly caused by goat heads and it works great. And I probably use half or 1/4 the recommended amount.
Good advice on using Slime. My first try was on a terrible old lawn cart tire that's weather checked but no nail holes that I can find. It held pressure for a couple hours but now is going flat again. I'll now try what you demonstrated. I'll remove the tire and use a lot more Slime than needed. If Slime works on this tire this whole thing should have been used as a commercial for Slime. lol
Haha Slime is great. Super easy and and works about 50% of the time.
@@MowerMike Several years ago I found a very nice bicycle free but it had a flat tire. I used tube Slime on it and it's working fine today. It didn't work on the rim leak on my Silverado. Before the tire guy works on it next week I'll tell him about the Slime lol.
I haven't tried the slime but Fix a Flat works great on these smaller tires as the beads don;'t stay sealed and you don't have to use the whole can on the tire. Just enough to seal the tire and do it to all the tires. You may have to do this each year if you live in cold environment. Neighbor spent over $250 putting tubes in all 4 tires.
Youch those are some expensive $5 tubes
when I've used the tire patches I believe once you get the gooey stick in the needle your supposed to put glue on it before inserting it in to the tire? Maybe there are different types where you don't also use glue
No idea I am just a fella playing on UA-cam good luck
Great video!!!! ATF also works awesome!!!!
Really have never heard that one, thanks for the idear
Good day Mike
Check the instructions, I believe you need to apply glue to your plug before inserting.
I might have a different kit?
Nope you are correct, I screwed up and didn’t do the glue but it still worked. And Good Day to you Mattie lol not sure how to say that.
actually lots a very good for small tires definitely will try slime for my tractor tire..
Good call that is always my first choice, then I go to tubes.
Great Demo. thanks
Glad it helped
Awesome tire video of the year
Haha thanks man!
You keep calling them tire "patches," but in reality they are tire plugs. I used to work in the manufacturing of these and went to car expositions around the world. I sold millions of these. One demonstration I used to use at the conventions was to take a drill and drill a hole in a car tire and immediately plug it. By the end of the convention, that tire had maybe 75 plugs in it. Just a word of caution. The plugs aren't intended for sidewall punctures in any kind of road vehicle. Although it might work, I wouldn't recommend it. The absolute best way to repair a tire is to plug it and then demount the tire and place an actual patch on the inside of the hole with cement. However, just a plug will almost always work. The plugs are manufactured in such a way that the vulcanization of the rubber is initiated, but the heat that comes from driving the vehicle on the road finished the vulcanization process and makes the repair pretty permanent.
Wow that is some serious info on tire plugs. I had no idea the heat activated them. Thanks for the information.
Thanks for the information..
God be with you.peace
Yes those plugs are great. 3M also has a glue called PR 40. It literally welds rubber together im going to try that stuff
So doesn't that mean the plugs would not be a good choice for a lawnmower or snowblower, which never move fast enough to generate enough heat to fully vulcanize the plugs?
IIRC, someone at the Garage54 channel put cement in car tires. It was a rough ride and very heavy but worked. Maybe the foam would work there for anyone with the patience to mess up until they get it right consistently.
Haha I am not that desperate for views to try that.
I’ve never had fix a flat work for me. Everything else has been successful
Can’t argue with Big Country!
Well done.
Thank you !
I really liked this video Brother!!! Watched the whole thing! 😃
Cool, I have about 90 more for ya!
@@MowerMike Thanks Man!!!!!!! So funny! I better get to watching all the other videos!😄
That foam is a good idea thanks
Read the title, it is a bad idea
@@MowerMikewithout reading the whole video title, which obviously people aren’t, the video suggests you were impressed with the foam.
@@adamrouse16 I was at first until it went to crap. Check out my tire playlist for all my foam fail videos.
tires look good
Thanks!
Excellent vid
Glad it helped
Such a great video. Thanks dude
Glad it helped
Think ill foam my front tires on my rider nothing to lose right...lol ..it'll fix my slow leaks anyway. Back tires I'll definitely slime I get a leak . Great video!
Check out my tire playlist. I highly suggest you don’t do that. It will break down and be a mess.
The best tire sealant I've found is Tireject. It even fixed several sidewall leaks.
It won’t fix 3/8 inch holes :)
ua-cam.com/video/WfWyo5Pocl4/v-deo.html
Put the 3/8 drill back in your toolbox. That tire with the foam in it is forever committed to that wheel. Have you ever taken a tire off of wheel that has been repaired with Fix-A-Flat or some other goo? It's not pretty or healthy!
@@MowerMike Not a drilled hole perhaps, but it will seal a hole from a 3/8" diameter object that pushes through the tire. And maybe it would have passed the drill test if you had put the tire to use or at least rolled it for a while to let the fibers and magic sauce do their thing.
@@bluewhalemountain8342 I've dismounted several tires that had sealant put in them with no problem.
@@DonziGT230 I agree, I was a bit extreme using a drill bit but was just trying for some UA-cam gold lol
Great video
Thanks Dave!
Very informative, and love the firearm jokes. In addition to the KEEP RIGHT sign, you need to put up a no-left-turn sign, haha!
Lol that's how I fixed my brother's dolly tire (expanding foam) that was almost 6 years ago and it's still going strong 😆 didn't think it would work I was just a teenager trying to save money
You were ahead of the curvy Krazy Person!
What type of foam did you use? There are some variations of kinds.
Thanks for providing a thorough comparison! We recently bought a JD X330 riding mower and have put on 18 hours so far.... However, we live in an area with lots of rugged terrain, cactus, and yucca. It's bested both fronts already!
Our servicer recommended foaming the tires to make them impenetrable. So far, I have found most individuals use the gap and crack to get the job done. My only question is how long before the foam starts disintegrating. Would you recommend foam filling over buying a pricey tire?
I highly suggest not putting foam in it. Just take it to a local tire shop and have them put a tube in it. I have a ton of foam videos and tried every way to make it work. It will last about 2 mows before it breaks down. Check out this video
ua-cam.com/video/c8ACxgM7Y2Q/v-deo.htmlsi=NvxcNAvw8e7Q0Wfj
They left chain link wire all along a fence they trimmed to fit between the top pole and gopher mounds. Nice and sharp plenty of punctures.
Uggg that blows
When ya put the glue in on those rubber snot sticks. Lol
Lol yes I could have added glue on the snot sticks
For slow leaks it seems slime could work but it might loose its efficiency over time. Sometimes the slime might even spew out for some punctures and it seems no amount will fix that type of issue. Then the next course of action is to plug it. Iv never had any issues with a plug assuming you can find it.
I agree plugs work great as long as you know where the leak is.
I am a believer using slime the first thing i do when getting a mower or ate is ad slime in I used it first in a 48 in riding mower 15 years ago then a atv 12 years ago and a 52 in zero turn mower 8 years ago and a side by side atv 7 years ago and i still use all of these and have not fixed a flat tire yet also have used it in auto tires the great thing about slime is its water soluble
I totally agree Slim is always my first choice.
Hell yea haha. Good commentary
Thanks glad someone appreciates my jokes :)
Great Stuff! 😂 😂
Haha I see what ya did there
Just had to replace a tire that the slime couldn't fix. Was surprised to find it was still liquid in there after 6 years and washed right off. Fix a flat turns into a rotten milk, stinky chunk your not getting off. I have a tree with thorns in my yard so I had flat tires after my first month mowing but not for 6 years. I caught a piece of wire through the sidewall mowing at my club field and nothing would fix it. EHH, it was time for me fronts anyways, was more Slick then tread.
LOL this is really funny actually.
I am glad someone appreciates my middle school humor haha
I tried this with my lawn tractor rear tire that had a slow leak. Just to clarify, I don’t use the tractor much. It might be several months in between so it dose sit a while and the tire might be flat. Once filled it will hold overnight. I used Slime. I first jacked up the rear off the ground, put about 16 oz into the tire then replaced the stem valve. Turned the tire about 10 times. Filled the tire to 15 psi and drove it around the yard for 10 minutes. The next day it was flat again! Let it sit for a few days, needed it to move some mulch so I pumped it up again and saw where the slime was coming out. There was a crack in the tire, slime was bubbling out. After moving the mulch around and before I put the tractor back, I sprayed the whole tire with some Flex Seal I had then filled the tire to 15 psi. Now after a month, it’s still at 15 psi! Can’t say if the Slime combined with the Flex Seal did the job it could be one or the other, but the tire is holding air.
Wow, so are you saying you sprayed the outside of the tire or the inside of the tire with flex seal?
@@MowerMike I sprayed the outside tire wall. It's been about 2 weeks and it's still holding.
@@Phlymedicare That sounds fascinating. I am going to have to do a video on that, thanks for the idea.
Mike Fisher. I would put my money on the flex seal, slime i have never seen it work at all . I would call it a worthless product. If others have had different experience. Ok .
@@theoldmanreed8818 I doubt very seriously flex seal sprayed on the outside of the tire is stopping a leak. probably work on the inside where it would have to be forced through the hole before it could leak creating a compression seal. Being on the outside it would rely 100% on adhesion and unless it is vulcanizing probably would not hold.
Just curious why you didn't use any of the tire cement for the plugs/patches. Nice video Mike!
Good catch I probably should have. I was wondering what that tube was for in the kit lol
Yeah, my first thought. "Why isn't he using the glue"?
I've never used the tire plug glue on vehicles either and they have never leaked again regardless. Those plugs have plenty of glue/stickiness to them already. 👍
Interesting video but the problem with using foam is that as you drive it the foam breaks down and then you're left with a tire that's useless. What I have done on a fairly rotted tire that's tubeless and had tons of sidewall leaks I would go out and buy an inner tube and install it and voila no more problems. Much cheaper than buying a whole new tire.
Also you don't need to take the tire off as you can just squeeze the inner tube inside the tire and then inflate it.
I totally agree with ya. Check out my tire playlist for my foam fail videos
I'm gonna use the foam on two dollys i have, both with bad tires (cracks) and leaky tubes also. But after each use I'm going to store them off the wheels.
I'm only going to drill one hole though, and remove the valve stem also. So total of 2 holes, opposite of each other and on different sides of tire. I'm going to put about a tablespoon of water in the tire and get it wet inside also.
Good luck! I bet it will work fine
@MowerMike it worked fine for light duty. I'm still letting it cure. I'm going to dunk it in a tub of water and let it soak for a day. It's been drying in dry sunny air for 4 or 5 days now. I injected the foam into the inner tube itself whole inside the tire so I think it's having cure delay due to lack of air. I ended up drilling 4 holes in a cross pattern on the outside of the tire only.
My experience with Slime is that it just doesn't work well and is a screaming mess to clean up when you finally take the tire off to put a tube in it. I'd love to have a foam which would work to let me fix my own tires, but foam just doesn't replace air for proper tire performance. I use foam run flats on wheelbarrow, handtruck, etc, but not on mowers which run at 3-4 psi.
I agree you should check out my other foam fail videos
Just curious, why didn’t you apply the adhesive the kit came with to those plugs?
Because I am a bit of an amateur. Didn’t even know what that was for lol. Probably should apply it
Don't worry you just said it so you have nobody to blame
Yep am just a slime pusher
00
With the foam filled tire I would only do 2 holes a fill hole and a smaller one to release the extra pressure plus to fill the whole tire all around it
Good advice, I would stay away from foam though. Check out my tire playlist
When did plugs become patches. Patches go inside the tire
They changed back in 2006
Okay, I tried it twice on my front zero turn tire. Once with filling through valve stem(no holes drilled) and a 2nd time with 6-8 holes drilled in the sidewall. Both times tire filled up nicely and was flat again the next day. Not sure why it isn’t working for me.
that's interesting !
What about leaks around the bead ? Clean the tire real well around the bead and the rim and apply clear silicone caulk?
Never heard of that one but whatever works for ya
You right they are tire plugs
Ive heard a few people use automatic transmission fluid, and had good results. Has anyone tried that? Does it work? Will any of these work with tubes ?
I think the problem with the foam is that over time it will break down. I don't know the life time and it would depend on use. It's probably a good cheap fix for many basic situations(small tires without too much load).
You should look at my tire playlist, have several foam fail videos on there. You are right it breaks down
@@MowerMike You should look in to something that you can combine with it that will make it stronger or find a different material. There are various ways to expand things using air so maybe mixing in fiberglass insulation with some type of polyurethane foam would work. Something in there has to provide the structural stiffness that can absorb most of the load and the foam has to be able to not tear apart(so it has to be flexible).
For example, there are "foam beds" which has a strong foam structure that generally doesn't break and is really flexible *but* it doesn't have a let of compression strength. If you could find a way to use it and strength it up without causing it to be brittle then it would work very well).
About 4 ounces of a cheap brand of Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) works great for slow leaks.... I've used it so many times and work 99% of the time.
I tried it, still very slow leak.
@@roberttavenner9398 it works 99% of the time on mower times for me. I repair abut 30 tires a year. Try at least 4oz and more if it still leaks. It could be the valve stem also.
I didn't have a plug for a hole in my little lawn tractor tire. so I cut a piece of gas line, swabbed it in loctite foam(can) shoved it in with my trusty ol plugger set it on fire let it sit, held 20lbs which was way too much but just testing it. So now until I get another tire it looks like my tire has a "tooma". I have plugged thousands of tires, quite literally, working on garage for 15yrs,and I winced in the annoyance guaranteed to come when it's time to hook up the baby tire changer to the shop changer. There's always multiple leaks, then people bring their own tubes that also leak; all around headache but I do it anyway. Not tackling these mower/tractor tires is not only cowardly, its like seeing a mouse or roach in a house and just shrugging & walking away. Btw, replacing the air with foam is a total NPC zombie move
I really enjoy your use of the English language. I agree foam in the tire is totally lame.
What is a NPC zombie?
I have real good luck out of plugs, on tubeless tires. Its a must to cut it off flush with the tire. Don't let it hang out. It will get caught on some thing and pull out
You "PLUGGED" the tire. You kept using the term "PATCHED" the tire. There's a difference. Not trying to be a smarty pants, just trying to avoid any confusion on the part of your viewers. Very good video!
Haha that can’t be the only mistake I made in that video. Glad you enjoyed it
nice video now im doing the experiment with foam...haha
Watch my other foam videos, I already did the experimenting
Can you use tire plugs and tire slime together. Sometimes the tire plugs will slowly leak
Shoot ya double up!
The Harbor Freight mini tire changer ($59). Works great to change small tires. Check it out.
I have one good point. I am just tired of taking tires off rims.
4.00$ where , I paid 22.00
More videos like this with other brands
Any suggestions on brands?
14:53 I'm about to use some Fix a flat just because i have some. You're suppose to drive on it for a awhile after using fixaflat. It is really just expanding foam, however i have heard of people messing up thier tire by using to much rendering the tire useless. As for the exspanding insulation i would like to see if it works if you have both tires filled like that or if its just better to use tires? You also forgot the black bead seal which is older than slime & better from what i have been told?
All I can say is do not do the construction foam, check out all my foam fail videos on my wheel and tire playlist.
With the caps & crack foam it seems to work with the tire stationary on the bench, but how did work when the tire was actually in use? Did the foam sealant in the tire break up and lose its sealant?
Not so well my man, check out my other tire foam videos here.
ua-cam.com/play/PLo4VDcnI4eoj7LEY4fgx7hGW1bM8VYQew.html&si=IrixeuIXIgVREu2u
Excellent, all the action is done off screen.? High quality🙄
I have no idea what you are saying. Are you saying the video is excellent or sucks?
@@MowerMike the "excellent" was sarcasm - sorry about that. Couldn't see a thing when you inserted the dog turds.
@@pdloder I appreciate you clearing that up. Be bold in life and stop beating around the bush. If you are into crappy tire videos check out my “Wheels and Tires” playlist.
Great if better camera location.
I know I am a total amateur
They shooting at you mowing at 6:am 😂. Not fireworks 😅
Haha right. Gun shoots are a daily occurrence out here in rural north Texas.
The seal broke on the tire, and I was able to get the air back in it, and it was nice and hard. But then it broke again. The tire is not bad. Its just the seal broke. Any suggestions?
Just put a tube on it then the seal doesn’t matter
@@MowerMike OK, thank u very much.
I use Lock tite foam in low speed utility tires. It is not urethane based. The label says it is flexible and it certainly has somewhat has much more give than the urethane foam. So far so good.
Good luck! Never heard of that foam
you know that the air will leak out your puncture and migrate through you sidewalls as well till you had sealed the original puncture. take care
😊 thanks
Glad it helped
Hi Mower Mike! I see its been 2 years since you posted this video. How has the front lawn mower tire held up?
I'm thinking about trying it.
Check out my tire playlist, will answer all your questions
@@MowerMike Thx! I did my 1st tire this evening. I used loctite big gap foam.
@@MowerMike My foam fill was a fail this morning but it seems to have sealed the 5 dog punctures and I was able to air it up and so far so good.
I have brand new front tires that wouldn't seal at the beads so I did the bead sealer yesterday morning only to find out that the tire that my dog attacks every time the blades start had 5 punctures in the side walls. I already had 2 plugs in the side walls because of her and I just wasn't gonna put 5 more plugs in the tires.
Hopefully this foam can still work as a tire sealer so the tire can still hold air.
I soooo thank you for your awesomeness and labor of love. The foam inspired me greatly....my only concern is that it might hold dents or something.
When you are plugging you want air left in the tire, so you don't remove the reamer until you are ready to plug the tire. Also it might work on a mower tire, but typically you never plug a sidewall. On a car tire I would never do it, but on a mower tire I'd probably patch it instead
Good advice thanks
Radial repair doesn't allow patch on tread within one inch of the side wall.
I have used the plug on a semi tractor drive tire that had a bolt go through the side wall. It lasted over a year until I was ready too replace tires. I was often maxed out at 80,000 pounds.
@@jimbeetem7143 Two things. Semi tires have MUcH stiffer sidewalls, no comparison to car tires. And you got lucky.
What If the lawn mower tire is completely flat. Should I put some air in the tire , then put the slime sealant in the tire then run the tire around? Thank you in advance
Start with air and see if it is leaking from a certain spot. If you can pin point one hole use a plug. If it leaking from around the rim or several places maybe slime. But really the best is putting a tube in it. Any local tire shop will do that for ya
@@MowerMike Thank You I appreciate your time.
How about lawn tractor tires with sidewall leaks?
You can try slime but your best bet is to just get some tubes. Your tire shop will install them cheap
I just want to know.. How in the heck did you get the big rim off the tractor? I've tried everything. WD-40, PB Blaster, Heat, Pounding it, can't get that sucker off.
Take a look at my wheel/tire playlist I have a video on it. Good luck is a bear
Tire plug Employee: “We need some sort of sealant to mix with the tar for it to work.”
Tire plug manager: “We’re going through a re-org so there’s no money, just use snot.”
Lol no idea what your point is but it seems funny!???
Hey, ya forgot the rubber cement ?
From what I have read on my 1-gallon Slime container the instructions the product is not recommended for sealing sidewalls or the bead area.
I suggest just trying it and seeing how it works. You bought is so give it a whirl. If it doesn’t work try the foam method in my other video. It doesn’t matter if you already have foam in the tire. Good luck!
Damn really? I have never ending slow leaks around the outside bead of both tires. So damn annoying. I ordered some slime hope it works
It says on the instructions that you need to take a drive for 2-4 miles so that the foam can fill the tire properly.
I am not driving any mower 4 miles!
Can you save the fix a flat can if you don't use all of it?
Sure can
Have any of you put a tube in a drive wheel of a zero turn? If you have, did you have any problems with the wheel spinning in the tire?
Nope never have, I just went to solid rubber wheels on my front zero turn wheels.
Great video. Sick of taking my John Deere zero turn to their service centre for tyre fixes - they charge like wounded bulls, not deer 🤣. We can get Slime here in Australia so think I'm going to give that a go & see how long the fix lasts. In any event it's going to save us a couple of hundred $$ each time there's a leak if it works for any half decent amount of time.
A couple hundred Australia Dollars, I am not sure if that is a lot or not lol. Slime seems to work about 50% of the time. Is a good first option, if that doesn’t work try putting a tube in it.
ua-cam.com/video/xPGrzX6YhKs/v-deo.html
@@MowerMike If I was paying with US$ it'd be a hell of a lot cheaper due to exchange rate 🤣. Bought the Slime flat tyre kit at the local auto store & seems to have worked a treat. Added bonus of the unit inflating the tyre after feeding the Slime is great too. If things go south I'll try your tube suggestion.
@@mattgibson6144 Glad it helps and it is really cool to have viewers down south growing grass when it it winter time here.
Tireject works the best
What happens if the tire comes off of the wheel? How do you repair that? Air leaked completely out from neighbors roofing nails 😡
Well that is no good. What I would do is if you can take the wheel off take it to a tire shop and they can put a tube in the tire. (Make sure to pick up the nails before you mow again ;)
This idea ads a lot of weight but it will keep it in a shape to roll. Fill the whole thing with concrete.Actually put a lot of pressure in tire put it in a tub of water locate leaks and plug them with a rope plug best cheapest way to keep my tire flying down the freeway. Fix side walls any small hole
I totally agree with you, plugs and tubes are the best fix. But this is UA-cam and everyone wants to watch “shortcuts”