[bcx400]

I am looking at 6 flat wheelbarrow wheel/tire assemblies (I have been accumulating them) that either need to go in the trash or get repaired. A new wheel and tire assembly is about $25.00.
I could continue buying the entire wheel/tire units, or try to repair some of the flats.

I have tried the repair, but the tube is such a PIA to get in the tire and back on the wheel. It is not worth my time if I have to struggle for 30+ minutes. Anyone have any tricks for this, or should I just toss the flats in the trash?

Thanks- Chris

[Stonehenge]

Are they punctures? If so, there's a little kit you can buy for $10 or so where you use some sort of rasp to clean/rough up the hole, then use some glue and a ribbon of rubber to stuff into the hole. Snip it flush once the glue is cured, and it seems to hold really well.

You could also buy the solid tires as replacements, but those don't roll very well with a full w/b.

[John Palasek]

.


If there's no puncture and your tires are tubeless, then you most likely have a rim leak (very common). If you use inner tubes, then you most likely have a valve leak.
Unless you're very meticulous about keeping the valve caps on, valve leaks are very common on wheelbarrow tires because we push them through all kinds of muck and we get all kinds of junk stuck in the valves.

To fix a valve leak, just go to an auto parts store and pick up some new valves. They usually sell them in 4-packs and it comes with a little wrench.

I use tubeless tires and I usually lose some air in a few tires over the course of a week or so. It's because the rims are banged up and that's not going to change. What I do is carry a portable emergency compressor (the kind you get as a Christmas present from worry-wart in laws) and I keep it stashed in the back of the truck.
It plugs into the cigarette lighter socket in the vehicle and it can inflate anything up to around 100 psi. Of course, by the time it did that, I'd be in a nursing home, but for a wheelbarrow tire (about 30 psi) it takes less than five minutes. So what I've done is to simply live with the air loss and inflate them as needed, when needed.


It's a lot easier than changing out tires all the time.



-JP

[Inspired]

I used to repair and exchange the tires all the time. I noticed a foam filled wheelbarrow tire for about 46.00. I'm really glad I tried it. They roll with a little bit more effort but you never get a flat. I only have one wheelbarrow left with an inner tube and its the beater no one wants to use anyway. When it gives up I'll replace it with a foam filled tire. Any new wheelbarrows I buy will have the foam filled tires only.

[dan deutekom]

I keep a filled air pig and a tubeless plug kit in my truck at all times. Takes care of wheelbarrows, brick carts, tree dollys, truck, tractor and skidsteer punctures anywhere and anytime. Not very often do I lose more than 5 minutes of time to a tyre puncture.

[Stonehenge]

What's an air pig?

[dan deutekom]

It's one of those 7 gallon tanks that you can fill at the gas station. They hold 125 PSI and have a short hose with a pressure gauge for filling tyres and things. It will fill about 15 wheelbarrow tyres or a truck or skidsteer tyre once or normal car tyres twice or three times. I usually fill it from the compresser in my shop.

http://peterborough.kijiji.ca/c-buy-...QAdIdZ31257571

[jamesn162]

After using slime and having it ooooze all over a brand new sidewalk on a 95 degree day i use plugs and portabke air tank or "air pig". the plugs dont work well for tractor tires or truck tires but they work great for ball carts and wheel barrow tires.....the tank is a life saver for everything...wont do a job without it have one in out hardscaping trailer and on in our maintenance trailer.

[dan deutekom]

I am surprised you have trouble with plugs in truck and tractor tyres. Sometimes I have to use 2 or 3 plugs to make it seal but after that they usually work. The only time plugs don't last very long is if they are used in a sidewall. (too much flexing to keep sealed) and sometimes if the plug isn't trimmed flush on a skidsteer tyre it might get pulled out. You have to remember plugs arn't a permanent repair but they let you get the job done and have a tyre shop do the job properly when you have the time.

[my big dog]

we have always resorted to installing tubes. Sometimes done in house others r dropped off at tire shop. Its a pita to install yourself like you said but less of a pain than pushing a wheelbarrow w/ a flat

[johnkeegan]

We swithched to foam. The guys prefer them. No flats. No downtime. No carrying around extra tire repair tools in 4 separate trucks. No complaints.

[Pelican]

I've never been able to get a plug to work on wheelbarrow tires to hold, not enough rubber to grip the plug. I was losing to much down time to flats so I switched to foam tires too. They are a little tough on bumps but I've never had trouble pushing them.

Home Depot has the foam tires at the lowest price I've seen.