Lawn mowers may roll off the assembly line appealing and even work in the field beautifully for a while, but then reality hits. Whether you are a lawn owner mowing twice a week or a busy landscaper working on more than 20 lawns a day, there is no escape – rocks, mud, thatch, sticks, grass, and mud, just to count a few obstacles that could cause havoc to your tubeless tires. A flat tire can ruin your entire lawn care schedule, not even a bicycle tire air pump will save the day.
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Do Lawn Mower Tires Have Tubes?
Well, the majority of the lawn mowers are designed with tubeless tires. A tubeless tire is an advancement from the older technology of a tire with an inner tube. Tubeless tires come with a heavier rubber which may at times have an inscription “TT” but they are amazingly lighter than tires with inner tubes. Nevertheless, manufacturers still sell lawn mowers with the old typical tube tires.
Although the tubeless type comes with its benefits, a lot of people recommend putting a tube on these tires. To maintain a healthy and lush-green lawn, you need to mow the grass regularly. As such, regular use of the mower can lead to leaks and punctures especially if your lawn area has a lot of sticks, debris, or other hard objects.
Installing a new inner tube is a sure way to save your precious time and annoyance in the long run.. Besides, everyone wants to save a few dollars – with a tube-type tire; all you need to do is change the inner tube in case of a puncture. On the other hand, a tubeless tire means you’ll have to incur the cost of purchasing a completely new tire.
Can You Put A Tube In A Lawn Mower Tire?
You definitely can, just because it’s called a tubeless tire doesn’t mean that you can’t install an inner tube in it. Besides, putting a tube to your tubeless lawn mower tires will come in handy with a lot of benefits.
Before putting an inner tube to your tire, ensure that the inside of your tire is smooth. If there is any foreign object or sharp protruding parts inside your tire, the tube can easily get punctured. Once you have determined this, you can now proceed to install your new inner tube.
If your mower tube is leaking or often getting a puncture, it is absolutely necessary to take precautions. Luckily, this can be easily solved by installing a tube inside the tire. In this section, we are going to detail a step-by-step guide on how you can put a tube in a lawn mower tire.
- Get the Necessary Tools:
First things first, you’ll have to gather all the effective tools needed for this process. They include:
- A jack, wooden blocks, or strong plastic stands to support your lawn mower
- A crowbar
- A hammer
- Some corn starch – to help bring out the tire
- A new inner tube
Adjust the Jack or Wooden Blocks:
Firstly, you need to identify and park your lawn mower on a flat surface where you can do your job. Use a jack or wooden blocks to lift your lawn care equipment to a convenient height for the task.
Inflate Your Tire And Check for Cracks or Visible Damage:
Before installing a new tube, you must check the condition of your tire. In this case, check whether the tire has cracks or any visible damage, if there are any, replace the tire immediately.
Remove The Tire And Cut Off The Valve Stem:
Now, use a crowbar to carefully remove the rim from the tire. Place the wheel of your lawn mower horizontally on the ground. Find the valve stem and cut it using scissors.
Remove the Inner Tube From The Tire:
Before you start working on the tube, ensure that your mower blades are turned off – you don’t want your equipment to start when you are still working on it. Besides, if the blades start moving, they can cause serious damage. The next step is to pry out the valve stem cap and use it as a handle to pull the entire tube out.
Tip: Sprinkle corn scratch inside the tire, this helps the tube to easily come out.
Fill Up The New Tube With Air:
Use a powerful hand pump to fill your new tube with air until you attain 20 PSI. At this stage, the tube should be maximally inflated. You can now put the tube inside your tire and reinstall the wheel cover. Notice that some people prefer inflating the new tube after putting it inside the tire, whichever way works for you, it’s your choice.
In either case, however, ensure you get your fingers right in installing the tube. In other words, the valve stem of the new tube and the valve stem of the tire is in the same position.
Reinstall The Tire On Your lawn Mower:
Finally, you can put back the wheel on your lawn mower, and you are done! You have successfully put a tube in a mower. You can now operate your lawn mower without worrying about its tires going flat again.
How Do You Tell If a Tractor Tire is Tube or Tubeless?
Tubed tires have a separate inner air-holding component (tube) that allows your lawn equipment to move comfortably. On the other hand, tubeless tires do not have an inner tube. In other words, they are self-sealed against the rim by the air pressure itself.
Are Ride-On Mower Tires Tubeless?
Ride-on mowers rarely use tubed tires anymore. Like the vehicles, most lawn mower manufacturers produce mowers with tubeless tires. So, we can say that ride-on mower tires are tubeless. Nevertheless, if you want to add a tube to your tubeless wheels, this article gives you all the guidelines that you’ll need.
How Do You Put Air in a Tubeless Lawn Mower Tire?
Putting air into a tubeless lawn mower is a straightforward task if you have the proper knowledge. But if you are a newbie, inflating such a tire can be quite a daunting task for you. To inflate your tubeless lawn mower tire:
- Park your lawn mower on a flat surface. Notably, you should inflate your tires when they are cold. That is to say, if you have been operating on your mower, you should turn it off and allow the engine to cool
- First, remove the valve cap off the tire by turning it counterclockwise
- Pressure the air hose nozzle onto the valve and begin filling the tire with air
- During the inflation process, ensure you remove the nozzle every 10 seconds and use the tire gauge to check the pressure in the tire. Fill up to the recommended air pressure then turn off your air compressor.
Tip: Check the sidewalls of the tire to find the maximum pressure and the correct inflation rate.
Replace and tighten the valve stem cap on the tire by turning it clockwise. And You are done.
How to Know If My Lawn Mower Tires Are Tubeless?
You can easily tell if your lawn mower tires are tubeless just by checking the sidewall. The type of your tire is clearly printed as “Tubeless.” Besides, some tubeless tires may be labeled “run flat,” such tires have thick and reinforced sidewalls to allow you to continue operating your equipment even if the tire gets punctured. Furthermore, the tires are sometimes marked with a “TT” to show that they are tubeless.
How Durable are Tubeless Tires?
Tubeless tires last longer than the tube type and are more durable because no tube is placed in them. On average, tubeless tires can last 25000 to 30000 kilometres. Besides, they require less maintenance because the chances of puncture are low. Nevertheless, should the tubeless tire get punctured by any pointy object, the tire uses a sealant to maintain the air inside and prevents it from deflating instantly.
Better still; the tire repair procedure is not as complicated as that of a tubed tire. If your wheels have no tube inside, you do not need to remove the entire tire during the repair.
What Are the Advantages of Tubeless Lawn Mower Tires?
Tubeless lawn mower tires come in handy with a lot of advantages over tube tires.
- Resistance To Puncture
Unlike the tube type, tubeless tires are easy to replace. In case of a severe puncture, you need to replace the whole tube for tube tires but that’s not the case for the tubeless ones, since they can easily be repaired.
- Heat Dissipation Rate
Since the air is directly in contact with the metal or alloy rims, tubeless tires have a better heat dissipation rate, unlike their old counterparts.
- Slow Deflation Rate
In case of a puncture, air from tubeless tires seeps at a very low rate thus allowing you to reach the nearby lawn mower repairing facility without replacing the tire.
- Light Weight
Tubeless tires are lightweight and thus provide stable handling of the lawn mower. What’s more, they save on more fuel.
Conclusion:
With most of the lawn mower tire manufacturers producing lawn care equipment with tubeless tires, most homeowners have turned to installing new tubes for tires or replacing the old ones. This is a sure way to cut on some of your lawn care maintenance costs while ensuring that your lawn stays healthy and attractive throughout the mowing season.
Whether you for your mower to go tubeless or install a new tube, either option has its benefits and its flaws. Hopefully, this article helped you get the appropriate knowledge for the best tires for your lawn mower.
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