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Vanishing into very thin air


TBOLT

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Why does a tire go slack or flat on something that has been parked for a while and never seems to when you're driving or using it? Where does the air go? O.K. go ahead and call me crazy, just wanted to see everyones reply/opinion
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  • Leroy

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If it's tubeless, more then likely around the rim. Take tire off, add more air then it needs by 5 lbs of so, lay tire flat and brush on a soapy solution around rim bead for air bubbles.
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The air filler stem is a primary air loss location if no nail rose bush barb or bead leak is found. A modifed BLT approach would be to take the tire off fill it with air and dunk in a pan of water. hold it under till you see the bubbles. flip it over and try it again. bead leaks require the removal of the tire wire brushing of the surface and maybe even repainting or replaceing the rim. The rubber has to have a sealing surface. Leroy
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Art, I can't relate. I've never had this problem, but maybe it's because I change the air in my tires at the 25 hour (or seasonal) engine service interval, so that it doesn't get stale and go flat like a carbonated drink... ;)
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And here I thought it would up with all the socks that seem to escape from the drier, leaving their counterpart behind.....
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When I bought my $150.00 717 for the dozer blade a while back, the guy I bought it from told me unless I put a piece of wood with a scrap of carpet under the right front tire it would go flat in a week. I got a good chuckle out of that one. He found no amusement in my comment and told me he was serious. A week later, the tire was flat. I did what he told me to do, inflated, and it's been full since. Inserted foot in mouth. I'm now aquiring a tase for Griffin shoe polish.
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Don't understand the wood and carpet thing but I wouldn't need any socks for two or three years if I could find where the drier hid them.
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It just amazes me that you can drive a vehicle every day, hardly ever, if ever ,add air to the tires but park it a couple months and get a flat tire. Oh Well
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Greg, I don't understand the wood and carpet either. Maybe it is like garlic for keeping away vampires. Kirk, could it be the evil cousin to the sock monster that lives in our clothes driers and eats one sock?
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I know the sock monster, personally. I had a business repairing appliances. The dryer drum seals front and back together with the drum supports cause the sock monster to show up. one more possibility is over loading a top loader washing machine can bring up the sock and bib monster too. But the sock will not be lost for long, if it is the washer, It will be found clogging the waste water exit. Water on the floor is not always a leak. But hey it works to get new appliances many times, and new socks. Leroy
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The reason the air doesn't leak when you are using the tractor is because as the tire rotates, centrifugal force throws all the air to the outside, compressing it. The compressed air has a higher static pressure than when you filled the tires and is why you should always check tire pressure with cold tires, otherwise, you stand a chance of a major explosion as the tires rotate and compress the air. Since the air is at the outter most portion of the tire as it rotates, it is farthest away from the two main leak points, the bead and the valve stem. :o) Ok, so its not as good as Art's, but I tried!
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Thanks John, very good answer. Dave, if the 125lbs. per tire at the pull works for addl. weight, run about 15 lbs. per tire in your truck to get there and possibly save a few bucks on gas. Sock monster? that explains all the odd socks in my sock drawer.I thought my wife was throwing them away to keep from folding them.
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Not sure about the "white" John, but something's certainly getting deep in here, and I don't think it's snow.... BTW, welcome to the club!
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Whew, walking when it's this deep can sure wear a guy out. Seriously, look for a bright green can of Slime. They sell it at ATV shops as a tire sealant. I use it in the 4 wheelers, tractor, kids bike etc and it great stuff. It's water soluble so there's no sticky residue like after using that compressed fix a flat stuff. Just don't use it in anything high speed, it will throw your tires out of balance. The last time I had to replace a tire on a 4 wheeler, there were marble sized clumps of cactus needles in the tire that had worked their way through yet the tire never did go flat.
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This should be a summer time post, when the hip boots are handy. Good to see some humor in our serious tractorin lives...MPH
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The reason tires do not go flat when you use them is because they are self-inflating. When the tire rotates (With down pressure on it.) there is always a diference in the outside curve from one spot to another, and that make microscopic cavities change size and pump air into the tire.:D

Lawrence
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Larry, that is a very good explanation. I think, it will certainly put to rest, the old wive's tale, that rubber eating, concrete dwelling, cold climate, termites will damage a tire, that is left sitting.
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The explanation is very simple. The flat particles disperse uniformly while you are driving the tractor, but sink to the bottom after it sits awhile.
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Ive been tempted to post on this for two days now but i havent just for the simple fact i want to see what you guys will come up with next..too funny..this is part of what makes this Site great... Marc..
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Rod, Do you think adding Stabil to your tires would keep the flat particles from separating and floating down when the tractor sits for a while? Seems to work for another type of gas...
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