A fix for tires that go flat

My favorite fix for constant tire issues is buying quality tires. There are a LOT of cases, especially in NHS (non-highway service) applications, where the OEM tire is the lowest acceptable quality to get the job done. Ever notice that you run over all kinds of crap with your tractor, your car, your pickup, your semi, etc. and you don't have nearly the same amount of trouble as you do with your @#$%^& lawn mower? Replacing cheap single or even 2-ply turf tires with 4-ply versions (if available) can go a LONG ways in easing the frustration.

Tubes are asking for trouble in low-pressure NHS drive tires. As noted in other posts above, these tires normally shift position on the rim and this stresses the valve stem area of the tube. Often, the stem tears out or if you're lucky, just pulls back inside the rim. Also, the stem is often a poor fit at the access hole in the wheel, so it's a matter of WHEN, not IF, dirt and moisture gets in there to abrade the tube/wheel and encourage rust that much faster. Keep in mind that if the tire isn't resilient enough to fend off minor punctures, neither is the tube. So if new punctures are a common frustration, tubes are likely to just add to your trouble. (See first paragraph for recommended fix. )

Now that I've tied myself to the stake, and before y'all light the kindling - hear me out. Tubes are a good solution for low-value, light duty applications. Your wheel-barrow tire, hand-trucks, indoor equipment, maybe the fronts on a 2WD tractor only used occasionally. But for applications where time = money, and the equipment must be reliable, I can't recommend tubes in the majority of cases. Tire dry rotted? Your only prolonging the inevitable. Damaged? C'mon...., Wheel/bead leaks? If it's bad enough to let air out with a good tire mounted, it's bad enough to let water/dirt (sand) IN when there's no internal pressure keeping it out.

On high-torque drives - ZTR's, Ag tractors, etc. - There are many "permanent" sealants that work well for minor to moderate tread punctures. Slime is technically temporary (5 years IIRC?) but it will depend on how long it takes you to wear out the tire when determining if it's right for you. When loading larger tires, it was pretty common to load the tire with ballast and top it off with a sealant to prevent the sudden loss of ballast from losing pressure. (Which happens faster on a liquid filled tire.)

EDIT: TL|DR Tires can be shot with 95% of the tread left on them.

 

Have you sprayed soapy water on the troublesome tire? Find out for sure where it's leaking from. Tread? Sidewall? Rim/Bead? Valve Stem? What kind of tire does the Gator have? Some of them are thin (like the turf tires on the 6x4 and 4x2 gators) and they are super low-pressure (5-10 psi). Over-inflating them makes them even MORE susceptible to punctures too. (Same thing is true for most ATV tires.)

Again with the soapy water. For the fronts, I really like the flat-free foam tires. Expensive up front, but there is no better solution. If they are old and dry-rotted, I'd get new ones, as they aren't usually expensive. Pre-treat them with a sealant.

All of this ranting and rambling to say - Don't go throwing good money after bad (tires).