Foam Sealant for a [wheelbarrow] Tyre

Poulgorm

Unusual query. I have a can of that sealant stuff - came with the car. But I ordered a space saver tyre with the car, so I don't need the sealant. The sealant is 2 years old, at this stage.

I have got 2 punctures in my wheel barrow in the last 6 months - right pain in the neck. The tyre & tube are 1 year old. My query is this - could I dump the tyre sealant into the tube and be done with wheel barrow punctures for all time?

No smart answers as how the handling of the wheel barrow will be affected. Mods, don't be tempted to move this to the Garden forum - what would those tree huggers know about tyres? !!

dgt

Why have you a tubed tyre????

Tubes are a right bastard to fix on the quick, take it off and put on a patch

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

id be worried if the tyre thread is low and grip in the wet for stopping distance etc.

or the sealant isint a permanent fix, with the possibility of a blow out at high speed causing a fatal accident....

eamonnq

Poulgorm wrote: »

No smart answers as how the handling of the wheel barrow will be affected.

But what about...........ah feck.

vibe666

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

id be worried if the tyre thread is low and grip in the wet for stopping distance etc.

or the sealant isint a permanent fix, with the possibility of a blow out at high speed causing a fatal accident....

pretty sure the chances of him having a high speed accident in his wheelbarrow are minimal.

there's a good chance that i might have missed the hidden carcams in your post due to a lack of smilies.

delly

It should work ok once you can fill the tyre evenly when putting it in. The thickness may degrade over time but hard to say at what rate. When leaving it idle, try not to let the weight sit on the tyre.

Sincerely yours,

Tree Hugger

biko

Poulgorm wrote: »

I have got 2 punctures in my wheel barrow in the last 6 months - right pain in the neck. The tyre & tube are 1 year old. My query is this - could I dump the tyre sealant into the tube and be done with wheel barrow punctures for all time?

My guess - it won't work.
What people think happens is that the gunk fills the tyre and keeps it inflated when in reality it's more like a bit of liquid rubber and when you inflate tyre it flows to the puncture hole and blocks it (radiator fluids work similarly).

Hence spraying it into a working tube inside a wheelbarrow tyre it won't have "anywhere to go". You'll just end up with a mess of gunk inside the tube.



Just go with a "flat free" wheelbarrow tyre from B&Q.

navara man

I think those sealant only work in tubeless tyres

mik_da_man

Just on a related note, how long does that tyre gunk work for?
I put some in about 2 weeks ago... It's still fine but I must get a new tyre..

biko

There is no end date but it's just a "get you home" solution, not a "drive around like normal" solution
Best get that new tyre asap.

biko

Btw OP, what brand is the sealant you got?

Poulgorm

In response to various queries:

I have a tube because that's the way it came.

The sealant is labelled Honda TRK.

Biko, your post was very enlightening. I thought those things were like expanding foam and filled up the tyre or tube.

Now there's a thought - expanding foam. Take out the valve and pump a can of it in. Question is, would it blow the tyre apart if I put too much in.

Maybe I will go with the suggestion from Biko - get a "flat free" from B & Q.

The joys of gardening - as opposed to motoring.

biko

What you could do is "armour" the tyre using a tyre liner inside the tyre.
This will sit between the tyre and the tube adding an extra layer of protection.

Mostly used on bicycles but I'm sure you can find something to fit a wheelbarrow.

Tbh, this is a Gardening issue and other wheelbarrow owners may have the same issues, I'm moving it over from Motors (plz don't keel me)

magicbastarder

Poulgorm wrote: »

Biko, your post was very enlightening. I thought those things were like expanding foam and filled up the tyre or tube.

nope, they're designed to fill existing punctures and inflate the tyre for long enough to get you to somewhere you can get it fixed; they don't prevent future punctures.

monkeynuz

magicbastarder wrote: »

nope, they're designed to fill existing punctures and inflate the tyre for long enough to get you to somewhere you can get it fixed; they don't prevent future punctures.

Depends what sort of tyre foam/latex you buy, I had one some years ago that stay slightly liquid in the tyre so it fills future punctures too, used it on my tractor mower tyre worked great.

All/most wheelbarrow pneumatic tyres come with an inner tube.

M.

blackbox

I've tried this on a tubeless wheelbarrow tyre (repeatedly) and can confirm that it doesn't work.

I eventually bought a tube.

looksee

Thanks biko, I was ready to try that solution to a flat wheelbarrow tyre. However the tyre has been flat for so long that there is now a permanent squashed area on it. Would it be easier to get a new wheel, or where could I get a new tyre put on (I'm a little old granny with feeble hands so I cant do it myself. Some of that sentence is true)

biko

On a motor vehicle it would be dangerous to use it, on a wheelbarrow not so much
You can try putting 30/35 PSI in there and see if it will bring tyre back to normal after a few days.

But at the end of the day, a "flat free" tyre will let you get rid of this messed up tyre and also not having to worry about flats in the future.

You can google reviews for various brands and check with your local Woddies/B&Q.

Poulgorm

Final word: brought the wheel to a tyre place today: the gentleman there pointed out the problem to me. There were a few tiny, sharp little pimples of steel on the inside of the hub - they looked like weld splatters, but I am not sure: the tube had punctured where it was in contact with one of them. He used a small angle grinder and smoothed them out. Then fixed up the tube and I am in business again.

So, if your wheel barrow tyre is prone to punctures, check out the hub: ensure that the area in contact with the tube is completely smooth.

I asked him if I could fit a tubeless tyre: he pointed out that the rim does not suit a tubeless tyre.

Fingers crossed.

monkeynuz

Poulgorm wrote: »

I asked him if I could fit a tubeless tyre: he pointed out that the rim does not suit a tubeless tyre.

Fingers crossed.

Like I said originally most wheelbarrows have tyres and tubes, I have had enough over the years to know.

M.

mister gullible

blackbox wrote: »

I've tried this on a tubeless wheelbarrow tyre (repeatedly) and can confirm that it doesn't work.

I eventually bought a tube.

I have a barrow that is over 20 years old and has a tubeless tyre. Over the last few years I pumped it a couple of times with tyre sealant making sure to spin the tyre vigorously to spread the sealant inside and .. yes.. it has worked very well. I very occasionaly have to pump the tyre with a foot pump.

(I bought the foot pump when I was having a problem with flat feet:)).