How To Keep Wheel Rim From Bending

How To Keep Wheel Rim From Bending TIRES/WHEELS Miscellaneous 33-1-36 Chad Travis, Drasco, Ark.: "A common problem with front tractor wheel rims is that the lips can get bent, allowing dirt to get under the bead. I use my tractor in the woods to pull logs and also to run a homemade rock picker. So it gets used hard. "To keep the rim from bending, I take the tire off the rim and then weld a 3/8-in. metal rod inside the lip. I weld one end in place and then bend and hammer on it as needed to fit it into place around the rim, welding as I go. This works well and can be done on most all sizes of wheels. I use a piece of string to measure how long a rod is needed. "I had a problem with tubeless tires leaking at the bead. I solved the problem by applyng bin sealer - normally used to seal feed bins where the metal sections overlap - on the bead before inflating the tire. The sealer squeezes out when inflating the tire, so any excess material can be peeled off with a putty knife and reused. I've used this method several times with good results."

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