Rusted out tractor wheel.

[oz in SC V2.0]

One of the rear tires on the tractor went flat and while up at the land today tried to inflate it.

Got it partially inflated but then noticed it bubbling around the valve stem and of course HAD to mess with it....it then promptly leaked worse to the point where the liquid was spraying out.

So it appear at least one of the rear wheels is in dire need of repair or replacing.

Is it possible to weld it or should I look for a replacement?
Any other ideas?

This is a Massey Ferguson M50 industrial model and of course I didn't get the particulars of the wheel size...and we are now back in SC.

I DO wonder about the logic of the previous owner putting new tires on rusted out wheels.

[woodsy]

Had this happen on my JD M. Tire let go from age and rim rusted too.
Got the tire off and took it to the local tire place where they work big (skidder)and small tires.
Guy said he knew a welder who could cut out the bad section and weld in some new steel.
24" rim, cost about 80.00 for the welding, more than expected but saved me from trying to find a used one. Has held up well and is loaded.
Got a cutting torch and a welder or a friend with one?

[agmantoo]

Have a patch welded into the old valve stem hole. Find a good place with no rust and drill a new hole for the valve stem.

[oz in SC V2.0]

Thanks, that is certainly better than trying to find a wheel for a 40+ year old tractor.

[Rocky Fields]

Hey.

If it is rotted around the valve stem (common), have a guy weld a fender washer where the hole for the valve is in the rim. The liquid eats the rim over time...with the liquid drained and an inner tube in place there would no worry about rust holes anymore! Use rear wheel weights. A new 38" inner tube cost about $56 a couple years ago!

RF

[haypoint]

To explain why someone would put new tires on a rusted rim.
Since a small inner tube leak will cause a lot of corrosion when the tire is filled with cloride, I'm guessing the rim wasn't too bad when the new tires went on.

If you don't need the extra weight, I'd see about just filling the tires with air. There are other liquid substitutes for cloride that aren't so corrosive.

My data shows the rear tire on a Massey Ferguson 50 as a 12.4 x 28

The rusty insides of a rim are bad for inner tubes. Check with your farm tire dealer for their reccomended cure. Sometimes, just sand blasting and thick paint will help protect the tube. May have to put in a rubber liner between the rim and tube.

[fordson major]

new rims arn't a problem! place we deal with needs a dealer login for web access (we have the paperback version) but these guys have rims for a lot of tractors! (tires as well!)
http://www.millertire.com/wheel_catalog.asp?class=94

[MushCreek]

I'll second Miller, or you can look on ebay- there's lots of old tractor parts on the bay. Just be sure what you're buying is better than what you already have!

[HermitJohn]

Generic rims where you have to fabricate your own mounts are pretty cheap comparatively. Those with bolt on loops are only little more expensive. Talking around $150 each range depending on size.

However if you have power rims where they adjust in and out on tractor, look out, new ones will cost you an arm and a leg and probably several internal organs. We are talking several hundred dollars each. Most tractors dont need power rims so you can go buy non power rim centers from tractor junk yard or perhaps weld up some brackets yourself to attach non-power rim to power rim center wheel.

A good welder can do wonders, but unless he's an old buddy, this isnt going to be cheap either if extensive repairs are needed. Welding in a small patch for rusted valve stem hole is one thing, anybody with a mig welder can do that pretty easy, but shaping and welding in large sections of rim is another thing. After any repairs, might clean inside of rim pretty good, then apply some rust converter couple times, then prime and paint it. This is just perfect environment for rust to get started and once rust exists, its will return with a vengence much quicker next time.

[Beeman]

Buy 2 wheels and be done with it. This is common on older tractors and replacement wheels should be easy to come by. If it's 40yo and rusted at the valve stem hole how good do you think the rest of the wheel is? It's usually caused by the solution they used to use to fill the tires with liquid for weight.