Reinforce Old Pneumatic Garden Tires

It happens every time. I go to my back yard to get my hose reel/ garden cart and there it is; One, maybe two flat pneumatic tires. Well, no more! I tried this simple, yet effective, method to prolong the use of these awful tires.

Step 1: What You Need...

• Expanding foam insulation (i.e. Great Stuff)
• Drill
• 3/16" drill bit (may vary depending on straw size)
• Rags
• Razor

Step 2: Drill Your Holes in the Tire

Drill at least four holes equal distance in the side wall of the tire using a 3/16" drill bit. A 3/16" hole was a perfect, snug fit for the straw on the can of insulation. Use a different size if necessary as to not leave a gap around the straw when filling.

Also, check your valve stems. Mine were dry and cracked so removing the caps or any stem was pointless.

Step 3: Prepare and Apply the Foam Insulation

Follow the directions on the can to prepare your foam (i.e. shaking for 60 seconds, optimal temperature for application).

Then insert the straw into one of your drilled holes.

Slowly start applying the foam.

Occasionally turn the tire to help the expansion.

After a few seconds change to the next hole.

Repeat until you have applied the foam thoroughly.

Step 4: Repeat

Repeat the process for each remaining tire.

Then allow the foam to settle and cure.

Step 5: Remove Excess Foam

After the foam has hardened and cured, use your razor to CAREFULLY remove the excess foam protruding from the tire.

Step 6: All Done!

Now you won't have to worry about those low pressure, typically low quality garden tires being flat every time your need to use your garden cart.

Comments

[mr.incredible]

Great Stuff foam makes different types for different jobs. I haven't looked but maybe there is one that will resist crushing better. They do make firewall rated maybe that.

[jeanniel1]

Ha ha! Great solution! I'm going to try it on my dolly that always limps because ONE tire is always low and the valve is VERY hard to reach!

[Jmac789]

Cool! Just make sure not to get any of the foam on anything you like, it's no fun to clean. Hope it works well!

[jeanniel1]

Ha ha - yeah, like myself!

[mr.incredible]

Nice job. I thought about doing this on my old POS lawn mower. It should work well for your use. I think the main thing to worry about would be weight. The Great Stuff foam will crush and not recover. To do in on anything that bears weight you would need some sort of polyurethane foam. Also I would lay the wheel on its side so that you get an even distribution rotationally. If you do it while it is standing up you would need to drill a hole on the top to allow all the air to escape and fill it to the top.

[Jmac789]

Thanks! Yea, I'm hoping this isn't enough weight to crush the foam quickly.

[Swansong]

That's a neat way to fix it :) How long will the foam last until it breaks down?

[Jmac789]

I'm not really sure. I know that the foam, fully exposed to UV, air, and weather will breakdown in a year or two. But since this is mostly enclosed it changes the variables up a bit. Thanks for the question, I'll have to follow up. (It might take a while, lol)