This post is about tire repairs to snow blowers, however before we get there a few words about maintenance. You should be completing the annual maintenance at the same time. Oil changes and lubricating the auger and impeller, checking the belts and making sure that the tires have sufficient air in them are just a few of the maintenance items to be checked.
Home mechanics should also check the spark plug. Replace it if necessary or clean it up and re-gap it to make sure that it is ready to go at maximum operating efficiency. Finally clean the carburetor bowel and replace any gaskets that are needed. Check your snow blowers maintenance manual for a full set of steps regarding annual maintenance.
During these checkups you may encounter more serious repairs that may be needed. Perhaps you observed something that just was not working right for you during the previous season. Now is the time to get these items repaired and your snow blower ready for the season. We have focused on a common one that may occur as your snow blower gets older.
It is quite common for tires to go flat. Most tires these days are tubeless so you may have to remove the tire and rim and have your tire repaired if you picked up a nail. Most tire repair companies will fix your snow blower tire for a nominal fee. They will pull out the nail, place a plug in the hole, reseal the tire to the rim and blow up the tire to its proper pressure.
Older machines may be more difficult to repair. The tire rim may be rusted onto the axle making it very difficult to remove. This was the situation that I was faced with. No matter what I did I could not get that tire rim off. I thought that I was going to have to take the entire snow blower into a small engine mechanic just to fix the tire.
Before I went to that extreme, I decided to make a visit to our local small engine mechanic to see what suggestions he could make. I have purchased other parts from him and he was more than happy to help me out. He knew I would be purchasing more parts from him in the future. He had an answer for me I would not have thought of.
His answer to removing rusted tire rims was that he would normally apply heat using a propane torch and knock the rim with a hammer to get it moving. I did not really want to pursue this approach and told him so. I said I will bring the snow blower into him to repair. At that point he said there was another simpler solution and less costly to boot.
Basically you remove the rubber tire from the rim. You can do this using several screw drivers and gradually working around the rim until you have one side of the rubber tires side wall over the outside edge of the tire rim. At this point you want to make sure there are no nails or other sharp objects inside the tire. You can totally remove the tire if you want , however it is sufficient to only remove one side. Next remove the tubeless valve from the rim using a pair of pliers.
Once you have checked the tire thoroughly for nails and sharp objects inside the rubber snow blower tire before you place a new snow blower tube inside the tire. You can buy these for $15 or $ 20 , which I did from my friend the small engine mechanic. Place the tube inside the tire and line up the valve stem with the hole in the rim were the tubeless valve originally was.
The next step is tricky, however if you take your time and are careful, you will have no problem. Gradually work the tires sidewall back over the steel rim. Take care not to damage the new tube you have just placed inside the snow blower tire. Once you have the sidewall back over the rim, you need to again check that the valve stem is properly lined up. Make sure it is inserted into the hole in the rim of the tire. Lastly check that there are no twists or kinks in the tube. This is a bit difficult to do since you will have to do this by feeling with the ends of your fingers.
Insert the valve stem properly and that there are no kinks in the tube. Slowly blow up the tube with a small tire pump. You want to add air slowly so any last minute adjustments can be made. They can be done before you damage the new tube you just installed.
As the tire fills with air, the tire side walls will slip on to the outside edges of the steel rim on both sides. You can then pump the tire up to the recommended tire pressure for the tire you are repairing.
For a total cost of $5 to $20, you have been able to repair a flat tire on your snow blower without removing the tire from the snow blower or taking the entire snow blower into a mechanic. What a simple and inexpensive solution to what could have been a difficult and expensive problem!!
For more details about repairs and maintenance you can do yourself, click here.
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Been reading this site for awhile now, always has really good posts and topics please keep it up! loads of blogs are going under lately from lack of new posts etc
You can perform your own permanent tire repair “On the wheel” with the original Safety Seal tubeless tire repair kits also. Safety Seal is a permanent repair for all tubeless tires and offers repair kits for use on small low pressure tires up to large earth moving equipment tires. The repairs have been speed tested up to 150mph and also endurance tested.