If you have a riding lawn mower, its quite possible that you will eventually end up with a flat tire. This can be caused by several things. You may run over something and puncture a tire, the tire may develop cracks due to age, or it might just wear out after years of use. Whatever the cause, a flat tire on your mower when you need it is a bit of an inconvenience. Thankfully its a problem you can solve yourself at home.

Many times a small puncture can be repaired by using a rubber tire plug. These can be purchased at an auto parts store. They are inexpensive and for punctures, they work great. The tire on my mower however, is quite old and dry rotted. I have used several rubber plugs to try and patch it up but it still goes flat very quickly. This tire is ready to be replaced.

One question that I have heard several times is, “Why don’t you just put a tube in the old tire?” This is certainly an option and would take care of the problem for a while. The tube will hold air, but it doesn’t fix the old tire. The tire is still dry rotted though and not as durable as a new one. To install the tube, you still have to break at least one bead of the tire loose anyway, so you may as well break both beads and replace the tire. These particular tires are cheap. All of the tubes that I’ve been able to find locally are at least half the price of a new tire so I feel its better to spend just a little more money and have a brand new tire. The new tire will last many, many years (in most cases) and I feel its a good choice.

With some tire irons and soapy water, you can change your own tire. I use clamps to break the bead loose then the irons to remove and install the tires. Its not too technical but does require a fair amount of patience. You can do it though. Check out my process in the video below.

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