I purchased a used skidsteer and one rim is in tough shape. It has rusted pretty badly around the valve stem. Since this is a really low speed machine, I thought I would grind the area clean and weld patches over the holes, then drill a new hole for the valve stem, and use a tube in the tire. Anyone see a problem with this???
Thanks
Grind your welds smooth, maybe using a paddle with a finer grit. And keep it under 60 mph. I would do it in a minute.
Steve
OK, I'll bite. What's a skidsteer? And what's it used for? I probably should know this, as I'm a farmkid from Kansas... but never heard that word before.... Steve
Farm kid from Kansas might know about a Bobcat (not the welder) or a Owatonna. 4 wheeled work vehicle, usually with a bucket. The steering comes from hydrostatic drives which can turn the right hand wheels opposite of the left hand wheels, thus the wheels do not turn, they skid. A poor man's dozer, loader, backhoe, power broom, trencher, etc.. Quite common on construction sites, especially concrete crews.
Here's a picture of one:
It has
really low
use a
Had to rent one to scrape out 2000 square feet of Bermuda grass around the house to qualify for a water district refund. I went to the rental place expecting one of the old white Bobcats with the levers and foot pedals. They had the new Caterpillar with joysticks.
I had fun. A little jerkier than with the levers, but fun nonetheless. Maybe I just didn't have enough time to learn it in 1 1/2 days.
Steve
snipped-for-privacy@bpla.com (Bruce) spluttered in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:
Punch a new valve stem hole somewhere else and plate over the old hole. Might be a little less work.
Bruce wrote in article ...
Most of the problems and danger I have observed in the repair and use of repaired wheels comes upon inflation of the tire.
Welded/repaired beads often break sending shrapnel all over and sometimes through the person who is inflating.
NEVER stand in front of ANY tire/wheel - repaired or brand new - while inflating. Stand to the side, exposing only your hand should the wheel explode.
I do not know what sort of tire pressure you will be subjecting these wheels to, but consider the repair to be much the same as repairing a hole in an air compressor storage tank.
Would you have no qualms whatsoever patching a rust hole in a compressed air storage tank? Or would you consider the possibility that the rust has weakened the tank in other areas also?
If you don't consider yourself expert enough to repair a compressed air storage tank, then you should not consider yourself good enough to repair a wheel - which, in and of itself, IS a storage container for high pressure compressed air.
It really has to be THAT good!
Bob Paulin - R.A.C.E. Chassis Analysis Services
There is an outfit selling aftermarket Bobcat rims on ebay at a pretty good price. Should come up on a completed items bobcat search.
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