Air the tires on Ford 4000

ml_work

Member
I have been putting air in tires since my first bicycle over 55 years ago. So I think I would know how to do this but having a hard time. Maybe this should be 2 separate post as it is actually 2 questions but will hesitate to even ask "how to put air in a tire"

Had the tractor about 5 years now and thought I had added air to all tires at some point but cannot say for sure. I had a new tube installed in one of the front tires last year since it kept going downing. The tire shop cleaned the rust best they could but that was the problem with it and will get a new rim at some time. My problem now is the back tires.

Issue with one of them is it will Not take air. I have a 100 lb air tank and filled to 90 the other day. When I connect to the valve stem nothing happens, air will not go in. I purchased a new air gauge, $5.00 not high end but better than the one I had free from the parts store. When I check with it, nothing, it does not move. I have a picture of the stem, thought maybe the ring was some type of open / close for the stem but the other side has one just like it and will take air. I thought I need to remove the valve from the stem and replace it? But if I do the tire will go completely flat ( I would think) and do not know if my portable air tank will fill it from flat on the ground with the weight of the tractor on it. Thinking maybe I should put blocks under the axel to keep it from going down to the ground?
The other back tire will take air but still does not show any on the gauge. The air tank went from 90 to 60, so that is 30 pounds in that tire, plus what was in there already. Check with the air gauge and it does not move it. Tire show do not inflate over 35 psi. I worry if I keep adding air it may pop ?
I took the air gauge to my car just for a test and it popped out to 32 just as it should.
Last time I used the tractor the back tire that will not take air looked and felt so low I stopped working on our road and parked it.
Any suggestions
Thanks
mvphoto52798.jpg
 
Try taking the valve out of the valve stem and see if air comes out, if
not try putting a pick in it and maybe move whatever is blocking it out
of the way. And depending on how big your air compressor is, just
because your compressor gauge went down 30 psi does not mean
there is 30 psi in the tire. The tire is larger and has more volume so
30 psi from the compressor could be maybe 5 psi in the tire. Pump
up the rear tires to around 18 psi and they should be good.
 
Looks like the rears may have CaCl liquid in them. If so you shouldn't try to add air with the wheel rotated so that the valve stem is at the bottom. Only try to measure the pressure and air them up when the wheel is rotated so that the valve stem is at the top in the 12:000 position.
 
Probably corroded inside and blocked. You may not be able to get the core out without damage. The ring is a nut that just keeps the stem in place. The knurled section below the cap will unscrew with a little luck. Replace them. I usually (if I remember) take the cores out once in a while and put a dab of anti-seize on.
 
Judging from the rust, I suspect your tire has calcium chloride ballast in it. It should have an "air-liquid" valve like <a href="https://www.millertire.com/products/tire-supplies/valve-stems/tvch1-tractor-tube-valve-core-old-style/">this</a> or <a href="https://www.millertire.com/products/tire-supplies/valve-stems/tvch3-tractor-tube-valve-core-new-style/">this</a> screwed in or over the tube's valve stem. I think you have the former "old style" valve. I'm guessing the chloride solution has corroded the valve to the point where it won't open. If that's the case, you just need to replace the valves.

To replace the valve, the first thing you need to do is to position the valve stem so it's at the top of the wheel. That way only air should come out when you remove the valve. Unscrew the valve using a Vise Grip on the knurled section. You don't want to let the valve stem turn, so grab the lock nut with pliers. (The lock nut looks to be plastic, so be careful.) If you hear air escaping from the valve stem, stop and wait for the tire to deflate, then finish removing the valve. Replace it with a new valve and you'll be good to go.

When checking your tire pressure or adding air to a ballasted tire, always turn the valve stem to twelve o'clock to prevent ballast liquid from escaping. It can ruin your tire gauge, by the way.
 


It sounds like you have calcium Chloride in them. Verifying it could lead to loosing a lot of it and not being able to get air to go in and stay in. If you want to give it a try, first as has been said block it up one side at a time. rotate the stem to the top, then as Mike said try very carefully to get the knurled section off. Two small pairs of pliers. Use just under enough force to get the outer part to turn but not enough to distort it. If you get it to turn, continue to be gentle, even spray some loosener on the threads. If you get it apart but ruin the threads you are still looking at tube replacement.
 
As noted by the others, your tires are probably loaded with Calcium Chloride -very cancerous to ferrous material. Once the tubes start to leak the first signs of oxidation (rust)are around the valve stem but by then the damage has been going on for a while. The Ford tires should have tubes. Do yours? If so, place valve stem at bottom of wheel. Depress stem pin to see if any liquid comes out. Yes? Tires are loaded. Rotate wheel so valve stem is at the top 12 O'Clock position. Check air pressure there and top off with compressor if low.


Tim Daley(MI)
 
Thanks to Everyone for your quick, detailed replies.
I will not try to address each by name, but explain what I think everyone is saying. My air tank is not a compressor, it is portable tank that I take to town to fill. But I will try to add more to the tire that is taking air. To test the one that will not take air I will have to borrow a jack to get it up and turn the tire. I used my small truck jack last year with I removed one of the front tires but do not think it would lift the rear. This being south Alabama I would not think the tires had anything in the to keep from freezing but really do not know any history of this tractor so it may have been from up north. Unless the calcium chloride is for something else and just standard for tractor tires. I looked at the links for the stems, I don't think they look like mine. If the tire has a tube in it , would it have the CC in a tube?
I am not clear about a stem over a tube stem .. I think maybe try to remove the value from the stem at the 12 setting. If this does not help I will then try to remove the stem. My understanding is hold the lock ring, do not loosen it, just hold it and try to loosen / start to take out the stem .. is this correct?
 
> My air tank is not a compressor, it is portable tank that I take to town to fill.

You might want to buy a 12V portable compressor. They don't cost much. A cheap "bottle" jack or floor jack is also a handy thing to have.

> To test the one that will not take air I will have to borrow a jack to get it up and turn the tire.

Well, you don't absolutely have to unload the tire. Just drive until the valve stem is at the top of the tire. But if you remove the air/liquid valve and it's very full of ballast, you're likely to lose some ballast. Tires are typically filled with ballast to around 75 percent.

> This being south Alabama I would not think the tires had anything in the to keep from freezing but really do not know any history of this tractor so it may have been from up north.

Even in the south calcium chloride may have been added for weight. Or you could have straight water ballast. Or no ballast at all. But it's best to assume the tires are ballasted with CaCl until you've proven otherwise. (In other words, move the tractor someplace you won't mind if it kills the grass before you start messing with valve stems.)

> I looked at the links for the stems, I don't think they look like mine.

I'm pretty sure you have an air/liquid valve, although I'm not sure which style it is. They are pretty much standard on tractor tubes, even if the tube isn't ballasted. It's hard to see where the valve stem ends and the air/liquid valve starts because they've been painted, but you can see a line above the lock ring threads and below the knurled part.

> If the tire has a tube in it , would it have the CC in a tube?

Although tubeless tires may be ballasted, I'm quite certain you have a tube. And I'd be willing to bet money it's ballasted with CaCl.

> I am not clear about a stem over a tube stem .. I think maybe try to remove the value from the stem at the 12 setting. If this does not help I will then try to remove the stem. My understanding is hold the lock ring, do not loosen it, just hold it and try to loosen / start to take out the stem .. is this correct?

OK, what you have is a valve stem attached to the tube that is much larger than a regular automotive valve stem. So it can't take a standard Schraeder valve core. It has to have an air/liquid valve, which has a Schraeder valve (of sorts) inside it. It shouldn't be too difficult to remove and replace the air/liquid valve, but you do need to be careful. If you twist the valve stem you can tear it loose from the tube and then you'll have a Big Problem. So you need to hold the valve stem from turning while unscrewing the air/liquid valve. I suggested grabbing the lock ring so you don't bugger the stem threads, but if the air/liquid valve is stuck hard you may have to grab the threads anyway since the lock ring is pretty fragile.

Good luck, and let us know what you find.
 


ml, Mark has given you good detailed instructions. Let me elaborate on one point. It is impossible to tell for sure from your pic that the valve stem is a two part, that is why I described a gentle procedure to try to get it apart. The plastic rings get brittle with age, and it will break easily, so you need to put both pairs of pliers on the stem itself.
 

Don't know that I've ever seen a rear tractor tube that didn't have have the two piece valve stems.
All 8 of mine have this style.

mvphoto52900.jpg


Even with 75% ballast it would take 2-3 of those portable air tanks to get enough air volume in your rear tire to show 5-10 psi pressure on a gauge.
Always rotate the valve stem to the top before checking air pressure, liquid ballast will trash a gauge.
Get yourself a small bottle jack to lift the rear tire off the ground before removing the valve core, always assume the tire is loaded with something until you know for sure.
Get yourself one of those small portable air compressors that plugs into a cigarette lighter outlet, their slow but they will air up a rear tractor tire and will save you several trips to refill that portable tank, they run faster if you have the engine running on the vehicle it's plugged into, also you need a tire pressure gauge that reads lower pressure, mine shows max psi of 50 psi, rear tractor tires don't have more than 25 psi and many only run 13-18 psi, the standard 100+ psi pressure gauge isn't very accurate at those low pressures.
Most tire shops that deal with tractor tire will carry those outer valve stems, I keep a spare at my shop.
 
Did you happen notice that image (I'm guessing from Miller Tire) is reversed? It looks like it has left-hand threads and the "SE" is mirrored.
 
First off I want to apologize for such a long delay to reply to all of your replies and to Mark B for taking the time to answer in such detail. I post here when I have a problem and then do not get back to work on the tractor and then do not reply, which I feel is rude to all of you.

I got a jack and core to put in the tire this past weekend. On Friday I was talking to a new employee at my work and they use to work at a tire shop. Told me some of what you all have said about tractor tires and pressure (they said 4 psi was ok for tractor) but did say if it was not too bulged out it should not hurt to use as it. So Saturday I thought I would give it a try, after jumping the tractor off and pulling up the tire just did not look right. I thought of a neighbor that drives 18 wheel rigs and drive the tractor to his house. He did not think it was too low but added air with his compressor. When it came up some we checked with his gauge that measure low pressure too. It show 9 lb and the other tire had the same. I used it that day and it seemed OK. So I guess my portable air tank did not have enough pressure to put air in the tire ? but do not understand why nothing came out when I pressed the stem ...
I will keep the core that I purchase and install it someday but it seems to be good for now.
 
(quoted from post at 19:59:06 06/22/20) First off I want to apologize for such a long delay to reply to all of your replies...

No apology is necessary. It's always good to hear back and learn what the solution was.

I got a jack and core to put in the tire this past weekend. On Friday I was talking to a new employee at my work and they use to work at a tire shop. Told me some of what you all have said about tractor tires and pressure (they said 4 psi was ok for tractor) but did say if it was not too bulged out it should not hurt to use as it.

4 psi would take most of the bulge out, but is not enough for the tires on your tractor. Plus most tire gauges aren't accurate at low pressure. I'd go with 15-20 psi.

So Saturday I thought I would give it a try, after jumping the tractor off and pulling up the tire just did not look right. I thought of a neighbor that drives 18 wheel rigs and drive the tractor to his house. He did not think it was too low but added air with his compressor. When it came up some we checked with his gauge that measure low pressure too. It show 9 lb and the other tire had the same. I used it that day and it seemed OK. So I guess my portable air tank did not have enough pressure to put air in the tire ? but do not understand why nothing came out when I pressed the stem ...

If the tire is lightly ballasted or has no ballast at all, adding air from a portable tank isn't going to raise the tire's air pressure significantly. You must have some ballast in the tire, which is why the tire didn't appear to be completely flat, even though it didn't have much air in it. Also, valve cores tend to get stuck and it can take a fair amount of pressure to dislodge them, and I'll bet your neighbor's compressor has plenty of pressure.
 
(quoted from post at 19:59:06 06/22/20) First off I want to apologize for such a long delay to reply to all of your replies and to Mark B for taking the time to answer in such detail. I post here when I have a problem and then do not get back to work on the tractor and then do not reply, which I feel is rude to all of you.

I got a jack and core to put in the tire this past weekend. On Friday I was talking to a new employee at my work and they use to work at a tire shop. Told me some of what you all have said about tractor tires and pressure (they said 4 psi was ok for tractor) but did say if it was not too bulged out it should not hurt to use as it. So Saturday I thought I would give it a try, after jumping the tractor off and pulling up the tire just did not look right. I thought of a neighbor that drives 18 wheel rigs and drive the tractor to his house. He did not think it was too low but added air with his compressor. When it came up some we checked with his gauge that measure low pressure too. It show 9 lb and the other tire had the same. I used it that day and it seemed OK. So I guess my portable air tank did not have enough pressure to put air in the tire ? but do not understand why nothing came out when I pressed the stem ...
I will keep the core that I purchase and install it someday but it seems to be good for now.


mlwork, I doubt that you have the core that you need. If you describe it it will be easy for anyone here to tell you if it is or not.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top