Do I need a new rim?

Shmeefer

New User
Thought I posted this once but can't find it...

The rubber valve stem pulled off of the tube on one of the rear wheel of my NAA. Comparing the 2 rear wheels, I see the good side has a metal valve stem and a brass locknut on the rim around the valve stem (as I would expect). The bad one has rusty where the locknut would be, which is probably why the valve stem was rubber. So before I get too far down the road of repairing it, do I need a new rim? The rim still seems good it's just the threaded lock nut area is gone.
 
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Shmeefer,It looks like it could be repaired by welding a big flat washer or metal patch.But that depends what kind of shape the inside is in.It might be cost effective to just replace it.Below is a new one from this site.
New Rim
 
By the looks of your rim, the cancer has been caused by the tires being loaded with calcium chloride. Often these rims can be salvaged depending on how much damage has been done. Many of us have gotten rid of the CA Chl in our tires and opted for a safer substance like Rim Guard (Beet Juice). Check first for that and then remove tire from rim and evaluate the damage. If tires were/are loaded, best to dispose of properly. Your local tire guy can help you with that. Invest in new tubes as well.

Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)
 
You won't be able to evaluate the overall
condition of your rim untill you get the
tire off. I agree with Tim that that hole
shows the evidence of CaCl that has been
leaking for quite a while.
Many times it is worth sandblasting and
repairing a rim. One can often just weld or
braze any holes up and even close the valve
stem hole and make a new one in another
location - depending on what tools and
skills you have of course.
Keep in mind though that you can buy new
rims fairly cheaply. I just looked on
amazon and saw one for ~$150 with shipping
determined by whether you have Prime or
not.
I rehabbed a pair of rims last spring that
were eaten by CaCl. I had them sandblasted
then I brazed up the holes. A couple coats
of primer and paint and they will last a
loong time yet. But these rims are NLA so
they were worth saving. I wouldn't have
spent the time and $ if I could get new
ones for $150.
I think CaCl gets a worse rap than it
deserves. Some guys complain cause they
only got 70 years out of a set of rims
because of the stuff. The rim in the photo
is 50 years old and was still saveable.
A bit of unsolicited advice about ballast
here. A tractor can Not put its full
horsepower to the ground without added
ballast. That is not an issue if you have a
trailer queen but is important if you work
the tractor.
Also, adding ballast makes for a more
stable platform if you work the tractor on
anything but flat land.
Personally, I would not be without fluid in
my tires or cast iron weights - or both -
for all the good it does.
For that reason I had these tires refilled
with CaCl that I had pumped out of some
other tires.
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I am unable to follow exactly what you are asking, but it appears that you are asking if the tire had to have a rubber stemmed tube due to rust. Well, that would not be the case. I expect that the only reason that it got a rubber one is because the person doing the job didn't want to chase down a correct tube. The hole does not look so large that the "threaded lock nut area" is gone. I don't know what "threaded lock nut area" means to you. As already said, you need to get it broken down to tell for sure about how bad the rust is, but why not just measure and compare the size of the holes. CaCl has actually never ruined a rim. It takes a lot of aggressive continual effort to cause a rim to rust out. CaCL needs oxygen in order to oxidize steel, so you have to add air repeatedly for months and months in order to get the rim seriously rusted. CaCl has for years been put in tubeless tires. I broke a tire down a few years ago that had CaCl put in the tubeless tires by the dealer when new. The steel was a little discolored but there was no visible deterioration.
 
As others have said, you won't know the extent of damage until
you get the tire off, but from external appearance, it might be
fixable. I've fixed quite a few of them, especially the old hat rims.
That is a 6 loop rim, not original to a NAA, so don't worry
about saving it for originality. If replacing it with like quality is
cheaper and easier than fixing it, I would go that route.
 
Calcium Chloride was used as ballast for the N-Series tractors. It is very corrosive but will work fine in your tires. The problem arises when the tire gets punctured and the tube also gets punctured. That and when the valve stem fails is when leaking occurs. Often that gets undetected for months, even years, until oxidation (rust) begins to appear on the surface at first. I use the HD brass valve stems on all my tractors. there are valve stem guards offered now by Red Rock Manufacturing, Pella, Iowa. I have not found a need to add them and don't know how effective they really are anyway. If one was doing a lot of work in thorny or unknown fields that may have hidden obstructions like old car parts that can puncture your tire, I'd consider using them. Meanwhile, PM is the ticket. Watch your shop floor for signs of leaking fluid and if spotted, may need to remove and inspect tires for damage. Do this regardless of what you use for ballast.


Tim *PloughNman* Daley(MI)
 

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