So decided to remove the wheel, take off the tire and fix the tube and rim and get it back going again. Started on Friday.
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| Flat tire on the Super C. Note the shadow of the repairman. Super C Farmalls were made from 1951-54. Dad bought his first one in 51, and later a this one used from his brother Lloyd. The first one was used for parts and then the hulk sold to the neighbor Stewie. |
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| It's only flat on the bottom |
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| Sprayed penetrating oil on the 6 bolts holding the rim to the wheel to remove the tire and rim first. After letting the oil penetrate for 5 hours, a socket and a long pipe broke the nuts loose from the bolts and they came out fine for having been on 30 years or more. |
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| The rim has rusted near the valve stem. |
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| The tire has rusted to the rim and "breaking the bead" is very difficult. Driving another tractor onto the tire sometimes will break the bead--but not this one. |
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| Chaining a handyman jack (very heavy bumper jack type) to use the jacking power to break the bead is successful. Once the bead is broken on one spot, you move the jack to the other side and break it there and then it all comes loose easily. Then you turn the tire/rim over and do it for side B. |
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| After breaking the bead, you reach in and unstick the tube from the rim (usually rusted fast) and pull it out, then taking two wrecking bars, pry the tire off the rim. Stick one in and pry a starting place and push it down to stay, then take the other next to the gap and with a 3 lb hammer, pound it around the rim prying the tire off as it goes. Not too bad if you have some arm strength. |
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| The tube is out--need to clean the rust off and patch it and make sure it is reusable. Tubes for tractor tires of this 11.2x36 are somewhat rare and cost about $60 plus shipping. |
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| The rim has rusted out in one spot and is covered with rust and scale. A new rim is close to $300 with shipping, so you patch it if you can. I will hammer the whole rim to knock loose the scale, then wire brush it and then either find someone to weld a patch on or maybe try fiberglass and bondo auto body repair. It needs to be smooth and strong enough to hold the tube in and protect it from punctures. The valve stem hole is rusted out too (can you pick it out in the photo?) so I will drill a new one where the metal is strong. Rusting is usually by the valve stem hole. |
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| Hammering with the wedged end of the blacksmith's hammer will knock loose most of the scale. Then the brushing and patching and painting with some heavy duty rust inhibitor and it should, as my father liked to say when he got to his 70's "do me out." Of course, since he lived to be 89, and mom another 10 years after that, some fixes, like the Certainteed bad shingle new roof, didn't do them out. This week will be rim work and maybe in a few days, depending on my ambition, the Super C will again be in super shape. |