spare tire on the RTV

herman48

Active member
How many of you carry a spare tire on your RTV? I don't, but I carry a can of tire fixer and an inflator. Should I carry a spare and a jack?
 

Kanook

Active member
My 04 RTV still has its original tires...mind you it only has around 290 hours on it...(think BORDERCOLLIE does that in a week). I have never had a flat and rarely need to add air.That being said Isuppose my usage is not a good example. Suppose if you venture far from home base and encounter sticks and stones that damage sidewalls a spare might be a good idea. I have had excellent results with 'SLIME' on tire leaks. About 5 or so years ago my JD F525 mower had a dryrot crack in the side wall that leaked so badly that it could not be inflated as the air leaked out as fast as the compressor could pump it in. A new tire was definitely in order but I had some SLIME on hand and decided to give it a try....That tire is still on the mower and still holds air.
 

bordercollie

Gold Site Supporter
Gold Site Supporter
I agree with Kanook. Since 2005, I have only had 2 bad flats and was because I ran over a stob as big as my foot in one case and the other was because of tire degrading and coming apart internally. The Slime is some good stuff , Kanook is right. If you go ahead and slime them up,then you most likely won't need to be as concerned. Two Guns is a firm believer in Slime too and he has several post on it here.
It also depends on how thick the plys are on your tires and your terrain . As far as me, I don't have room for a spare.but I do keep a small 12 v inflator in my junk bag under the hood... haven't used it since I got the tires I have now..so that would be about 2 years and guessing about 1400 hours on this set. (previous set (the stob set) about 700 hours... collie
 

herman48

Active member
Thanks, Kanook and Bordercollie! I have never used Slime, but I have a can of it under the seat and a 12-volt inflator in my "possibles" bag, together with bungee straps, a hatchet, a machete, tow straps, rope, flashlight, etc.
The tires my RTV 1100 came with are the very aggressive tread offroad type, and seem to be very hard. Here where I live the only things that could possibly pierce a tire are sticks and sharp-ended branches left over from the recent tree-cutting in one of the leases where I hunt. You couldn't find a rock unless someone brought it from elsewhere! In Kodiak the sharp rocks and shale slabs would eat tires. I never had a flat with my Argo, but I had to replace all 6 tires even after relatively few hours because the flanges that allow an Argo to move in the water were all but gone. The replacement set I bought from the Argo dealer are much tougher than the original ones. On the sand and clay mud of southeastern Alabama they will last forever. I never drive the Argo on pavement because its skid-steering eats tires and loosens up the chains that transmit power from the transmission to the drive chains. And to tighten them is a beast of a job.
 

Keifer

Senior Member
Gold Site Supporter
I also use Slime in a variety of air filled tires. wheelbarrow, mowers, carts, wagons have all had the "treatment". Nothing more aggravating than going to do work and having to fill/fix a tire. Knock on wood, I've not had any problems with my 2012 OEM worksite tires. (I don't have Slime in the RTV tires.). Yet! Lol
 

OrangeBuggy

Active member
I've always used Slime before in my ATV's and never had a flat. That said, the guys around here are using Liquid Tube in their RZR's and swear by the stuff, so I have that in my RTV. Well see how it does and hope for the best.
 

shinnery

Active member
Where do you find "Liquid Tube"? I know in Abilene I can find "Slime" at Wally-world. Tractor Supply has something and the Ace Hardware store has something else.
Bryce
 

vpexp

New member
I have used Quadboss Tire sealant for several years and believe it to be superior to slime. It will seal 1/2" puncture in the tread and 1/4" in the side wall, about twice what Slime will do. It is water soluble and biodegradable. It will remain liquid to -33F. A one gallon jug will do 4 RTV tires
 

bordercollie

Gold Site Supporter
Gold Site Supporter
I may have to try this the next time I need to buy sealant. Thanks for bringing it up.bordercollie
 

OrangeBuggy

Active member
Where do you find "Liquid Tube"? I know in Abilene I can find "Slime" at Wally-world. Tractor Supply has something and the Ace Hardware store has something else.
Bryce

We have a dealer in town and he approached me about using it. That's when I started asking others about it. Its not cheap, about $125.00 to do my RTV. They did it for me and it takes 43oz. per tire, 12-10x25 ATV tire's. You can find info about it at (LiquiTube.net). Amazon has it if its not available in your area, if this is the way you decide to go.
Harry
 

herman48

Active member
Actually, I don't think that the can I have on my Kube is Slime, but something that allegedly repairs the leak from inside. I don't remember what it is, but I remember that after using it one has to take the tire to the tire shop within 48 hours. I am too lazy to go to the garage to see what it is--besides I think it's still raining. We had 2 1/2 inches of rain from last night to 6:30 pm today. And more on the way--3 days more of it, with strong T-storms.
 

shinnery

Active member
Rub it in! Our two main water supply lakes are under 15% and there are others in the area that are officially dry. A two and a half inch rain is unknown around here.
Bryce
 

herman48

Active member
Rub it in! Our two main water supply lakes are under 15% and there are others in the area that are officially dry. A two and a half inch rain is unknown around here.
Bryce
I would gladly share it with you... I'll tell you what: come here and take all the water you want...
 

OrangeBuggy

Active member
Getting pretty dark with plenty of lighting to the east of us tonight, so maybe we'll get some rain. Sure could use it.
 

Bota Fett

Active member
Site Supporter
A few weeks ago I had a flat in MY YARD. The last place I would ever think to get a flat. Turns out, somehow I picked up a course thread sheetrock screw. I'm running the OEM turf tires.
It looks to me most of you guys are relying on some type of (Slime) fluid. Back when I used to work at the local motosport shop we would often have to change a flat ATV tire. I can't tell you how many times that crap got all over the tire machine. What a mess that would make, and it smelled bad. I can't speak of how many times Slime actually worked, but it seemed to me, like it never worked, because almost every flat ATV tire had that in there.
Maybe it's enough to get you out of the woods, off the trail, or back to the trailer.
But for me, I think I'll start bringing a plug kit and small 12v compressor. Seems like that would take care of most tire problems on the trail.
So far I've yet to see a donut type spare for our RTV's, and you still need to bring a jack and lug wrench. Not to mention the on board storage for all that
 

bczoom

Senior Member
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
I do use Slime, but only once a leak of some sort has occurred (normally a slow leak I can't find).
A plug kit and compressor is a good solution.
For a donut type spare, I know on the older RTV bolt patterns, there was a car tire that would fit. Unfortunately, I don't recall which but if you have the RTV's bolt pattern, you could probably find a tire to match.
 

Bota Fett

Active member
Site Supporter
I do use Slime, but only once a leak of some sort has occurred (normally a slow leak I can't find).
A plug kit and compressor is a good solution.
For a donut type spare, I know on the older RTV bolt patterns, there was a car tire that would fit. Unfortunately, I don't recall which but if you have the RTV's bolt pattern, you could probably find a tire to match.
Thanks, good to know.
 
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geohorn

Well-known member
SUPER Site Supporter
I’ve had several bad experiences over the last decade with Slime and decided it’s just a messy failure. It will rust your rims, and the tire dealer will ask you to leave and never come back.
Project Farm has run a test of several tire sealant types and posted his test-results. As the result, I’ve ordered
MultiSeal’s latest product and will place it in all my RTV tires as a preventive. Good for ten years and never dries out.


 
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v10rick

Active member
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My RTV and BX tires are fluid filled so if they loose air its hardly noticeable. Allows enough time to return to home base and plug it.
 
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