# Tire tube bulge



## sr73087 (Feb 9, 2017)

I noticed a few weeks ago that one of my tires on my HS55 has developed a bulge in the sidewall. I don't believe I over inflated it since I was reading the service manual while doing all the maintenance to this. Does the tube sometimes fail in this manner over time? Also, who carries them? The last tube I changed was on my bike as a kid.


----------



## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

If the tire has a bulge in the sidewall you need to replace it as the tire cord fabric webbing that is molded into the tire has weakened and while your 
at it replace both of them as the rubber degrades and weakens over time.

Small tires like this and lawn mower tires are 2 ply sidewall tires and they are made this way to allow them to be mounted on tubeless tire rims easier. 

You have to remember that tires with low pressure still hold a huge amount of compressed air energy and they will fail, every cubic inch of air volume in the tire/tube will hold 12 pounds of pressure (12 PSIG)per cubic inch of air volume.

The other thing to keep in mind is the tires and tubes travel at a faster rate when moving forward clearing snow which also increases the wear and tear on the tires and tubes.


If you can afford it now I would have the tires and tubes changed as they have a limited life span due to the exposure to ozone and sunlight.


----------



## Vermont007 (Mar 29, 2015)

Since "Spring" is in the offing, I would wait until after the SnowBlowing Season is over and then pull that Tire off and examine it off the Blower.

I'd mark the bulge with chalk and take it off the Rim.

Could it be that the Tire hit an obstruction very hard in that spot, and weakened the sidewall ?

Has that spot been subjected to the Sun for an extended part of the year, and been weakened as Leonz suggested ?

If it has a Tube, blow it up outside the Tire and see if there's a bulge in it when not restricted . . . . if not, then you've got a weak spot in that particular Tire.

If both Tires are aged and the rubber is checked, then I'd consider replacing both; but if the issue is damage to just this one (Tube or Tire), then I'd just replace it with a match.


----------



## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

See you sure you have a tube? Most are tubeless, sane as your car.

They are hard to remove. I'd go to a local tire store and have them replaced. If they or you can't get the same tire, then you may want to replace both tires.

For you too have a weak spot in your tire's sidewall is very uncommon. Lawn equipment tires last forever until they are worn out. You may get checking which is misinterpreted by the uninformed as dry rot, which it isn't.


----------



## Freezn (Mar 1, 2014)

I would just wait until spring and replace both tires and tubes. Replacing tires on the older HS series Honda Snow Blowers is a piece of cake because they have 2-piece rims which can be split in half by removing 4 small bolts that join both sides. Toughest part about replacing the tires is breaking the bead on the tires before splitting the rims. I typically use a piece of 2" x 10" wood plank about 6' long, place the edge of the plank on one side of the tire (not touching the rim), place the other end of the plank under the front tire of my SUV, and slowly drive up the plank till I "feel the bead pop". Spin the rim around 180 degrees and repeat the process and that should take care of breaking the bead on the front side of the tire. Just repeat the same process on the backside of the rim then go ahead and split the rim in two pieces, remove the old tire and remove the old inner tube. Then take one side of the new tire and "snap it" over the front side of the rim and work it tight all the way around. Take your new inner tube (I suggest getting one with a right angle valve), add about 1/2 pound of air (just enough to give it some shape), take the inner tube and work it into the empty tire cavity, then "snap" the other side of the rim onto the backside of the tire making sure you line-up the holes for both sides of the rim and paying careful attention not to pinch the both sides of the rim on the new inner tube. Insert the four bolts and tighten both sides of the rim together. Slowly add about 5lbs of air, and "flex" the tire by hand all the way around the rim, add another 10lbs of air (taking it up to 15PSI) and the tire bead should "set" on both sides of the rim. After that, deflate the tire down to 10lbs which should be your operating tire pressure.


----------



## sr73087 (Feb 9, 2017)

I pulled the tire off on Saturday to get a better look. The tire is tubed, however the tube looks ok. The tire, right above the bead tore. They are beginning to dry rot anyway, time for new tires for 2018/2019.


----------



## Vermont007 (Mar 29, 2015)

Do you think the sidewall tore above the bead just because you were removing it, or is that the area where the bulge was already developing ?

This gives you plenty of time to shop around for replacement tires; can you continue to rely on the existing tubes as they sound to be still intact ?


----------



## sr73087 (Feb 9, 2017)

Vermont007 said:


> Do you think the sidewall tore above the bead just because you were removing it, or is that the area where the bulge was already developing ?
> 
> This gives you plenty of time to shop around for replacement tires; can you continue to rely on the existing tubes as they sound to be still intact ?


I looks to be the same area. It was already torn for sure.I don't think the tube looks damaged but I'll have to pull the tire off to make sure. I'm not experienced regarding tubes, do they typically fail or dry rot like the exterior of the tire? If so, and they are cheap enough I might just to tubes and tires, God knows how old they could be if the unit is around 30 years old, maybe original idk.


----------

