[Shop-talk] tubeless (and airless) tires

[Donald H Locker]

Hi, All.

Before the snow season, I'd like to get the tubeless tires on my snowblower to 
seal sufficiently that I don't have to air them up every time I want to use it.

The first thing I did was break the beads and clean all the mating surfaces.  No 
abrasives, just soap, water and a cotton rag, then air to push the beads back 
into position.  No joy.

So I opened things again and cleaned again but this time I applied rubber cement 
to the mating surfaces (as suggested by a local tire shop) and re-inflated the 
critters.  As well as I can determine, the air loss is undiminished.

So next I tried cleaning and applying clear silicone sealant.  I'm still losing 
air at a prodigious rate!!!

Soapy water says the leaks are around the bead area, is there any specific 
technique for identifying what is _exactly_ causing the problem?  And what 
should I do when I find it?

Thank you,
Donald.