Rust inside a tube-type rim wears through the tube
Much older farm equipment, and many implements and trailers, still run tube-type tires. On those machines the inside of the rim matters in a way it does not on a tubeless wheel.
In a tube-type assembly, the inner tube holds the air and the tire protects it. The rim underneath is in direct contact with the tube, separated only by a rim flap or liner. Any rust, scale or rough edge on the inside of the rim rubs against that tube with every turn and every flex of the tire.
The result is a pattern of slow leaks and failed tubes that keep recurring. The tube gets replaced, the new one fails in the same place a few months later, and the cause is never addressed because nobody looks at the rim.
What to look for
Repeated tube failures in the same wheel, especially leaks on the side of the tube facing the rim.
Rust or flaking inside the rim when the tire is off.
A missing, torn or shifted rim flap. It is a cheap part that does an important job.
Water inside the tire. Moisture that gets in through a damaged valve or from mounting speeds corrosion.
What to do about it
Clean the rim back to sound metal, treat it, and fit a new flap and tube together. Replacing the tube alone in a rusty rim is paying for the same repair again. Refurbishing the rim is usually well worth it on equipment wheels, which are costly to replace.
The national wheel refurbishing page covers the process. The inspection comes first and decides whether the wheel can be refurbished at all.
A crack ends the wheel and it is replaced.
Equipment rims from OTR work can be assessed here too, and a vibration that survives a balance is often the wheel.
Other stores nearby
Tucson and Casa Grande also refurbish wheels.
About this store
The Willcox store carries all nine Purcell tire categories, including agricultural tires, and is managed by Mark Laster.
See the national wheel refurbishing page for all 42 locations.