mounting & dismounting your own tractor tires

[Sunkistdds]

I love my HF tire changer and I have a commercial one as well that works about the same... just heavier. You have to reinforce the pedistal seating ring as it is too week and allows the anti rotation finger to bend in its mount. I also made a complete set as I needed them of adapators to fit over every size farm rim, that does not allow them to venture from center position when torqued with the tools. The tool is a start and does fine, jsut needs a little strengthening. Price is great and was paid for for me in a couple of weeks. Just running into town and waisting time makes it worth while.

Also for changing rears on the tractor everyone needs a bead-buster or similar. For something like 150-180 it makes taking off a 18-4-38 pretty easy, it it can ever be easy. Flat stays on the tractor.

 

[tommu56]

I forgot to add that, when at home, I substitute the Porta-Power with one of the large area heads in place of using the bottle-jack for breaking beads.



dfkrug,

You did use plenty of bead-lube, right ??

Lacking proper tire lube, Crisco or vegetable-oil can be used.

Avoid any petroleum lubricants as they will deteriorate the rubber.

I have to admit I cheat I use the loader or hoe bucket tooth with a short piece of 2x4 to brake the bead the hoe bucket works the best. one of these times I'll try the out rigger the shoe loos like a good fit.

tom

 

[dfkrug]

That being said, I have been meaning to get one of the HF changers to use at home; it doesn't cost me a dime to do them at the shop, but if I make the mistake of pulling in the lot, fifteen people with flat tires will swarm me and keep me there all night.

That's funny....doesn't anyone else work there?

As for changing rear tractor tires on the tractor....that's an interesting
approach and makes sense. I found the rear tractor tires were much
easier to change (but not lift!) as the larger diameter beads had more
stretch and flexibility. I could even break their beads with a FEL bkt (photo).
All my new ag tires (rear AND front) could be mounted using the mounting
rod (the red bar in the photos). This R4 tire was a 6-ply and I could not
get the leverage, so I resorted to the tire irons. I do use soap...a spray
bottle of detergent.

I have used FELs or car jacks to break beads on tractor tires, but it did
not work for any of the car/truck tires I tried. I needed more than the
3000-4000 lb of force for those beads. I need a heavier object to set the
jack under....if you have such, that is great.

Anyway, the HF changer was only $35, but not obvious how to use....unless
you have used changers before. I love those HF tire irons, too...only $6 ea.

For cars and trucks, I hate to wait around for pro-install, but I don't do
spin balancing or want to risk scratching Al wheels. I also don't like
over-torqued lug nuts. So what I do is buy my tires from TireRack and take
them to a local approved installer and pay $21 each to have them mounted
and balanced. In the AM, I drop off the old tires on the rims (off the
vehicle) and the new tires, then I pick them up later in the day and put
them on the vehicle at home.

Anyway, good post, BEAR. Do you have any pix of a proper tire hammer?

 

[dfkrug]

You have to reinforce the pedistal seating ring as it is too week and allows the anti rotation finger to bend in its mount. I also made a complete set as I needed them of adapators to fit over every size farm rim, that does not allow them to venture from center position when torqued with the tools. The tool is a start and does fine, jsut needs a little strengthening. Price is great and was paid for for me in a couple of weeks. Just running into town and waisting time makes it worth while.

Good idea making different adapters. I found that you can bend the
anti-rotation rod's mount because the wheel-securing bracket is so
lousy. With the plate I made, the finger mount is safe.

 

[kevinj]

Anyway, good post, BEAR. Do you have any pix of a proper tire hammer?

I'm not bear but here is a link to a good tire tool company. Around here most good parts stores have them.

Ken Tool - A Leader in Automotive Aftermarket Tire Repair Tools

 

[BearKiller]

I'm not bear but here is a link to a good tire tool company. Around here most good parts stores have them.

Ken Tool - A Leader in Automotive Aftermarket Tire Repair Tools

Thanks for finding that.

KEN-TOOL is real good stuff.

Another is MYER's Tire Supply; they also have a complete line of tire repair accessories, such as various patches, boots, liners, valve-stems, etc.

Click here and scroll down a little, lower-left of page is a picture of a tire-hammer; the one pictured is fiber-glass handled; avoid the fiber-glass and get the Hickory-handled one.

http://www.kentool.com/kentool_catalog2007.pdf


While you are at it, get some extra handles.

The business end will put several would-be John Henrys in the grave, but you will break the occassional handle.

 

[BearKiller]

For cars and trucks, I hate to wait around for pro-install,That's funny; I been around this all my life and have yet to see anyone I would consider PRO; it pays too little for anyone to care enough to do it right. but I don't do
spin balancing or want to risk scratching Al wheels. I also don't like
over-torqued lug nuts. So what I do is buy my tires from TireRack and take
them to a local approved installer and pay $21 each to have them mounted
and balanced. In the AM, I drop off the old tires on the rims (off the
vehicle) and the new tires, then I pick them up later in the day and put
them on the vehicle at home.

That right there is some real good advice for anyone needing tire work done, whether a simple repair, or a whole new set.

Personally, I wish every air-impact-wrench in the country was thrown to the bottom of Loch Ness; many is the brake-rotor or set of wheel-studs that have been ruined by over-zealous use of them.

Not one of twenty tire-monkeys know or care how to properly install a wheel.

My personal truck is a 1985 with over half-a-million miles and there has never been an air-gun used on it since the day I got it; it still has the original nuts/studs as a result of that also.

Like he says, leave the truck/car at home and take in only the wheels; things will last a lot longer for your troubles.


As for spin-balancing:

It costs me not a cent to balance my wheels every day if I so choose, and I have NOT balanced a wheel on any of my personal vehicles in years.

If a tire is good enough to run, it don't need balancing; and, if it actually needs balancing, balancing won't cure it for long.

Besides, balancing is trying to hit a moving target.

When tires are mounted, it is necessary to lube the wheel and tire beads to prevent the tools tearing the rubber.

You can balance to a fare-the-well, and as soon as you have to brake hard, or give it the fuel pretty good, the rim will actually slip inside the tire and the weights then be in the wrong places; unless, of course, your wheels have a good coat of rust in the bead area, in which case they will have more "grip".

Try it some time with a shiny new set of tires, especially big meaty 4x4 or SUV tires, as soon as the tires are mounted, make a permanent mark at each valve-stem and watch it move around from place to place as you drive.

 

[dfkrug]

Ken Tool - A Leader in Automotive Aftermarket Tire Repair Tools

OK, I see what kind of hammer you are talking about. Nothing like the
right tool to make a job just a bit easier, no?

 

[kevinj]

OK, I see what kind of hammer you are talking about. Nothing like the
right tool to make a job just a bit easier, no?

I have the short mini sledge duck bill and the hand held chisel bead iron plus several spoons and assorted irons. These allow me to do most tires at home when I need to.

I am fortunate to have a good tire shop nearby with mobil service if needed.

 

[Skyco]

I lag bolt my HF tire changer down to the deck with a cordless impact driver. When done I take it back up.

I wonder if the securing ring broke for the OP because he is applying a tremendous amount of pressure upwards trying to break beads with the tire mounted on the changer. Use it as designed and it works well, for me anyway.

Tires slipping on the wheel after installing? Not if you use the correct lube, and BTW soap isn't it. I use a tire mounting fluid, which is a type of vegetable oil emulsion. I've never, ever had a tire rotate on the rim after mounting, most tires come with a little paint circle indicating the light spot which you line up with the valve stem. Pretty obvious if the tire slipped as it no longer lines up. Get the fluid, it is inexpensive, I've been on the same gallon for probably 10 years.