mounting & dismounting your own tractor tires

   / mounting & dismounting your own tractor tires #1  

dfkrug

Super Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2004
Messages
7,168
Location
Santa Cruz Mtns, CA
Tractor
05 Kioti CK30HST w/ Prairie Dog backhoe, XN08 mini-X
Any one out there mount and dismount your own tires? I know some have
purchased the Harbor Fright tire changer. I bought mine years ago, and
as with some other HF tools, it works, but you need to modify it a bit....

First, you have to mount it onto something that won't move around with
the large forces you use. I tried bolting it to some 4x12s and parking a
tractor on it, but that was only fair. Here I show how I mounted it to my
multi-purpose support that slips over the tines of my pallet forks. This is
the same implement that I use with a receiver to move trailers around.

So, I whacked off the bottom of the HF tire changer and welded some
sched 40 pipe on the bottom. This just fits inside some larger pipe, which
is then welded onto the support. Some 5/8" rod stock makes a nice pin.
(My HF foor-mount bender also fits into this pipe.) See first photo.

In the second photo, you can see the original bit that clamps the wheel
down. Pthttt! (Bronx cheer). It broke after 4 or 5 tires. I replaced it
with a 5/16" piece of steel to give continuous contact with the wheel,
and its own hole for the anti-spin pin. The anti-spin pin normally goes
through a stud hole in the wheel, but that means you have to unscrew the
whole wheel clamp just to spin the wheel a few degrees. Works much
better.

In the 3rd photo, I am breaking the bead on one of my JD 4300 front wheels.
Clearly, the tool had to be several feet up in the air to get the full leverage
I needed to use the bead-breaking feature. With heavy wheel/tire assemblies
I lower the FEL all the way down, and curl it forward. This helps me lift
these heavy guys onto the mounter. Note that I do only tractor tires as
car/truck tires have very tight beads and are hard to break free. Also, I
do not recommend using this tool on aluminum wheels. This particular tire
was my first R4, and it was pretty tough to do. R1s have been much
easier.

The 4th photo shows the removal commencing. Tire irons do help.
 

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   / mounting & dismounting your own tractor tires
  • Thread Starter
#2  
Off comes the tire (photo 1), and its off (photo 2)!

Getting that new Titan on there was tough. For the final bead, I had to
resort to tire irons only (photo 3). But I am not done yet. Getting air
in there fast enough to seat the beads is required. I connected a hose
to the valve stem while I pulled up on the tire. Using the back of the fork
frame for leverage and using a tire iron sure helped here.
 

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   / mounting & dismounting your own tractor tires #3  
I applaud you sir, as for me I fear I have passed the age of engaging in an effort of such magnitude. Well thought out and executed.
 
   / mounting & dismounting your own tractor tires #4  
Interesting setup. I betcha its harder to break bead from bottom with gravity against your side. Otherwise I like the idea of portabilty. Currently I just unbolt mine off the floor and put away when not in use.
 
   / mounting & dismounting your own tractor tires
  • Thread Starter
#5  
I betcha its harder to break bead from bottom with gravity against your side.

Yes, I failed to mention that you can use the bead breaker downward with
the tire/wheel on the floor/ground. Some wheels/tires I have, I could not
break the bead at all.
 
   / mounting & dismounting your own tractor tires #6  
I was born in and raised in a big tire shop that does everything from hand-dollys to TimberJacks.

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.:mad:

Tire repair/changing is such a simple task that it is beyond me why anyone would bring one into town.

I have changed countless tires on both DRW trucks and goose-neck trailers, in stock-yard parking-lots and wide spots in the road, miles away from home, with only a hydraulic bottle-jack and two pry-bars.

No air in the tire, lay the tire/rim under the truck or trailer frame, bumper, whatever is heavy and something that a little jacking pressure can't hurt.

Position the tire such that you can put the base of the jack on the side-wall and against the bead of the rim.

Apply jack-pressure between your stationary object and the tire, until the bead "breaks" loose; you may have to do this in more than one spot around the tire.

When one side gives, flip the tire and do the opposite side.


Lacking a bottle jack, any bumper-jack, HandyMan, whatever, can be used; they just lack the control of the hydraulic.


Once the beads are loose, it is a simple matter to change the tire; too easy to need explanation.




Rear tractor tires are best changed ON THE TRACTOR, where gravity and the ability to turn the wheel works in your favor.

Lacking a proper bead-breaking wedge, a plain old VERY DULL wood-splitting wedge will suffice to break loose the back side; just start driving the wedge between the tire and rim, stopping when it contacts the angle of the rim, and just work your way around, until the bead finally gives loose.

The wedge can also be employed on the front side, but a proper tire hammer is much quicker and easier, so long as you don't miss the mark and damage the rim.

Once the beads are loose, the work is all over, as flipping the tire off the rim is no more problem that fixing one on the kid's bike.

UNLESS there is fluid in the tire, in which case a thirty minute job turns into an all days doings and dinner on the ground.

I refuse to add fluid to any tire of mine; if a tractor needs fluid, it ain't enough tractor to do what you expect of it anyway.

The theory/idea of fluid-"ballast" sounds all good in the hearing, but is one major headache in the actual reality of the situation.

No fluid in the tires and pick up a little nail = minor inconvenience.:D

Fluid in the tires and that little nail can easily cost two days hard work, an eighty-dollar tube, a poisoned dog or cow, and much loss of sleep.:(

What little benefit there may be from it is not worth the hassle to me.:)


I intend to revisit this thread for ideas when I get a chance to visit HF again and get a changer.

They also have a much bigger stand-alone bead-breaker that looks like it would do the job.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92961

:cool:
 
   / mounting & dismounting your own tractor tires #7  
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.:cool:
 
   / mounting & dismounting your own tractor tires #8  
Princess Auto in Canada sells the same tire tool. I drilled holes in my garage floor and put some concrete anchors down. When I need to do tire work I just bolt it down like Radioman, after blowing out the dirt from the anchors. The first time I used it I bent the two thin pieces on the bead breaker and so welded a piece of tubing between them. I know you can get Tire soap but I just mix up some dish-soap and water to help the tools slide on the rubber.

Dave
 
   / mounting & dismounting your own tractor tires #9  
For seating tubeless beads that have proven difficult and un-cooperative, these is such an animal as a Tire Tiger or Cheetah, which is a Bead Blaster.

You can buy one for about $350 and the manufacturer make $325 profit; or, you can weld a 1-1/2 NPT bung into any old air-tank and thread in a ball-valve, then about an 18-inch pipe into the valve.

You will need to fabricate a "fan-tail" nozzle/outlet of sorts, like an inch thick by five-inches long, with a female NPT to thread it onto the 18-inch pipe.

If you were careful with your welds and trust your work, with the ball-valve closed, put about 100-PSI in the tank, poke the wide nozzle between the tire bead and rim, shut your eyes and make sure the back-fire of the air-tank can't hit you.

When you are ready and the wife and kids are on the other end of the farm, immediately flip open the valve..........WWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!:eek:

What do you know, the beads are snugly seated and there is already probably 10-PSI in the tire.:D


Nothing about this is safe, not even with a store-bought blaster; and always remember, they react like a bazooka and if you are in the way, no one will need ever remind you again.;)



Before resorting to all this, remove the valve-core and see if that makes a difference.
 
   / mounting & dismounting your own tractor tires #10  
When you are ready and the wife and kids are on the other end of the farm, immediately flip open the valve..........WWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!:eek:

What do you know, the beads are snugly seated and there is already probably 10-PSI in the tire.:D


Nothing about this is safe, not even with a store-bought blaster; and always remember, they react like a bazooka and if you are in the way, no one will need ever remind you again.;)

Is it safer than 'Ether Inflation'?

YouTube - Ether inflation

YouTube - REDNECK TIRE MOUNTING

I noticed the second guy used just a wee bit more than the first guy :rolleyes:
 
 
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