Mounting solid rubber tires

   / Mounting solid rubber tires #1  

AndyF

Bronze Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2002
Messages
63
Location
Central NY
Tractor
Kubota B8200 & B7200
What is the best way to remount a solid rubber tire onto it's steel rim. My son rolled one of the tires on my Woods finish mower this evening and I'd like to try to remount it rather than go out and get a replacement.
 
   / Mounting solid rubber tires #2  
Assuming it's a rubber tire, you can cook it in boiling water and stretch it into place while hot.
You might want to check if the wheel is riveted together before boiling. Riveted wheels are often easier to take apart and reassemble thasn it is to stretch the tire into place.
 
   / Mounting solid rubber tires
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Thanks for the suggestion. The wheel is welded together so I won't be able to split it, but I will try boiling the tire later today.
 
   / Mounting solid rubber tires #4  
<font color=blue>...I will try boiling the tire later today. ...</font color=blue>

... as luck will have it... you're outside... the wife comes in the kitchen... see's the boiling "black soup"... takes a spoon out... samples it... /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

"Dear... whatever you're making... you've been cooking it too long... it tastes like rubber... /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif"

18-35197-JD5205JFMsignaturelogo.JPG
 
   / Mounting solid rubber tires #5  
John, My wife would say "I don't know what you're cooking but it's a definite improvement over your last meal". /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

TBone
 
   / Mounting solid rubber tires
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Well, I finally boiled the tire yesterday and was not able to stretch it enough to get it on the rim. I boiled it for a good 20 minutes before trying to mount it. The way I tried to mount it was to get a portion on the rim and then use large screw drivers to work around the rim stretching the unmounted portion so that it would pop onto the rim. I was never able to get more than 1/3 of the tire on the rim before it started digging into the rim and getting gouged.

Does anyone have any other ideas, or should I bite the bullet and buy a new wheel?
 
   / Mounting solid rubber tires #7  
Andy, Could you grind off the welds and then separate the rim? Then reweld the rim once the tire is back on.
 
   / Mounting solid rubber tires #8  
Lacking the equipment used to mount those types of tires, the tire has to go back on the same way it came off. It has to be rolled on. Of course that is easy to say sitting here at my keyboard. It may be impossible to do by "man power" depending on the thickness and age of the rubber. I have done it before on children's toys such as a tricycle and a wagon and have rolled the rubber back onto a wheelchair wheel. But, those were probably all thinner and more flexible pieces or rubber than what you are dealing with.

The trick is to roll the tire so that the thread is where the sidewall would be, set it against the rim and roll it back in.

The tire is clearly flexible enough to do that because is rolled out without splitting. The problem will be in being able to exert enough pressure to stretch it. The tractor was able to exert far more pressure to take it off that you will be to put it back on.

And boiling may not do it. That will only get it up to about 210 f and that may not be good enough. You may have to get it up to 300 f or 400 f in the oven. Hot enough so you can stretch it but not so hot that it melts. Wear thick work gloves and work fast.

That said, your wife will hate the smell in the house from that hot rubber so it may not be worth it unless you have a camping oven and can do all this outside. And even then it might not work for you.

Or you could just say to hell with it and go buy a new wheel. :)
 
   / Mounting solid rubber tires
  • Thread Starter
#9  
I think that I'll bite the bullet and buy a new wheel. I'm not set up to bake the tire or boil it in oil and even if I could, I don't really have the right set up for stretching the tire to fit on the rim.

Thanks to everyone for your advice.
 
   / Mounting solid rubber tires #10  
You said you got the tire 1/3 on the rim after boiling it. Did you try greasing it with silicon grease or even soap to keep it from diggiing into the rim. Also large "c" or bar clamps may come in handy here.
 
 
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