Removing and installing tires

[JWKnopp]

Does anyone have any advise on the tools and steps needed to remove tires from rims as well as installing new ones.

These are basically small tires for the JD mower
18 x 9.5 x 8's.
I would think that it shouldn't be too hard,
but maybe I'm wrong.

Thanx

[beenthere]

A couple of flat bars to pry the bead of the tire over the edge of the rim will work.

An example of a tire tool can be found at this site

tire tool

[Bird]

In addition to the tire irons mentioned above, you need a bead breaker. Of course if you don't have one, there are other ways to break one loose, but none that I particularly like, such as driving a car onto the tire without getting onto the rim. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[JimR]

You can also just drive the mower around with no air in the tire and make a few turns with it. This will break the bead. Since you are changing them anyway there is no need to worry about ruining them. Another way is to use the lip on a tractor bucket using down pressure. Beware of this as the tire may fly out from under the bucket. I use two very large screwdrivers and soap to install my smaller type tires and my motorcycle tires.

[JWKnopp]

Thank you very much,
especially for the quick answers.

Think I can do this now.

Joe

[frank_f15]

What ever method you use just remember, it don't take much to ruin a rim.

[Soundguy]

Lets see.. a couple tire spoons, vegitable soap, a valve fishing tool.. etc.

For the 5-10$ my service guy charges me.. he can bother with it. I havn't broke down a rim in a couple years now..

Soundguy

Soundguy

[mrcaptainbob]

Youngsters. Asking about tires. Why, in my day all we had to break tires down..yadda-yadda-yadda.....(with the rolling of eyes to the heaven's in disgust)..... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[RalphVa]

The tire tools link by beenthere and the bead breaker by Bird are similar to what we used when in the service station business prior to invention of those fixed-in-place tire do-it-all-machines run by air. You can make yourself a bit rounded chisel to fix the edge of the wheel rim and use that to break the bead. That bead breaker is a dead ringer to what we used. For the tire tools, we had one straight one and one curved one.

I use Armor All on the tire rim to help get it back on and seated. Put air into the valve stem with the valve core out first, to seat the rim. Stop applying air soon as the rim seats. Then insert valve core and air to the correct pressure.

I've been able to break the beads on my little Gravely & cart and dolly wheels with big screw drivers and chisels. Haven't bought a bead breaker yet. Haven't had to do the JD tires yet. Had a flat on one front one. Just jiggled it around to reseat the tire on the rim and Slimed it. Then Slimed the other front one.

A guy with big feet came to our service station one day. He showed us how he installed tires back onto the rim with just his big feet.

Ralph

[Bird]

Yep, Ralph, that's the same kind of bead breaker we had to use when I was a teenager and my dad owned service stations. I don't think Armorall had been invented back then. We used soapy water to make the tire go back on easier and while you can use your tire irons to pry one back one, we usually used a rubber mallet.