Breaking Big Tire Beads

[Barry Bowen]

Recently I had to remove the 18.4-38's off of my 706. There had been a fluid leak around the valve stems, and it had gotten inside the tires so they needed cleaned up and the rims needed painted. I had access to the pump for the fluid so that was all removed and the tubes were sucked down inside the tires, so that was not a problem. Does any body out there have an easy way to break the beads off the rims with out removing the rims and with out buying the expensive tools that the tire companies have? There has to be a better way than wedges and hammers to get the beads off the rims even though this way is effective.

 

[DanD78]

A tire bead hammer works good (If you have one) Before I got one I used a wood splitting wedge and drove it between the bead and the rim. There are tools like a Bead Cheta or power bead tools but they are usually on a service truck. Around here service calls are pretty cheep because there are Ag tire stores in the area. Tire lube or dish soap helps a lot to make the tools slide on the rubber and the tire slide off the rim.

Dan

 

[glc24]

There has to be a better way than wedges and hammers to get the beads off the rims even though this way is effective.

I don't believe there is,although I haven't done that type of work for over 16 years.Maybe someone knows a trick I never knew about. You can't get any cheaper than the hammer,wedges and bar method,and it always works too

Greg

 

[Bird]

I guess it isn't really cheap, but my choice is a slide-hammer bead breaker.

 

[grofarms]

i use a slide hammer to break the beads. for the really big tires i use the loader bucket to press the bead off. works great on the duals for the case 7130.

 

[Barry Bowen]

Thanks for the inputs gentlemen. The hammer and wedge works pretty well on the outside beads and the inside on the left side, but not so well on the inside on the right tire. Since I am right handed I could not get a good swing on the inside bead on that right side. I flipped the rim on the disc and then I could really drive the wedges on it and got it off. I have used one of the slide hammers before, but it seems they work best when the assemble is flat on the ground. Maybe I can figure out how to build my own bead breaker for a little bit of nothing, at least it sounds good in theory now.

 

[Willl]

The next easiest way would be to pay somebody else to do it !

 

[Barry Bowen]

Paying some one else is definitely the easiest way, but right now I have more time then I have money. Then come hay season, if I need to, I would need to get things fixed quickly and not wait days for the service truck to fit my little operation in. Besides, I am too cheap to pay for something I can do myself.

 

[Soundguy]

thats for sure.. ivery time I do a tire I tell myself that I'm letting somebody else do the next one..

soundguy

 

[tommu56]

You got me on removing the rims I don't understand why you woulden't want to take them off use a 2x4 on tire and a loader to pop the bead (assuming you got a loader or hoe to do the job).

tom