Handtruck tires

Shimon · Feb 15, 2008

The 10" tires on my handtruck are flat and I can't inflate them because the beads aren't seated on the rim so the air just leaks past the beads. No tube obviously and the tires are 4.10-3.40-4. I can't get the beads to stay on the rim...they just slide back down towards the center of the rim. Any tricks?

jdbower · Feb 15, 2008

I was able to get my snowthrower tire to seat by swearing some petroleum jelly along the bead. I used an electric pump to inflate them and was able to manhandle them into place and the jelly created enough of a seal for the tire to properly get the tire mounted using air pressure. Now I make sure to check the tires before I even try to move it...

In an ideal world you can also see if you can get a solid replacement tire, I've often wondered why some things bother with pneumatic tires when they don't need a very soft ride and are likely to get punctured.

Shimon · Feb 15, 2008

Thanks for the suggestion. I already tried vaseline without success although I did make a gooey mess.

I finally went back out there for round 2 and got the best of those tires. I was able to squeeze the tire with my chest and one and hand while the other hand held the air chuck. Pressing on the tire from opposing sides pushed the beads far enough onto the rim to finally seat. What a pain!

I'm going to look into some solid tires. Thanks.

orezok · Feb 15, 2008

Try putting a ratchet type tiedown strap around it and tighten. This will usually "spread" the bead. As soon as the bead "pops" onto the rim, loosen the binder.

JB4310 · Feb 15, 2008

The only trick I know of to use on the those tires is to tie a rope around the tire following the tread around the circumference, right in the center, then get a large screwdriver in between the tire and the rope and twist it so you tighten the rope and squeeze the tire, distorting the center tread area pushes the beads closer, then blast the air in till the beads catch, then slack off on the rope and finish filling, I think the shops have some kind of ratcheting strap for that.

EDIT: I was still typing when orezok beat me to it, the strap would be easier if you have one.

jeffinsgf · Feb 15, 2008

Bead lock works, too. It's a couple bucks for a pint with a brush in can lid.

Did you pull the valve core? That gets the air in the tire a lot faster. On a small tire, you'll likely lose it all while you try to get the core back in, but the bead usually stays in place.

I had my two-wheeler tires foam filled. End of problem and handle better than solid tires.

MossRoad · Feb 15, 2008

orezok said:
Try putting a ratchet type tiedown strap around it and tighten. This will usually "spread" the bead. As soon as the bead "pops" onto the rim, loosen the binder.

That trick works great. Someone here told me about it a few years ago and I highly recommend it!

You run it around the center of the circumference of the tire tread and when you tighten it down, it squeezes both sides out to the rim. Inflate and POP! it is on. Then remove the band and finish. If you don't have a ratcheting tie down strap, you can use a rope and tie it to a stick. Twist the stick to tighten the loop around the tire.