Mounting a tire

[3RRL]

I had to repair my front last year and posted a story about it here: Kama DIY Tire Repair
I do most everything myself and the experience I've gained is priceless. Yes, failures as well as success adds to experience. Just be careful and use common sense. I used what I had at camp and succeeded.

 

[FlaDon]

Most times I take them to a dealer. Try mounting the 4 ply Carlisle Super Lug 23X10.50-12 tires for fun. Talk about a pain. Did 1, took 2 hours to get it on. took it to the dealer and it took them an hour to do. One tough tire.


But on the other hand, the other night I had a flat on a Gravely riding sulky. By the time I got back to the house, it was loose on the rim. I was so mad, that I didn't want to take the rim off. Grabbed the top of the tire with the weight of the sukly pushing the rim downand the tire in the groove.. Pulled the topof the tire righ over the rim and off. Shocked. Decided to see if the new tire would go on the rim that easy. It did! No tools tire change and done in under 10 minutes. Tire is a 4.80/4.00-8.

Easiest ones to change are the Gravely 4.80/4.00-8, 16X6.50-8, 18x7.50-8 and 18X9.50-8 tires on the Gravely 6 bolt split rims. Install one rim section on tire. Install tube in rim section.Install other section lining up bolt holes. Install the 3 rim bolts. Inflate tube and the deflate. Inflate to about 5 PSI and install on tractor. Inflate to correct tire pressure. Done. Love those two section rims for ease of doing.

 

[Eagleview]

Now those split rims will kill you . If you do'nt deflate the tyre on a forklift etc and remove the wheel nuts which also hold the rim together you will be lucky to survive the impact . I have an elderly friend who has been a mechanic all his life who should have known better . He removed an Aluminium boat trailer wheel that was held onto the hub with four wheel nuts . The remaining four bolts held the rim together aided by the four wheel nuts . He pumped the tyre up to full pressure while it was on the ground . The four bolts could not contain the pressure on their own . The rim exploded and showered him with shrapnel . When you see the words "deflate tyre before removing wheelnuts" heed the warning .

 

[irwin]

Now those split rims will kill you . If you do'nt deflate the tyre on a forklift etc and remove the wheel nuts which also hold the rim together you will be lucky to survive the impact . I have an elderly friend who has been a mechanic all his life who should have known better . He removed an Aluminium boat trailer wheel that was held onto the hub with four wheel nuts . The remaining four bolts held the rim together aided by the four wheel nuts . He pumped the tyre up to full pressure while it was on the ground . The four bolts could not contain the pressure on their own . The rim exploded and showered him with shrapnel . When you see the words "deflate tyre before removing wheelnuts" heed the warning .

Ouch!! I've never had a tire/rim blow on me, but I act like it could when I work with em. Safety first.

 

[Bird]

I've fixed flats on both split rim and split ring truck tires, but not on any held together by wheel nuts. I think those would be very rare in this country. But any of them can be very dangerous. Several years ago, one of my brothers was working at Camping World and mounted a truck tire on a big motorhome wheel. It was a tubeless tire on a solid wheel; not split rim or split ring, but Camping World had just bought a new cage to put the tires/wheels in when inflating them so he put it in the cage. However, the cage was sitting against a wall and had not yet been anchored down to the floor. Well, it turned out to be a defective tire; supposed to run 100 psi and it exploded at 80 psi. The explosion drove cage and all away from the wall, knocking my brother backwards onto the concrete floor and he was taken to the hospital unconscious in an ambulance. Fortunately, he only suffered a mild concussion. And of course, that Camping World store didn't do anymore tire work until that cage was securely anchored to the floor.

 

[Bedlam]

These small ones are held together with the four nuts and bolts. less pressure however, same principle

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

 

[Bird]

I've seen some of those, but never had to work on any.

 

[patrick_g]

I worked at a service station when I was in high school so I am more than passing familiar with removing and installing tires. A guy a year or two ahead of me worked at a competing station and had a tire blow up. It shot up to the ceiling of the service bay and bounced back hitting him in the head killing him instantly. I off roaded in Baja for several years where the availability of tire service was inversely proportional to the odds of needing it. I think it is good to know how to do it yourself but...

The local tire shop (less than two miles) will break down a tire patch it, remount it and inflate it or take one off and install a new one, either way, for $10. I don't have a tire machine so even if I know how to do it with or without a machine or by inflating with an explosive mixture, I just pay $10 and do something else for a while and pick it up later. Flats used to be $5 five years ago but inflation you know (monetary not pneumatic.)

Pat

 

[Bird]

Flats used to be $5 five years ago

Yep, the one man shop where I used to get my annual motor vehicle State Safety Inspections done down in the country, until five and a half years ago, charged $5 for fixing a flat and it didn't make any difference whether you just took him the tire and wheel, or drove into the shop for him to take it off the vehicle and put it back on. It also was the same price whether he put a plug in it or broke it down and patched the inside; your choice.

 

[Bedlam]

I just did two skinny cement mixer tires. My friend bought them brand new 6 years ago, and the tire shop took out the tubes, and disposed of them. The tires would go flat overnight, Anyways it sat for years flat, and dry rotted the one small spot on the ground.
He gave me tubes to put in ,which I did,(i hadn't seen the rot ). and upon inflating one had a small but growing bulge. before I could pull the stem. kaboom it tore open. ruining a good new tube.
it only had about 20 lbs , but quite an explosion.
reminds me when i got my new tractor a few years ago. i was loading wood in the bucket, and could hear some noise, the sidewall was like a basketball , I headed and dumped the wood.
it kept growing until BANG it exploded.(only about 90 hours on the tractor).I took it back to the dealer and they replaced it but moaned.
about a week late rim watching TV and I hear whet sound like a gunshot.
A day later I find tire number two on the other side flat. I returned that one and they really groaned.Must have been a bad batch. either way what a noise.