Mounting solid rubber tires

[AndyF]

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.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

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.

 

[AndyF]

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.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

<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"

 

[TBone]

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

 

[AndyF]

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?

 

[Von]

Andy, Could you grind off the welds and then separate the rim? Then reweld the rim once the tire is back on.

 

[Ozarker]

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.

 

[AndyF]

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.

 

[normde2001]

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.

 

[joecdeere]

most of those tires were placed on the wheel and then the rim was "crimped" on in a press, go get a new one, you'll end up ruining the rim trying to pry it back on

 

[Francis Banks]

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.

Hi. I just mounted a solid rubber tyre on a wheelchair. It was quite a struggle - I left a pool of sweat on the floor - but I succeeded. I heated the tyre in boiling water, though I don't think that made much difference, because the tyre was cold before I finished, but maybe it did. I clamped the wheel by its central bolt in a vice, securing it with a clamp to stop it rotating. I used cable lubricant to lubricate the tyre and rim thoroughly. I started the tyre on the wheel by pushing it into the groove in the rim, and then secured it by wrapping string around the rim and tyre so that it could not pop out. I then pulled on one "end" of the tyre and pushed it into the groove, going gradually from the starting point, and keeping the rubber stretched as much as possible. When the tyre became tight, forming a chord across the wheel, I used a screwdriver with a round shank to lever the tyre further on to the rim. I kept the screw driver between the tyre and the rim, and rolled it along the inside of the tyre, so that it skidded along the outside of the rim. As it did so, it pulled the tyre on to the rim, and I kept the tyre pushed well into the recess in the rim as I went. I used a clamp to make sure the tyre would not slip off the rim when I paused. I also helped the tyre on to the rim with a second screwdriver, ahead of the round-shanked screwdriver, to make it easier to advance this latter tool. Eventually the job was complete, and I was able to withdraw the screwdrivers. Now for the other tyre - when it comes! The shipping agent lost one of the pair that was ordered.

 

[Jason in WV]

I wrestled with c-clamps, grease, table vise, prybars and then found this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T_6bUn8k7s

I have one on order, and will take the old one by the tire shop next time I am in town as it seems that the mounting cone is the way to go