tire repair ?

[Farmwithjunk]

Probably to nobody's surprise, I've used that method before; scares the crap out of me! Knowing that it would flash, on the first one I kept lighting matches and throwing them at the tire from a couple feet away. When if finally went off it blew the tire over the rim seat and the entire tire jumped 3 feet off the ground. I guess that ether is stout stuff, especially when the entire tire fills with it's gas.

As a rule, NEVER attempt this technique when "Junior" is watching. Don't ask me how I know what a 13 year old will do after seeing it.

Oh the humanity!

(Involves a beach ball, a flaming arrow, and a can of ether, a 2 acre grass fire, and later on, a couple weeks of being grounded.)

 

[Dargo]

As a rule, NEVER attempt this technique when "Junior" is watching. Don't ask me how I know what a 13 year old will do after seeing it.

Oh the humanity!

(Involves a beach ball, a flaming arrow, and a can of ether, a 2 acre grass fire, and later on, a couple weeks of being grounded)

That is along the same line that it's not a good idea to make acetelyne balloons out of giant plastic garbage bags. Although I didn't do it, I was in a giant factory and watched a guy on 3rd shift fill a giant garbage bag with acetelyne, tie it off, and let it float away. The issue was when it hit one of the really bright (and hot) lights 4 stories above in the building! Holy crap man!!!!! I'll leave what happened to your imagination. The result was worse than when I used too much ether to pop a tire onto the rim.

 

[jbrumberg]

h2opdler:
I recommend woodchuckie's method. It has always worked for me. As I gain in "girth and grandeur" I find that I can rebead increasingly larger sized tires with just my belt . Jay

 

[KennethBrown]

I knew these tricks already but had a lawnmower flat last night. Nothing was gonna make the darn thing seat. I ended up using a whole tube of grease around the bead to hold air long enough to pop on. MESSY!

 

[Superduper]

..........I thought about using grease to help get it started, but then again I thought it better to ask first........

I highly suggest NOT to use any grease, motor oil, WD40, or any non-water based lubricating fluid. Rubber disintegrates over time when in contact with these fluids. A quick look under any vehicle where there is a engine oil leak will show that it eats up all the rubber on your suspension components including A-Arm bushings, tires, etc.

 

[dirtworksequip]

The proper way to do the either trick( if there is one) is to spray some either into the tire, stand back and light the spray from the can directed at the tire like a flame thrower, thereby igniting the either in the tire. Walla! Hope you don't set your hair on fire.

 

[bx23barry]

The proper way to do the either trick( if there is one) is to spray some either into the tire, stand back and light the spray from the can directed at the tire like a flame thrower, thereby igniting the either in the tire. Walla! Hope you don't set your hair on fire.

And it looks kooler at nite

 

[Soundguy]

That's what that vegitable based soap is good for..

Soundguy

I highly suggest NOT to use any grease, motor oil, WD40, or any non-water based lubricating fluid. Rubber disintegrates over time when in contact with these fluids. A quick look under any vehicle where there is a engine oil leak will show that it eats up all the rubber on your suspension components including A-Arm bushings, tires, etc.

 

[AlanB]

Couple of thoughts on inflating difficult tires.

If you can get the tire warm, it is much easier, yes, the wife got pissed when she realized the "cookies" I was baking were round and made of rubber.....

If you do a particular size of tire a lot it is worth making a ring, or buying a tube that will fit the gap, not to install in the tire, but to use as a tool. On the specialty off road motorcycles I ride (observed trials) we have tubeless rear tires that can be a real challenge. We now have large rubber foam type O-rings, what you do is seat the bead on one side of the wheel, then push this well lubricated O-ring into the gap on the other side and inflate, it will push the O-ring out as the tire inflates. The same can be done with something like a bicycle inner tube to fill the gap, lube it well and pull it along out of the gap as the tire expands and seats.

I also use a tiger tank on occasion, basicly an air tank with a dump valve and it blows the air in through the gap in the bead, the sudden inrush of air generally seats the bead.

One thing that many folks do not do, that is really the simplest to me is first, get the tire and rim suspended, so you can manuever the tire around on the rim and help to get it to bite in. Remove the valve core, this allows more air to enter without the obstruction of the valve core, and use a high volume / pressure blow gun to do the initial inflation of the tire. I am able to reset many tires just using this techniqe.

Another thought is when you purchase new tires, and the beads are pinched together, wedge some appropriate spacers in place between the beads and spread them apart and allow the tire to stand that way, remove them just prior to installation, Beer cans work excellent in a 4.00 X 18 trials bike tire....

 

[patrick_g]

I had a set of new tires installed in Mexico and they used gasoline to get the tire beads sealed on the rims. I kept a safe distance. Off road racers in Baja use ether starting fluid (or even WD-40 in a pinch) to pop tires on. Time is of the essence in a race but you still want to start small and work up to it. If you blow a tire over the rim it would be a hassle.

Once the tire is well seated and has been run a bit, I like to jack the tire off the ground and deflate it and put in fresh air, drain again and refill a couple times to get the EVIL VAPORS out of the tire. This doesn't take long with the valve cores removed and a decent compressor.

Slime or equivalent is a good idea in any off road tire for tractors or trucks. Thorn punctures cause slow leaks but with Slime there is virtually never a leak from a puncture that doesn't nearly destroy the tire. I haven't added air to my tractor tires in 2-3 years, thanks to Slime.

Pat