Tire dismounting and mounting by hand, IDIBRONCO style

[Big Bart]

The inter tube trick is cool, never tried that before. Suggest new TPMS sensors when putting on new tires.(Not that many of us have done that upgrade.) The batteries in the TPMS get low over time. So having to pull the tires later to replace is a PITA. Usually you find the tired out ones on cold nights. Because cold weather effects batteries.

If you don’t have a blaster or it’s not working. A trick I use to help a new tire bead and inflate is put a good size ratchet strap (2-4”) around the middle of the tread, tighten it till the tire pushes out and towards the edge of the rim. (Works on small (Lawn tractor) or larger tires.) The strap usually forces the side walls to push out to the wider edges of the rim. Just once the tire starts to inflate stop when say 30% inflated, remove the strap before completely filling the tire.(Or risk the strap snapping.)

Also watch Craig’s List and Offer Up. Often you can find a basic working Chinese tire changer for $500-800. Parts are usually available (Amazon or the company who reps that brand.) and these are not hard to repair if they break later. Sometimes you can find the better ones from Hunter or Coats for $800-1200. Downside is they take up some room in the shop. Also check to make sure the table expands enough to grab the rim if you run low profile tires and rims.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Very well said, Bart. I agree with all that you said. I did forget to mention the ratchet strap trick. I've done it, mostly on ATV tires. I try to release the strap as soon as it starts pushing the beads out so that I don't have to stop putting air in the tire to do it. If both beads happen to seat, I stop putting air in the tire and loosen the strap at that point. I did forget to include a picture of the tube trick in action. I've posted it before, but it really does need to be in this thread as well. Here's an example of the tube trick.

 

[Laine D]

It’s almost like you’ve done this before…

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Yes. Once or twice. Maybe four times last Saturday when I made this thread.

 

[ttman4]

OSHA probably be knocking on my door by sun-up for even speaking these words and telling it….
But back in my semi trucking days I watched few tire changers throw a little gas inside the tire with clip on air hose hooked up, then throw a lit match in/at the tire. (I’m talking about tubeless tire and wheels, not lock ring wheels)
Tire and wheel would bounce 2-3-4 ft off the ground but would be seated when done.
Few times thru the yrs I’ve done same thing using a squirt of ether and quick flame.
I doubt this be added to the “stickies” but thought I’d mention it. Sometimes when all else fails…….

 

[Big Bart]

OSHA probably be knocking on my door by sun-up for even speaking these words and telling it….
But back in my semi trucking days I watched few tire changers throw a little gas inside the tire with clip on air hose hooked up, then throw a lit match in/at the tire. (I’m talking about tubeless tire and wheels, not lock ring wheels)
Tire and wheel would bounce 2-3-4 ft off the ground but would be seated when done.
Few times thru the yrs I’ve done same thing using a squirt of ether and quick flame.
I doubt this be added to the “stickies” but thought I’d mention it. Sometimes when all else fails…….

The monster truck guys often do it that way. They can‘t seem to find an air blaster big enough on Amazon.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I've done the ether trick, but if the tires get shipped to you with the beads almost touching, then it's sometimes not enough. Hence the inner tube trick first. I didn't do it personally, but I was involved with the gasoline trick one time. We used two stroke premix. It was just a 15" trailer tire, not a monster truck tire.

 

[subway]

the big thing I have found with the either trick is that you still need to get the air chuck on quickly. Once that tire stops bouncing and did blow out out like taco night the fire will consume all the oxygen inside the tire. If you don't go bravely chasing that tire with an air chuck the air being burned up inside can actually create a vacuum and pull the bead back in.

I have found after paying a stiff stupid tax of about 37 to mount and balance one tire on a rim I brought them I immediately went and bought a manual tire changer from tractor supply for about 50. I have done some upgrades over the years but it has been inviable and saved me a ton. I have actually made a arm now with a plastic duck bill so I can change out alloy rims without tearing them up at all. Note, I did have to move the one tension hand bolt, it is right in the swing of a tire iron on the duck bill. Besides being powered by my sweat equity it works pretty darn good.

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[IDIBRONCO]

Before I try to light the ether, I attach the clip on air chuck so that air is already going into the tire. Now, I have a funny story to share about ether. While I was working at the Good Year store, I was driving the truck that went out in the country and fixed tractor tires, etc. One time I was putting a new front combine for a guy and he was around wanting to talk to me (nothing terribly unusual about that). He told me about the time that he decided to mount his truck tire (medium/heavy duty truck) himself. He said that he managed to get the new tire on the rim just fine, but he had no way to air it up. I was already seeing where this was going. He had someone else tell him about using ether. He went and got a can, sprayed a bunch inside the tire, lit it, and ****! the tire seated itself on the beads. Right away, the tire dropped off of the beads. He figured out that the air had escaped through the valve stem so he got smart. He ethered it again and immediately put his finger over the stem to keep that air inside ( I was ready laughing hard enough to almost have tears coming out of my eyes at this point). He said that the metal stem burned his finger so he took it off of the stem and the tire fell off of the beads again. The tears really were coming out of my eyes by this point. He finally though about it for a little bit and put the valve core back in the stem and the tire stayed put that time. After I finally quit laughing, I told him that it an also help to use a clip on chuck and be putting air into the tire at the same time as lighting the ether. Sometimes,the ether alone isn't quite enough to do the trick.
$37 to mount and balance one tire?!?! THAT'S JUST PLAIN CRAZY!!! It was about half of that the last time that I knew. It also was $16 to repair a flat tire the last time that I knew. Both of those prices were around 10 years ago. Even back then, I sure was glad that I was starting to get the tools to take care of my own tire needs. Yes, I have the stuff to patch tires too, but I rarely have to use it. I put plugs into ATV tires more often than I have to patch a tire or tube. That's one thing that I learned when I finally gave up on trying to run used tires. Now that I buy new tires, they rarely need to be repaired. The used ones seemed to need some type of repair fairly often. About the only used tires that I run these days are the ones on my pickup bed trailer. Since they are 235/85r16s they are my own used tire off of my trucks.
In case I didn't mention it earlier in this thread, the cheap (more inexpensive) new tires don't seem to last very long. They seem to wear out the tread pretty quickly. I haven't noticed the quick tread wear since I recently switched to Yokahomas. So far, I absolutely LOVE them. I'm sure that there's other brands that wear like these, but I decided to go with Yokahomas because I've had good luck with them in the past and still seem to be. These are only about $30 more per tire. If they last twice as long (which it looks like they will easily do), they will be worth the extra money.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Oh look! You can't say P O O F. What gives here? That's not a bad word in any way!!

 

[subway]

Before I try to light the ether, I attach the clip on air chuck so that air is already going into the tire. Now, I have a funny story to share about ether. While I was working at the Good Year store, I was driving the truck that went out in the country and fixed tractor tires, etc. One time I was putting a new front combine for a guy and he was around wanting to talk to me (nothing terribly unusual about that). He told me about the time that he decided to mount his truck tire (medium/heavy duty truck) himself. He said that he managed to get the new tire on the rim just fine, but he had no way to air it up. I was already seeing where this was going. He had someone else tell him about using ether. He went and got a can, sprayed a bunch inside the tire, lit it, and ****! the tire seated itself on the beads. Right away, the tire dropped off of the beads. He figured out that the air had escaped through the valve stem so he got smart. He ethered it again and immediately put his finger over the stem to keep that air inside ( I was ready laughing hard enough to almost have tears coming out of my eyes at this point). He said that the metal stem burned his finger so he took it off of the stem and the tire fell off of the beads again. The tears really were coming out of my eyes by this point. He finally though about it for a little bit and put the valve core back in the stem and the tire stayed put that time. After I finally quit laughing, I told him that it an also help to use a clip on chuck and be putting air into the tire at the same time as lighting the ether. Sometimes,the ether alone isn't quite enough to do the trick.
$37 to mount and balance one tire?!?! THAT'S JUST PLAIN CRAZY!!! It was about half of that the last time that I knew. It also was $16 to repair a flat tire the last time that I knew. Both of those prices were around 10 years ago. Even back then, I sure was glad that I was starting to get the tools to take care of my own tire needs. Yes, I have the stuff to patch tires too, but I rarely have to use it. I put plugs into ATV tires more often than I have to patch a tire or tube. That's one thing that I learned when I finally gave up on trying to run used tires. Now that I buy new tires, they rarely need to be repaired. The used ones seemed to need some type of repair fairly often. About the only used tires that I run these days are the ones on my pickup bed trailer. Since they are 235/85r16s they are my own used tire off of my trucks.
In case I didn't mention it earlier in this thread, the cheap (more inexpensive) new tires don't seem to last very long. They seem to wear out the tread pretty quickly. I haven't noticed the quick tread wear since I recently switched to Yokahomas. So far, I absolutely LOVE them. I'm sure that there's other brands that wear like these, but I decided to go with Yokahomas because I've had good luck with them in the past and still seem to be. These are only about $30 more per tire. If they last twice as long (which it looks like they will easily do), they will be worth the extra money.

shuffles feet, I will admit, that guy could have been me when I first started trying. I had a perfect round burn scorch on my thumb the size of a tire valve for a little while trying to keep the pressure in.........

Yep 37$ for one tire! And I took the old tire! Apparently since I did not buy the tire from them I got a healthy upcharge they would not back down from. I will never go back and tell everyone I know not to as well. There was no patching this one, it was a blow out going down the highway and I was in a pinch to get my truck back.

 

[snicklas]

Yes, the cheaper tires do wear much more quickly.

When I bought my SuperCrew they replaced the tires with some Westlake tires. Nice looking tires, and did well in the snow last winter. A few months back, I found a screw with the drivers front. No big deal, took it in to have it patched…. they rolled the tire in and said we can’t patch this tire… parts are so worn it is too thin….. so we put on the ancient spare (factory, so it was 10+ years old, but better than the other one). Dad was already planning on a new set of tires for his SuperCrew before winter. His Transforce’s were still in decent shape, and will get me through.

Big thing is, the Westlakes I had, had less than 30,000 on them (I think it was closer to 25,000). The Transforces have closer to 40 and have at least half their tread left. Truck rides better, the tires are quieter and I have gained a bit of MPG…. I have put close to 10,000 on them (the truck is gets driven a bunch, and has made a few longer trips since the tires were installed) and there is no real distinguishable wear on them… so next set will be a better tire…. Maybe not transforces.. but definitely not cheapies…

 

[IDIBRONCO]

The Ironman tires I tried running don't even list a tread life. At least I couldn't find one on Tirebuyer.com. I don't think that I got any more than 15,000 miles on them. DEFINITELY not worth saving the $120 per set at that rate.