Unmount wire bead lawn mower tire

[cuengineer]

I have a Snapper rear engine rider that has tires with a wire bead that does not stretch a little to get over the rim like I am used to doing. Anyone encountered this and have any words of wisdom. The bead broke loose fairly easily but the bead just won't stretch to get over the rim. I even tried cutting the bead but that last 3/16" is tough because of the steel cable in the tire. I can't find anything I have that will cut it. My new tire doesn't seem to have the steel wire in the bead -- looks like it will stretch. Any suggestions will be appreciated!

 

[Jagmandave]

It's not a 2 piece wheel is it?

Do you have an angle grinder with a cut-off wheel? That will easily finish the bead if you can get it in there without damaging the rim.

 

[toplessHO]

I use bolt cutters

 

[theoldwizard1]

No metal bead "stretches" to allow it over the lip of a wheel !

Study this picture

Notice how both beads on the left are pressed into the "drop center". This is the trick to give you that little bit of extra room to get the opposite bead off. Use an extra set of hands or wood wedges to hold those left hand beads down into the drop center. If you are working on the top bead, it is really only necessary that the opposite top bead be down in the drop center.

Same is true when installing a new tire.

Use soap or tire lube (RuGlyde).

Actually, the best stuff is no longer available, Murphy's Oil Soap gel. A small amount on the bead area and under the lip of the rim worked great. Close second (but more expensive) is NoMar Tire Mount Paste. Diluted 3 or 4 to 1 with water and it makes a good spray.

 

[xyster101]

If the center of the rim is thinner then the outside bead past put the tire edge in that part as you move the bead of on the opposite side.
Tin snips should also cut it or a Ginsu Knife. Those cut through shoes and tiles.

 

[cuengineer]

Thanks to all for the suggestions. The rim is not a two-piece which would have been easy but does have the portion that is a lot smaller as shown by the wizard. I will try that approach, and if that doesn't work, will try the angle grinder. I had tried earlier with tin snips but could not get them in there where needed. Plus, I felt like there had to be a way to get it on/off but couldn't seem to get it to work. My new tire seems to be much more flexible. Just hope the tubeless tire will seal.

 

[Streetbu]

No tire stretches over the wheel. They all go on like the oldwizard stated. Ve y easy with 2 big flat had screw drivers. 10 minutes at most to make old one off and new one on.

 

[theoldwizard1]

No tire stretches over the wheel. They all go on like the oldwizard stated. Very easy with 2 big flat had screw drivers. 10 minutes at most to make old one off and new one on.

Lube !

 

[sberry]

Some of the small ones are hard, the aspect ratio is so low.

 

[gungatim]

Agree with above, especially if it's old, they can be a real pain to get on/off when they're that small. lube helps, and I usually just use a can of walmart spray lube but soap/water works too. since they are small, one thing you can do ahead of time to make it more pliable and easier to work off, is drop the whole thing in a big stock pot of water and boil it.

 

[WhiffySpark]

Agree with above, especially if it's old, they can be a real pain to get on/off when they're that small. lube helps, and I usually just use a can of walmart spray lube but soap/water works too. since they are small, one thing you can do ahead of time to make it more pliable and easier to work off, is drop the whole thing in a big stock pot of water and boil it.

Yeah and get hung by your wife

Just sit them outside in the sun lol

 

[sberry]

I did some this week, I bolt them to the bench.

 

[sberry]

I do alum car wheels all the time by hand too. I have a simple bead breaker. They can be done on the old tire machine, one has to watch and while its not as easy the actual process only takes a minute or 2 longer.
I ended cutting the bead on a couple golf cart wheels recently, really couldn't get the bead to break and used a cut off wheel.
I did a swap by hand Friday afternoon, 8 off 8 on. On and off the cars and took a bit over 3 hrs and I was tired and had a helper.

 

[toplessHO]

it helps to have some sort of fixture to hold them from spinning or chasing it around the yard. I have a large bolt thru an old trailer hitch that I put in my vise for this

 

[Doug Arthurs]

Yup get it mounted securely in a vise. Two big pry bars and a hammer and you are good to go. I puSt the bead to the center by hand but if it starts creeping up a couple blows will knock it back down .

 

[Doug Arthurs]

I would put a tube in the tire too. lawn tractor tires always seemed to leak down.

 

[gungatim]

Yeah and get hung by your wife

Just sit them outside in the sun lol

ha ha didn't say do it in the house! sitting in the sun works if you're lucky enough to see it...it's usually cold and dark when I am working on stuff like that... I use the propane turkey fryer outside for these type of things,

 

[BuickFarmer]

I break the tire down like wizard shows above then I use vice grips to clamp to the edge of the rim then a tire iron and screw driver to work the tire up and off the rin away from the vice grips. The vice grip keep the tire bead from slipping back down into the wheel.

 

[sberry]

Yes, I believe we use a clamp or 2 also.

 

[Streetbu]

Lube !

Actually on smaller tire when you're doing them by hand, lube actually makes It harder. The tire tries slipping off as you're installing the last bead. I just use 2 part flat head screwdrivers and my knee to keep the one side down and work around it. Be careful not to puncture the tube if your using one!

 

[stikman56]

I did some this week, I bolt them to the bench.

That's an excellent idea right there. The smaller they are, the harder they are. It's amazing how easy a 315/80/22.5 tire is by hand in comparison.

 

[RandyL]

Wizards picture tells it all. You must drop one side of the bead down and in so the side you are taking off has room to come up and over the wheel.

As some of you have said, chasing these little tires around is a lot harder than when working with larger ones...here is the best deal going. I have had this for about 6 months and have done a half dozen tires or so.....works fantastic!! I did not know they existed until recently. An owner of an aircraft company told me about these, he was sooooo right. He uses his on Ultralight and Experimental type planes ( smaller wheels ).

http://www.harborfreight.com/mini-tire-changer-61179.html

 

[xtremek]

I must be a wuss, I usually use 3 prybar/screwdrivers

 

[theoldwizard1]

I did a swap by hand Friday afternoon, 8 off 8 on. On and off the cars and took a bit over 3 hrs and I was tired and had a helper.

WOW !

Years ago I did 4 off and 4 on on a manual machine mounted to a 4x4 piece of 3/4 plywood. In a gravel parking lot. In 85F bright sunshine. Worse they were off of a race car and the rims had such an extreme offset that that you had to break the bead and flip and to remove the tire.

I was totally exhausted ! I would be lucky to do one under those conditions today!

 

[sberry]

I get really fast at most things repetitious, some of the bead offs I could do in one pry with a bar, 4 of they had to walk them on with 2 or 3 bars, I mean screwdrivers.
I should have snapped a couple pics, I do so many jobs I don't always do it.
I got a couple pieces I save and hole in the bench to clamp rims down. Takes about a minute.