Tire Removal - Split Rims

[rboltz]

Soaked the lock ring in PB Blaster and it came apart. Not too bad a shape so will sand blast, prime and paint and get a new tire. Thanks for all the help!

[chimesickle]

Geez, I am having no luck with mine I dont have a duck billed hammer, so I tried a splitting maul, sledge hammer, jackhammer, and resting the weight of the truck on a 4x4 directly on the bead. I used soapy water for the first couple hours. Maybe penetrating oil would help? Or using the rosebud torch? I cant buy new tools until I find a job. I am almost out of money

[Barrman]

Use a Hi-Lift jack. Put the base as close to the metal as possible. About two throws of the handle into it, you can take a big hammer and push the base of the jack all the way in next to the can. Use the jack and the hammer together until your truck the jack is pushing against gets unsteady. Then just wait. It will move the bead down some. Reset everything, move the jack about 6" over on the tire and do it again. Even the toughest of tires will start to move after the 3rd or 4th lap.

It took me almost a week on my first M35 tire using the above method before the tire finally gave in. I was using the front frame of the M35 to push against. I would go up until the nearest front tire would spin, walk away and come back in an hour or so. If the tire didn't spin anymore, I would pick it up until it did.

I got the duck billed hammer after tire #4 of the 12 I had to break down. None of the last 8 took more than 20 minutes from start to finish. I have 4 more M34 rims to break down this week. I plan an hour to swap out tires and tubes on those 4.

[kwai]

Extreme offroad makes a wedge that attaches to the hi-lift jack to break the bead. Kinda like the duck-billed hammer only more precise and powerful.

[rboltz]

I've revived this thread because of an interesting trip to the truck tire center.

I took (4) M715 wheels and tires, from a local fellow zoner, to the STTC. Neither of us had the wherewithal to remove the tires. One guy attacked the rims manually and the other guy put one on the tire machine. The manual guy removed 3 tires in the time it took to do the 4th one on the machine. In 15 minutes, all 4 were removed and a 5th was mounted on a new wheel. I was amazed, but did get to see professional lock ring tire removal in real time. Also, VERY low cost. Not worth the effort to save $7. I wish I could have videoed the process and see who can beat 3 minutes to remove a tire!

[oilcan]

If the tire's been removed recently, 3 minuites isn't that hard. I do have a little trouble if it's been mounted up for the last 40 years, though!

[kwai]

I took my tires to a expert and he removed the first in short order (maybe 3 minutes). We then borrowed the duck-billed hammer and were able to remove the other 3 tires in 45 minutes and one broken handle. It takes practice to do it quickly.

[pistolnut]

If you've never done it, find a truck or equipment tire guy and pay him to do a couple so you can watch. Well worth if for the education, they are fast and make it look easy.

YOU CAN KILL YOURSELF WITH THESE WHEELS! The stories of fatalities are true! I have posted up the details of my unintentional attempted suicide by lock ring several times. The chain method works for reinflation, so does a portable tire changing cage (some tire guys have them). Or you can put the tire on the hub backwards and start a couple lug nuts. The lock ring if it blows off will harmlessly blow off into your fender rather than out where it could hurt somebody. You can also use a locking air chuck an inflate the tire from a safe distance.

[vacca rabite]

YOU CAN KILL YOURSELF WITH THESE WHEELS! The stories of fatalities are true! I have posted up the details of my unintentional attempted suicide by lock ring several times. The chain method works for reinflation, so does a portable tire changing cage (some tire guys have them). Or you can put the tire on the hub backwards and start a couple lug nuts. The lock ring if it blows off will harmlessly blow off into your fender rather than out where it could hurt somebody. You can also use a locking air chuck an inflate the tire from a safe distance.

Every time that I talk myself into saving a little cash an using my stock wheels, I read something like the above. Are you saying that the rings can blow off the first time weight is put on them? Could someone clear this up for me? I'd like to save the money, but I'd also like to stay safe.

When I sold rboltz the tires, I was really glad he offered to take them to Service Tire. I worked for over an hour trying to get the front bead off. The tires are newish (according to the PO) and I was able to get the back unseated just by standing on it. Nothing that I had was able to get the front to un-mount though.

Zach

[Pineyguy]

I changed out 5 tires (remove old, install new) and while it took a bit of time, wasn't terribly hard. When I was in my teens and earlier 20's I worked with a guy doing excavating/ hauling coal, etc. He showed me how to change out regular split rims and told me to always loosely chain 2 sides 90 degrees from the split of the ring. I did that when I changed out my tires, but I would think that the extended portion of the ring (the locking part) would give you quite a bit of security as long as you carefully inflate the tube until the bead is evenly around that part. I just put some air in, and then walked on top of both sides of the tire to make sure nothing was pinching. The bead locks the ring right? Once it's started on there, I don't see how the ring could come off. I think regualr split rims are quite a bit more dangerous than locking ring rims, I could be wrong though.