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Problem seating tire on rim
- Thread starter tim4
- Start date
I even tried 2 straps.
I looked at tires when I was at Menard's and saw that they're very flat- I don't know if mine has tubes, but that could make mounting easier. The tires on mine are fairly worn, so the day is coming.
Smiley_Dave
Forum Newbie
It takes me less than a minute to mount a small 4ply front mower tire. Here's what you do. Get two small vice grip pliers(you can use the average size ones but the smaller ones work better; if at least one of them is a small one it is enough you can still work around the big one) and two large flat blade screwdrivers and some tire bead soap and a piece of plywood to work on on the ground if you're on dirt/grass. Soap both beads real good and press the tire on with your hands on one side. If its tight use one of the flat blade scredwdrivers to help it the last part of the way; it will usually go on on the first side real easy. Remember to keep the opposite side down into the deep center groove in the center of the rim so it will fit over on the other side you're trying mount. Now, mount one edge of the second bead under the edge of the rim. Clip on one of the vice grip pliers on the edge lip of the rim to hold the bead down and in place. Now take a big screwdriver and go under the bead on the opposite side and while pushing down on the tire sidewall on the side next to the vice grips pull the bead down into the center groove on the rim and and hold it. Now at the farthest place you can away from the first vice grip snap the second vice grip to hold the bead down by the rim. Now take the two big screwdrivers and work the bead on around the rim and REMEMBER TO PUSH THE TIRE BEAD DOWN ON THE SIDE OPPOSITE THE SIDE YOU ARE WORKING ON INTO THE CENTER GROOVE OF THE RIM. The bead will fall right into place.Guys, all mower tires need to go to a real tire shop. Sorry but some of them are a huge pain in the rump. Shops only charge a couple bucks for those small tires anyway. I don't even mess with them anymore. Got better things to do like slugging down some adult beverages on a hot summer day.
So while you are driving to the tire place and getting your tire done and then driving back I will have already drank a six pack and finished cutting my yard and maybe sleeping on my couch or cooking steaks and burgers on the grill.
I'll save you a cold one and a steak for when you get back!
Also that tagline you have under your posts; good advice. I get more great mowers for next to nothing because guys cook the engines and warp the heads/blown head gaskets because they don't keep the fins and the blower area under the shroud cleaned out. So thankfully not everyone reads your post or knows about that or I would be missing out on all these fantastic mower deals. Just bought a Toro Z-400 with under 500 hours and a Kawasaki FH engine for under a $1000 took me 3 days(because I didn't feel like pulling the flywheel and kept soaking it instead) to get all the crap out of the fins and under that shroud and sand the left cylinder head back flat. Took longer waiting for the new head gaskets and the carb gasket set. Die grinded the welds and slag out of the exhaust to open it up while I had it off and some high heat black paint and two new front tires and it runs like new; I could now sell it for $4500.
Smiley_Dave
Forum Newbie
I've seen guys use a piece of steel rod mounted in a vice and put the rim on the rod but I never have any problem mounting small mower tires with two small vice grip pliers and two big flat blade screwdrivers. The trick is pushing the tire bead into the deep rim groove while you are prying with the screwdriver. Use your hand or something you can hold that will push the bead into that groove while you pry. Remember only one bead will stay in that groove at a time. I do it on the ground with my hands and it takes about a minute. Hard tires to mount? Those thick bead 19" rim tires like you see on tow trucks and some box vans and you use vice grips on them too when you don't have a coates machine to do it on. My biggest peeve tire wise is those dirt bike racing tires with the rims with two or more bead locks.I found a way to modify a harbor freight tire changer so I can mount smaller tires. The bench one they sell is too chincy.
Smiley_Dave
Forum Newbie
I used them on semi-truck tires and automotive or work truck tires but not small tires. I definitely wouldn't fill it to max pressure if I did.I had one of those that burst air inside the tire could not get it to seat a tire.
I might try it just for kicks some day but I don't now if I would use it regularly; will have to wait and see.
If you seat one bead onto the rim first by pressing the rim with your foot while pulling up on the tire on the side without the air valve, press hard and watch that the bead has fully seated up onto the rim lip all the way around. Then carefully turn the tire over and set it flat. Then use tire bead soap and heavily lay it on real thick around the unseated bead side, just really gob it on. Then when you add air in the valve it will hold in the air enough until the tire expands to the unseated bead and it will push all the soap back out and the tire will seat and take air. Then scoop up all the extra bead soap and put it back in the bucket. Bead soap has additives that help seal the tire and also condition the rim to prevent rust and/or the rubber seizing/sticking to the metal. Makes demounting easier later especially for tires that are on the rim for years at a time.
I took the tire to a mower shop and he seated both beads using a machine that had a bottom air blast feature then he pulled up the tire to seat the top bead and he took a air nozzle and put it on the valve stem and the beads popped in place. He used a wikco industries self change 160 with tool holder. I tried calling the company to buy one for myself but can't talk to a live agent. Are they still in business?