Is there a decent way to get this tire off a bad rim?

[dbsoundman]

This tire isn't terribly old and has minimal weather checking, but the rim is all rust jacked and leaks fluid from who knows where. I'm not sure if the rim itself is full of fluid or if the tube has a small leak, as it takes a while for it to visibly air down but there's always a puddle wherever that tractor sits while parked.

Anyway, I don't have much good tire experience, the last set of tractor tires I tried to get off rims I ended up just cutting apart with a sawzall. I tried driving on top of those tires, pressing them with another loader tractor, etc. but it just didn't work. Is there a good technique to break the beads on these old setups or should I just send the whole tire and rim off to pasture?

 

[jhwis]

Old fashioned bead breaker hammer is your friend.

 

[Jim.ME]

You will want to drain it before trying to get the tire off the rim. You need some decent tire irons and a way to break the bead down.

I have a tire hammer, spud and a slide hammer bead breaker for breaking beams down. I recently had a real crusty one to do and purchased a bead breaker from Harbor Freight, as I was there for something else and it was on sale. I am glad I did that took almost all the hammer work of getting the beads down on the rim. I recommend you get one if you are going to undertake this. There are others similar for less, and more I offer this as an example.

Maddox bead breaker

Of course, I also recommend getting a quote from your local tire shop if you don't have the tools and experience, it might be cheaper.

 

[jhwis]

You will want to drain it before trying to get the tire off the rim. You need some decent tire irons and a way to break the bead down.

I have a tire hammer, spud and a slide hammer bead breaker for breaking beams down. I recently had a real crusty one to do and purchased a bead breaker from Harbor Freight, as I was there for something else and it was on sale. I am glad I did that took almost all the hammer work of getting the beads down on the rim. I recommend you get one if you are going to undertake this. There are others similar for less, and more I offer this as an example.

Maddox bead breaker

Of course, I also recommend getting a quote from your local tire shop if you don't have the tools and experience, it might be cheaper.

Does that bead breaker work well on tractor tires?

 

[KCTractors]

Does that bead breaker work well on tractor tires?

Yes, I use one similar to that one for breaking the tire beads.

 

[Jim.ME]

Does that bead breaker work well on tractor tires?

It sure does; I used it on a 36" rim. I even picked up a second one to have available for a worst case rusty one.

They are not intended to be run with an impact wrench. Some brands allow that but cost more. The Maddox uses a 30MM for a wrench or socket to turn it.

 

[jhwis]

It sure does; I used it on a 36" rim. I even picked up a second one to have available for a worst case rusty one.

They are not intended to be run with an impact wrench. Some brands allow that but cost more. The Maddox uses a 30MM for a wrench or socket to turn it.

Might have to get me one.

 

[Jim.ME]

Might have to get me one.

Thought about and talked about getting one for years; after using it a couple times I wish I had done it sooner. put it on the rim, cranked it down pushing the bead down 3-4 inches then took the hammer and spud (or slide breaker to go around the rest of the bead. Didn't have beat hard. usually a couple whacks and the bead dropped free.

I was thinking of getting a hydraulic one, but this worked well enough for as many as I will do in a year, I don't see that I need a hydraulic one (at least for now).

 

[jhwis]

Thought about and talked about getting one for years; after using it a couple times I wish I had done it sooner. put it on the rim, cranked it down pushing the bead down 3-4 inches then took the hammer and spud (or slide breaker to go around the rest of the bead. Didn't have beat hard. usually a couple whacks and the bead dropped free.

I was thinking of getting a hydraulic one, but this worked well enough for as many as I will do in a year, I don't see that I need a hydraulic one (at least for now).

Right, I hope never to do any. I've helped my uncle do a few skidder tires. That's not a lot of fun.

 

[Jim in LA]

Lots of videos on YouTube that show different methods of removing tractor tires from rims. One of my 8Ns is shedding sidewall rubber from years of non use. I will be spending around $400 pretty soon. Sad part is I have two of them and they both need rear tires.

 

[Jaden]

I have used wood splitting wedges and a sledge hammer. (Works sometimes)

 

[flmeredith]

a good backhoe operator can do it and not tear the tire , just a idea, and have had to do that to get the bead to let go

 

[rustred]

Even a jack -all works for them tires. But u got to remove it off the tractor. With a tire hammer it’s done on the tractor , but only the outside. STill will have to come off.

 

[scootergmc]

Does that bead breaker work well on tractor tires?

Yep. Makes life easy. As Jim said, they say don't use an impact, but I'll confess to using an impact on a non-impact model.

 

[Jim.ME]

Even a jack -all works for them tires. But u got to remove it off the tractor. With a tire hammer it’s done on the tractor , but only the outside. STill will have to come off.

Those bead breakers will work with the tire on the tractor, on both sides of the rim, just like they do it on heavy equipment with hydraulic ones. BTDT

 

[Fred Werring]

Yep. Makes life easy. As Jim said, they say don't use an impact, but I'll confess to using an impact on a non-impact model.

Same. I just make sure the threads on the jack screw are greased up.

 

[RJKeith]

Old fashioned bead breaker hammer is your friend.

That bead breaker hammer isn't all that friendly. I got something called a "little buddy" from Norther Tool several years ago. Three flat fingers you drive in between the bead and the rim. Then you clam the fingers in place and turn a bolt with a wrench. The screw drives two fingers down, pushing the bead off the rim. So easy! If you use the hammer, then try this, you will agree it is worth every penny.

 

[Jim.ME]

That bead breaker hammer isn't all that friendly. I got something called a "little buddy" from Norther Tool several years ago. Three flat fingers you drive in between the bead and the rim. Then you clam the fingers in place and turn a bolt with a wrench. The screw drives two fingers down, pushing the bead off the rim. So easy! If you use the hammer, then try this, you will agree it is worth every penny.

That sounds like another manufacturer's version of the Maddox bead breaker I posted (post #3). I don't find a "Little Buddy" like you describe on Northern's site currently.

 

[DanielW]

For years I used a tire axe and/or a slide-hammer bead breaker. I built my own slide hammer bead breaker to be heavier and have more impact than the smaller 36" Ken-Tool type ones you buy. It works dandy, but it really gives you a workout.

But last year I bought a pair of those cheapo clamp-on bead-breakers. Mine were from Vevor, but are just like the Maddox one in the link above (probably made in the same plant in China). I wasn't expecting much, but they sure work dandy. Still good to have the slide hammer and tire axe to use in conjunction with them on some really stubborn rims. But if you have time to move the clamp-on one around a little and slowly work around it, you can usually get it without other tools.

Before I had the tire axe and slide hammer I screwed around with wedges, jacks, and loaders - usually using a backhoe or loader bucket to force it down as close to the rim as possible, then using a combination of wedges, jacks chained around the rim, and sledges to keep working on breaking it free. Those methods work ok on clean and newer tires, but can be a proper pain on really stubborn rims. Now that I know how fast/easy it is with the proper tools (and how cheap the proper tools are), I wouldn't want to go back to those old methods.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

Tire Slide hammer in combo with one of the harbor freight clamp on beed breaker will be enough to unseat the bead on it.

If you don’t have slide hammer or the beed breaker tool you can use a prybar and hammer to start the spot for the bead breaker so that is the tool of the 2 id buy if you have neither

One trick I’ve found with big tires is to stage the bars before you try to peel them off I used to try to pull them off with 2 bars

If you stage 3 or 4 or so (however many you can carefully balance and/or own) in there while the beed is off before you try prying it will go much much easier especially if you don’t have a crispy tire and want to save it