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

[showcrop]

Sometimes when they get bad, you may think that the main problem is the added friction of the rust keeping the bead from moving. However, I have found that it can be the stretch of the bead due to the build-up of rust. I have used a sawzall to cut the tire from the bead, then a cold chisel to cut the bead. One time on an old 38" inch dual, when the bead broke it snapped like an explosion.

 

[MARK ROBKE]

Old fashioned bead breaker hammer is your friend.

I had a front tire I could not break down, trying all the usual 'tricks' you mentioned. I went and borrowed the bead breaker sledgehammer and broke the bead in one (my first) hit. I had used them at work, but did not own one at home. Mark.

 

[paul]

That tire could be rusted on pretty hard, so will take some effort. But yes that harbor freight bead breaker or similar from other places does a good job. Go slow with it on a tough ruses up deal like this and it might be a bit of work, but it will get there.

The pros that come out with a tire truck use the very same type machine, it’s just a much more expensive air powered version and of course a bit more robust built.

Paul

 

[Alvin 41]

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?

I've always been able to get bead started and finished with a 18" tire iron and a 2# maul , even on much larger 12 ply tires, but don't work on fluid filled tires often .

 

[NDIHC]

A duck bill tire hammer, a couple of tire irons and a bucket of Murphy's tire compound mixed 50/50 with water is my go-to.

 

[Davidj]

Take it off the tractor, use the loader to put it in the back of the truck and take it to your friendly neighbourhood tire place. They'll have it off in no time for a twunny dollar bill or two.

 

[DanielW]

A duck bill tire hammer, a couple of tire irons and a bucket of Murphy's tire compound mixed 50/50 with water is my go-to.

Until about 8 years ago I would have completely agreed with you, because that's all I had and used. And I thought I'd never need anything else. Then about 5 years ago I used the slide-hammer bead-breaker and wished I had done so years earlier and thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. And I thought I'd never need anything else. Then 1 year ago I bought a couple of the clamp-on bead breakers and thought they were even better and wished I had bought them years ago. And now I'm almost certain I'll never need anything else.

For 80% of tires, any of the above methods work about equal. But for those really, really stubborn, rusted rims, tires that haven't moved in 30+ years, and dried-out/hardened tires, the slide-hammer and clamp-on bead breakers make a world of difference. It's the difference between hammering away for an hour or more and screwing around with loader buckets, jacks, chains, re-positioning, denting your rim when you get tired and make one mis-stroke with the duckbill, and wearing yourself out with increased frustration. Or just pushing it off in 10 minutes or less with minimal effort.

 

[Watthour]

...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).

I thought that once also. For the cost of the mechanical breaker, the air-over-hydraulic is a bargain. The hydraulic bead breakers imported from the same places that the screw-type breakers are made can be had for about $120 at that rain forest department store place, and others.

If you already have a porta-power or other hydraulic pullers, rams, jaws, and/or equipment, you might already have a hydraulic pump to run it. Now that there are battery-powered hydraulic power packs (like Milwaukee M18 Force Logic) it doesn't even require a compressor, so portability is even better.

 

[Watthour]

Take it off the tractor, use the loader to put it in the back of the truck and take it to your friendly neighbourhood tire place. They'll have it off in no time for a twunny dollar bill or two.

$20 won't get you into the parking lot at the truck and tractor tire services around me.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

A pair of spoons will do the absolute rustiest rims with zero damage to the bead.

If the bead is rusted/adhered to the rim, the mechanical or hydraulic bead breaker will damage the bead if used improperly....it will only break a section of the bead about 4 inches wide. The natural tendency of the user is to keep stroking the breaker until something "gives", and at maximum stroke the bead can be stretched/ cut/ torn if the rest the bead is still stuck to the rim.

The spoons are beautiful on stubborn, rusted rims because the take the bead down evenly 1/4" all the way around the rim without undue stress on the bead or the sidewall. This is particularly important on rotten tires that are worth salvaging. If you get all the way around and the tire still hasn't given up, the spoons are flipped over so the cup side is down, and usually at this stage the tire will come off by time you're halfway around.

Driving the spoons against the rim also has the added benefit of pulverizing the rust that is making the bead stick to the rim.

 

[showcrop]

$20 won't get you into the parking lot at the truck and tractor tire services around me.

I took a pair of 28s in a year and a half ago. I was pleasantly surprised that it was $36.00 and change. This was for mount dismount. They charged an hour.

 

[NDIHC]

Until about 8 years ago I would have completely agreed with you, because that's all I had and used. And I thought I'd never need anything else. Then about 5 years ago I used the slide-hammer bead-breaker and wished I had done so years earlier and thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. And I thought I'd never need anything else. Then 1 year ago I bought a couple of the clamp-on bead breakers and thought they were even better and wished I had bought them years ago. And now I'm almost certain I'll never need anything else.

For 80% of tires, any of the above methods work about equal. But for those really, really stubborn, rusted rims, tires that haven't moved in 30+ years, and dried-out/hardened tires, the slide-hammer and clamp-on bead breakers make a world of difference. It's the difference between hammering away for an hour or more and screwing around with loader buckets, jacks, chains, re-positioning, denting your rim when you get tired and make one mis-stroke with the duckbill, and wearing yourself out with increased frustration. Or just pushing it off in 10 minutes or less with minimal effort.

I worked in a tire store for over 7 years and a Farmers Union for over 5 years doing all sorts of tires. I've used the slide hammers and consider them the worst. The air/hydraulic breakers are the easiest to use and you can do the inside bead without removing the rim from the tractor. I would place the duckbill between the two, even on rusty, corroded rims. The slide hammer just bounces on a really stiff, stuck tire. Tire lube on the sidewall and good aim will drive the duckbill in easily. I haven't used the screw type of bead pusher but we had them at the tire store. Most of the ones we had were either bent, broken or stripped so nobody used them. Maybe some of the newer ones are better? IDK, might have to try one out.
The worst was when someome would bring in a loaded tire on a flatbed. They got charged extra because it was so much easier to work on if it was on the tractor. Still had to use the tire truck for the chloride pump and the boom to handle the tire so they got charged accordingly.

 

[redline2deere]

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

I did mine using front end loader on a JD 1050. Took some finessing and some bouncing, and some warm soapy water but she went.

 

[DanielW]

I worked in a tire store for over 7 years and a Farmers Union for over 5 years doing all sorts of tires. I've used the slide hammers and consider them the worst. The air/hydraulic breakers are the easiest to use and you can do the inside bead without removing the rim from the tractor. I would place the duckbill between the two, even on rusty, corroded rims. The slide hammer just bounces on a really stiff, stuck tire. Tire lube on the sidewall and good aim will drive the duckbill in easily. I haven't used the screw type of bead pusher but we had them at the tire store. Most of the ones we had were either bent, broken or stripped so nobody used them. Maybe some of the newer ones are better? IDK, might have to try one out.
The worst was when someome would bring in a loaded tire on a flatbed. They got charged extra because it was so much easier to work on if it was on the tractor. Still had to use the tire truck for the chloride pump and the boom to handle the tire so they got charged accordingly.

Interesting. I definitely defer to your experience, as I'm certainly no expert and haven't worked in a tire shop. Just my own tires around the farms. But I found the slide-hammer tool to be the cat's pyjamas after the duckbill. But I also made my own much heavier slide hammer with a profiled wedge at the tip to really get under the rim and into the seat. I had one of the Ken-Tool slide-hammers (still have it...somewhere...), but with that one I found the same thing as you: It would just bounce off any stubbon tire. Don't know if it just wasn't heavy enough, or if it was the spring in the handle: The Ken-Tool one has a spring inside the hollow end to absorb some of the shock so it isn't so hard on your hands. I always thought it was kind of goofy, because the spring is taking away so much of your impact force.

 

[tomturkey]

As Jim said above you will probably need to drain the calcium chloride solution in the tire. It is a real bugger to get a tube with liquid in it out of the tire. BTDT. makes for a real salty mess. I'm sure this is not the thing to do, but I have done it on the rusty tire rim bead. Spray some pb blaster around the bead it always helped for me. May not be the best for the rubber, but has'nt seemed to hurt the last 15 years. gobble

 

[dixon boy RL]

now days i just let m,y buddy at my tire supply. do it way quicker and cheaper if you figure your time is worth anything cause you will be at it a lot longer.

 

[scootergmc]

now days i just let m,y buddy at my tire supply. do it way quicker and cheaper if you figure your time is worth anything cause you will be at it a lot longer.

I'll give you that, but if you don't have a way to get it off the tractor, handle it, and get it to the shop, you gotta make due with what you have. I know plenty of guys who have tractors but if they had to actually remove the wheel and tire, they'd be in a world of hurt. Of course they're in a world of hurt when the mobile tire guy shows up too... S$$$

 

[Fixingfarmer]

$20 won't get you into the parking lot at the truck and tractor tire services around me.

I was gonna say try 12 of those bills for a tractor rear even a little one the 20 bucks is what they get for a front here. and that’s if the tire shows up for them

It is a 1000 dollar bill to see a tire guy now to do two combine tires and I am not kidding. I bet it hasn’t gone down in the 5 years since we had them out.

We did the outside duals on the combine the next year and a couple of inside tires on an 8220 ourselves a couple years later after that. Figure we paid for one tire per machine by keeping that truck away. I guess the world has gone insane.

 

[Tractorcedric]

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?

Don't do like me and use the loader if you want to save the tire. I think the tire I was trying to remove was pretty sun rotted.

 

[cjunrau]

I do not know if the OP has read any of these replies, if he has he has not come back and replied that I can see.

I personally use a bead braker, screw type is what I have. for the cost of 2 or 3 of them it is cheap and easy compared to the $500+ bill for one tire around here.
I am surprised nobody mentioned after putting one bead breaker on I squirt a lot of dish soap in the bead area then put the second one on. I start on top so the soap runs down. reapply soap as needed and it takes less pressure and I find it won't wreck the bead like a few posters mention they can. In the last 5-6 years I have done what I assume are the original tires on 1650 cockshut 730 case and such tractors. The treads are as good as gone and so dry and chunks missing and they definitely looked like they could have been on there 40 or more years. One I know for sure was old as it was on there 20 years ago when I got it, and I bought it from the original owner. and he had not used the tractor much. bead breaker and soap and work my way around the tire. By the time you get half way around it is off. I also use the impact on them. I did wreck my first one because I tried to go to far right away. I found that if I just tighten up so much and keep moving along the threads don't strip and the bolt doesn't bend. with impact it is fast and the tool itself is not heavy so 5-10 minutes and the beads are off. Then the real work starts,lol Of course I ad pipes over my tire bars to make it easier.