Tire irons

[caterpillar guy]

Looking for a couple longer tire irons for prying big and heavy tires off with. I already have a couple of Ken tool bars, 2 spoons and demounting bar similar to the 34649. Which is one of the bars I'm looking at. The one I have similar to it is only 37 inch and 3/4 bar size .The bigger one is 52 inch and 7/8 bar. Is there anybody else that makes a bar similar without bending. In reading some reviews about the Strongway from Northern Tool they bent or broke the tips off from them. The Ken tool bars I've got have never bent or broke prying tires off or on, just is getting to short for big tires like Grain cart 12 and more ply tires and big combine or tractor tires.

 

[thelonepatriot]

I use a couple of old leaf springs.

 

[caterpillar guy]

I've done the leaf spring deal in fact we used to have an old one with a rounded end that worked real well for car and pickup sized tires. then the tip end got broke off from it and then was never as good with the sharp blunt end. Now I'm not sure where it is. most springs long enough to be good for big tires like the 30.5-32 or a 20.8-42 are to blunt to be used well or way to short in the leverage department. They also don't fit in under the bead well to get started. A 3/8 thick spring end does not slip in well. And it is a lot of grinding to thin it up enough to work well.

 

[Snattlerake]

https://www.northerntool.com/products/esco-e-z-way-truck-tire-changer-model-70100-145556?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=

 

[wore out]

Is there a higher priced place to buy than northern tool?

Most everything they purvey can had for a LOT less with a simple 'net search.

 

[Mule Meat]

Is there a higher priced place to buy than northern tool?

Most everything they purvey can had for a LOT less with a simple 'net search.

They definitely are not the same as they were when it was Northern Hydraulics. Use to get a lot of stuff from them before they changed names. Now days very little.
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Cut the 3/4" Ken spoons in half. Stick it in a piece of heavy walled 3/4" ID tubing and weld it. You can make it as long as you wish.

 

[caterpillar guy]

A lot of semi tires if you stomp hard with your heel the bead will come off. I've done it many times easier than knocking it down. I've also changed outside duals just like a tractor tire. On the truck or trailer. I've bent bigger crowbars prying off tires on things like combine or grain cart. Didn't want to cut my current bars in to just to weld a pipe in them. For truck tires and such they are long enough. To long gets in the way to work with. Those from Northern tool were primarily for breaking the beads down on semi tires. Don't know if you tried them on the big heavy beads of farm equipment if they would do it. I read some of the reviews on the Strongway irons and most all of them told about bending or breakage so sounds like those would not be up to the job. Just thought maybe somebody had some that they used with good results .

 

[Fixingfarmer]

I don't know it seems like the combine and tractor tires have gotten easier as they get wider but we saw a trick. I just stick 4 or 5 of the cheap longer (I believe they are even HARBOR FREIGHT!!! pieces of garbage but ill look at break time today) tire bars Dad bought in before trying to pry it off so they are prestaged half the tire before you even try to pry. With that and some soap maybe even a little Murphys it has been a lot easier to pull them off I certainly haven't been hanging off the end of the bar like sometimes we did before and we have done a couple really crispy ones this way that should not still have been on a tractor.

They still can be a stinker to seat. Mounting has gone easier since we discovered rim clamps as well and on a big tire multiple of just the slip on seem fine.

If you get tired of kicking with your heel or your knees start to go a slide hammer makes the semi truck tires pretty easy as well. That and the golden buddy tool they go really quick.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

I bought a couple of off-brand tire spoons from Runnings when they first opened. Bent both of them in short order. KenTool is by far the best product out there today.

The biggest true tire spoon KenTool makes is 30". Anything else is a "gimmick" bar for a specific purpose. That's not saying you can't use them for a normal tire.

Why not just stick a cheater pipe on a 30" spoon? The KenTool spoons can take quite a bit of abuse.

 

[NoDakInMN]

Is there a higher priced place to buy than northern tool?

Most everything they purvey can had for a LOT less with a simple 'net search.

Most everything can be found cheaper with a 'net search, but you have to be willing to wait for it to be shipped, and pay the shipping. Because so many people do this, the volume of sales has dropped at brick and mortar stores that have inventory on hand. This resulting lack of turnover of inventory means it costs more to keep on hand. So buying off the interview may save you money, but it's going to cost you more when you can't wait for it to be delivered.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Barnyard I have done that couple times.I just keep thinking about if it slips off and who all could get hurt when or if it does besides me. A lot of the time it is my brother and i doing the work on them. Sort of like pipe on chain binders. We had a kid get hit right below the eye with a pipe on one of them one time. they took him into emergency room for some stitches . That has always stuck with me and he as only about 18or 21 at the time and could have been not so fortunate that time. I guess I'll just get one of those longer Ken tool bars like the one I have. I also just use a sledge hammer for the semi tires hit once near the bead and it is down. I do most tractor and combine tires on the machine so laying them down with several bars stuck in would just fall out till there was pressure on them. Dad tries to help and I give him credit but at 92 now I find him more in the way with his moving slower now and he has some trouble holding a bar for me if he helps. He still wants to be useful with things which is what keeps him going. I'm not going to tell him no. I have a couple just spoons in 30 and maybe 24 inch along with one of those curved bars to fit over or inside the bead with the flat curved end at the opposite end.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

Same here I never lay one of the big ones flat stick them in and let the bump on the backside hold them about like the rim clamp does when putting them on. It takes a bit of juggling before you start but once you get the first over it will hold itself most times then just go around flipping the rest down. It does look like dad did spring for KEN tools (I was a bit quick to judge the tool quality based on previous occurrences) which would explain why we have good luck i haven’t ever wanted to put a bar on one.
I watched a professional guy do a combine tire once after struggling with a similar tractor tire myself and then saw the 4th bar come out of the truck him use his knee to hold it in place as the first bar then flip the next one counterclockwise down then they should hold kick the bottom to make sure it’s in the drop center then flip the next one down. and then the light bulb the came on for me. It still takes me about half a day to do 2 tractor rears or combine duals that guy could do it in a hour. But it’s a 1200 dollar hour

 

[caterpillar guy]

No Dak I do both buy local for some things, I'm sure will fit or work so I don't have to pay shipping on both receiving and returning. Then some things are pretty certain by looking at it so I just order it online. I get most things local because of the freight cost both ways. Fixhave a bunp to hold hem they are flat with a slight curve on some of them or a flat end. I have both.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

No Dak I do both buy local for some things, I'm sure will fit or work so I don't have to pay shipping on both receiving and returning. Then some things are pretty certain by looking at it so I just order it online. I get most things local because of the freight cost both ways. Fixhave a bunp to hold hem they are flat with a slight curve on some of them or a flat end. I have both.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

Rest the nub on the rim it will kinda hold it

 

[caterpillar guy]

Fixing look up 33239 ken tool part they don't have that nub on the backside like you show. My other bar like that does but not the spoons.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

34645 I believe is the big one with the nub they are 65 a piece on amazon
they aren't a spoon at least I wouldn't call them that I honestly use them much more than the shorter spoons for big tires. it seems like if I need one of those the two little ones on the tire machine suffice to sneak in somewhere.

 

[NDIHC]

View attachment 100324

That's what we always used for 22.5/24.5 semi tires with 15° beads. Or any of the .5 tires. 16.5, 18.5, 19.5 etc.

 

[bc]

Barnyard I have done that couple times.I just keep thinking about if it slips off and who all could get hurt when or if it does besides me. A lot of the time it is my brother and i doing the work on them. Sort of like pipe on chain binders. We had a kid get hit right below the eye with a pipe on one of them one time. they took him into emergency room for some stitches . That has always stuck with me and he as only about 18or 21 at the time and could have been not so fortunate that time. I guess I'll just get one of those longer Ken tool bars like the one I have. I also just use a sledge hammer for the semi tires hit once near the bead and it is down. I do most tractor and combine tires on the machine so laying them down with several bars stuck in would just fall out till there was pressure on them. Dad tries to help and I give him credit but at 92 now I find him more in the way with his moving slower now and he has some trouble holding a bar for me if he helps. He still wants to be useful with things which is what keeps him going. I'm not going to tell him no. I have a couple just spoons in 30 and maybe 24 inch along with one of those curved bars to fit over or inside the bead with the flat curved end at the opposite end.

My favorite cheater for boomers for chaining down oil field pipe and equipment was a 3 foot long aluminum 2 inch pipe. The 2 inch size was just right for starting to slide off and pull off the boomers just as they break over. Also easy and quick to slide off when opening tight boomers when the handle Flys open. Also carried a 6 foot steel pipe as a cheater for occasional use. The aluminum pipe was light and easy to use.

 

[caterpillar guy]

The one I'm looking at is 34649 it looks like yours but is longer than that one. that 34645 is only 37 inches. I've got that one I want some that are longer for this work. That is where the 34649 comes in it is 52 inches .