LOL! I just got the old 28 x 10" cheater slicks off and the new 31 x 12"mounted on the 10' wheels. I can't get them to bead up. Three of us have worked for more than an hour. to no avail. We even tried the ratchet strap trick. I know one of those bead blaster things would work at the tire shop, but I hate to go there on a Saturday morning. OK, now for the "Don't try this at home" part. I've never tried it before but what about the old starting fluid trick? I'm just about frustrated enough to try it. Let's hear your stories.
starting fluid works great. just a one second shot and try that first, two seconds if it needs more. i made a tire cannon from an old air tank off a truck, every growing boy should have one
I have in the past put a tube in and used it to seat the bead. You can then break it down on one side and pull the tube out. Not the easiest but it will work. D
Have you tried pumping air in the tire and using the strap method????... Also need to move the tire up and down... Just might work!
Used to blow race tires on all the time with lighter fluid. Have also used the old tire cannon trick too. Slayer was right about the ass pucker! Kind of got used to it after awhile.
If the ether doesn't work the first try (it always works for me but I've been at it for decades), you have to introduce fresh air back into the tire before trying again.
I've had good luck using this stuff...I don't care for self induced pucker factor. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjACegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw23s7n5FKWpgV1rchjIBhmG
An ol' timer I knew would take some foot long hunks of 2x4 and brace them between the beads a few days before doing the actual mounting. It seemed to help the tire casings take a wider set and not collapse together so much.
Lol. Truly Freuded of myself. As I get older stuff hurts more and recovery becomes more miserable. I not having it anymore.
Back in the day when I worked in the tire business, A kid use to do this all the time with semi truck tires. A set of 8, shot of starter fluid and 2 steps back and tos a match at it .. BOOM! ... BOOM! ... BOOM! ... you get the idea. The office finally did get on him about doing it in the shop, while salesmen were on the phone. Not because it was harmful, it is somewhat accepted practice, mainly because of the noise. Got to admit the kid was a go getter, he was top service man and worked commission, He got shit done. Couple years later he made manager of the complete operation.
One of my methods... you need to get one bead to stick on the rim. Preferably the valve stem side. You can put the rim over a 5 gallon pail and let gravity help spread the tire. Make sure valve core is removed so it doesn't restrict air flow. Shove the air hose coupler directly on the valve stem without an air chuck. You may have to work the tire a bit to get it to seal. Not quite the perfect method but I've done a bunch this way. At least you don't burn off your beard like the last time I tried starting fluid. That starting fluid will knock a beer right out of your hand!
I had to go to the parts store to get valve stems and starter fluid. About a second and a half spray, a little fire on the end of a 3 foot stick and Bang! Beaded it right up. Better than having to put 50+ pounds in it to get it to bead up . I can't believe as old as I am I had never done this before. Easy Peasy. There is a little pucker factor though. I tried that. I stuck 4 all around the tire yesterday, wider than it was going to mount. I might have gained some, but not enough. Thanks guys.
Always reluctant to try the ether trick till last week. Desperation drove me to it, now I got a brand new can of starting fluid on the shelf. I used a propane torch for ignition, extended my reach quite a bit. And I had my earmuffs on.
No video. One hand for the fire. One hand for the ether. And trying not to get blown up. Too busy for a video. LOL. F&J, I think I am about a year older than you and I am a LOT of things, but one of 'em ain't no pussy!
Mounting a 10-12 inch tire on a 10 foot rim is hard. (Sorry, I just couldn't resist) What othercarguy said, tire mounting compound is where to start, it alone may be enough to seat a bead. After doing a set of trailer truck tires your hands will be cleaner than when you started. Washes off with water. It should be available at any parts store. Not all that expensive either and reusable. This stuff makes ANY other method work easier. The one thing not to do is use gun grease. D.O.T. can make your life miserable if you are caught mounting a tire intended for highway use with either but drag slicks aren't approved for highway use anyway.
I bought a “cheetah”. This is the can with a nozzle to mount tires. I’ve blown tires off the rim with ether. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Yeah, I noticed that 10 FOOT wheel. Slip of the finger. That would really give me some rubber rake. For lubrication, I use Tire Snot. Slippery stuff that dries kinda' sticky. Pink. Really good stuff. Can't even tell you where it came from. Been in the cabinet over 20 years. Still works good though.
I've mounted a lot of tires on wheels in my life, but have never used starting fluid and fire to mount one. If you really want to have some fun, try mounting a 5" wide tire on a 6" wheel. Gene
When my son was racing GoKarts. We ran 8" tires on 10" rims. There was absolutely no way to get those things beaded up with any of the regular tricks. I ended up fabbing a 6" piece of 10" pipe. Cut in two and hinged on one side. Brackets and a bolt to tighten it upat the other side. You could clamp the wheel and tire in it and it would bead up. Remove the clamp and finish airing. It was quite the procedure. Now I wonder if we could have blown them on there with starting fluid?
Ive done it many times, the only mishap occured out in the desert one weekend when I got my bbq lighter a little too close to the bead....smashed the end flat...by the way there was no alcohol involved in this endevor
You just described exactly what I made to the "T" when my son was racing go-karts. Did you ever run in Ks.?
I think we ran an I.K.F. Grand National race somewhere in Kansas. Man, it's hard to remember. We raced karts 70-80 races a year for 9 years from New York to Oklahoma and almost every state in between. My son, Scotty, won a LOT of kart races. He races non-wing sprints now.
Did it again yesterday and figgered out a possibly helpful tip. In case it hasn't been already mentioned: might be better to start out with a too small shot of fluid, rather than a too strong shot of fluid.
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