# Mounting a tire with hand tools



## chapel (Dec 15, 2013)

Looking to mount my own tires. 6" rim, 13x5-6 with inner tubes.
Is there any magic tricks to doing it without tools or should I just pay the $20/tire to have them mounted at the local shop?


----------



## Toro-8-2-4 (Dec 28, 2013)

Since no one has jumped in here I will take a stab at helping you. Although I have never don't one. You can first try taking it off to get an idea of how tight it fits on the wheel. Use some soap as a lubricant and a tire iron or make shift tire iron. If you can do it....it may not be too bad to get it back on.

I have done them on wheel barrows and hand carts by hand. 

Hopefully someone with some first hand info will also jump in.


----------



## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

I did mine with 3 screwdrivers. It was annoying, but doable. Just be careful you don't pinch the tube. I painted mine while they were apart and mounted from the back side to minimize scratches that would show.


----------



## fixer5000 (Nov 3, 2013)

put baby powder all over the tube and lube the edges of tire with soap water solution more soap the better. dish liquid works well. if you can get two small motorcycle tire spoons. they work a bit better than screw drivers..start with a little air in the tube but not too much...above all take your time


----------



## Ray 1962 10ML60 (Oct 14, 2011)

I've done it a few times with the same wheels you are using. It's a pain in the behind. The first time took me about 45 min, maybe more. You pry, squeeze, get it to wrap around the rim a little, then it pops off and you start over. This is accompanied by several explicits, and scratches on the rim. I wouldn't do it with regular screwdrivers, the angle tips of real pry bars are key to getting it done (for me) along with straight dish soap to make the rubber slip over the rim. You have to push the pry bars against each other in a scissor type action as you pry the rubber over the rim. 
Even now after doing it 8-10 times it still takes me a good 20 min + per wheel. 
If I had a guy that would do it for $40 for the pair, (and I had an extra $40) with tubes...you may want to let him have at it. Drop them off, go get a cup of coffee and go back to pick em up!


----------



## chapel (Dec 15, 2013)

I'm torn between paying $40 for the labor or $40 for this 
Mini-Tire Changer

which I'll use once...

It's also the dead of winter with 40"+ of snow on the ground.

Yeah, paying for that labor the more I think about it 

two places quoted me $20/tire
one quoted me hourly ($70/hr) and said 1-2 hours... HA!


----------



## Ray 1962 10ML60 (Oct 14, 2011)

Wow, that little tire changer cool. If you plan changing a lot of little tires (not likely I would think?) I would buy that. I didn't even know that was available! 
And I forgot something in my long winded post before...it's just as much of a b%#tch to get the existing tires off before you get to the point of getting the new ones on.


----------



## topher5150 (Nov 5, 2014)

Found this video on youtube, almost like changing a bike tire


----------



## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

The old ones can be cut if you just don't care.

Another tip is take the tires inside and let them warm up nicely. Warm rubber is a lot softer.


----------



## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

if you get a 25% off coupon for harbor freight you can get 10 dollars off.


----------



## Ray 1962 10ML60 (Oct 14, 2011)

Why does donnyboy make everything look so darn easy!! He didn't curse once!


----------



## bwdbrn1 (Nov 24, 2010)

It can be done, but those small tires and wheels can be a challenge. Makes you feel sort of like a monkey wrestling a foot ball.


----------



## 404 (Feb 1, 2015)

Cut the old one off for sure. HF does have tire irons. I had a huge hassle with mine. My wife helped and between the 4 hands and lots of tire irons we got it done. Rubbing alcohol is a great lubricant but it does go away quickly.


----------



## HJames (Oct 28, 2013)

The tire changer would be ideal....but I second the use of two pry bars or paying someone else. I'd be a happy guy to never have to do it again.


----------



## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

A trick I found for my old, well used John Deeres is when you have a badly rusted rim and the tire won't break free, pull the valve core out and set it in the driveway with a board over the tire right against the lip of the rim and drive up on it.
Breaks the bead every time.
Then it's just a matter of using the soapy water and whatever you have to walk the tire around the rim. Some rims are directional and you'll notice they have a deeper groove that's off center. You want to take off and start to put on the tire from the side of the rim closest to that "valley".


----------



## Toro-8-2-4 (Dec 28, 2013)

Buy the tool and then put it up on Craigs list when you are done as slightly used. That is if you would really want to do it yourself. You are in a pretty populated area and someone will want it for a bit off of new.


----------



## Spectrum (Jan 6, 2013)

I have that HF tire changer and it seems to have what it takes. You have to mount it very securely since you will be applying a lot of force. I've had it for a few uyears and have tried it once or twice. It seems that vintage tires are heavy and stiff laking it a lot harder to roll them off. I still haven't mounted a tire with it.

To those of you with tire mounting experience. Do you do anything to dry the lubricant before seating the bead? Not doing so sounds like a prescription for corrosion.

Pete


----------



## Toro-8-2-4 (Dec 28, 2013)

Spectrum said:


> To those of you with tire mounting experience. Do you do anything to dry the lubricant before seating the bead? Not doing so sounds like a prescription for corrosion.
> 
> Pete


 I have mounted dozens of car tires on a pneumatic tire machine and have only used a soapy water solution as a lubricant. Never wiped it down to remove it. Never seen anyone do it. It is really not that much water. 

You can try it.

Just make sure all rust and debris is removed from the seal area before you mount it.

I have seen water inside of tires. It is adding air from compressors with no dryer on it on very humid days.


----------



## Ray 1962 10ML60 (Oct 14, 2011)

Spectrum, I did try to wipe down the soap, I used straight dishwashing liquid, before finalizing the tire. I use tubes on my snowblower so seating the bead wasn't that critical, but I was worried about the corrosion too. I actually used a small amount of slime on my Rototiller tires as a lubricant and I think helped to set the bead, no tubes on them and it's been two years no leaks.


----------



## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

IMHO using straight liquid soap is a bit much. You just need it to be a little slippery. In most cases with small tires I don't even use soap. You can use a little silicone spray to get the job done too. It works fine it's just more expensive but for a couple tires at home it's no big deal.
I've mounted a ton of car tires and in almost all cases it's bone dry inside. You don't really get that much water inside and I'm guessing the same way a tire loses a little air over time the moisture in a tire will evaporate out.
I think the problem with rust and corrosion inside a tire as stated above is from using an inflation source that is repeatedly adding moisture.


----------



## hallm (Feb 9, 2014)

*Bee's wax for mounting tire*

My MTD machine developed a bead leak after many years so I completely remove the tires and then I wired wheeled the rims and painted them up. When I went to place the tires back on the nicely painted rims I was worried about marring the freshly painted area of the rim where the tire bead would seat with metal tools. I used the soft wax from a spare bees wax toilet seal that I had to lube the metal wheel rim and tire bead. The tires were slid back on without the use of metal tools. I also think the wax helped to seal the tire bead against the rim.


----------



## pwsharpe (Jan 20, 2015)

*Commercial tire lubricant*

Here is a great tire lube... Tire Mounting Lubricants « Product Categories « AGS Company

Available at NAPA, Pep Boys, Amazon etc. Shop around. Good for snow blowers, cycles, cars etc.


----------



## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

Ray 1962 10ML60 said:


> I've done it a few times with the same wheels you are using. It's a pain in the behind. The first time took me about 45 min, maybe more. You pry, squeeze, get it to wrap around the rim a little, then it pops off and you start over. This is accompanied by several explicits, and scratches on the rim. I wouldn't do it with regular screwdrivers, the angle tips of real pry bars are key to getting it done (for me) along with straight dish soap to make the rubber slip over the rim. You have to push the pry bars against each other in a scissor type action as you pry the rubber over the rim.
> Even now after doing it 8-10 times it still takes me a good 20 min + per wheel.
> If I had a guy that would do it for $40 for the pair, (and I had an extra $40) with tubes...you may want to let him have at it. Drop them off, go get a cup of coffee and go back to pick em up!


This.
I've only done two, and I'll admit it was much harder than I had imagined. It was very tight. Not pinching the tube and scratching up the wheels is an added chalenge.


----------

