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Setting the Bead On Tubeless Tires

I had a small (5.70 - 8) trailer tire sitting out back for 6 months and it eventually went flat and separated from the rim. Even removing the valve and blasting air in the valve stem wasn't enough to set the bead. The air always leaked out too fast. I didn't want to pay $10 for a shop to blow it on or $13 for a tube so I got short pieces of duct tape and carefully sealed the tire to the rim. I reasoned even low pressure would over a large enough sidewall area would be enough to force the tire to expand axially toward the rim. This tedious low tech inelegant solution actually worked. The duct tape sealed enough and the adhesion exerted enough force to set the bead.

The next day someone told me about a more standard procedure -- a steel strap wrapped around the perimeter of the tire in the center of the tread would spread the lip of the tire out enough to set the bead. The only problem was, as you added pressure you had to release the strap or the air the instant the bead sealed or the strap would damage the tire.

All this is completely new to me. Has anyone heard of either of these techniques?

Bret Cahill

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BretCahill
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The strap around the tyre aproach is standard procedure. The strap doesn't damage the tyre as it only takes a little presure to hold the bead on the rim. The normal way to do this at home is to use a rope torniquay. I visited a car production line some years ago and watched the machines fitting and inflating tyres on new wheels. The mass production method is to hold the bead down off the wheel and inflate the tyre using a high volume air blast under the bead before releasing it quickly. Pop and the job's done in less that 1 second.

John

Reply to
John Manders

Instead of the stiff brittle expanding construction foam used for insulation, I wondered if they had some kind of permantly soft permantly sticky rubbery expanding foam.

Not >>eventually went flat and separated from the rim. Even removing the valve >and

I considered something like that for about

0.7 seconds. No sense of adventure.

Just remove the valve, hook up air through a fitting and light it while feeding air into the tire.

At least after the the explosion you know it's safe.

Bret Cahill

All conservatism is based on censorship of economic information. -- Bret Cahill

Reply to
BretCahill

I almost feel like letting the air out and trying the rope trick.

A 7 gallon tank with a 1 1/2 inch line and ball valve and flat nozzle is what many shops use.

Bret Cahill

Reply to
BretCahill

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