Flat tire

[1948berg]

Had a flat tire the other day, a nail standing nicely in the front wheel of the Fiat.
I was just about to take the wheel to town to get it fixed, when the wife said she would join me, some errands.
Panic,- said I probably would fix it myself.
So I did, not that much work. Hardest bit is to loosen the tire from the rib. You can use the FEL, drive over the wheel with something heavy, or use a tool similar to what I made, a rod that fits into a tube with a weight at the end, seen here (dekk1)
Loosen both sides of the tire from the rim, then put the tire on the floor, valve up, with two 2x4 under the tire, allowing the rim to fall on the floor (dekk)
Then press the part of the tire across from the valve into the center of the rim and start breaking the tire over the edge of the rim near the valve, with a couple of rounded bars. Pull out the tube, fix it and put it back together in reverse order, remember to lubricate the rim and tire so it easily will glide back where it belongs when you fill it with air(dekk3)

Saved a lot of money doing this, a little fixing the tire, a lot not going to town, so I think , adding these savings, I am titled to by some much needed tools!

 

[tallyho8]

What's a tube?

 

[chh]

Nice job. The tools you made look nice. I've used a high lift jack under a truck bumper to break them down before. Just use a shop hammer to knock the foot back against the rim as the tire bead starts to go down so it doesn't slip. Crow bars make pretty good tire tools, just don't stick them in too far and catch the tube or have any sharp edges on your tools or you will have more holes to fix.
The only ones that get really hard are the tires that have been on for years and rusted to the rim. Those are actually probably worth the price of a tire shop, just so you don't have to fight them.

 

[Egon]

We used to use flat car springs for prying off the tire. A hammer and a heavy dull chisel for breaking the bead.

 

[ScottAR]

A backhoe makes a dandy bead breaker. A pickup truck works in a pinch.

 

[Bird]

And a rubber mallet is handy for putting the tire back on the rim instead of prying it on.

 

[wjoerob]

Took a front tire from my 6100 to the local Big O Tire place New Year's Eve. The guy said "We're planning to close by 3:00 this afternoon." I figured I'd just have to leave it there for a couple of days. This was on my lunch break, and they called before I even got back to work to say it was fixed. We have all our tire work done there. When I picked it up and asked what I owed him, he said, "Aw nothing, Merry birthday!"

 

[CurlyDave]

I must live in the promised land.

Around here the Les Schwab tire shops will fix flats for free. Not just on tires they sold, but any tire. Brings in lots of new business I suppose.

Our neighbor has in-laws who run a competitive tire shop, so I usually go there & pay $10, just to give them some business.

I don't see how I could ever save enough money to justify building even the most primitive tool to do the job...

 

[sandman2234]

It is a good idea to be able to fix a flat tire, cause it is going to happen at the worse time, when you really need the tractor and all the shops are closed.
David from jax

 

[biggerten]

.....I am titled to by some much needed tools!

I don't speak Norske, but that sounds good to me!!!