Separating wheels from Airstreaks

[kenryan]

I'm trying to separate my Matco wheels from my 26" Airstreaks and not having much luck. Any suggestions as to best go about this?

 

[courierguy]

Board on sides of rims. Push down with tractor bucket or other heavy thing. It'll pop right off. Take the valve stem out first.

 

[hotrod180]

Ever seen a bead-breaker? I have a similar set-up I use.
I clamp a vice grip good and tight to a vertical I-beam in my hangar, about waist high. I take a short length of 2x4, stand vertically and put one end on the tire right at the bead. Then I take another short 2x4 and hook it under the vice grip and use it as a lever to push down on the vertical 2x4. Use a foot on the tire/wheel assembly to steady it as required. Easy & works great.
You can control how much leverage by the length of the horizontal 2x4, and by where it touches the vertical 2x4..

 

[gbflyer]

Just did this. One guy standing on a 4' 2x4 pressing down on the tire and another guy wailing with a 2# single jack. Don't hit the rim[emoji15]

 

[hotrod180]

That's the hard way. Unless they're *really* stuck on there, it's much easier using leverage. Less work and less chance of an oopsie.
Wasn't it Archimedes who said "give me a lever and a place to stand and I can move the bushwheel"?

 

[gbflyer]

Yeah I know. Never said it was the smart way to do it.

 

[Cub Builder]

I drew a quick cartoon sketch of one of the simplest, but effective bead breakers I've used. All it takes is a couple of 4x4s and a couple of hinges. You can build it in a few minutes and it's highly effective. Then make a hook and it folds up against the hangar wall. -Cub Builder

 

[skywagon8a]

I drew a quick cartoon sketch of one of the simplest, but effective bead breakers I've used. All it takes is a couple of 4x4s and a couple of hinges. You can build it in a few minutes and it's highly effective. Then make a hook and it folds up against the hangar wall. -Cub Builder

View attachment 19056

Looks good except that with the hinges as drawn they will not work as you describe.

 

[N86250]

The home made bead breakers are ingenious. They deserve to be in the Tools, Jigs, and Fixtures thread. Now I have to make one. I have cut a wooden wedge to resemble a blunt chisel and with lots of care to not bust or scratch or pry on the rim flange and with copious WD40 I worked a 6.00x6 off a wheel. Tap, tap, tap and around and around just like a big truck tire. It had been on there forever and a lttle corrosion had it really stuck. Sometimes you gotta work with what you have available at the time. jrh

 

[Cub Builder]

Looks good except that with the hinges as drawn they will not work as you describe.

Redrawn for those lacking imagination. ;-)
It's a simple sketch, but something I use regularly.

 

[Cub junkie]

Home grown tools are best but if a person wants a versatile small tire changer I was surprised at the mini tire changer from Harbor Freight aircraft supply. Item #61179. 32 bucks with their 20% off coupon. My neighbor has one and it will do beads on any small wheels. He uses it to mount those tough front tires on yard tractors. I'm lucky as I have a Coates brand commercial motorcycle wheel machine that makes easy work of this task but if I didn't have it I would pop for the HF mini tire changer. China haters go ahead and pile on.

 

[kenryan]

It wasn't easy but I got one off today. Maybe the next will be easier.

 

[sburg58]

I use the old type bumper jack, put the foot plate on the tire next to the rim and jack up the car. Of course you have to have an old car with a real bumper.

 

[S2D]

Never had a problem with a smooth bladed large screwdriver.
Used to just drive over the hard stuff.

 

[courierguy]

It wasn't easy but I got one off today. Maybe the next will be easier.


Try 2 2x4's 16" long or so, laid flat and parallel just clear of the hub, then another shorter board on top of the first two, centered and at a right angle to the others. Jack/push/press on that, thus applying the needed pressure more around the entire rim. Since I got the retract skis I go through this every winter, I use the system described and my crane outrigger pad to provide the push. I look forward to doing it now, dreaded it before. If you don't have a crane your lever arm setup is the way to do it. As strong a fulcrum and as long/strong a lever as needed. If I was doing it by hand I'd rig something using my post and beam outbuilding post as the fulcrum and a 8 or 10' board, or two, yours looks a little short coupled but if it works, great.