US Combat Wheels

[R Cubed]

Hi all have just come in from trying to strip down some combat wheels like fitted to a Dodge, how do they come apart after first letting the air out and undoing all the nuts, what next as the rim plate does not budge one little bit !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:argh: :argh:

[bdodge]

Hi, I have just split four dodge wheels.The two of them I had a mate split at a tyre shop (a good option),and the last two I split myself.Both of them where like superglued to the rims.One had gone soft in the sidewalls,so I cut around the rim with a knife and a malet.The other I used a prying bar,big screwdriver,tyre iron and lots of time to pry out of the rubber.If you have the time,just do it.But stop before you try to inflate it without the nuts.Thinking that is a "good idea). Good luck. Bjørn

[Bodge Deep]

They are a bugger to get off if they've been on a while...

 

I resorted to page 1 of the 'dangerous book for boys' but wouldn't recommend that!!

3 900x16's at 8 feet in the air is quite a spectacle though!

However a slightly less life threatening method which works...

 

A let ALL the air out first

B loosen the outer ring bolts until the bolts are about quarter to half an inch from the ring all the way round but still fully threaded

C put the air line back on

D leave the room quickly with the extension lead & plug for the compressor

E wait for the 'clang' as the ring separates from the rim

F disconnect the compressor and let the air out of the tyre again

once the ring has come away from the rim you'll then need to break the bead...

petrol creeps nicely betwixt tyre and rim... either use a bread breaker or leap up and down on the tyres like a wild thing weilding pry bars and jemmys

swapped over loads of rims this way now... not quite to formula 1 pit crew speed yet but about 5/10 mins a tyre...

[N.O.S.]

Plan B) The safe (and sometimes not so slow) way -

 

Sledgehammer and wedge (several 3" lengths of heavy - say 3" x 3" x 1/2"angle iron, they won't last long). Place wedge between sidewall and rim and start swinging the hammer. Not too hard - no need to go mad. Move wedge a few inches around rim and repeat. And Repeat. And repeat.

 

Tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap tap tap tap move tap tap - then eventually,

Flipping heck - the beads come orf!!!

Edited April 30, 2009 by N.O.S.

[N.O.S.]

That should be 3/8" angle.

 

I have to admit that in recent years the most valuable tyre de-mounting tool has been the telephone (to call the tyre co. with), but costs can run away, especially with the odd stubborn tyre.

 

The last job was change over 6 12x20/11x20s on the Autocar and strip down 10 ancient 11x20s from a WLF(for the good rims to use the tanker). I got the gear out, straightend and oiled up the old bead breaker, thought for a moment and reached for the phone. I did help them, honest:sweat:

 

Sometimes the greater the force applied the more stubborn the tyre becomes. Then someone comes along and gently tap,tap, taps in the right place and it simply falls away. So frustrating. Although the portapower hydraulic wedge makes more appearances these days.

 

Not had a problem with larger bolted rims not separating once a bead has shifted though (not done one for donkey's years either come to think of it, it's all split rim stuff now).

[Tony B]

I have to agree with NOS. My last campaingn included driving a laden Land Rover over the tyre to breack the bead, to no avail. The answer was a bet with the manager of of the local tyre store that the usual 'Old guy who was dug in the foundations' couldn't get a Dodge tyre of on a car machine. He proved to both of us he could. It cost me a fiver for the tea fund. I've found quite by chance that a mix of disiel and old gear old will free just about anything.

[R Cubed]

thanks will try various options as sugested above, like the idea of the tyre/wheel up in the air :shake:

 

Any pics of the wheels in bits ? anyone.

[N.O.S.]

My last campaingn included driving a laden Land Rover over the tyre to breack the bead, to no avail.

 

What gets me every time is lack of patience. I know a particular method is tried and tested, but each time I think of a lazier / quicker way involving a large piece of earthmoving equipment, which rarely works. On the WLF job above I managed to stick a forklift time through the sidewall of a perfectly good tyre when it slipped off the bead, trying to save a bit of time/energy by pushing it off. :nono:

[bdodge]

Pictures of my combat wheels.As you can see I cut the rubber of one of the rims.It is all coming along nicely,and I expect to be back on the road shortly.Have a nice spring.Bjørn

[R Cubed]

Thanks for the pictures.

 

So the hard part is splitting the rim off the main wheel, I see that there is a sleeve on the inside of the outer rim which is a tight fit over the main body of the wheel I suppose these to bits rust together and makes separating them very hard !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! how do you do it ??

[bdodge]

I think the sugested method of undoing the bolts a little and inflating the tube again is probably the fastest safest way of doing it.And the rim is not tight fitting when cleaned up,it is the rust thats holding it back.Anyway,good luck.Bjørn

[R Cubed]

What are the new tyres you are fitting look really smart.

[bdodge]

The tyres are starmaxx 9.00x16.00. Made in turkey. I put them on the dodge yesterday,but have not tested them offroad yet.A few pictures.