Wood Splitter Doubles As Tire Repair Tool

2004 - Volume #28, Issue #4, Page #38

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ack Vines, Allen, Okla., built a unique wood splitter that doubles as a tire repair machine, thanks to a set of removable attachments.
  "It takes advantage of the powerful hydraulics already on the splitter. I can repair a flat tire anywhere instead of having to make a trip into town and wait for someone else to do the job. When I'm done I can remove the attachments and go back to splitting wood," says Vines.
  The two-wheeled machine is powered by an 8 hp Briggs & Stratton engine. It shaft-drives a hydraulic pump that powers a 4-in. dia., 24-in. long hydraulic splitting cylinder.    To work on a tire, Vines places it over a steel rod that threads onto a heavy screw at one end of the splitter table. Then he rotates a "spider" at the bottom of the screw to clamp the wheel rim down. A 3-in. wide, 1-in. thick steel "breaker bar" is used to break the bead on the tire. The bar is supported by a pair of 12-in. long metal arms that bolt onto both sides of the splitting wedge.
  The same controls that operate the splitter are used to operate the breaker bar. "The splitter has enough power to split almost any size or type of wood. With all that power, I have to be careful not to damage the wheel rim when extending the breaker bar," says Vines. "Where it really shines is on rusty trailer wheel rims that are hard to break down with a manually operated bead breaker. I can use this machine to break the bead on a 16-in. truck tire with no problem."
  A big advantage of the machine, says Vines, is that it can break the tire completely down which allows him to repair the tire from the inside. "For example, if a tire has a nail in it I can remove the tire from the rim and then repair it using a plug and patch combination such as the Bowes seal (Bowes Seal Fast, LLC, P.O. Box 18802, Indianapolis, Ind. 46218 ph 866 428-4301 or 317 549-1723; website: www.bowessealfast.com). Repairing the tire from the inside works much better than patching the outside because I never have to worry about a patch blowing out."
  Vines sees no reason why tire changing attachments could not be adapted to any commercial wood splitter.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jack W. Vines, Rt. 1, Box 196A, Allen, Okla. 74825 (ph 580 421-9775; email: jlsmr@itlnet.net).

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Wood Splitter Doubles As Tire Repair Tool WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Wood Splitters 28-4-38 ack Vines, Allen, Okla., built a unique wood splitter that doubles as a tire repair machine, thanks to a set of removable attachments. "It takes advantage of the powerful hydraulics already on the splitter. I can repair a flat tire anywhere instead of having to make a trip into town and wait for someone else to do the job. When I'm done I can remove the attachments and go back to splitting wood," says Vines. The two-wheeled machine is powered by an 8 hp Briggs & Stratton engine. It shaft-drives a hydraulic pump that powers a 4-in. dia., 24-in. long hydraulic splitting cylinder. To work on a tire, Vines places it over a steel rod that threads onto a heavy screw at one end of the splitter table. Then he rotates a "spider" at the bottom of the screw to clamp the wheel rim down. A 3-in. wide, 1-in. thick steel "breaker bar" is used to break the bead on the tire. The bar is supported by a pair of 12-in. long metal arms that bolt onto both sides of the splitting wedge. The same controls that operate the splitter are used to operate the breaker bar. "The splitter has enough power to split almost any size or type of wood. With all that power, I have to be careful not to damage the wheel rim when extending the breaker bar," says Vines. "Where it really shines is on rusty trailer wheel rims that are hard to break down with a manually operated bead breaker. I can use this machine to break the bead on a 16-in. truck tire with no problem." A big advantage of the machine, says Vines, is that it can break the tire completely down which allows him to repair the tire from the inside. "For example, if a tire has a nail in it I can remove the tire from the rim and then repair it using a plug and patch combination such as the Bowes seal (Bowes Seal Fast, LLC, P.O. Box 18802, Indianapolis, Ind. 46218 ph 866 428-4301 or 317 549-1723; website: www.bowessealfast.com). Repairing the tire from the inside works much better than patching the outside because I never have to worry about a patch blowing out." Vines sees no reason why tire changing attachments could not be adapted to any commercial wood splitter. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jack W. Vines, Rt. 1, Box 196A, Allen, Okla. 74825 (ph 580 421-9775; email: jlsmr@itlnet.net).

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