Quick Way To Seat The Bead On Wheel Rim Of Big Truck And Tractor Tires

Quick Way To Seat The Bead On Wheel Rim Of Big Truck And Tractor Tires TIRES/WHEELS Miscellaneous 29-3-37 Kenny Breeding, Davenport, Va.: "I've come up with a quick way to seat the bead on the wheel rim of big truck and tractor tires. A lot of these tires are tubeless and are so big it's hard to get enough air pressure to develop a good seal. My idea is kind of dangerous and a lot of care has to be taken, but it's easy to do. First I separate the bead from the rim and patch the tire. Then I chain the tire down to something solid like a post or tree so it can't bounce around (very important). Then, using a can of aerosol starting fluid, I spray a bit of ether inside the tire. Often I remove the valve stem and spray inside there. Then I fasten a piece of cloth to the end of a 10-ft. long stick and use it to ignite the fumes inside the tire. The resulting explosion will pop the bead back on the wheel rim. "How much ether I use depends on the size of the tire. For a big tire I use about one-fourth of a 12-oz. can."

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