Removing CMP tires from rusted &*^%%* rims..

[Phil Waterman]

Hi All

With these different designs it would be interesting to measure or calculate the forces being applied to push the bead off.

Cheers Phil

[Bob Carriere]

We have finally found a way to exceed the design parameter of the tool......

....so before putting money down stay tuned for details....

we have tried the tool on the worst rusted-frozen rim we had and bent the claw and pin that holds the tool in place but just brute torque with a 16 in hand ratchet.....

I have taken pictures which I will share with the US distributor to see what they recommend....
....and are in the process of designing a stronger claw made of wood for a machinist to reproduce in T1 steel.... thicker cross section to avoid bending.

Stay tuned we have not given up yet!!

Bob C

[Jacques Reed]

No doubt it has been covered before on MLU, but if not, and you intend to scrap the tyres anyway, I have found it easier to cut the tyre off. Usually the tubes and rust bands aren't worth using again as the bands gets imbedded with heavy scale along with the tube where it comes through the wheel so destroying them in the process is no great loss.

I can get a tyre off in 15 minutes using just an electric drill, sabre saw, hacksaw blade holder, and a cold chisel and hammer.

Drill 2 holes with a 3/8" diameter drill near the bead on opposites sides of the tyre. cut out a wedge with the sabre saw to give you room to work, cut through the bead as much as you can up to the wires using the hacksaw blade holder, then cut through the wires in the bead with the hammer and chisel. Even before the last wires are cut the wheel often comes free.

Of course if you are fitting/removing good tyres the need for good hydraulic or powered tools is essential.

Cheers,

[Ian McColl]

I remove tires from CMP wheels using a simple tire hammer. The secret is not to use the tire hammer as a hammer. I use it in combination with a sledge hammer to ensure accuracy. I simply work my way around the rim. Once the rim starts to separate from the tire it usually comes off pretty quickly. The first pass is the slowest. The worst tire I had was a 20" run flat which had been on since 1942. It took a little more hammering but eventually came off. A modestly stubborn tire takes between 30 minutes to an hour to remove.

[Jacques Reed]

Just a word of caution:

I still remember my high school metal shop teacher cautioning us not to ever strike two hammers faces together.

Apparently because the faces are case hardened, chips from the hard surface can break off and fly out if struck together with disastrous results to eyes.

Perhaps the tyre hammer face isn't case hardened but I would still suggest wearing goggles when striking it with a sledge just in case.

Cheers,

[Ian McColl]

Hello Jaques,

Thank you for the advice; however, safety always comes first. Safety glasses or even a face shield is used for this activity. The head of the tire hammer does suffer from hitting it with the sledge and starts to collapse over time. I have purchased extra hammers at automotive flea markets for this reason. I should have mentioned in my earlier post that you don't have to strike the hammer with full force. Slow and steady is the secret to this activity.

[rob love]

I was gong to say the same thing about the hammer with a hammer. It won't just be your eyes at risk. A guy at work took a chip into the neck.

I swear by the tire hammer when all else fails. When I was a young Craftsman, we had a tractor trailer come into the shop from Petawawa with two flat tires. I had never seen so much rust in my life. We removed the tires, and tried to disassemble them with the Coats 5000 HIT tire machine, which is normally capable of taking apart anything. No dice, we had that machine almost to the point of bending into two.

The contracts guy ran them downtown, and the good old tire hammer and wedges came out. He said the little guys had them apart in about 5 minutes each.