am needing to start breaking down my own tires, can anybody give tips on the easiest, best , or what you do or use to do this most depressing job, any lubes,tools, etc., thank you, and then of course the remounting process

 

normally it's much easier to just pay the $10-$15 each to have a shop do them... If you have to do them yourself ( really big pain ), try leaving 1-2 psi in the tire, or letting all the air out, then screwing the valve stem back in, this will help breaking the 1st bead anyway...

 

The hard part is getting the bead broken.
None of the makeshift, use a crowbar, run it over with your truck, answers work very well.
You really proper tools to break the bead.
Once the bead is broken getting tires on and off the rims is not difficult.
Use lots of lube (soapy water) and make sure the far side is pushed down into the into the deep part of the wheel.
Some times you can do it with your bare hands.

 

Just buy a bead breaker off Ebay. I got a really nice one for $35. IF you want to change your own tires, youll be happy you got it.

 

I will tell you this. Those 6 ply tires are a B!TCH to get on, even with a professions tire machine. I used one at the trade center I attended at the time, and my 6 ply tires were a PITA to get on. Even worse to get the bead to seat on the rears[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

 

I do just about all of my own work on my quad..but one thing I wont mess with is replacing tires...If it wasn't suck a pain in the a** then I would do it but I figure whats 15 bucks a tire...So I just have someone else do them

 

Yeah, but there have been days that I have swapped 4 tires, so for $15 each, I saved myself $60. If you are only going to change tires once a year, then have someone do it, but if it is a regular thing, then buy a bead breaker.

 

I am going throught the same thing. check This! out.
it is well worth the low price. i ordered one recently, it should be here any day now.
p.s. (orders over $50 get free shipping.) my father and uncle order stuff from that place all the time, good service and dependable.

 

my buddy also sells a mini-tire changer at babcosales.com. They're in Canada, so may not help you guys much, but might help some of the other Canuckleheads (just kiddin', it's my real handle..see below). They really need to be anchored. I have an old Coates manual tire changer. It's Hilti anchored to the garage floor. I just changed 4 original tires for Jr.'s '94 LT160. 2-plys are like sponge;they just keep poppin' back.The bead breaker on mine is a different radius, so it didn't hug the small rim very well.I finally got smart and put a piece of flat bar between bead breaker and tire (close to edge of rim), and 'POOF', off it came. Putting Cheng-Shin tire on, it's so soft, i tore it a little and it has a very slow leak at the bead.

My cousin swears riding a tire flat on pavement will break the bead. He's about 240.He generally uses 2 plys, so maybe that only works well on them.Everyone says the 6 plys are so strong, they can't even see or tell their flat.

I'm getting a set of Bearclaws. Can't wait to wrestle them on. I can't believe anyone would try to change one of these without a tire machine. It's like trying to hammer a nail with a screwdriver...... wrong tool for the job. Oh, and after wrestlin' for 30-60 min. a tire, I see why shops charge $20/tire (in Canada).