How can I remove the tires from a 2014 Yamaha Rhino

[kingkw]

I have a Harbor Freight tire changer. I could not get the tires off the rim.

[Ulfthednar]

Lay it flat, use a spray bottle with about 10% dawn dishsoap and water.

Spray genrously and let sit.

If the tires have been on the rim for awhile it's going to take some effort.

You might want to go around the rim with a deadblow (plastic) hammer or similar to start breaking the bead seal.

You can lay a 1x4 over the rim where your working to keep from smacking your rim.

Your going to have to do both sides.

Do both sides First.

 

I usually lay a piece of plywood down under a manual bead breaker.

Just makes it more stable and less likely to damage something.

Make sure you take your valve core is out of the stem too.

Break both beads first.

If the bead breaker doesnt work there are other methods to break a bead seal, but they start getting kind of sketchy.

 

Most rims are designed to pull the outer bead over the front side first, then the inner bead over the front/outside.

You can tell by the softer (often narrower) radius near the rim seat.

You can find rim protectors that slip onto the edge of the rim.

I would seriously suggest using them unless you hate your rims.

Or you can use vinyl edge trim thats wide enough to slip over the edge of the rim.

THREE tire spoons, not two. Trust me. THREE SPOONS.

You get one in (small bites), get your second one in then use your third spoon to lock it into place.

Stic it in as close as you can, swing it over the second spoon and hold it with your knee.

Then you leap frog the first spoon and take another small bite.

If you take too big of a bite, you will just undo everything you already did.

Repeat.

Once your about halfway you will feel the pressure ease and might be able to just pull it by hand the rest of the way.

 

Locking the spoons with a third lever helps prevent getting slapped in the face.

(I made a custom set of 36" ones)

The shorter your sidewall in relation to your rim, the more of a fight your in for.

 

Once you get the tire off wash your rim, and scrub the bead seat on the rim.

Steel wool on a steel rim is fine but use a plastic scrubby on Aluminum.

On a steel rim you can knock the rust down with mid to fine sandpaper.

Your just knocking rust off, not trying to polish it.

DONT sand aluminum ones.

Good time to look for cracks, pitted metal on aluminum or cracking welds on steel rims.

 

My solution now is to be grateful I DON'T have to hand change tires routinely like I used to.

At one point I could do a truck tire off and back on in about 15 minutes.

 

ps, the dots/circles on the tires are alignment indicators. 

 

 

 

Edited February 19, 2023 by Ulfthednar

[Mech]

Good rundown Ulf. The only thing I'd add is that when you have broken both beads and driven them into the smaller diameter center of the rim, and are about to start levering one side of the tyre out and over the rim, you have to hold the opposite side of that same bead down into that smaller diameter center of the rim. The tyre won't stretch enough to come over the rim if the opposite side of the bead is out near the bead seat, but if it's in towards the center of the width of the rim the tyre it can move towards where you are levering, and is long enough to lift off on one side.

[Ulfthednar]

I had to leave something out for the Tire Virgins to figure out independently . . . 

[Jim Denton]

The first time I tried to change a set of atv tires would have made a good fail video. Breaking the bead kicked my butt. Beat on sprayed em, kicked em, cussed em, took em to work and tried to use the backhoe bucket. Gave up and took them to a shop and they broke em loose for me. I think they'd been on it since new. 10 or 15 years probably. 

[kingkw]

I didn't have trouble breaking the beads. My problem was in getting the bead over the rim. 

[Mech]

It's because of what I say King..  They only fit over the rim if the opposite side of the bead is pulled right into that smaller diameter bit near the center of the rim width.. And..  it pays to keep rechecking that the opposite side is right near the side you are working on but in the center depression. as you are levering tyres on or off..  To get the new ones on you push one bead on till it hooks into that center depression, then start levering the bead on the other side of that same bead, but you keep checking where the bead in the depression is.. The first side of the tyre can be pushed right onto the rim by hand if it's lubricated..

I've been fitting bike tyres with a single six inch lever for ever..  Done right, we can push the first side of the tyre right on by hand, then fit a tube, and then fit the seconds side with a single lever if we do it right.. Tyres do not need stretching, only positioning in/on the rim correctly.

All tyres and rims, except split rims, work like that.. There is no need to stretch tyres !!

Edited February 19, 2023 by Mech

[Ulfthednar]

Yup. The first few times requires lots of cussing.

Then you get the hang of it.

[Mech]

Yeah.. And I realized that neither of us has mentioned.... there is generally one narrow side and one wide side of the rim, measured between the center depression and the bead seat..  Always take tyres off on the narrow side.

And, you have to have all you can of the bead sunk into that center depression while you are pulling one short bit of the bead over the rim. If you sink the bead in, then apply a little pressure with a lever on the opposite side of the bead, you can generally push more of the bead into the depression as it pulls in.

[Gwbarm]

I am a big fan of doing everything for myself, I also have one of the harbour freight tire changers, and I have done it , but not very efficiently, I decided years ago that was a job I didn't enjoy and was best left to the guys with the right equipment, money well spent. IF you buy your tires from them they will mount them for free, lesson learned.