Replacing Tires on ATV

[jen]

Silica Sand...I worked in a glass factory once...3,200F melting temp.  Also worked on Kaolin Sand dryer...Florida has Kaolin deposits...Kaolin clay / sand....Original base ingredient in Kaopectate....LOL

Sorry Gbarm, I could not resist adding color to your absolutely great post.🫦

[Gwbarm]

I was going to do the front brakes while wheels were off but i could tell the rotors had been replaced and the pads had plenty of pad left and they were working good so didnt.

Working on the last rim its not good i think it sat with flat tire for a long time before i got it, may have to replace it bit i will get the rust off and see if it works first.

 

 

Got it fairly cleaned up and in my paint booth.

 

 

Hopefully tire will seal. 

[jen]

Paint booth?  Does that help?

[shorty]

Can you put a tube in that rim?

[Gwbarm]

I got the last tire mounted on the rim it was a breeze  the duckhead upgrade worked flawlessly, i didnt even have to use tire irons, just pushed it around, tire went right on. It fit the Harbour freight machine perfectly. Forgot to get a photo of it in action.

 I used Yamaha tire mounting lube it was the smallest amount i could find i didnt need a whole bucket or gallon jug. It worked good, after it dries its a little sticky but thats a good thing especially on this last rim i worked on. Got 20 pds of air in it and hasnt lost any yet, might be OK. It took about 30 to pop the bead.

R

Rim did get scratched a little before i got the Duckhead adjusted properly, the 2 bolts that hold it on will scratch paint off if you dont have it in the right position. Paint booth was kind of a joke it was windy and rainy out when i sprayed so i stuck it in this old cabinet to keep the wind down.

I know this post has been rathar boring and eventless for most of you but thought it might help if anyone wants to try it. I only did it because i needed to really clean up and paint the rims. Checked with the local dealer and they only charge 20 per tire, very cheap, i wouldnt do it for 20 a tire, so it wasnt about the money, but for about the same price i now have the equipment to do it. I have 8 more to do, but for now they will have to wait, a few more issues to work out on this one first.

[jen]

Well i thought the post was very  informative. I liked the pictures.   I have changed out four gravely tires this year.  However, they are a two part rim so it's easy to unmount and remount.   The tire machine is a good investment.  My Kissin 'cousin has the automatic Job-R-Do from Northern tool.  If i had several to do I would go see him.  I have never used the Yamaha tire lube.   sounds like a good idea.

[shorty]

Good thread.. enjoyed it 

[WeeBee]

2 hours ago, jen said:

Well i thought the post was very  informative. I liked the pictures.   I have changed out four gravely tires this year.  However, they are a two part rim so it's easy to unmount and remount.   The tire machine is a good investment.  My Kissin 'cousin has the automatic Job-R-Do from Northern tool.  If i had several to do I would go see him.  I have never used the Yamaha tire lube.   sounds like a good idea.

Lube is Always a good idea !!

[jen]

☺️

[Melchisedeck]

How can i join these discussions ?

[Gwbarm]

You just did! Welcome!

[shorty]

Ha

[Quad4]

I have one of those Harbor Freight tire changers they're OK they do work But not really user friendly I can recommend if you're going to keep doing this to buy one of  these Does make the job go easier Less chance of damaging the bead on the tires also                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 kt y021 autokato manual tire changer kit tire - Temu

[Gwbarm]

Thanks for the tip Quad4, i did get one of those very similar to the link you sent. It worked, not quite as well as i thought. The duckhead didnt seem to fit the small ATV rim like it should it seemed to be designed more for the larger car rims. I did find a duckhead that claims to be for an  ATV rim but havent got around to ordering it yet. 

[Quad4]

Good morning  Gwbam

Sorry the duck head didn't seem to work for you as well as you thought

Yeah, the smaller the tire the more difficulty there is in dismounting and mounting it

Hey if you could send me the information you got about a duckhead that claims is for ATVS I would appreciate it

Unfortunately there is no optimum way to ATV UTV tires A lot of trial and error but having tools will help

Good luck keep me posted

[Gwbarm]

It could also be user error i have only used it a couple of times, the first time went very smoothe the next the tim bead was out of shape from shipping and was a little tough so maybe not the duckheads fault at all.

The one that says it works for ATV UTV it may not be any different but thought i would try it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0F9W2FZLM/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_4?smid=AQJSZVV7QMP3E&psc=1

[Gwbarm]

I had 2 more new tires i decided since i was already set up to go ahead and install them on the other machine since the rears were leaking down, tired of airing them up everytime i needed to move it.

They were still descent probably just valve core. The first one went fairly easily so im finally getting the hang of this.

Then i got to this one. You can see it was damaged from packaging and shipping and warped all the way around.

I could not get it to bead on that side i pulled i pryed it up i used starting fluid, way too much, i tried to film it , but couldnt hold the camers, light it and run at the same time, still wouldnt do it. The side walls on these Kenda K299s are so stiff.

So itried stretching the bead back into place.

After a few ays sitting like this i went through the whole process again.Still no go. Admitting defeat decided to take it to the dealer. I watched 2 guys work on this thing for 30 minutes with very professional equipment and they couldnt get it seat either. Made me feel a little better about my failure, but still didnt have my tire mounted. While i was there waiting looked at some nice machines. It looks like they only have the Brut Force ATV now.

Wicked! Very nice ride. 

I ordered these from a very reputable company, so i contacted them to get a replacement, none available and since i had tried to mount it already they wouldnt take it back and offerd no help whatsoever. I will never order from them again.

So trying to decide what to do i ran across a hole in the wall tire place looked like it had been there 100 years. Took it in the nicest gut you ever want to meet, took it right away and i watched him work on it for 30 minutes with fancy equipment plus old school know how and still nothing.

Trying to decide which direction to go next i decided to order a tube, i relly dont like messing with tubes plus they are expensive, half the price of the tire.

Should be a good tube.

Broke the tire back down to install the tube, all that messing around hadnt helped at all. Got the tube in aired it up, max pressure was 35psi i went to 40 still wouldnt completely pop the bead almost there i bounced it up and down i jumped on it i sprayed my yamaha slicky spray would not completly pop i had i/2 inch gap on one side. Let it sit overnight still didnt pop. I aired it up to 45 thought it might blow, still didnt pop. One option i thought of but hadnt tried, i put it in the sun not thinking that would do anything went to check it in 5 minutes and it has poped into place, i immediately aired it down to 30 psi for a while and then down to 20. Still have air 3 days later. Im done mounting tires for a while. What an ordeal!

Messed up my freshly painted rim but tires on and rolling, i wouldnt want to go very fast on it because im sure its out of round but will see how it works.

[jen]

wow informative post...very nice   you are persistent!

[Quad4]

 And sorry you're having such a heck of time getting the tires mounted I can see how they could rough with it the tire out around and distorted

Yeah that ether is a old school trick just gotta be careful with it

Glad to see you are using tire Lube And be generous with It

Dawn straight out of the bottle works pretty damn good too 

  I like that plastic duck head i'm going to buy one for myself

Thanks for the link

👍 Glad to see You got it done

Persistence pays off

[jen]

So heat in the sun made it relax and more pliable...wow.  And  Its not florida sun...i am surprised.

[Gwbarm]

Its possible it was right on the verge of seating and the sun just helped but it is not that hot here not like the middle of the summer. 

[WeeBee]

3 hours ago, Gwbarm said:

Its possible it was right on the verge of seating and the sun just helped but it is not that hot here not like the middle of the summer. 

I've had to use a heat gun& Ratchet Strap on these same brand tires when they came banded together and with flattened sidewalls.for "easier".shipping !!

[jen]

I have heard of that now that you mentioned it.  At the garage i think they just hit it with a large volume of air and a strap to pop the sidewalls. The automatic tire changing  machines are exciting.   

[Gwbarm]

I tried ratchet straps but not the heat gun, that might have worked better, thanks for the tip.

The guys at the professional shops had one of those bead seaters large tank with flat nozzel he tried it 4 times while using a ratchet strap.

[jen]

wow...The ole fall back my hair dryer...LOL

[C2INS]

Yeah just had to do this a few weeks ago… bought the Harbor Freight tire changer (but didn’t know about the additional attachment at the time), and removing the old tire was a big ordeal… then installing the new tires wasn’t so bad, but it took me forever to seat the bead.  1st problem was getting the bead to get close enough to the step so air could stay.  It took some fidgeting with the ratchet strap to get it going.  2nd problem was getting the bead to seat…. I was just too fearful of overpressuring it but I had to hit like 35-40 psi before it made the loud “pop”; staying around 25 psi did nothing.  But after having done it, I did have the same sentiment of “hey, at least I know how to do it, but I don’t want to do it again anytime soon!!”

[jen]

 I have ha small motorcycle tires that would seat in the rim then blow out before adequate pressure.  At some point I assumed the tire was bad. 

[jen]

That one tire a guy friend had ran it flat on the rim...Clueless ...I used lube just along the edge ...maybe too much lubricant.

[mikeexplorer]

On 12/15/2025 at 6:53 PM, C2INS said:

Yeah just had to do this a few weeks ago… bought the Harbor Freight tire changer (but didn’t know about the additional attachment at the time), and removing the old tire was a big ordeal… then installing the new tires wasn’t so bad, but it took me forever to seat the bead.  1st problem was getting the bead to get close enough to the step so air could stay.  It took some fidgeting with the ratchet strap to get it going.  2nd problem was getting the bead to seat…. I was just too fearful of overpressuring it but I had to hit like 35-40 psi before it made the loud “pop”; staying around 25 psi did nothing.  But after having done it, I did have the same sentiment of “hey, at least I know how to do it, but I don’t want to do it again anytime soon!!”

When I have had tires changed, 35-40 psi was what it took to seat the bead. 

 

[jen]

Ok Grandpa's Tractor 12 inch tire leaking at bead.  could not use front forks as it was inaccessible as parked   No down pressure on three point hitch so used off road jack. It was really hard to break .   I got it free. 

OK now that you are done laughing at my pictures ....Maybe I can just wipe the rim  clean and reseal?