michelin xl tubes and flaps?? help!!

[smthjeep]

well its been a couple months since i got the 11.00`s on the stock rims. gateway tire in sharonville ohio had some 10.00 tubes(radial),and some 15/16 flaps. looks great,they`ve been holding air, and it turns a few less rpms. p.s me an a buddy did the split rim dance ourselfs, if you do it loop chain thru the rim holes an padlock it turn it upside down,use a locking air chuck, set air regulator to about 50, then get away while inflating!

[chimesickle]

You didn't mention the hardest part, getting the lock rings off. But it does sound like a good idea to chain it up and inflate it. I did all of mine last year, the lock ring was the only real obstacle. I even tried making a machine out of an old floor jack, switching the hydraulics to the top, and making it press down with 3 tons force. The tires were so bonded to the metal that the sidewalls started tearing. There is a truck service shop that had a better machine. They used it to remove the 11X16s from the rims. I think I paid $30 for each one? Bad memory

[Dan Mac]

I just finished mounting and balancing my 1100x16's on stock rims. I used an old Kenedy Tool duck bill chisel type tool my dad had and a large hammer. The 1st 2 were a chalenge but after I had the hang of it the 2nd two went easy. I bought the tubes and flaps over the counter at Industrial Tire here in Portland then had to go back to buy more weights from them as they all took between 20 and 30 ozs to balance. I bought 4 worn out casings for $50 and had them recapped. Total cost for everthing after mounting and balancing was just under $800.

[SHOOTER68]

You didn't mention the hardest part, getting the lock rings off. I did all of mine last year, the lock ring was the only real obstacle. I even tried making a machine out of an old floor jack, switching the hydraulics to the top, and making it press down with 3 tons force. The tires were so bonded to the metal that the sidewalls started tearing. Bad memory

Lots of WD-40 on the inside of the bead lip all the way around helped alot for me. I used a Hi-Lift jack and two crowbars.

[Barrman]

The hi-lift gets the job done, but a duck billed hammer does it faster and easier. Get the fiberglass handle too. You will learn why once you use it.

[chimesickle]

I should have taken pictures of the rust. Nobody here seems to understand what I had to deal with. The rust flaked off, I could fill a coffee can with the junk on the inside of the rims. The duck billed hammer eventually got the job done. I used every lubricant I know of, and heat. I had blisters on my hands. My neighbor is a truck mechanic, he could hear me banging away for hours and hours. He knew what I was doing.

[Pineyguy]

I should have taken pictures of the rust. Nobody here seems to understand what I had to deal with. The rust flaked off, I could fill a coffee can with the junk on the inside of the rims. The duck billed hammer eventually got the job done. I used every lubricant I know of, and heat. I had blisters on my hands. My neighbor is a truck mechanic, he could hear me banging away for hours and hours. He knew what I was doing.

I can sympathize- 4/5 of the tires that came with my truck took at least an hour a piece with kroil, beating, irons, whatever. It was a heck of a workout- I just did them 1 at a time on separate days. The last one was (I believe) the original tire, tube and flap. The tire was dated in the 60s. That one beat me, I had to take it to work and break the rubber free with some precision loader bucket work. Since I put the 11.00/16s on, I had to break 1 down to change a tube, took like 10 minutes total.

[randyscycle]

The biggest thing I have found, rusty or not, is that you need to push straight down on the bead. Not the sidewall, and not against the can of the rim. You will literally be beating your head against the wall doing it this way.

Since there is no indent in the can of the rim, the tire needs to go straight down. Using the tire hammer, I find that once you move the bead down about 1/2 inch or so, then you can use a hi-lift and the truck to move around the bead and push it down. The key, is getting the base of the hi-lift onto the actual bead and not the sidewall, where it will just slide off, or push ineffectively against the tire carcass.

[Barrman]

I understand your rust. I have 5 M35 rims taunting me out in my field right now. None of the tires are date branded newer than 1953. I can hear them laugh when I swing the hammer at them. Actually, I feel that in my hands more than I hear it. They even laugh at the M35 held off the ground for weeks at a time over them with the hi-lift. I leave the lift on there and just pour chemicals on it until the Duece settles back on the ground. Then move the lift over a few inches and continue the science experiment for a few more weeks.

[chimesickle]

Thank you very much for posting those replies. It shows that you understand and sympathize. The descriptions sound very much like my experience. I hope that the tips and tricks will help anyone else who is contemplating performing the operation. If they are rusty, you will be investing serious time into the project. While you are at it, you might as well, scale it, sand it, prime it, paint it, so it will be easier next time. God bless you all.