I need to get some old tires off plain steel rims so they can be recycled. Is there an "easy" way to get the tires off? Angle grinder with cutoff wheel? I just don't feel like paying a tire store a bunch of money for dismounting junk rubber.

K-Bar would work nicely

1. did somebody say SAWZALL? mettal cutting blade

2. cutting torch, smoke and stink only problem

3. pry bars, bolt cutters

4. neighborhood service station, or someone with tire machine

Used to use a bumper jack to break the bead, but that was eons ago. Now, I just use a heavy vehicle, place rim/tire properly in front of tire of said vehicle, and drive over it. You just want to catch the edge of the rim of bad tire, with the vehicle tire. Of course, you need to have valve stem removed prior to doing this, (either the whole stem (cut it with a knife), or the core). You also have to flip the tire over to break the other bead loose.

 

Then, you use a couple of tire irons to peel tire off rim. You want to have the bead, down in the low portion of the rim, oposite the side you are working on- but the same side of tire, when you attempt to peel tire off. Ain't exactly easy, 'specially with a 13" tire, but it's doable.

 

Don't try to get to big of a bite, when removing the tire. Otherwise, you'll just be fighting yourself....

 

Get a bite with one tire iron, pry bead up and over rim, then move over about an inch to get next tire iron in. You'll see what I'm talking about when you get to that point.

 

I could swap 4, 15" tires this way in under 1/2 hour. Old off, new on, and inflated, back on vehicle.

Hey I like the cutting torch idea! What better way to get to know all my new yuppie neighbors! The other day one of these folks had the police come out and give me a warning citation because my car had a flat tire and warned me that working on cars outdoors is now against the law. And apparently having a set of wheels stacked up with a tarp over them is also illegal now. Gotta love neighbors and laws like that!

 

Anyways...

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll try Tom's method since I do have a few tire irons but currently don't have a sawzall or bolt cutters. I once used a porta-band saw to cut a tire off a rim. It cut like butter and no smoke. Wish I had one now.

stick the tire/rim in a vice so one jaw is in contact with the rim and the other is pushing on the tire bead on the opposite side. Works like a charm for car tires, but my vice is too small to do truck tires. Then use a tire iron and get someone else to hold crowbars or big screwdrivers in to keep the tire from coming back as you go around with the iron.

long term bump, may be useful

Awesome! I've always wanted to know how to do this! I think i'm going to go try this right now!

 

Wait... thats what I thought months ago.

 

Yes the search works... i'm sure other people can use it to.

give me $10 for my time and i can get them off for you, also mount and balance new ones on there for ya.

 

at my auto program at school i can do all that, which is what i just did on my 15inch pug alloy's that are on my car.

I always go to Discount Tire. They do it for free, plus they take the old tires too... can't beat free service!

Metal cutting blade on a Skil Saw works too. Just be carful not to cut into the rim

put the rim on the car, let all the air out, and drive in circles until it breaks the bead. Then use a crowbar. Ask how I know this.

so, how do you know? I have a set of 4 to do, and don't care about the tires, they don't hold air anyway, just want to save the 14" steel pugs

http://www.tires.com I have used for snow tires, and it was free shipping