• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

I hate to ask, how do you get 14.00's to inflate on ODIron wheels?

Blythewoodjoe

Active member
985
56
28
Location
Blythewood, SC
Sure looked easy and quick!
It actually was. What you didn't see was the dozen or so attempts where we learned how much gap to leave on each side of tire, how much ether to use and where to put it. Here's those leasons in no order of importants:

No gap on one side and as little as possible on the other side. We moved the rim until it just closed the gap on the opposite side of the camera.

Apply all the either inside the tire. Too little just burned and no "whomp". Didn't have a too much time happen. These are big tires and it takes a big flash to produce the pressure needed. I watch a lot of Youtube dummys blowing stuff up last night by using too much. Of course they were using as much ether on a small car tire as we were using on the monster tire.

We kept the air hose blowing wide open during inflation. That hissing you hear is the air hose. The first one we got to pop up feel back off before I could get the hose over to it and start to fill.

Again, all the ether in the tire and place the ignition source at the gap. That's why my lovely assistant has a glove on. First one removed knuckle hair :-D
 
  • Like
Reactions: HDN

Hammer

Well-known member
1,483
398
83
Location
Winlock, WA
You should use the lighter with the can of ether as a 'flame thrower' to start it.
MUCH safer that way, you can be much further from the tire doing it this way. Especially if something goes wrong.

Honestly, once you have done this, it isn't THAT big of a deal.
I sure try to air up a tire the normal way, but if all else fails, or I am in the middle of nowhere, I won't hesitate to use this method.
 

GoHot229

Member
I have mounted ORNREY tires also with motorcycle tubes between the tire and rim, but if the tube gets stuck as you air it up, go ahead and air it up to seat the other side bead, then let the air back out and set the tire/wheel on three cinder blocks at three different spots like 12: oclock, 4:00 oclock and 8:00 oclock at the edge of the tread to suspend the tire and wheel above the ground so that you can push the center of the wheel down so the tire bead will meet the rim and air it up. Another way is to get two tiedowns with rachets and place them in the center of the tread all the way around the tire with them oposite each other, tighten (rachet) them tight and as you do the beads will push outward as the center is pulled smaller, then air enough to seat the bead.....5-6 lbs air, as you fill with air loosen he rachets until they are completly loose and air to spec. Another way is to use 2x4's cut to 4-5 inches wider than the wheel width and position them in the tire at equal distances apart (say three or four 2x4's) and set them outside in the sun for a while to 'relaxthe tire fron the heat to a wider bead width, once they are wider and dont colapse so much, mount them and air up, also you can use a truck tube to spread the beads before you mount them, again in the sun to warm and relax the tires thus spreading the beads apart. It's always easier with the valve core removed as the volume of air is able to inflate faster thus less bead leakage, lots of soapy solution is a big pluss also Something you have to remember with giving out these tips, is that lock rings are VERY dangerous for a novice, also that the advice you give MUST be VERY clear. Tubless tires are relativly simpler but dangerous as well and by giving out advice, you may be responcable for someone making an error with your instructions, ERRORS can be fatal to more than the person performing the work, as there can be bystanders injured as well PLEASE... know what you are doing...clearly with no question !!! Ether works, but you could look like this if your not lucky
So for aother choice, Ken-Yool has a couple items, now for the Ether method without the ether is the BLAST TANK ...... also you have a bead ring for 19.5 tubless wheels which would stretch to accomidate the 20" rim. As you see in the other picture is a bead squeeze tool, as you see the method it employs, this could be accomplished with two RACHET tiedowns as mentioned earlier placed 180 degrees apart in tandom with the BLAST TANK
 

Attachments

Last edited:

Rustmaster

Member
73
0
6
Location
15701, PA
A ratchet strap or a chain binder around the tread is a much safer way of going about it. Clamp the air hose on and start...binding, when the bead seats remove the binder. I know, no fire or lost knuckle hairs.
 

DriveTime

New member
15
0
0
Location
Little Rock, AR
When I had my 16.00R20s mounted on my 20x11 MRW wheels the shop I went to used 4 Cheetah tanks and each tires still took several attempts. I suggested ether, but they couldn't without getting in trouble with their boss.
 

Blythewoodjoe

Active member
985
56
28
Location
Blythewood, SC
And then I soiled myself

Well, one of the tires got slack, and since I'm slack I didn't do anything about it for a few days and, you guessed it, it broke down from the rim:cry:.

It was sitting down about 6" because the back is so light and I was able to get it to pop up with the "cheata" tank but I didn't have a good compressor to keep the flow of air to it. So I went and got the either!!!

I should have got the video too. I connected the air hose, sprayed the either, stepped back and did the flame thrower trick and,,,

BOOM. The tire inflated with a big ball of fire, mostly from the flame thrower, and the tire lifted up. I had no idea it was this much force involved. It threw the M105 bed that was sitting on the back into the air and it came down several inches to the other side. Made a heck of noice. I soiled myself.

Next time, I will jack the axle back up to the right heighth.
LONG LIVE EITHER :twisted:
 

USAFSS-ColdWarrior

Chaplain
Super Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
18,539
5,834
113
Location
San Angelo, Tom Green County, Texas USA
Posted by a NEW GUY to the world of SS & MVs...

OK, I'm now absolutely convinced that this new MV hobby of mine is going to do the Yin-Yang thing with my professional life at a Funeral Home and Cemetery!!!

Can't wait to 'win' my first Duece!

Thanks for the Video education on tires!
 
  • Like
Reactions: HDN

m.walker

Member
788
5
18
Location
Independence,Mo.
Threads like this are very entertaining . It takes practice to get good at how much to use on different size tires ! I've always had better luck having one bead touch then you have only one bead to seat . This doesn't work very well when tires have been stacked though ! The gap in the middle is very narrow then .
A friend of mine seen me do this before and thought he would try it for himself one day when I wasn't around . He sprayed the ether in and couldn't find his matches so he went into the house to get more matches . When he came back out he figured the ether had evaporated ( UH OHH !!! ) and sprayed some more in . When he lit it he said it sounded like a bomb going off ! It ended up putting both beads out and the rim on the inside of the tire . His neighbors come out trying to figure out what the explosion was . Lesson one pay attention to someone that's done it before . Lesson two sneak up on the amount of ether to use . You can get in way over your head if you aren't paying attention to what your doing !
 

airmech3839

Member
841
5
18
Location
Augusta, GA
Oh, I love the smell of burning hair and soiled pants and people laughing so hard they then piss themselves!! We are all a little crazy anyway so why should we care that a little hair is missing and we have to change our clothes!! Too Funny!!! Makes for fond memories and a wife that says "told you so!!".

Remeber kids be sure and wear proper personal protection!!! Gloves, saftey glasses and maybe a tire cage!!
:mrgreen:rofl
 

DriveTime

New member
15
0
0
Location
Little Rock, AR
When I had my 16.00R20s mounted they tried a single canon and it didn't work, so they ended up using 4. That was after ratchet straps, a fork lift with a clamp for tires, and everything else they try in the shop.
 

dburt

Member
329
5
18
Location
NE Oregon & SW Idaho
Here is a way old timers do it. They put a inner tube in the tire, and then air the tire up. With the weight and size of the super singles, the extra weight of the inner tube is not really much of an issue. The cost is a consideration, but not as expensive as a hospital visit or mortuary costs.
 

cranetruck

Moderator
Super Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
10,350
75
48
Location
Meadows of Dan, Virginia
Since I have a sum total of one tire mounting experience under my belt, I'm not going to suggest anything, but I'm curious....The bias ply tire 16-20 NDCC tire for my 8x8 has a date code of 499, (which probably is 1989) and is far stiffer than described above. After almost twenty years, the bead to bead measurement was 14 inches and laying the tire down, I could stand on the beads with very little deflection.
After I managed to get the tire on the wheel and the ring installed, it was air tight and I could take my time filling it with air with small pops now and then as it adjusted itself. A couple of final large pops seated the tire against the rims when the pressure reached 35 psi.

The truck TM calls for 10 psi in mud and snow and I'm wondering if this sidewall stiffness and tightness on the wheel, which also has the "safety humps" are all part of the requirement or is this normal for bias ply tire? The tire is rated "10 ply".

If everything goes according to plan, I'll have a chance to mount one of the Goodyear MVT radials next week. It'll be an interesting comparison.
 

Attachments

Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website like our supporting vendors. Their ads help keep Steel Soldiers going. Please consider disabling your ad blockers for the site. Thanks!

I've Disabled AdBlock
No Thanks