Tire Dismounting on A3 Using Tractor With Forks
I finally got around to dismounting my passenger side rear tire on my A3 today. I don't know how anyone does this without a tractor with forks. It makes the job extremely easy, both dismounting and remounting. Unfortunately, in my case I discovered that my wheel was severely damaged by corrosion. No damage was visible from the exterior. The lip that seals against the O-ring was corroded to the point that about 1/16" of metal was missing for about 5 inches. The rest of the inside of the wheel halves was also severely corroded. I also found the valve stem grommet rotten with the nut finger-tight, which seems to be the standard condition for those grommets on A3 wheels. Fortunately, I already had an almost new complete A3 wheel that I was able to use. New grommet, new O-ring, some tire mounting lube, and I was back in business. Now I think I'll look for another A3 wheel to keep if needed in the future.