Just a thought about dealing with aged multi-piece wheels.... If they have not been taken apart in a long time, they will not be easy to break down. I recently attempted to break down my 3-piece wheels (it's only been about 25 years since they were last apart ...). To skip a long description, I tried every tool I have (bead breaking tool up to the 8,000-lb Massey Ferguson tractor driving over the tire. Bead would not separate from the wheel. Forget THAT.

Luckly, we have a non-chain, locally owned and operated tire shop in town here that deals with big trucks, farm/excavating equipment, etc. I took the wheels to them and they had all six broken down in a day. Charged me about $15 a wheel.

So sure, you can probably do it yourself, but if you have a good tire shop in town, why on earth would you want to?

And then, after you get them apart ... then what? Can you make the call as to whether or not they would be safe to use again? Do you know how to put it all back together so they don't come back apart under pressure? Or when you hit a pot hole?

They truly are as simple as they look, but some things are best left to the pros.


*** wave And asking Wrenchbender if it's possible to do is like asking Chuck Yeager if its hard to fly an airplane. [elvis]

~ John

A kid raised on Hotwheels, Matchbox and Tonka cannot be reasonably expected to own only one vehicle as an adult.

1949 Chevrolet 3804
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1973 IH 1310 Dump
1963 Kaiser M38A1
2001 International/AmTran RE3000 "Skoolie"
2014 Ford E-350 4x4 (Quigley)