We don’t often discuss tractor tires on this blog and truth be told, there is no reason to really worry about your tractor tires. Unlike with your car tires, you will not need to replace them at regularly scheduled intervals, so it is entirely possible to go many years without ever needing to change your tires. A tractor with bald tires doesn’t pose the safety issues it does with an automobile tire that has gone bald. That said, there is still the possibility that your tractor will suffer a flat tire, whether it means you’ve mowed over a nail or that it has accumulated too much dust. Whatever the cause, you never know when you might need to change your tractor tire, so this post explains how you can change it.
We Show You How to Change Your Tractor Tire
What you need
There are several tools necessary in order to change your tractor tire. In particular, you will need to have a valve stem remover, compressed air, soapy water, and at least one tire iron. You may also want bead sealer and a long cylindrical bar, although these are entirely optional.
How to remove the tractor tire
The first step is simply to remove the tire, which you can do using a jack. Then, you will want to let out the air. Use a valve stem remover to assist with this.
In order to dislodge the tire from the rim, you have a couple of options. One of the most effective is to place a cylindrical bar into the hole of the tire and then use a tire iron to wedge the tire out.
Inserting the new tractor tire
To insert the new tire, you will need to make sure that the rim is well-lubricated, so that it will be able to attach to the new tire. Soapy water is a great solvent for this; when the soap hardens, it becomes a gluey substance that is perfect for attaching the rim to the tire. Once you have lubricated the rim, you can then mount the new tire. Push the bottom bead so that roughly half of the bottom bead are over the rim; once the bottom is in place, do the same for the top.
The next step is to seat the beads, which you should do using compressed air. You will want to inflate the tractor tire until you hear two loud popping sounds, which let you know that the beads are properly seated against the rim. After the beads are seated, you can then deflate the tire and inflate it to its ideal pressure. Once this is done, mount the tire and you are good to go.
Replacing tractor tires is not something you will need to do very often, but by following these instructions you can be assured that you will be able to replace your tire without taking your mower to your local repair shop.
