Beginners Guide to changing ATV Tires
Beginners Guide to changing ATV Tires
ATVs or All-Terrain Vehicles have become so popular across multiple countries that many people are preferring to buy an ATV instead of a brand new car. The most famous vehicles that have completely developed the off-road riding experience are ATVs. But to have a safe and thrilling experience you should always learn about the vehicle and its features. Knowing about the ATV tires is kind of a big deal in comparison to cars and bikes.
The tires are made to tackle rough conditions and face versatile, wild ground surfaces on the same day. Most ATV experts also claim the tires to be the first component in the vehicle to get replaced. This means you need to decide when the ATV tires require change and how to actually get it done. Besides this, the other most common ATV tire problem that everyone fears are a sudden mid-trail puncture. You need to learn the essential facts and process of changing tires and you will find it all in here.
The tools that you need to change ATV tires
The beginner’s guide to changing tires always starts with the tools. There are some specific tools that you need to keep with you while riding in the wild trails. Buying a compact tire repair kit is always a great option. The prime advantage of buying a great quality Tire Repair Kit is the presence of all the pre-assembled components. ATV experts suggest that an ideal tire repair kit would have the components like an adapter, plugs, rubber cement, Co2 cartridge, eye tool and patches. The tire repair kits are generally very easy to use and work fine to get the ATV back in the house garage.
Besides this a low-pressure gauge and tire sealant act as crucial components to use and to be kept along. There are also ATV tire repair kits that have a needle tool and thread for a vulcanizing category. But when you get back home a proper analysis is required to conclude whether the tire would run or it needs to be changed. Knowing to change the tires yourself is a great advantage and every ATV rider should know the process.
When you take your ATV to a professional garage they will demand a lot and you need to pay because there won’t be an option. Even repairing charges are very high these days based on the region. If you are really bad with handling tools and won’t like to put in the physical effort either then the self-changing process might not be suitable for you. But many riders who once changed their tires on their own successfully kept on doing it without external help.
1. An air compressor for ATV.
ATV tire changing process for beginners
The first step in the tire changing process is to empty the faulty tire. This means all the compressed air needs to be released from the tire by utilising valve stems. From the tire repair kit bring out the ‘valve stem remover’ and use it on the stem to release the air. Besides this, you can also put pressure on the nut present inside the valve stem for letting the air out in a slow process.
The next step in the procedure involves attachment breaking between the wheel and the actual tire. You will find a rim of wire present in the form of an arc in the wheel. This rim seal can be broken by hard suppression on the tire sidewalls. But this rim is not the same for all ATVs. Some ATVs have a tab along with the same wire rim, on flipping this tab the wire rim gets free from the initial position. Then finally it’s time to remove the old ATV tire from the wheel. The task arrives to use the flat blade of the tire iron and wedge it in between the wheel rim and the actual rubber tire edge.
After it’s done another tire iron needs to be wedged in following the same process but maintain a distance of about eight inches from the position of the first iron insertion. The aim here is actually to loosen the tire from the wheel by sliding the tire iron. The best similarity of this process can be found with the technique we use in the kitchen to open a really old can that doesn’t have an opening soda can type flip.
So after both the tire irons have been inserted it’s time to slide the second-inserted tire iron in a sliding pattern. Slowly with patience move the second iron around the wheel arc until you reach the first tire iron that is meant to be kept static in position once inserted. If you own a high capacity engine ATV with super-compact tires then it will take another round of the same process on the other edge. This means repetition of the sliding technique with the same technique of tire irons for releasing it from the actual metal wheel.
2. A tire getting removed with the help of a tire iron.
Installation of the new tire
The removal process thus should have finally come to an end and then remains the new tire installation process. You need to start by placing the wheel on the ground or any flat surface where it would remain stable. On top of the wheel, the new ATV tire needs to be placed and the wheel won’t be as stable as it was in the tire removal procedure. Again the use of tire iron needs to be implemented by using it as a lever for extending the tire edge and fitting it atleast onto one half of the wheel. Do this step carefully with precision so that the new ATV tire doesn’t receive any type of damage.
In the opposite direction to the already fixed iron, place a new tire iron into the wheel gap and slide it around slowly in an arc so that the whole tire gets aligned with the wheel spacing. Use a regular lubricant around the edge of the ATV tire and apply and use a brush too for even distribution if required. The application of a lubricant reduces the physical labour involved to a great extent.
After you complete the tire fixation for one wall of the tire it’s time to shift to the next one. Take a few minutes to break if required and then flip the wheel so that you can work with the tire iron again repeating the exact new tire installation technique. There are some ATVs for which the installation application to only one wall of the tire is going to be enough. You might feel that the installation procedure is just the opposite of the removal and this perception of yours is going to be very accurate.
The last step remains to inflate the new ATV tire using a good quality air compressor gadget. During the whole process, ATV experts recommend wearing a pair of gloves if possible. This would completely protect the hands from getting scratches and roughness. When it comes to collecting the necessary objects you will be needing two tire irons, a high-quality brand new tire, a remover for the valve stem, a water-based machine lubricant and an air compressor.
3. A Bead Breaker tool that can be purchased.
Bead breaking process for ATV tire change
For some ATV tires, there will be a bead present that you need to break in order to start with the tire removal process. On the inside region of the rim, there will be a small round formation usually found close to the lip and this part is known as the bead retainer of the ATV wheel. The actual tire bead present on the edges will host a steel cable that arcs around the tire looking like a robust loop around the wheel. The purpose of these beads is to keep the tire firm in its position irrespective of the rough ground conditions and doesn’t let the tire slide towards the side while being on the rim. Some ATV enthusiasts have recommended trying out a bead breaker made out of wood.
You need two rectangular pieces of wood and multiple hinges to fix them in the ideal position. The wooden bead breaking tools need to be attached to a wall strongly. One-piece among them needs to be short and by cutting it at the first fifteen-degree angle the ideal wooden bead breaker can be built. By manually pressing the upper part of the wooden bead breaker the aim can be achieved. A similar can be directly bought which is called the BeadBuster with the company name as the same. This tool forces a wedge in between the tire and the rim and it remains clamped in that position that the rim.
A bolt is present that needs to be rotated for pushing the bead down and push over to the bead retainer. This tool does not apply any force to the tire sidewalls and directly places all the force into the tire bead. When the bolt is tightened, the generated force breaks the bead much more easily without the need to repeat the procedure or use any extra tool for bead-breaking purposes. But these tools are costly so definitely check the price before considering it. Except for the bead breaker, you will also find a tool called Tire Plyers. These tools also function with the same principle of pushing a wedge among the tire and rim yet has a long handle for user convenience.
