How To Mount A Garden Tractor Tire

Replace Lawn Tractor Tires By Hand

When it came time to replace the tires on my lawn tractor, I learned that dismounting and mounting lawn tractor tires is not fun or easy. The smaller they are, the harder it is to remove and install them.

lawn tractor repair

Remove Wheel From Lawn Tractor

If you've got a lawn tractor lift, this part is real easy. If not, jack up the corner to be worked on with a scissor or hydraulic jack. Just like when working on your car, put a jack-stand or log of wood underneath as a safety precaution.

Heavy-duty lawn tractor wheels are held on by lug nuts and bolts. Light-duty lawn tractor wheels are usually held on by an E-clip, which is just behind the rubber dust cover.

Remove A Stuck Wheel From Lawn Tractor

The first wheel came off easily. When it came time to remove the second wheel, it wouldn't budge. It was stuck onto the axle, probably because it hadn't been removed in many years.

how to remove stuck lawn tractor wheel

With a punch and hammer, I carefully smacked the back of the steel rim, turning it 1/4 turn before the next smack. This will insure you don't inadvertently damage the axle.

Tools Needed To Mount/Dismount A Small Tire

Two tire irons
Two large C-clamps
Valve stem core removal tool
Tire valve puller tool (optional)

If you don't want to buy a tire valve removal tool, here's an old trick you can use. Find a nut that threads onto the valve stem, and then you'll then have enough "bite" to grab it with a Vice-grip and pull it through the rim.

Tire Irons

A pair of tire irons, or spoons, are fairly cheap and work well without leaving damage to the tire. Best size for small tires is between 18" to 24" (not too big, not too small). If you're concerned about scratching your rim, you may want to put a piece of rubber between the rim and the spoon.

Shop: Tire Spoon Tool Kit

best tire spoons for small tires

Breaking The Bead

After the old wheel is off, mount to a good strong vice on a sturdy workbench. An alternative would be to work on the floor. Tightening a couple of large C-clamps placed on different parts of the sidewall should break the bead.

replace lawn tractor tire by hand

Sometimes putting a small piece of wood under the C-clamp will help break the bead.

remove and replace small tire

Remove Tire From Wheel

With the tire in front of you, stick a tire spoon in between the bead and the rim, then bend the spoon over. Grab the second tire spoon and do the same thing a few inches from the first spot.

You should be able to take the first spoon out and move it to the other side of the second spoon. If you're right-handed, you'll probably be working clockwise, but it doesn't matter.

Work the pair of spoons around the bead until the bead of the tire is off the rim, then repeat for the other side. Along with the two spoons, I sometimes use a long screwdriver as a third spoon.

Cut Tire Off Rim

I could not break the bead on one of the old tires, so I cut it off with an air grinder and wiz wheel attachment. This is recommended only as a last resort, as it is very time consuming to cut through rubber and steel band.

cut tire off rim

Tires need to be a little smaller than the rim they're being mounted to. This ensures a snug fit, otherwise your tire wouldn't hold air under weight.

Install Tire On Rim

I found it easier to start the tire mounting with the rim in my workbench vice, but I've also mounted tires on the garage floor. Using the tire spoons, mount the bottom of the lubed tire over the top of the rim. Work the spoons around the bead until the tire is over the rim.

Keep The Bead Lubed

While mounting the new tire, the bead needs to be kept lubed. Tire shops use a specialty tire grease to lube up the bead, but other types of lube will work, too. You can use liquid dish soap or hand soap like Gojo (without pumice). I imagine even axle grease can be used, but it would be messier.

lawn tractor tire lube

If the lube dries out or is absorbed the tire bead, it will become sticky instead of slippery.

Final Mounting

It's pretty easy to get the first side of the new tire onto the wheel, but the second side is always harder. Sometimes the only way to get enough force and leverage here is by working on the floor.

replace lawn tractor tire by hand

Use a spoon to pry the top part of the tire onto the top of rim. Again, you're working the spoons around the bead until the tire is over the rim.

A pair of vise grips on the rim will keep the bead from continually "crawling" around the rim. If you concerned about scratching the rim, you can put a piece of rubber in between the Vice-grip jaws.

Mounting A Crushed Tire

Knowing that a squashed tire like this would never bead up, I had to come up with way to put it back into it's original shape. There are several ways to do this.

replace lawn tractor tires by hand

Read: Mounting A Deformed Tire

Getting The Tire To Bead Against The Rim

Sometimes the hardest part of mounting a small tire is, once it's mounted, getting it to seal against the rim. Hopefully all it will take is a blast of air into the valve stem (with the valve stem core removed). If the tire beads up, quickly re-install the valve stem core and inflate to 10-15 pounds, being careful not to over-inflate.

The first tire beaded up easily, but after mounting the second tire I could not get it to bead. I removed the tire and tried mounted it the opposite way, but that didn't help.

tractor tire will not seat on rim

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Installing A Tube To A Lawn Tractor Tire

An alternative to the hassle of a tire not beading is to put a tube in the tire. You'll need to remove the old tubeless valve stem from the rim first.

The center of the lawn tractor rims are generally made equi-distant from the front and back. Trouble is, tire tube manufacturers usually make the valve face one direction, slightly off-center. This is sometimes a problem with lawn tractor rims.

tractor tire will not seat on rim

Shop: Inner Tube with Straight Stem Valve

Be careful not pinch the tube with the tire iron when mounting the tire. Household baby powder sprinkled on the tube will help prevent pinching.

lawn tractor tire review

Read: Lawn Tractor Tire Review

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