Split Rims: Must have tools

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I

inthejungle

10 Year
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Jan 21, 2014
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I have a HJ60 with 33 swampers on 16"split rims, I run around in the middle of no where most of the time. I am wanting to get some good tools to add to my kit. I always run tubes and keep spares in the truck. I am working in the middle of the jungle and in the rainy season we get 300" of rain, the tools I throw in the kit have got to be rugged and stand up to some harsh conditions.


If you had this what would you get and where? Currently I am located in TX.
 
I've run split rims on my patrol since new (1980). You need a couple of decent tyre irons and a tool to go into the slot to lever the open end of the split ring to start working it out of the rim groove. The patrol tool kit came with the tool as part of the handle end of the lug nut spanner. All this AFTER you have broken the bead, so a bead breaker is the #1 tool to invest your $ into. There are various types of bead breakers from old school sliding hammer style to more modern and much easier to use devices. I use a pair of tyre pliers which work great on split rims.

I keep a few spare tubes in the vehicle, tip top/rema repair kits with various patches for repairing the tubes AND to repair any major holes in the tyre carcass. Also keep a couple of spare valves and nice metal caps (the type that can be used to also remove the valve). A valve tool is handy to screw onto the tube's valve stem to pull the tube through the hole in the rim and to keep it from slipping back into the rim/tyre. Make sure to have 'fresh' vulcanising fluid on hand - I prefer to have a bunch of the small 5g/10g tubes (sealed new until used) on hand versus the larger cans that invariably are all dried out after a couple of years in the back of the vehicle.

Some talcum powder in a small container/bottle is handy to rub over the inside of the tyre and the tube when re-installing. Decent rubber mallet doesn't hurt to have on hand to beat on the tyre to help re-seat it onto the bead if it becomes 'stubborn' while carefully re-inflating.

Bastard file if there's corrosion on the split ring surface and needs a bit of a cleanup.

I have all the above and other tools and stuff in the back of my patrol at all times.

Pair of mechanics gloves isn't a bad idea either. Oh, if you run a diesel, then some metho or petrol etc is handy to clean the surface of the tube/tyre if trying to vulcanize a patch on. Also the patch kit should have a roughening tool to roughen up the tube/tyre surface prior to cleaning and coating with the vulcanizing fluid. Kit should also have a tool with a 'wheel' to help work the patch and help with the vulcanizing/bonding.

That's all that comes to mind at this instant. It's 2nd nature to me when I have to repair a tyre, so trying to remember everything and write it down means I may have missed a few things...

cheers,
george.
 
George thanks so much for all the info

"You need a couple of decent tyre irons and a tool to go into the slot to lever the open end of the split ring to start working it out of the rim groove. "

Do you know what that tool for the slot is called or where to get one?



"so a bead breaker is the #1 tool to invest your $ into. There are various types of bead breakers from old school sliding hammer style to more modern and much easier to use devices. I use a pair of tyre pliers which work great on split rims."


Anyone got some good recomentdations, i saw that Extreme Outback
has this

http://www.extremeoutback.com/product/16/Extreme+Outback+Beadbuster++Part#+008-200.html

and this

http://www.extremeoutback.com/product/36/Tyrepliers+Beadbreaker++Part#+001-000.html


anyone used any of these or have a good recommendations that would work great on the side of the road?

Thanks

 
http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=KEN32123&source=froogle&kw=KEN32123 (ken tool, made in the USA, good stuff!) <- this link is just one vendor that came up with google, i.e. I'm not recommending you buy from them.

I have a pair of the ken tools T23 to remove the lock ring and as tyre levers. One end of the tool will go into the lock ring slot. Even a BIG flat screw driver can be used if desperate (BIG screwdriver).

I use tyrepliers (in your 2nd link). They work well and are adjustable for different rim sizes. The high lift jack attachment likely works too, though it would require jacking against the vehicle etc, which means moving the tyre/wheel into place and having to then rotate the wheel around and play with the high lift. The tyrepliers are easy to use and you can take them to the tyre/wheel and move around with them easier. You have to break both beads (both sides of the rim).

There are fancier tyre removing units - which are nice for standard rims - but for split rims you only need to break the beads (and remove the lock ring).

Make sure to practice at home versus knee deep in trouble...

cheers,
george.
 
Like I wrote, I use the tyrepliers product. They work well on my nissan AND toyota split rims. Never failed to work and doesn't require a sweat to break the beads.

Mate has a fancy unit that can break & reseat the tyre/rim - but then he doesn't run split rims.

There's lots of bead breaking options out there, I just chose tyrepliers since they were a) relatively inexpensive, b) available off the shelf in oz 4wd shops and c) had a good reputation. If you go the hilift jack approach do make sure to purchase (or make if you have a welder etc) an attachment (like in your link). A hilift on it's own applies pressure in the wrong place and can damage the tyre wall - you really want the pressure applied to the bead area and not the tyre wall - ESPECIALLY if the bead is really stuck.

The tyrepliers work well since they use a leverage approach to work directly against the lock ring and the tyre bead.

cheers,
george.
 
Seems like you'll be spending a lot of time spinning a spanner to operate it. To break the bead, both sides, you typically have to reposition a bead breaking tool maybe 8 or more times per side. It would get old very soon having to run the threads in/out each time... I'd want to see a video of it being used to remove a real tyre (one that has been on the rim for many months or years) before I'd give it a thumbs up.

For a split rim the tyrepliers work very well assuming you aren't too old and decrepit to operate it.

cheers,
george.
 
ozcrusier said:
Split rims should be serviced once a year to keep the rim and tube clean from dirt and rust and make bead breaking easy.
Click to expand...

LOL - yeah, I also rotate the lug nuts yearly too :)

cheers,
george.
 
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