How to change a Budd split rim innertube.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Sent: 12/30/2005 6:56 PM

I finally got around to changing the flat innertube in my spare tire today, and figured I'd tell you how it was done, what to do, and what NOT to do...lol.

First, you need a couple of tools:  2 tire irons or crow bars, and a big hammer.

The first thing you have to do is remove the ring.  This actually isn't that hard, and mine came off on the first shot:  Pry the ring apart where it splits with one tire iron, use the other tire iron to pry one side up away from the rim, get your first tire iron in between the ring and the rim, and use the hammer to tap it around the rim.  It helps to hold one side down with a booted foot so it doesn't spring off and hit you in the shin!

Next, and this is the hardest part, you have to remove the tire from the rim.  I tried turning it upside down and jumping on it...no results.  I tried hitting it along the bead with a hammer...no results.  You can use a mattock, but it can destroy the tire AND rim if you hit it wrong, and I didn't have one anyway.  What worked?  Ah.....patience.  You see, the tire will adhere itself to the bead of the rim opposite of the lock ring.  And boy was it adhered!  I set the rim, round side down, on a stump.  Then, sitting in front of it, I took my fattest tire iron and started hammering it between the rim and the tire, being careful not to damage the rubber.  I had to do this every couple of inches, and then go around again!  Finally, all at once, it dropped off the rim, right on my toes!  Again, boots, not sandals, are a good idea...lol.

The next step is to remove the boot and innertube.  If the valve for the innertube is still visible, push it through until it disappears inside the tire.  Pull out the boot/flap, and then pull out the innertube.  On mine, when it went flat it pulled the valve stem into the tire.  The valve stem proceeded to shred the inner tube, and all that was inside my tire, behind the boot/flap, was rubber confetti! 

Don's skip this step!  Feel all around inside the tire, and clean out any debris.  What you are looking for is anything sharp:  Nails, wire, anything that might pop the new innertube!

OK...so far so good.  The tire is cleaned out, and there is nothing inside to damage the new innertube.

Next, add just a small amount of air to the new inner tube, just enough to give it some shape, but it should still be soft and foldable.  Put it inside the tire, with the valve stem facing up.  Make sure it is even and not folded or pinched anywhere, and add a little more air, so that it is now a soft donut, but not too much air that you can't get the boot/flap in place.

Put in the flap.  This is done by first finding the hole in the flap, and pushing/pulling the valve stem through it.  Starting at the valve stem, make sure the flap/boot curls around both sides of the innertube evenly, so that you now have an equal amount of flap between both sides of the tire and the innertube, even all the way around.

Place the rim on the ground, with the round side up.  With the valve stem still facing up, lift the tire and drop it onto the rim.  Make sure that the valve stem is centered over the slot in the rim that accomidates it before dropping it on!  Step on the tire, walking around it, to fully seat the tire.  At this point you'll notice the valve stem is caught between the rim and tire, not seated in the slot in the rim.  You'll have to use a tire iron to pry down the tire until you can wiggle the valve stem through.  Make sure it is still centered in the slot, and not touching either side of the slot!

Okay, now the fun part:  Getting the outer lock ring back on. After trying for some time, I finally figured out a way that works easily:  Get one side hooked under the rim, and then step on it firmly.  Use a big hammer, and starting close to your foot, whack the ring.  It should seat itself.  Keep whacking it further and further from your foot, around the rim.  After a little bit of cussing and swearing, it will snap in place.  Make sure it is fully seated, and as closed as the rest of the rings on the tires that are still on your rig!

Here is the dangerous part!!!  It is recommended that you bring the tire to a shop and have them put it into a safety cage and have them inflate it to the max pressure.  However, not all of us have access to shops, and more importantly, not many shops have safety cages anymore!  Again, let me stress the danger:  DANGER!!!  THE RING CAN FLY OFF THE RIM IF ITS NOT SEATED RIGHT, AND TAKE YOUR HEAD OFF AT THE SHOULDERS!!!  Is that plain enough?  So, how can we safely inflate it without a cage?  Ingenuity, my dear Watson, Ingenuity, and common sense.  First, make sure there are no bystanders or pets right near where you are going to inflate it.  Then, turn the rim upside down, with the lock ring, and yes the valve stem, facing the ground.  There is room enough in the slot to get an air chuck on it, even upside down, and room for a tire guage.  Now, putting your booted feet on opposites sides of the rim, standing on the metal part of the rim, squat down!  All of your weight will now be holding the rim to the ground.  When you do this, make sure the valve stem is in front of you...lol.  OK....now inflate it.  Keep your hands as far back on the air chuck/hose as you can, while still being able to inflate it.  Check your pressure often.  I inflated mine to 70psi. 

I was lucky, the ring was properly seated, and the tire inflated without incident.  However, don't trust luck.  Inflate it just the way I said.  That way, if the ring DOES explode off the rim, it can only go down to the ground!  You'll have the rim and tire protecting your delicate flesh from the ring, and the weight of you squatting on the rim will keep it from going airborne.  I can't see any way you could get hurt if you do it this way.

All in all, it took me about 3 hours to replace the innertube and inflate the new one.  This was a lot of trial and error time, since this is the first time I ever replaced one.  I also had to roll the tire down the hill to a neighbor's house who offered to let me use his compressor, and then back up the hill once it was inflated.  If I had to do it again, now that I know what I am doing, and if I had a compressor handy, I am confident I could do it in about 20 minutes or so!

That's all!  Easy as pie!...lol

Kev


Sent: 12/30/2005 7:04 PM

I just want to clarify what I mean about inflating the tire upside down, while squatting on the rim.  You will be squatting on the tire, and if you are situated right, the valve stem, and the notch in the rim, will be right in front of you, down between your feet at 12 o'clock.  You will be inflating the tire from INSIDE the rim!  The slot in the rim is big enough to get an airchuck on the valve, from the inside!  This way, your hands and eyes are protected, just like your body is protected from the ring by the tire and rim itself!  Pretty safe, and simple too, eh?

Kev

[denisondc]

Sent: 12/30/2005 10:44 PM

Your directions are a good try, and doing it yourself is the best way to learn it: But…inflating the tire with the wheel lying on the ground, the detachable rim facing down - I don’t think will save you from injury if the rim decides to come off. It will just flip you into the air along with the wheel, or most of you. I calculated the outward pressure on the detachable rim to be about 21,000 lbs when the tire has 75 psi in it. Nor do I want to have that 100 lb wheel/tire dropping on me from above.
I don’t have a tire cage either, but there are 3 schemes I have used, depending on the resources I had.

One: wrapping a heavy tow chain five times around the wheel/tire, once through each of the 5 holes in the wheel. I bolt the ends together, not so snug as to have the chain be taut after the tire is inflated.

Two: I bolt two wheels together with the detachable rims facing each other, as if they were a dually pair. The five Budd lug nuts are strong enough to hold the two tires together, even in the event the detachable rim comes off.

Three; I put the wheel/tire under the frame of the RV between the axles, the detachable rim facing up, and use the bottle jack perched on the wheel to raise the frame 4 to 6 inches - putting a ton or more of load on the jack.

Then, I have a clip-on air chuck on the end of a length of air hose. I clip the air chuck onto the valve stem, and connect the air hose to a compressor - preferably around the corner of a building from the wheel/tire. That’s when I begin to inflate the wheel, checking the air pressure at the 'safe' end of the air hose.

With an old boot or tire liner, the rubber that is 'showing' in the width of the slot will be pushed up a bit by the air pressure. It will also be in the light, and the UV from the sun will deteriorate that rubber, little by little. If you put in new boots each time you replace inner tubes, it probably will never be a problem. But with older boots, (mine are mostly originals) the rubber will eventually weather check enough to let some UV fall onto the inner tube. Inner tubes are thin, and of a rubber thas is very susceptible to UV. The inner tube will begin to leak close to the valve stem.

There is a metal ring, like a large washer with a small hole in it, that the old timer tire shops have that is used between the steel wheel and the boot, at the slot for the valve stem. It keeps the boot from being squeezed into the slot, as well as stopping the UV from getting onto the rubber.

I have had 2 flats while the RV was sitting in my driveway, which is how I know about this problem. I added the metal shield (I call them sunstoppers) to each of the wheels/ tires on my Winny.

And each time I have one of my wheels apart, I always clean the mating surfaces, and check them closely for cracks, corrosion, a twisted rim piece, then put linseed oil onto the mating surfaces before I reassemble. I prefer to paint the surfaces, if I have a month to let the paint harden before I had to reassemble the wheel.

[Oz]

Sent: 12/31/2005 11:20 AM

Hey Dave!  Good answer!  I don't doubt your calculations about the 21,000 pounds of force the ring could explode with, but out of curiosity, I would love to know how you came to those calculations...lol.

The chain idea sounds like something a full-timer with little space in the rig could do on the road.  Would a high tension steel cable work just as well?  I was just thinking that I have two very thick vinyl covered bicycle cables with eyes at the end, each about 7 feet long, and both rated at well over 21,000 pounds in tensile strength.  It would be a simple matter of threading them in and around the rim holes and locking them in place with one of my big Kryptonite bike locks.

Now that you mentioned the "sunblocker" washer, it reminded me that there was an ovalized washer in the tire along with the valve.  I wonder if the tire shop put the washer on the INSIDE, between the boot and the inner tube, and if this is what caused my flat!  The washer had two "ears" at the ends that now that I think about it would have centered it in the slot...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...I hope ALL of my tires aren't like that!  This is the same shop that stripped 4 out of 5 of my front lugs and studs, so anything is possible with them!

Anyhow, thanks for the response, it might make future installations easier!