Portable tire changing apparatus and method for mounting and demounting heavy duty tires on a wheel

Portable tire changing assembly for demounting a heavy duty tire from a wheel having a flanged drop center rim and a hub in the center of said wheel with a central opening extending therethrough, said assembly comprising an anchor member having a tubular body and flange means for attaching the body to the hub and substantially axially of the wheel so the opposed ends of the body extend to opposite sides of the hub, an extensible arm having connector means thereon for rotatably mounting said arm to either of said tubular body opposed ends, a sectional tubular body extending generally perpendicular to the connector means and laterally therefrom, and hydraulic cylinder socket means along the sectional tubular body, a hydraulic cylinder perpendicularly mounted to and retained by the socket means of said extensible arm, said cylinder having bead breaking means mounted thereon for forcing at least a segment of a tire bead from said rim flange, means for actuating said cylinder, and a tire tread retaining tool attached to the free end of said extensible arm member for assisting in forcing a portion of said tire into said wheel drop center portion, said tread retaining tool including an elongated arcuate surface approximating the curvature of the circumference of said tire and extension means connecting said elongated surface to the free end of said extensible arm and maintaining said tool outwardly and downwardly from said extensible arm whereby said tool fits the tire longitudinally along a portion of said circumference.

Portable tire changing apparatus for mounting and demounting heavy duty tires upon wheels having a flanged drop center rim and a hub in the center of said flanged rim with a central opening extending therethrough, said apparatus including a portable hydraulic cylinder, a pump for operating the cylinder, and a tire demounting assembly comprising an anchor member having a tubular body and flange means for attaching the body to the hub and substantially axially of the wheel so the opposed ends of the body extend to opposite sides of the hub, an extensible arm having connector means thereon for rotatable mounting to either of said tubular body opposed ends, a sectional tubular body extending generally perpendicular to the connector means and laterally therefrom, said sectional tubular body including telescopically coacting sections and axially aligned threaded means for adjusting and applying an axial force to the sections to vary the arm length, and hydraulic cylinder socket means along the sectional tubular body, said portable hydraulic cylinder being removably mounted to said socket means in a position parallel to said anchor member tubular body, bead breaking means capable of being mounted on said hydraulic cylinder for engaging at least a segment of a bead of said tire to cause it to disengage from a segment of said flanged rim which, as mounted, is contiguous with said bead.

Portable tire changing apparatus for mounting and demounting heavy duty tires upon wheels having a flanged drop center rim and a hub in the center of said flanged rim with a central opening extending therethrough, said apparatus including a portable hydraulic cylinder, a pump for operating the cylinder, and a tire demounting assembly comprising an anchor member having a tubular body and flange means for attaching the body to the hub and substantially axially of the wheel so the opposed ends of the body extend to opposite sides of the hub, an extensible arm having connector means thereon for rotatable mounting to either of said tubular body opposed ends, a sectional tubular body extending generally perpendicular to the connector means and laterally therefrom, and hydraulic cylinder socket means along the sectional tubular body, said portable hydraulic cylinder being removably mounted to said socket means in a position parallel to said anchor member tubular body, bead breaking means capable of being mounted on said portable hydraulic cylinder for engaging at least a segment of a bead of said tire to cause it to disengage from a segment of the flanged rim, and a tire mounting assembly including a cylinder retaining hook having a curved end which engages the central opening in said hub and having an offset end bearing against the wheel rim with means thereon adapted to removably retain one end of said portable hydraulic cylinder, a pair of clamps each having means thereon for clamping onto one of said rim flanges and means for retaining a portion of said tire bead between said rim flanges, and bead stretching means capable of being removably mounted on said portable hydraulic cylinder for engaging and stretching said tire bead over said flanged rim as said portable hydraulic cylinder is retained in said mounting hook.

Portable tire changing apparatus for mounting and demounting heavy duty tires upon wheels having a flanged drop center rim and a hub in the center of said flanged rim with a central opening extending therethrough, said apparatus including a portable hydraulic cylinder, a pump for operating the cylinder, and a tire demounting assembly comprising an anchor member having a tubular body and flange means for attaching the body to the hub and substantially axially of the wheel so the opposed ends of the body extend to opposite sides of the hub, an extensible arm having connector means thereon for rotatable mounting to either of said tubular body opposed ends, a sectional tubular body extending generally perpendicular to the connector means and laterally therefrom, and hydraulic cylinder socket means along the sectional tubular body, said portable hydraulic cylinder being removably mounted to said socket means in a position parallel to said anchor member tubular body, bead breaking means capable of being mounted on said portable hydraulic cylinder for engaging at least a segment of a bead of said tire to cause it to disengage from a segment of said flanged rim which, as mounted, is contiguous with said bead, and a tire tread retaining tool attached to the free end of said extensible arm member, said tread retaining tool including an elongated arcuately bent surface approximating the curvature of the circumference of said tire and an extension arm connecting said elongated plate to the free end of said extensible arm and maintaining said tool outwardly and downwardly from said extensible arm whereby said tool fits the tire longitudinally along a portion of said circumference.

A method of demounting a heavy duty tire from a drop center wheel and tire assembly utilizing a portable tire demounting assembly, said wheel and tire assembly including a flanged drop center rim and a hub in the center of said rim with a central opening extending therethrough, and a heavy duty tire mounted on said rim having bead portions adjacent each of said rim flanges, side walls outwardly adjacent each of said bead portions and a circumferential tread attached at its margins to the outermost portion of each side wall, and said tire demounting assembly including an anchor member having a tubular body and flange means for attaching the body to the hub of said wheel, an extensible arm rotatably mounted to said anchor member and extending substantially perpendicular to said tubular body, a tread retaining tool attached to the free end of said extensible arm for assisting the forcing of a portion of said tire bead into said wheel rim drop center, a hydraulic cylinder and means for actuating said cylinder, said hydraulic cylinder perpendicularly mounted to and retained by said extensible arm, and a bead breaking shoe attached to the end of a piston extending from said cylinder, said method comprising the steps of affixing said tire demounting assembly to said wheel and tire assembly, activating the hydraulic cylinder and bead breaking shoe attached thereto in said assembly to force at least a segment of the bead of said tire inwardly away from a flange of said wheel, moving said extensible arm circumferentially along the bead portion of said tire and activating said hydraulic cylinder and bead breaking shoe repeatedly to disengage the entire bead of one side of said tire from said rim flange, forcing a segment of said bead into said drop center portion of said wheel rim by extending said bead breaking shoe upon a segment of said side wall of said tire and simultaneously inwardly retracting said tire tread retaining tool to force the tread radially inward, lifting a tire bead segment circumferentially opposite said segment forced into said drop center portion over said wheel rim flange, enlarging the portion of said bead pried over the rim flange by rotating said extensible arm to a position over said pried bead portion and again retracting said tread retaining tool while simultaneously forcing adjacent portions of said bead over said rim flange with a tire iron using said anchor member tubular body as a fulcrum, removing the extensible arm of said assembly from said anchor member attached to said wheel assembly, turning said wheel assembly over to the opposite side thereof for breaking the opposite bead, and replacing said extensible arm on said anchor member, activating said bead breaking shoe on the tire bead, separating or breaking said bead from said rim flange and forcing a segment of said bead into the rim drop center portion, and lifting said bead over said opposing rim flange of said wheel until said tire is completely free of said wheel.

A method of mounting a heavy duty tire on a drop center wheel utilizing a tire mounting assembly wherein said wheel includes a flanged drop center rim, and a hub in the center of said rim with a central opening extending therethrough, said tire includes a circumferential tread inwardly extending side walls attached to the margins of said tread and a circular bead portion at the interior margin of each side wall, and said tire mounting assembly includes a hydraulic cylinder, means for operating said cylinder, a bead stretching shoe attached to a piston on said hydraulic cylinder, a cylinder retaining hook including a curved end and an offset hydraulic cylinder mounting end, a pair of C-clamps, and at least one tire iron, said method comprising the steps of placing a portion of a first bead of said heavy duty tire over a rim flange of said wheel and securing said bead in position by fastening said pair of C-clamps to said wheel rim flange inside an arcuate portion of said flange traversed by said first tire bead, then engaging said curved portion of said cylinder retaining hook to said hub of said wheel through a central opening therein, mounting said hydraulic cylinder with attached bead stretching shoe to said hook, and positioning the shoe to engage the first bead adjacent a position circumferentially opposite said secured portion, and activating said cylinder and shoe to stretch said bead over a larger portion of said rim flange than previously secured and prying bead portions immediately adjacent said secured portion over said rim flange using said tire iron, repositioning said C-clamps in a wider arc around said rim flange as more of said bead is pried over said flange, repeating said cylinder actuating and tire iron prying around said rim flange until the bead is completely over the flange, placing a portion of the second tire bead on an opposite side of said tire over said wheel rim flange and securing said bead in position using said C-clamps, positioning said bead stretching shoe to engage the second bead at a position adjacent that position circumferentially opposite said secured portion, and activating said cylinder and shoe to stretch said second bead over a larger portion of said rim flange than previously secured and prying bead portions immediately adjacent said secured portion over said rim flange using a tire iron, repositioning said C-clamps in a wider arc around said rim flange as more of said bead is pried over said flange, repeating said cylinder actuating and tire iron prying around said rim flange until the bead is completely over the flange, and removing said C-clamps.