Tubeless tire bead seater

Apparatus for seating tubeless tires having sidewalls and beads upon rimmed wheels comprising, in combination, a vertically extending frame having upper and lower regions, wheel elevating means mounted upon said frame lower region for vertically elevating a horizontally disposed wheel from a lower initial position to an elevated position, seal support means mounted upon said frame upper region above said wheel elevating means, an annular sidewall seal ring mounted upon said seal support means in fixed relation thereto, said ring including an annular free lower edge adapted to sealingly engage a tire sidewall, an annular wheel rim seal ring mounted upon said seal support means within said sidewall seal ring, lost motion means mounting said wheel rim seal ring on said support means permitting relative limited vertical displacement thereon, annular sealing means defined upon said wheel rim seal ring sealingly engaging a wheel upper rim when a wheel is in an elevated position, an annular chamber defined by said sidewall and wheel rim seal rings, compressed air supply means communicating with said chamber, said wheel elevating means including compressible means maintaining an elevating force on the elevated wheel less than the downward force exerted on the tire sidewall during completion of inflation of a tire due to engagement of the sidewall seal ring with the tire sidewall whereby said wheel and tire are lowered during tire inflation and said lost motion means maintains a seal between the wheel rim and wheel rim seal ring during such wheel and tire lowering.