System and method for processing a tire-wheel assembly

A method for processing a tire and a wheel for forming a tire wheel assembly, comprising the steps of:

• providing an apparatus including a plurality of tire support members;
• arranging the tire adjacent a tire sidewall engaging surface of a tire sidewall engaging device, wherein the tire sidewall engaging device is connected to an upper surface of a first tire support member of the plurality of tire support members;
• partially arranging the wheel within a passage of the tire such that one or more of an upper bead of the tire and a lower bead of the tire is/are not entirely arranged about a circumference of the wheel;
• moving the wheel through a first gap formed by a spaced-apart relationship of;
• a first tire tread engaging device of a second tire support member of the plurality of tire support members, and
• a second tire tread engaging device of a third tire support member of the plurality of tire support members, wherein each of the first tire tread engaging device and the second tire tread engaging device includes a wheel-contacting portion that are spaced apart to form a second gap, wherein the second gap is less than the first gap;
• utilizing the movement of the wheel to impart corresponding movement of the tire through the first gap such that a tread surface of the tire directly engages both of the first tire tread engaging device and the second tire tread engaging device, wherein the movement of the wheel results in the wheel passing through the second gap such that a surface portion of the wheel directly engages the wheel-contacting portion connected respectively to the first tire tread engaging device and the second tire tread engaging device, wherein, as a result of the utilizing the movement step, further comprising the step of
• causing one or both of a substantially circular, upper tire opening and a substantially circular, lower tire opening that form the passage of the tire to be manipulated to have a substantially non-circular form to permit both of the upper bead of the tire and the lower bead of the tire to be arranged about the circumference of the wheel.