Subject: Split Rim help!

[Mike Bucher <mbucher@domain.elided>]

Andru,

Split rims are kind of easy once you get the hang of it.  I usually lay the
tire on the ground in front of the front tire and drive over the tire
(rubber part) to break the bead loose.  Take the valve core out before you
do this.

My split rims have little slots on one end of the ring.  Put a large flat
blade screw driver in the slot and pry the ring end up.  Slide a tire iron
or other suitable flat piece of metal (Stanley Wonder Bar comes sto mind)
then take the big hammer mentioned earlier and drive the tire iron/flat
piece of metal around the rim and the ring comes out.  I have some tire
irons that were my Dads.  Looks like they were made out of pieces of leaf
springs.  But then he did work at MW tire department in the late 30s and
early 40s so they just might have been a stock tire iron in those days.

Putting it back together is where you need to make sure that the ring is
seated all the way around.  As mentioned by others, some tire shops use a
cage when inflating the tire.  Leave the valve core out when you first air
it up to seat the ring and the tire.  Since I don't have a cage, I wrap a
heavy log chain around the tire about three times evenly spaced.  Thread
the chain through the center hole.  

Most kitty botique tire shops won't touch a split rim around here any more.
 Find a truck tire shop and they won't even bat an eye when you say split rim.

Mike