I have a tubeless wheelbarrow tire which has gone flat and unmounted from cold weather exposure, and I have none of the things you’d normally use to re-mount it. However, I have gotten an education from YouTube, which says you can spray starter fluid in or around the rim, ignite it, and the tire will magically mount.
So I have 2 questions:
Exactly how is the ether supposed to be applied for optimal results? In most of the videos it wasn’t really clear whether they were spraying it inside the tire or just on the sidewall around the rim.
In physical terms, what’s actually happening here?
Finally, a disclaimer, I am going to try this no matter what dire warnings are presented, because I am a pyro and I am too lazy to do it the proper way with the proper tools (but don’t worry, I’ll wear eye protection and keep a safe distance).
Sounds like a bunch of arse - but try it and let us know the results. Is the idea that the pyrolysed solvent lays down some sort of organic residue that acts as a lubricant for the tyre to slide onto the rim maybe?
I use tubeless tyres on my bike and they are mounted with either my hands or a set of tyre levers, depending on how tight the bead is. You could probably improvise a couple of spoons for levers if you don’t have any for the barrow.
The force of the deflagration jams the tire’s beads against the rim. It’s essentially a small-scale explosion inside the tire.
Seating the bead is what usually stands in the way of DIY tire changing. Most folks at home don’t have an air compressor that can deliver a big chunk of air rapidly enough to seat the bead - what usually happens is the air they’re trying to pump in just blows right past the open bead and there’s not enough force behind it to move the sidewall into contact with the rim.
I assume that the OP means mounting the tire, which is putting it on the rim, as opposed to inflating a tire that’s already mounted on the rim but isn’t sealing. No answer to the OP if my assumption is correct, but I’ve run into the problem of not being able to fill a mounted tire. First I tried an electrical compressor. No joy. Then I went to the gas station to use their air. That didn’t work either. Then I tried my SCUBA tank. Nada. Finally I tied a rope tightly around the middle of the circumference of the tire, which forced the bead against the rim. A quick shot from the SCUBA tank and it was good.
Actually I was talking about a tire that is already mounted on the rim but cannot be inflated for the reasons already described, that apparently you need a big charge of pressure to blow the tire against the bead.
My main question is whether to put the fluid in the tire, or on the tire. Common sense would suggest you’d put it in the tire, but in a number of the YouTube videos, the guys can be seen clearly applying it to the sidewall, not even particularly close to the bead.
All the ether does is provide a big shot of air to force the bead against the rim, there is no burned whatever for adhesion. You can buy bead sealer, but I’ve never found it to work. So just fill the tire up with ether, it doesn’t matter where it goes, but it needs to be on the inside. Be careful not to get any on yourself, or on the outside of the tire. Stand well back when you toss the wick in. The most important safety precaution is to video tape the whole procedure, so that we can LOL if something goes wrong. Many of the old timers don’t have any arm hair because of this method of seating the tire.
Well, I’m not sure if ether is the preferred gas, but inflating tires in a similar way is most definitely NOT bunk.
I’ve seen it done in a documentary of a polar expedition. Two things were noted in the documentary. One was how they keep the tires at incredibly low pressure setting to enhance grip, and the other is how to re-inflate a tire in such extreme conditions.
To do so, they set the tire down across the ice, and the tire was most definitely separated from the rim – the bead was not in contact with the rim. They sprayed something around the rim, ignited it and PRESTO, the tire was inflated via a sudden burst. They then released a bunch of air, and drove on.
Riding around with very low air pressure meant the tire was much more likely to come off the rim, so they mastered the technique mentioned.
Another take is the ether/burning on the tire bead will melt or soften the rubber (maybe some lubrication also) giving a more flexible seal allowing less air pressure to seat the tire on the bead. The ether would evaporate better than some other petroleum products which could attack the tire rubber if in contact longer.
Another trick for sealing is using a soap and water mix; in this case - heavy on the soap. You could also use a bunch of cheap hand lotion to promote the seal.
I vote for potential serious injury as well if you use the ether.
Here’s a YouTube video showing this done to a small trailer(?) tire. I have seen this done first-hand at an old-timer’s tire shop, owned by a friend of my Dad, many, many times. Done it a few times myself on various size tires, but only as last resort.
When very little gas is used, a very small ‘explosion’ is all that happens - but knowing where the threshold is a learning experience. Trial and error is not the best way to figure out how to do it
I have done this a number of times. Not really that hard, just dangerous. The tire must be solidly restrained when this is done. The first time I tried it the tire popped up into the air about 10 feet. This was a full size car tire, not sure how far something smaller would go.
It appears that trial and error is the only possible way to go about this.
This is strange to me. I’ve changed dozens of motorcycle tires at home, and a run-of-the-mill compressor with a five-gallon tank was entirely adequate to the task. Any compressor with a tank that can deliver ~100 psi, even for a short burst (before tank pressure fades away), is enough to get tire beads to seat.
Ok, imagine the arctic, and it’s -45F on an expedition. How to inflate tire???
In the other video posted, the truck was bogged down in mud. Should we opt for the method that takes 30 seconds or less? Jack it up in the mud? Pull out a compressor in a jungle, etc?
Keep in mind, in the cases I mentioned, what practical options do you have, especially when the tires are coming off the rim with some frequency in extreme environmental conditions!?
Well, the OP could at least be smart enough to start the trial and error phase with using a VERY small amount of ether, then incrememting subsequent tests with very small additional amounts. Note, we are probably talking fraction of a small spoon amounts, if not actual drops.
Just, for the love of OG, don’t get all Tim the Tool Man Taylor with it on the first few tries. Its probably an actually good way to seriously hurt yourself.
As a mechanic, I’ve done the ether thing, but only for fun.
The safer way to accomplish seating the bead is getting more air in the tire quickly.
No one ever thinks about this, but it’s worked for me and other mechanics for years: remove the valve-core from the valve-stem. It takes a special tool, but you can find one anywhere car parts and accessories are sold.
Once the core is out, you’ll be amazed at how much air will flow now. It will be enough to help you seat the bead. Now of course, when you remove your air hose, air will leak quickly as well, but now that the bead is seated, it doesn’t matter. Just screw the valve-core back in, and fill as usual.
Playing with ether is an excellent way to lose your hair, hearing, sight, or more.
That’s why it’s so much fun.
Ugh. I did this a few times when I was a motorcycle mechanic to mount ATV tires. Customers would bring in tires that they bought elswhere and that were shipped flat, with the sidewalls touching each other. None of our usual methods of getting the beads to seat would work. We used gasoline instead of ether. While the tires would usually pop onto the rim by the third try, there were a few times that the gas on outside of the tire caught fire.
Having done this for a living, I will say that I never want to do it again and don’t recommend that anyone do it. For a wheelbarrow, I’d just buy a tube or a semipneumatic (solid) tire.
It appears that trial and error is the only possible way to go about this.