old tyres

hi there,can anyone tell me what tool is the best for removing old tractor tyres off rims please.

I made myself a tyre lever using a wrecking bar from Supercheap. Its about a meter long, all I did was cut off the sharp points and grind them nice and round.

The way I remove tires is pull the rim off the tractor, let the air out and drive my Hilux up on the tyre. Then I simply hit around the bead with a sledge hammer until it comes off. I repeat all that on the other side, and then use the lever to take it off.

I have only ever had one tyre defeat me, and then it took two tyre fitters and myself about three hours to get it off using all the you beaut tools. The tyre and rust on the rim had fused together.

Another way I was shown once is to park beside a big tree and use a jack sideways to break the bead, but that was a lot of mucking around to get it in the right spot. When you don't have the right gear, you make the most of what you've got.

I use the digger's bucket (not the teeth of course) to break the bead off the rim. Flip the wheel over and do the same on the other side.
Then some long tyre levers, starting at the valve stem with the opposite side of the tyre nicely down into the rim's well.
Once one side of the tyre is off, some blocks of wood to give working room and pull the tube out.
Not easy if she's been filled with water.
Then tyre lever and sledge hammer to whip the other side off the rim.
The blokes at truck tyre shops have all the right gear if you can transport your wheel to them.

Old mate and myself made a nifty gadget from an old slide hammer and a medium sized air powered jackhammer. Adjust the cycle speed right down to get maximum impact.

If the tyres are no good an angle grinder works a treat just don't cut the rim. Are the rims steel or cast? The cast ones need to be split by removing all bolts around the outer rim. Steel rims will need some blood, sweat and tears without the correct tools. Try a jack from the chassis to the bead area, wedge a steel plate between the tyre bead and rim for the jack to push on and pump away but keep an eye on the jack slipping. Load up the outside bead with truck wash or detergent (diluted) as a lube, this will help. If you can remove the rim after the rear bead is broken you will be able to allow the truck wash to soak in overnight. A couple of cold chisels will work just slowly work around the bead until you see movement but don't use sharp ones they will cut the tyre. Pinch bars etc are good for putting pressure on the tyre to help get it to move. Mungrel of a job but I have done tyres for 25 years so have all the correct equipment. Best of luck

Wasn't there a post a while back about pouring some fuel around the bead and it softened the rubber.

I guess it would be for a tyre that was being thrown away.

crane/hiab stabilisers are good for bead braking

I once asked a local tyre shop what the best way of changing very old blitz tyres as they were kind of tough. They advised us to light a big fire and chuck the whole lot on then she'll be right in the morning... Would've thought the wheel ended up pretty soft. Didn't like that idea so my tools included the hiab stabiliser bead braker, mix of grinder, cold chisel, chainsaw (no steel bands), big tree, chains and 'cruiser to pull them apart. Took about 4-6 hours per tyre