Tire spoons

[El Rat]

Hi gents
Does anyone remember dad or grandpa repairing a leaky tire/tube with tire spoons and hot patch? I do ....dad would break the bead by running over the flat with the pickup. He would use the spoons and a sledge to get one sidewall out and access the tube on went the hot patch glue add a zippo and a patch, good to go!

 

[IMBVSUR?]

Yes I do, although only a few times. Many times on motorcycles though. Hot patches, ahhhh one of the few times you could play with fire and not get in trouble.

 

[rstreet]

Aah I’ve done it with a big screw driver and one spoon. Those 50’s and 60’s 14 inch wheels didn’t have all the safety ridges rims we have today as I guess air and tubes held the beads on? Later I became good at the plugs for tubeless tires and never needed spoons.
Robert

 

[Iowa 409 Guy]

For truck tires I used a front leaf spring and a sledgehammer to break the bead. Had a tire that had been on the truck for a long time off road and driven in water a lot. I beat and beat. Finally got pissed off and burnt it off. Caught hell for that but it was rusty as hell anyway.

 

[4speedman]

I have used the leaf spring and hammer method many times and still have my tire spoons/tools and use them for lawn mower tires and such.Years ago i bought one of those bead breaker lever type tools at at action with cabinent that had a lot of patches in it for 15 dollors and it is a great tool my son used it yesterday to break down a couple of atv tires with no problem.Back in the day i also would use a bumper jack just work the base back in the bead area start jacking up the car and it would break the bead most of the time some were tougher than others.

 

[La Hot Rods]

When I found out that people did this for a living, I just take my tire work to them. I'm not one that would want to deprive someone from there job.

 

[55Brodie]

The Coats 10-10 machine had to be one of the best inventions ever.

 

[409gang]

Before I retired my service truck was a E350 Ford van that weighed 10000lbs loaded up with all the tools and material we carried. When you had a flat we always called a tire company to come out and either fix it or replace it. One time I had a flat on the road and the right rear tire needed to be replaced, it was a 16" truck tire. The guy from the tire company replaced that tire on the side of the road with only hand tools and I was back on the road in about 30 minutes, I was amazed!!!

 

[4speedman]

The Coats 10-10 machine had to be one of the best inventions ever.

I stiil have my 10-10 coats from my business i now have it in my barn at home and use it on my own stuff of coarse it does not work on these modern mag type wheels but i still have a lot of the old wheels around. And yes La Hot Rods i made very little money on tire work back in the day and some of them were a lot of work leave it up to the pros

 

[62BillT]

I would also used the Bumper Jack Base method. Years ago when some Mags were too risky to change on a machine, I would just change them by hand. After I broke them down, I would just use large screw drivers. Always wanted Spoons, but couldn't afford them back then, lol. This was back in the 70's.

A friend of mine would still change them by hand at his garage. Never bothered getting a machine. He has a nice Bead Breaker though, along with a nice set of Spoons.

 

[Brian64SS]

I picked up a May Tire-matic from a service station that had been closed for years and was about to be torn down. Right place right time. I only order tires on line now and have changed at least 50 tires using it in the past 12 years or so. It requires using a spoon. I haven't broken an aluminum wheel yet. Hope that continues. It doesn't take up much room along the wall in my 2-car garage. Balance with a bubble balancer.