How To Seat The BEAD, Flaming VIDEO!

[KartFab]

How to seat the bead on your tubeless go kart tires. This works with any tubeless tire, on a lawn tractor, go kart, car, or truck. An old friend of mine used to do this with those pesky tires on giant pimped out rims. Watch your fingers if you use a match!

 

[Gokartbill]

They do this to semi tires too. Who would of thought if u set a tire on fire at a certain spot it will pop the bead back on. Creative!

 

[andrewmacc]

Maybe the hillbilly rig drivers do. The girlfriend's father is a rig driver and he gave me a helluva lecture about doing that on the trail (we use this trick probably too often while 4x4ing). I would prefer to use a little bead blaster, just use a small air tank with a valve and let 'er rip.

(just skip to 3:30)

edit: not meant to be a slam on your video, it's perfect for small tires and the like and it's a critical tool in a trail tool kit.

 

[Dieselchanic]

Just a tip...

If you've never done this before and it doesn't take the first time, use way less ether on the second try. The air and gas inside the tire is hot from the first go and makes the next explosion much more volatile. We do this on truck tires all the time and I watched one brilliant individual fail the first try so he really gave er the juice on the second try. Blew the tire completely off the rim and the whole works about 4 feet off the ground..

 

[doggerss]

Actually this is rather dangerous I would not be recommending this to people at all. There are way to many variables and if somebody uses a 2 price rim and there are lots of them in older go karts the rim can split and send 1/2 of it straight into your head and chest when your standing over it. There have been quite a few of people killed this way. Older rigs had 2 piece rims too and often split when set on beads that is part of the reason the lecture was give too.

 

[fowler]

I wouldn't rekomend this to someone who hasn't fitted tyres the usual way
Or has a basic understanding of what they're doing and the forces involved

Also note
Like any explosion it can go bad real quick

Saftey gear is a good idea

And don't do it inside
If it goes bad u don't wanna burn your garage down
Not to mention the flames

It works on all tyres
We did it on a tractor tyre that stands 8ft tall
And to contradict what I just said
We did it while still on the machine

You really don't need much at all
To seat the tractor tyre we used 1/2 a coke can of petrol

To do a lawn mower/ go kart u wouldn't need much more than a teaspoon

Edit

If u try to do this on a spit rim
To be brutally honest u deserve what u get
The human race doesn't require that kind of mind
U shouldn't have any trouble with a spit rim that might cause a person to try this though

 

[KartFab]

Split rims for go karts need tubes... This is for tubeless tires on rims. Rims that are welded at the center...

Also the valve was removed to quickly vent the excess expanding gasses. If you notice, a small squirt, and a BBQ lighter were used at the side of the tire. With some larger tires that my friend did, he made a little trail (outside of course) and lit the trail to the rim.

Other ways of seating the bead are expensive or even more dangerous (e.g. Tie downs anyone?) This is a simple, cheap alternative, and done correctly, is not dangerous at all.

I'm glad there is a discussion going on about this, what are other simple/cheap alternatives? If you are really that worried, you can always take it to the tire shop and they can slather the goo around the bead, take out the valve, and run their high cfm compressed air into the tire. I don't believe this starter fluid application is dangerous if done correctly.

 

[fowler]

in gokarts yeah

some cars/ trucks the split rim has an o ring and seals a tubeless tyre

 

[2SlickNick]

I was so close to trying this today,but a friend discouraged me.
I had one problem wheel I could not get to seat yesterday.

Used his advice and did the old ratchet strap around tire circumference and petroleum jelly around rim and tire and.....DONE.
Now I have a rolling chassis.

 

[KartFab]

Wasn't there a post recently about a ratchet strap breaking and injuring someone trying to do that? The point is educate yourself and minimize the risk... If you seat the bead using any method incorrectly you can hurt yourself.... Just because there is a little bit of flame, doesn't mean it's unsafe.

I have seated the tires with a rope/tie down/dish soap, taken it to the garage and they push in from 3 points and put air to it w/high cfm.... Plenty of ways to do it. The lighter fluid method works, and I think it is the easiest way to do it. The sky isn't falling I promise.... I'm sure I could have more eloquently pointed out that you should only use a little fluid, not stick your fingers in the way etc etc, but I think it is just common sense.

 

[2SlickNick]

Wasn't there a post recently about a ratchet strap breaking and injuring someone trying to do that? The point is educate yourself and minimize the risk... If you seat the bead using any method incorrectly you can hurt yourself.... Just because there is a little bit of flame, doesn't mean it's unsafe.

I have seated the tires with a rope/tie down/dish soap, taken it to the garage and they push in from 3 points and put air to it w/high cfm.... Plenty of ways to do it. The lighter fluid method works, and I think it is the easiest way to do it. The sky isn't falling I promise.... I'm sure I could have more eloquently pointed out that you should only use a little fluid, not stick your fingers in the way etc etc, but I think it is just common sense.

In time I will get to try it. I still need to order front wheels

 

[andrewmacc]

To be fair, nothing wrong with a ratchet strap unless you're using some crummy old thin and frayed one. We also ratchet strap em on the trail and we use the big suckers, some of these 40"+ tires are pretty stiff.

 

[Poboy kartman]

Wasn't there a post recently about a ratchet strap breaking and injuring someone trying to do that? The point is educate yourself and minimize the risk... If you seat the bead using any method incorrectly you can hurt yourself.... Just because there is a little bit of flame, doesn't mean it's unsafe.

I have seated the tires with a rope/tie down/dish soap, taken it to the garage but I think it is just common sense.

Yeah that was me..... (not injure

d. ...but who gave the advice....).

I never expected him to put a whole bunch of pressure on it after the beads contacted...OR....to have the buckle facing him...

But that does bring up a point.....the easier something seems...the more the brain dead dummies are going to jump on it. ......

So yeah. ..it's safe all day long until it's not...

The other side of this story is the REAL problem with this whole deal.....I advised him that he needed to sand down the rims and clean the beads on the tire.......which I highly doubt he did.....but thought this would get it done....see it wasn't that the beads weren't "seating" as he claimed. ...they weren't sealing !!!!!

Anyway....I guess it's okay......let the idiots blow themselves up......it'll make my daily commute much easier. ....

 

[machinist@large]

Remind me again; what daily commute was that?

 

[Scout]

Don't ever weld on a rim either if it has a tire on it.

I know there are other videos on youtube like this, but this was the first one I found.

Long version

 

[fowler]

That applies to any pressure vessel

So air tanks, tyres,ect

And to a point any enclosed containers
So stuff like sealed toolboxes or fuel tanks

Common sense stuff

Or if your not sure run though the old take 5 in your head

 

[Poboy kartman]

Yeah that was me..... (not injure

d. ...but who gave the advice....).

I never expected him to put a whole bunch of pressure on it after the beads contacted...OR....to have the buckle facing him...

But that does bring up a point.....the easier something seems...the more the brain dead dummies are going to jump on it. ......

So yeah. ..it's safe all day long until it's not...

The other side of this story is the REAL problem with this whole deal.....I advised him that he needed to sand down the rims and clean the beads on the tire.......which I highly doubt he did.....but thought this would get it done....see it wasn't that the beads weren't "seating" as he claimed. ...they weren't sealing !!!!!

Anyway....I guess it's okay......let the idiots blow themselves up......it'll make my daily commute much easier. ....

That would be to the liquor store and back........

Actually. ....I am working full time at the moment. ..... (sort of).....I haven't worked the last 3 Mondays. ...because the boss wouldn't let me into the shop....he gave me keys last week.......so now I should be able to get at least 40 hours......I just need to work on upping the hourly pay......