Bead Breaker

A couple of years ago I ran across an image of a hydraulic bead breaker for the Deuce in one to the tech manuals. It was a lousy picture so I couldn't tell exactly how it was made or how it worked. It appeared to be a four- legged affair that bolted to the center of the wheel and used a hydraulic jack to push down on four places 90 deg. apart simultaneously. I would like to find one or build one but the image in the manual was poor so I don't really have a good idea of it's construction. Have any of you seen this critter? I would really appreciate a good image so that I might build one. I don't mind resorting to a duckbill hammer or a slidehammer for breaking beads when I must but as I get older my back reminds me that changing tires on the Deuce is really a young man's game.

Never seen one like that, Used one of these type.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/19271-tire-changing.html

I have the best luck with a duck bill, a couple irons and some warm soapy water.

I have a lot of deuce and 5 ton wheels to break down and I am intrigued by your recollection of a bead breaker that does 4 points at one time from the top of the rim. I have never seen one, but I will begin thinking on building one. Ignorance is bliss and neccessity the mother of invention. Starting now....................... JT

Tire Bead Breaker

I think this is the tool you are refering to. It is in TM 9-1870-1 "Pneumatic Tires" Feb 1955



I have only seen a few of them and they seem complex. But the illustrations may give you a few ideas. The better machine is the Bishman tire changer As used by the US ARMY. I have one and they work great. They turn up on GL everyonce in a while. Much better tool. Just taking your tires to the local truck tire shop is the easiest thing to do. And usually worth the money if you are only changing a few.


Cat Man

I have a military one in the same style as will's. It came with a air/hydraulic pump, just hook up an air hose and it does all the pumping for you. Had to replace the pump, seals were shot.

I broke down 18 rims and tires, and it didn't have a problem with any of them. Some just took a couple extra times around to push the bead down.

No pics at the moment...

Dennis

You guys really are some of the most informative people I've come across in a long time . People ask you answer LOL not about last weeks or last months something but an artical from 1955. I'm still shaking my head in wonderment. You guys are great.

A friend built this, then I built one.

EZ bead breaker.

All those hours I spent in the motor pool, sweating over tire changing using noting more than a sledge hammer and angle iron "wedges" because the mechanics said that was the "Army way"? And they had these hidden somewhere in the back of the tool trailer?

Where would I apply for compensation for such torture?

An Old tire man once told me, that if your really working hard, to change a tire, your doing it wrong!.. The bottom line is that a "duck bill" hammer and a slide hammer, are about as fast as anything. That precludes the fact, that you have to learn how to swing that hammer. Sledge hammers don't get it! You need the right tool. I often tend to think that "tire work" is a young mans job. However, I still do mine. I want the valves straight, tubes in straight, no hands full of dirt left in the tire, flap straight and tube not pinched. So I do my tire work in self defense.

Lee in Alaska

rosco pretty well said it all. Here a list of tools needed to dismount the tires from the rim and re-mount back on the rim. If you aquire these, learn about airing up the wheels after you have remounted the tires on the wheels.



Picture #1 a slide hammer, a solid bar with handel that slides in and out of a larger tube with a duck-bill wedge at the bottom, used to break the tire bead from the wheel/rim

Picture #2 the same picture with a better view of it.

Picture #3 The typical truck tire wedge hammer. Picture 1, 2 and 3 are essentially the tool for bead breaking.

Picture #4 One of many brands available of tire goop, it has the consistancy of grease, but is a waxy soap, and is used to remount the tire back on the rim and facilitate an easy slide back on due to the slippery properties.

Picture #5 one of many configurations of truck tire bars, typically nearly waist heigth in length, also 'spoons' are used, again 2-3 foot long (for leverage) with a flat spoon shaped bussiness end.

Picture #6 is of EXTREME IMPORTANCE, the air chuck. You will see how it is made with a long lead and a clip-on chuck. This is so you can air from a distance and away from the wheel
I should add that it is imperative that you not stand over the wheel while airing, were the ring to seperate from the wheel, it becomes a MISSLE and will/can literly cut you in half (NO JOKE) It is best to have the CAGE pictured but barring that, Chains can be used, typically three at seperate locations, wraped aroung and bolted, NO WIMPY STUFF HERE + grade 8 bolts and hardened washers, somewhat in the shape of a triangle. Avoid having a chain next to the split in the ring, one must stand/kneel to the side as far as possable, low and away to the side, in case the ring does BLOW off. Take into acount also where the MISSLE'S path might be were it to cut loose. If you are inside.... it could blow a hole in your roof with a resulting 'rain' of debree falling down on you. I have personally seen the aftermath of one cutting loose because of improper seating of the ring and it went through two 2x12 rafters and 3/4" plywood roof with a neatly cut hole the size of the ring, I kid you NOT

Picture #7 is the said tire Cage. Were it to BLOW inside the cage it would in all likelyhood be contained, however I have seen destroyed cages, after one mishap.

I , as well as many other forum members framilliar with tire changing, advise extreme CAUTION and double-checking every step upon re-assembly. There are NO second chances with split rings.
I emphatically advise you that if you do not understand the method of dissasembly and assembly, or are unclear on any point, Then PLEASE, PLEASE do not attempt. One additional picture from a post by WillWagner shows how to chain the wheel in the absence of a cage

Thanks guys. Great help CatMan. Different than the one i remember seeing but I will take a closer look at this one. If I find the pics of the other one, I will post them. Mayme it's time to go bother some of the old heads at the Transportation Company Motor Pool. The one I remember was semi=portable. (as much as anything about a Deuce is portable). Thanmks again.

That is a ponderous looking machine with tons of redundancies by the look of it, but where would you ever find one ?? Mabe GL, but complete ?? I would think over the years one of them would be missing parts and besides the great size be something with a one hundred page operators manual. Its so much easier to do it with simply tools from Ken-Tool or a like manufacturer of tire tools.

Not so much on the disassembly and assembly being the part that'll kill you, just the airing up part. I ALWAYS air 50 feet away with chained tires, ring down, since I don't have a cage...one day i'll find one at the bone yard . Keeping the ring and seat area on the wheel clean is one of the most important points of assembly. Use lots of lube, I like RuGlide from NAPA. These wheels are different than the split rims seen on older civi trucks. The ring is wider and there is a much lesser chance of the ring being pushed off during the airing process, but don't let that fact make you feel as though you can shortcut things or take a chance by standing over the assembly. Be clean, be safe. If you have ANY doubts, take it to a tire shop and watch them do it. This can kill you if you aren't careful.

I would appreciate any help in locating the owner/operating manuals for this unit.

The only thing I can come up with with the Stk # on the tag is a Bishman 931A, but the NSN is a tad different, 4910-00-675-1478. Totally different machine.

WillWagner said:

The only thing I can come up with with the Stk # on the tag is a Bishman 931A, but the NSN is a tad different, 4910-00-675-1478. Totally different machine.

Click to expand...

I appreciate the effort Will. I'm familiar with the Bishman unit pictured below. As the tag indicates on mine, it is a Lee unit, likely what the military used prior to the Bishmans.

Tire Bead Breaker

The Bishman 931A machine is the last one the military had. Bishman made lots of different models of Tire equirement but the 931A is the one that turns up as surplus from GL and GSA.

The Military tech manual is TM9-4910-707-14&P 45 Pages

Mounter-Demounter Model 931A (NSN 4910-00-675-147

I think the TM manual can be downloaded from the military LOGSA website.

You can hammer and jack and fight all you want with a military 11:00x20 but if it has been on the rim for the past 40 years, you need something with more power. I have not seen a tire yet that my Bishman 931A would not break down. Sometimes they have to go around a lot of times, but they will eventually break down and give in.

Cat Man

Found a pic of the bead breaker I have, or at least very similar to it. Only 800.00 at northern tool. Couple of others I've seen for 400 new, I think they only have a hand pump.

Portable, strong, and can use the deuce air supply to run the pump. No slide hammer for me!

Dennis

Here ya go stretch.

I have the mechanical version of that. Uses screw pressure instead of hydraulic pressure. It's a bit labor intensive but gets the job done. I'm not coordinated enough to swing a duckbill without destroying rims.