Shoutout to the old-timer at the shop who showed me a trick for seating stubborn tires

Using a bit of soapy water on the bead made the tire POP right into place.

3 comments

3 Comments

Struggled with a lawnmower tire that refused to seat just last week. My uncle showed me the same soapy water trick and it clicked right away. I used a spray bottle with water and a drop of dish soap. What do you do when you don't have soap handy?

faith_carter2d ago

My dad taught me to use a dab of cooking oil on the bead. It slicks up the rim like soap but doesn't dry out as fast. I had to change a tire on my old John Deere and only had canola oil handy. It seated on the first try. If no oil around, plain water with a lot of elbow grease can work, but it's tougher. Keep a small bottle of oil in your tool shed for these surprises.

dakota_burns831d ago

Does canola work better than other cooking oils for this? I've got olive and vegetable oil in my kitchen but worry about them going rancid on the rim. Never considered keeping a dedicated bottle in the shed.