Low cost ways to remove tires from rims?

[Jeff_H]

OK. All last week I was on the family farm cleaning up scrap and junk. I've got probably 1/2 dozen or so old tires mounted on rims. I'd like to scrap the rims but suspect the scrap dealers won't want 'em with tires on. By the same token, the tire places won't want 'em with the rims I suspect. These are car/truck/trailer sized and some of them are split rims from a pickup. Managed to get rid of the loose combine tire fortunately but it cost me $25. I am not even sure I want to haul and have to pay to dispose of the tires themselves. I have at least another 10 or so loose ones in addition to the mounted stuff. Will eat into the scrap sale proceeds.

Can't burn 'em off w/o incuring wrath of county pollution folks unless I sneak them in a brush pile fire on a dark and moonless night to hide the smoke....

Don't want to spend $$ (and gas to haul) to have tires demounted just so I can spend more $$ to get rid of tire and probably not enough scrap value in the rim to cover both those $$$$.

Don't want to spend hours and sweat and risk bodily harm mangling the tires off myself. Those are old hard dry tires about as stiff as overcooked liver.

I don't have anything more advanced than a tire iron and some cutoff disks. No torch. Don't have a buddy with a tire machine who needs beer either...

Any ideas? I suppose I could just forget about it and toss the lot of them all rims or not in the woods for the next 30yrs.

[ddub]

In our area about once a year the county has an old tire collection drive where you can get rid of them free. I think they charge $2.00 for a tire on a rim. Might check and see if you have something like that going on.

[bob40]

The local recycling center here in Delano gets $5.00 per tire or $6.00 if it's still on the wheel.
I pondered the same question you have for about 1 minute and hauled in my 12 tires on wheels.
Time,energy,effort saved was worth the $72.00 spent. You need to decide what your time is worth.
Scrap prices have been dropping like a rock.

[wolfie]

Our local recycling center will allow 4 tires at a time for free. I would sawzall the ones you have if you indeed need to demount them. Or if you are in an area that will allow it throw the whole works in a fire and let the tire burn away. Steve

[BobPalma]

Jeff: Check with a local automotive junk yard.

They may have one of the new machines being marketed for just that purpose, to destroy old wheels inside tires by crushing the wheel from four sides, thus allowing the crushed wheel to drop out of the center of the tire.

These things have four rams around the circumference of a big platform. You drop the tire/wheel combo flat onto the platform. Then hit the switch and, hydraulically, the four rams move toward the center of the tire/wheel combo all at the same time. The pressure distorts the tire (which is junk anyway) and then crushes the wheel from four sides.

When the rams are released, they retract. The crushed wheel is now too small to hang on the tire beads, so it drops down or can be lifted out from inside the tire.

This procedure is only for junk tires and wheels, because the wheel is destroyed and the tire has been so crushed that even if it regains its shape, it is surely damaged.

At that point, you'll be at the junk yard anyway. They may cut a deal with you that they'll crush the wheels out of the tires if they can keep the wheels for their scrap steel value, but you have to take the tires with you. But now that the tires have no wheels in them, of course, they'll be more easily disposed of through the intermittent "tox-away" days the other posters have discussed. BP

[63t-cab]

Jeff,do you have "or have access to a front end loader with down pressure?" I sometimes use my Ford 2N,though I get that one that just does'nt like to give in and takes all my energy.

[Milaca]

I've seen farmers use old tires for weight to retain the plastic that covers their sileage piles. Maybe you can find a farmer in need of tires? Last winter I burned the 12" tires from a 1950 Crosley in my outdoor woodstove and they burned relatively clean but a larger tire would be difficult to get in without cutting.
Maybe the best solution would be to speak to a metal recycling yard, such as Midway Iron in St. Cloud, as they may take the wheel & tire together. I would think the combination would be great in the blast furnace as the rubber would help generate heat and it would add carbon to the steel.

[Jeff_H]

Thanks for some ideas.

I had heard scrap prices were dropping but not sure how much from the peak. Tried to find some price trend charts but not a lot of success in case there are seasonal patterns. Seems like early last spring was a better time. There is no particular rush to get rid of the stuff so if the price is likely to go back up I can wait a while as long as its not the middle of winter! A frozen solid ice and iron pile not too appetizing.... At least I got it all gathered in one place now instead of scattered about and mixed in with "antiques", etc. Right now about 95% of the heavy stuff and probably 50% of the scrap "tin" and wire is all in a pile and easy to get at later w/trailer. I plan on gathering up the rest by fall.

Almost seems more trouble than worth with these tires/rims since not that many of them. Nearest 'yard with possible rim crusher is about 30 miles. Some of the rims are probably useable if someone could use them but more trouble than worth to find that person. As it is I will have to haul stuff over 20 miles to a scrap buyer or for 40% of the value they will come to me. Worth some of my own work or waiting for the right price.

The farm is about 80 miles W of minneapolis and anyone who lives in Minnesota can tell you last week was pretty nearly unbearable heat. I was working outside in 95+ weather and
humidity the whole time (probably no big deal to someone from the south or parts of texas). Good thing I was on vacation and doing this for my mom after my dad's passing last winter.

My original plans for the week were roofing a shed but heat wave altered my plans to rooting out the scrap and hauling it about. At least I got to work in the shade part of the time that way. The inside of a couple of sheds looks better too. I even found some "lost" parts to the 1948 Moline tractor

Hmm, was going to attach a couple pix but the attachment (paperclip) icon in the posting tool is gone???

-update: I guess cannot have attachments in the stovehuggers. I see the notice in the forum forum. Got issues with my photobucket acct so cant do that right now either.

[gordr]

Jeff, you need to find a tiremite mound. Just throw the tire and rim on the mound, and the tiremites will eat all the rubber in about 70 years or so.

I have a manually-operated tire machine, and the bead buster really has trouble with tires that rusted on the rims. One wheel I had, I could get one bead busted, but no way the other was going to give. So I took a 7" Skilsaw with a carbide-tipped blade, and made a series of straight cuts through the sidewall, 6 to 8, I think, and got the now-mutilated tire (it was scrap, anyway) off the rim. Then I used the 4 1/2" angle grinder to cut through the wire bead from the inside on the remaining piece, and it feel right off. Didn't mar the rim, either.

If you burn tires in a burning barrel, with a good air supply, the fire is hot, fast, and not too smoky.

[Milaca]

A 1948 Minneapolis-Moline tractor?? Now my interest is peaked!

[Jeff_H]

A 1948 Minneapolis-Moline tractor?? Now my interest is peaked!

email sent....

[(S)]

Use a chain saw or a sawsall!! sounds crazy but it works. Blades are cheap considering.....

Oh, and be carefull.

[studeluvr]

When living in California the trick was to either park next to another pick up in the parking lot and unload a few into his pickup and make haste or get a box from an appliance store fill it with tires, dirty diapers or whatever put a rope on it one that you don't care if its cut to sorta look like ya care about the thing and park it, by morning it WILL BE GONE!!!
My local gas station lets me drop tires off at $2.00 a piece. Then some one picks them up and charges him 1.50 each.