How to Replace ATV Mud Tires

Since you are reading this, we'll assume two things: You want to change your ATV tires, and you are a do-it-yourselfer who is willing to get your hands dirty. Changing ATV tires isn't easy. There's a bit of leverage and ingenuity involved, but at the end of the day a lot of elbow grease helps get the job done.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Industrial tire irons Lubricant Air compressor New tires Valve tool

1. Remove the wheels from the ATV. Lay a wheel on its side in an open area and remove the valve from the valve stem, using the valve tool. This will allow all of the air to escape from the old tire and make removal much simpler.

2. Break the seal, sometimes called the clincher of the tire. The tire has a wire bead that sits in the lip of the rim and creates an airtight seal. Sometimes breaking this seal is as easy as pressing on the outside of the tire; other times there is a lever on the outside of the rim that needs to be flipped to release the tire.

3. Insert one of the tire irons between the lip of the wheel and tire. Pull away from the tire, leveraging the lip of the tire up and over the rim. Sometimes this is best accomplished by inserting two tire irons approximately 8 inches apart and pulling away from the tire. Once the tire lip starts to come off, run a tire iron the rest of the way around the rim to release the one side of the tire. Repeat the process for the other tire lip.

4. Lubricate the inside of the tire lip and the rim with the lubricant. Hook part of the tire around the rim and then leverage the other part of the tire up onto the rim by hooking a tire iron underneath the tire and pulling toward the rim. Use a second tire iron to assist. Once you have flipped one side of the tire onto the rim, repeat the process with the other side.

5. Using the air compressor, quickly fill the tire with air and create a seal or "clinch." If your tire is equipped with the clincher lever, flip it now. Repeat Steps 1-4 three more times and then reinstall the wheels on the ATV.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider using a professional tire shop, which can change your tires in approximately half an hour for a nominal fee.
• Be extremely careful while prying the tires on or off the rims. There is enough pent-up force behind a lever to cause serious physical harm if it slips from your hand.

Resources

• Comprehensive About.com page on DIY ATV repair

[Cazban]

on 12/3/2008 ATV tires can explode too. I had a friend get a very severe injury to his hand attempting this. He lost a finger and can't use his hand well years later.