How to Change Lawnmower’s Tires? 15 Things You Should Know

It has been cloudy the entire week. But it’s the weekend now, the sun is out and the grass is dry. The perfect weather to trim your lawn. You get up and go to your garage to get your lawnmower. But unfortunately, you notice its tire is damaged, and now you are in a real fix regarding this situation.

A lawnmower with a damaged tire means that it is unusable. This situation with the tires not only makes your machine less effective but could also cause serious safety hazards. Thus, it needs to be addressed as quickly as possible. The only solution to this problem is to change the tires and make your machine spick and span.

Irregular surfaces (rocks and pebbles) or occasional sharp debris, could puncture the tire, and cause the tires’ worn out. 

How to Change Lawn Mower Tire:

• Step 1: Analyze the damaged tires
• Step 2: Gather your supplies
• Step 3: Remove a connection from the spark plugs.
• Step 4: Placement of the jack
• Step 5: Removal of the damaged tire/tires
• Step 6: Installation of the new tire/tires
• Step 7: Set the machine back together

How To Change A Damaged Lawn Mower Tire

● Step 1. Analyze the damaged tires

Analyzing the damaged tires serves to be the first and the most important step for many reasons. It is important to know the dimensions and types of tires your lawnmower has before going out to make the necessary purchases for the replacement.

– Check all the tires

Firstly, you need to see thoroughly how many tires are damaged and need replacement.

– Check the size of the tires

Secondly, check the size of your tires. This information lies in the tire itself in most cases. Three groups of numbers are written upon the tire, which determines the diameter/thickness, the tire’s width, and the size of the rim it has, respectively. To perform an accurate replacement purchase, knowing this information is necessary.

– Check the type of tires

Finally, check the type of your tires. There are two types of tires depending upon the presence and absence of a tube in them. Usually, unlike the tubeless tires, a tube tire has a couple of nuts located around the centre of the rim. On the other hand, there is only one nut in the centre in tubeless tires. Another way to know the type is to look for the fine print on the tire.

● Step 2. Gather the supplies:

Once you know the specifications and the number of damaged tires in your lawnmower, you need to purchase the replacement. In addition to the tires, one needs some tools and materials to replace the tires. The following are a few things that your workspace must consist of to remove the tires.

New tires, jack, soap/cleaner detergent, wrenches, air removal valve, air pump (with gauge), screwdriver, pliers.

Once your workspace is completed with all the necessary items, you need to set your machine on a plain surface (probably your garage floor), and you are ready to remove the tires.

● Step 3. Spark Plugs:

Disconnecting the spark plugs present in the engine serves to be a major precaution and safety step necessary to save you from any electrification hazard.

● Step 4. Placement of the Jack:

A jack is placed under the lawnmower to provide elevation to it so that the tires are free in the air, and thus, they can be removed. To place the jack, locate it beneath the frame of the damaged wheel. As the frame is one of the strongest parts, adjusting the jack below makes it hold the machine’s entire weight perfectly in equilibrium.

● Step 5. Removal of Damaged Tires:

This process slightly varies depending upon the nature of the tires you are using.

To remove a tubeless tire, you need to remove the large bolt located in the center with the help of a spanner or a wrench of respective size. Move the tire back and forth multiple times to loosen it from the axle. Now deflate the tire using an air removal valve (with a pin), and once it is all deflated, push the tire towards the rim wall, this will loosen it. Take care that the valve is in a downward position. Use pliers to remove the tire from the rim. Clean the bead seat area of the rim. 

To remove a tire with a tube, deflate the tire using the air removal valve and the pin (just like above). With the help of a wrench, remove the nuts. Move the tire back and forth multiple times to loosen it from the axle. Now with the help of the piler, remove the tire. Check if the tube is in useable condition, you may save it. Otherwise, dispose of it.

● Step 6. Installation of New Tires:

Once you have thoroughly cleaned all the dirt from the rims using the cleaning detergent and removed the rims, installing the new tires is now time.

– Tires with at tube:

For the tires with the tube, apply soap water to the tire’s edges and set it around the rim. Again, with pliers and screwdrivers’ help, fix the rim inside the tire, keeping in view that the air inlet to the tube remains in its place and undamaged. Once placed, using the air pump, fill the air in the tire while keeping care of the required pressure by keeping an eye on the gauge.

– Tubeless tires

For tubeless tires, check whether the valve is secure. Now set the rim in the tire by keeping in view the directions. Install one bead on the rim and the other on the valve. Make sure that the second bead remains partially uninstalled. After that, pour the sealant while keeping in view the recommendations. Now rotate the tire so that sealant remains in the bottom while the bead comes on top so you can finalize its installations. Now fill the tire up while keeping in view the pressure with the help of a gauge.

● Step 7. Set the machine back together:

Finally, attach the tires back to the axle. Attach the cap and the nuts back to the entire wheel. Once the wheels are set, remove the jack from underneath. Reconnect the spark plugs to make your machine functional.

You are now good to go, and your lawnmower is functional.

Safety Measures:

• Tubeless tires: Changing tubeless tires is more challenging. It is recommended to have all the necessary tools once you reset them to change them. It is also recommended to take them to a tire change shop if you lack the required knowledge, tools, or information regarding the sealant or other things.
• Inflating: While inflating, take care of the pressure on the pressure gauge so that it does not explode
• Tools handling: While using pliers and screwdriver to remove the rims, handle the tools carefully to avoid the tools to slip from hands.

Related Questions:

● How do tires of a lawnmower get damaged?

Using the lawnmower on rugged surfaces like bricks and pebbles causes the tires’ threads to wear off with time. This causes an exponential decrease in the lawn mower’s grip with time, making it dangerous to use. Moreover, tires also go flat if they encounter some sharp objects, or their pressure inside is often not monitored.

● Which tires are better among tube and tubeless ones, and why?

Tubeless tires contain no inner tube between the tire and the rim, unlike the tires with tubes with an inflatable tube at that location.

Tubeless tires are much more reliable because, in the case of a puncture, they do not suddenly lose all the air, unlike the tires which have tubes. Moreover, in tubeless tires, punctures can be repaired without physically removing the tires that are not possible in the tires with a tube.

Finally, the balancing of tubeless tires is also comparatively easier if the tire’s mass is in equilibrium. But the reason tires with tubes are still in usage is that they are way cheaper than the tubeless ones.

Final Remarks:

Changing a damaged tire at home is quite an easy and doable task that requires a couple of hours provided that you have the required items and knowledge and specifications of your machines and items. Doing this task at home not only saves you money but also makes you confident to deal with any further complication you come across in the future related to a lawnmower or, in this regard, any other machine.