How to Remove a Lawnmower Tire, step by step. Helpful Tips

After a busy week, the weather is looking great, and you finally have time to do some work on your garden. The grass is dry, a perfect time to trim your lawn. You go to your garage to get your lawnmower out. But, sadly, you find that its tire is punctured. You did not have this problem before, and you are unsure how to fix it correctly. This blog post will help you remove, fix or replace the tire on a lawnmower.

How to Remove a Lawn Mower Tire, step by step:

• Step 1: Assess the damaged tire
• Step 2: Get the tools you need
• Step 3: Use the jack in the correct location
• Step 4: Remove the punctured tire
• Step 5: Fix the damaged tire
• Step 6: Reattach the tire

A lawnmower with a broken tire makes it inoperable. Erratic surfaces (rock and pebble) or frequent sharp debris may puncture the tire and cause them to wear out. Not only does this situation make your machine less productive, but it may also cause some safety hazards. The tire needs to be removed and fixed, or a new tire needs to be mounted. This blog post will look into more detail about what you need to do in the various steps.

Removing a Lawnmower Tire, Step-by-Step:

Before working on the tire problem, make sure the lawnmower is turned off correctly. Remove the key. Use the parking brake to ensure that it can not move. If they don’t work well, you can put a piece of wood or something else in front of the tires that are still fine.

● Step 1: Assess the damaged tire

Inspection of the damaged tires is the first step. After it, you know how to fix it, and it helps to get an idea about the dimensions and types of tires your lawnmower uses. If you need to get a replacement, you need this information to get the correct tire.

– Inspect the tires: How do you know when to replace a lawnmower tire?

Inspect the tires and see if there is only one tire with a problem or if more tires are involved. If the reason for the puncture is a nail, it will probably just one tire. But if it is mainly due to wear and tear, there is a good chance that more tires are involved.

To see if a tire needs to be replaced, there are several signs:

• Check the sidewall of the tire, and see if there is any dry rot.
• If you have to pump the tire more often than before
• If the thread of the tire looks really worn out, like chunks missing or multiple cuts.
• Suppose the lawnmower loses traction on places that were fine before. You will see this first going up or downhill.
• Having a rough ride while mowing.

It is a good idea to check the tire condition a couple of times during the season. The condition of tires gradually declines, so also the handling of the lawnmower gradually declines. It is only when you replace them you notice the difference. In a lot of cases, it is better not to wait that long.

– Tire sizing on Lawnmowers or Lawn tractors:

Check the size of your tires. In most cases, this detail is on the tire itself. Two or three groups of numbers are written on the rubber, which defines the diameter/thickness, the tire’s width, and the rim’s height.

Lawnmower tire sizing with two groups of numbers:

If your lawnmower or lawn tractor has two groups of numbers on the tires, it will be something like “4.80-8”. In this example, the tire’s width is around 4.8 inches, and the diameter of the rim is 8 inches. It is easy to find the correct replacement tire online or in a store near you with those two numbers.

Lawnmower tire sizing with three groups of numbers:

When you see a group of three numbers on the tire, it will be something like “18×9.50-8”. In this example, the first number, before the x, is the diameter of the tire, inflated and not under load. The second number between the x and the – is the width of the tire. The last number, after the –, is the width of the rim.

– Lawnmower Ply Rating:

When you purchase a new lawnmower or lawn tractor tire, you also need to look at the ply rating. The ply rating is a number that shows the carrying capacity. For most lawnmowers or lawn tractors, this is not an issue, but a higher carrying capacity means that the tire is more robust and thus more resistant to punctures. For lawnmowers, there are two types of ply-ratings: A/2-ply or B/4-ply. Where the B/4-ply is the stronger one. You can find this on the side of the tire. Use a B/4-ply tire on more rugged terrain and the A/2-ply tire on a smoother surface.

– Lawnmower tire traction:

Lawnmower or lawn tractor tires are divided into three types of tires:

• Mixed-use turf tires: The most used tires are mixed-use turf tires. They will give you good traction on slick grass. And they are such that they do not damage your grass by digging up the turf.
• Ribbed tires: Ribbed tires have some circumferential grooves together with slightly scalloped ribs. This pattern gives the lawnmower some good stability against sliding sideways. They are made to last a long time, but do not give as much traction as the other two types.
• Knobby all-terrain tires: Knobby tires are the ones for more rough terrain. They have deeper grooves that give them better traction on mud, sand, or dirt. They are more used on lawn tractors that town or pull and less often for lawnmowers as they can damage the grass more easily.

– Tube or tubeless lawnmower tires:

Check if you use a tube or a tubeless lawnmower tire. There are two types of tires based on the presence and absence of a tube in them. Typically, unlike tubeless tires, a tube tire has a few nuts across the middle of the rim. On the other side, there is just one nut in the middle in tubeless tires. Another way to know the sort is to search for a fine print of the tire. If you have tubeless tires on your lawnmower or lawn tractor, you can sometimes repair them without removing them. Only try this if the condition of the tire is still ok. Check the user manual from the special sealant how to use it correctly. Check carefully for sharp objects that are in the tire and remove them before starting with the fix. Tires with an inner tube should not be fixed with a sealant.

● Step 2: Get the tools you need

Along with new tires, some tools and materials are also required to repair tires. The following are a few things that need to be at your workspace for removing the tires:

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

If you have all the tools, you need to set your mower on a flat surface (probably your garage floor), and you’re ready to remove the tires.

● Step 3: Position the jack at the correct location

The jack is positioned under the lawnmower to provide lift so that the tires are free in the air and can thus be removed. Place it under the frame near the tire you want to remove. As the frame is one of the toughest components, you should ensure that the jack is under it and not under a waker body part.

● Step 4: Removing the damaged tires

This procedure varies slightly depending on the type of tire you are using.

– Tubeless tires:

To remove a tubeless tire, you need to remove a large bolt in the center with the aid of a spanner or wrench of the appropriate size. Push the tire back and forth several times to free it from the axle. Now deflate the tire using an air removal valve (with a pin) and, as soon as it is deflated, move the tire against the rim wall; this will release it. Please take note that the valve is in a downward position. Use pliers to separate the tire from the rim. Clean the bead seat of the rim.

– Tires with tubes:

To remove a tire with a tube, flatten the tire by pressing the air removal valve and a pin (just like above). Remove the nuts with the aid of a wrench. Push the tire back and forth several times to free it from the axle. Now detach the tire with the aid of pliers. Check that the tube is in an acceptable condition so that you can reuse it. If not, you should dispose it off.

Now that the tire has been removed, you may need to reinstall another tire in its place. For that purpose, the steps are given below:

Additional Step:

● Step 5: Fix the damaged tire

If you can repair the tire depends on the type and the condition. Tubeless tires can be repaired with a special sealant. A tire with a tube can be fixed with a tire patch and some glue. Always make sure you check the tire itself for any sharp objects that did the damage. Remove them before the repair. Feel with your hand on the inside of the tube to ensure that you can not feel any sharp objects.

– Tires with an inner tube:

Apply soap water to the edges of the tires with the tube and set it around the bottom. Again, with the aid of pins and screwdrivers, patch the rim within the tire, bearing in mind that the air inlet to the tube remains undamaged. If the air pump is used, fill the air in the tire also maintaining the necessary pressure by keeping an eye on the gauge.

Remove the inner tube, pump it, and check with some water if you can find a hole. If you can not find it check the valve, sometimes it leaks air. If you find the hole, mark it. Remove the air, cut a piece of the tire patch, and glue it to the tube. After you let it dry, fill the tube with air and check if the repair was done correctly. If all is fine and you double-checked that no sharp objects are still in the tire, you can put the tube back in the tire.

– Tubeless tires:

Check if the valve is safe for tubeless tires. Now set the rim in the tire by keeping the directions in view. Mount one bead on the rim and one bead on the valve. Make sure the second bead stays partially uninstalled. After that, add the sealant while keeping the guidelines in mind. Now turn the tire to hold the sealant in the bottom as the bead comes to the top so that you can finalize the installation.  Now fill the tire up with air while keeping the pressure insight by using a gauge.

● Step 6: Reattach the tire

After you’ve thoroughly washed all the dirt from the rims using a cleaning detergent and removed the rims, it’s time to install the new tires. Attach the tire back to the axle. Connect the cap and the nuts back to the whole wheel. When the wheels have been mounted, remove the jack from below.

The tire replacement is finally complete, and your machine is all set to go.

Safety Measures:

• Tubeless tires: changing tubeless tires is more difficult. It is recommended that you have all the resources you need once you are set to adjust them. If you do not manage, take the tire to a professional.

• Inflating: When inflating, be aware of the pressure gauge’s reading. Otherwise, overfilling your tire may result in a tire getting burst.
• Dealing with tools: While using pliers and a screwdriver to remove the rims, carefully handle the tools to prevent slipping the tools out of your hands.

Related Questions:

1. How can a lawnmower tire be damaged?

Using a lawnmower on rough surfaces, such as bricks and pebbles, causes tire threads to wear out over time. This wearing out triggers an exponential decline in the lawnmower’s grip over time, making it unsafe to use. In addition, tires often get flat when they hit sharp objects or when their internal pressure is also not regulated.

2. Which tires are better, tubeless tires or tires with a tube?

Tubeless tires are devoid of an inner tube between the tire and the rim, unlike tires with an inflatable tube at that location.

Tubeless tires are much more durable because, as a result of a puncture, they do not instantly lose all the air, unlike tires with a tube.

Also, in tubeless tires, punctures can be fixed without physically removing tires that are not possible in tires with a tube. On the other hand, fixing a tire with a tube is often more cost-effective. If the tire itself is still in good shape, but the tube is not. You only have to fix or replace the tube, and they are much cheaper than a tire. In the case of a tubeless tire, you always have to replace the whole tire if you can not fix it.

Ultimately, balancing tubeless tires is often relatively simpler if the weight of the tire is in equilibrium. The tires with tubes are still in use because they are cheaper than tubeless ones.

Final Remarks:

Changing damaged tires at home is not very difficult, and if you know how to do it, it takes only half an hour. In some cases, you can still fix the tire if it is only a small hole. If the damage is bigger or the tire’s condition is bad, you will need to replace it. In most cases, the other tires’ condition will be such that it makes more sense to replace more than one.