5 Must-Have Tools for Your Tire Shop

When it comes to tire installation, there's no room for make-dos or this-will-do-in-a-pinch tools.

March 2013, - WebXclusive

by Jim Park, Equipment Editor - Also by this author

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Changing truck tires isn't rocket science. It's a skill diligent technicians can get proficient on in a few days. Since tire service isn't cheap -- because the good shops invest in the training and tools needed for the job -- it's not uncommon to find smaller fleets, and even some of the bigger ones, doing their own tire maintenance. 

Larger fleets might well have a tire bay and a fully equipped shop with a few trained and certified technicians on staff, while smaller fleets may be tempted to make do with available space, manpower and tools.

While there are Occupational Safety & Health Administration regulations and procedures for mounting and installing heavy truck tires, sometimes a few critical tools might be absent from the tool crib. When it comes to tire installation, there's no room for make-dos or this-will-do-in-a-pinch tools.

Todd Labbe, the "Metro Manager" of a Wingfoot Commercial Tire outlet in Brunswick, Ohio, says safety has to be the first priority in any shop -- in his case, even before customer service.

"It can be dangerous job, and that's why we have all the OSHA programs in place as well as a number of our own, developed by Goodyear and the Tire Industry Association," he says. "We have a number of zero-tolerance items on our safety check lists that carry immediate dismissal warnings. On top of that we have all the proper tools and equipment, and we use them they way they were intended."

Here's a short list of five tools you must have before you begin mounting and installing you own tires. 

1) Tire Cage

Tire cages are mandated by OSHA. Any tire inflated off the vehicle must be inflated inside a safety cage. Their purpose is to protect the operator from rapidly deflating (exploding) tires. Prior and unseen damage, improper mounting or other reasons can cause such a rapid deflation, and you don't want to be anywhere nearby when it happens. The bottom line is a tire cage is designed to contain the blast to some extent, and to absorb some of the energy from the rapid discharge of air from the tire and wheel assembly.

Tire cages should never be bolted to the floor or placed near a wall. They must be inspected before every use. Any cracks, corrosion or damage will reduce the cage's effectiveness at restraining an exploding tire.

It's cheap and easy to lean a tire against the wall while inflating it, but as you'll see in a video from tire cage manufacturer Branick Industries, it's not a recommend practice -- in fact, it's prohibited. If you're mounting and demounting your own tires, you need to invest in a tire cage. If I were a technician, I would never even think of inflating a tire outside a cage. Check out the video, you'll see why.     

2) Remote Inflation System

Having a tire technician standing beside a tire holding the air chuck to the valve stem defeats the purpose of the cage. Using a remote inflation system with a pressure-limiting regulator, a remote shut off and a clip on air chuck keeps the technician out of harm's way.

The installation in the photo has a manifold allowing several tires to be inflated simultaneously. The tech can still see what's going on, but from a safe distance. There is of course an OSHA recommended procedure for doing this, which we'll cover in a subsequent story.

The bottom line is, keep the technicians away from the inflating tire to prevent injuries from potentially exploding tires. It's not a complex installation, and it can fit onto an existing shop air system. For a small investment, you'll be keeping your tire technicians safe and complying with OSHA regulations.   

3) Tire Bead Seating Tool

A heavy truck tire that has been properly mounted with the recommended lubricant on the tire bead and wheel bead seats will usually seat properly as the first burst of air comes through the valve -- but not always. It's permissible under OSHA to put enough pressure in the tire to seat it and hold in on the wheel before placing it in the inflation cage; usually no more than 20 psi.

If the bead fails to seat, there's always Plan B, which does not include the use of engine starting fluid. A bead seating tool, such as the Cheetah CH-5 Tire Bead Seater, puts a large volume of air into the tire quickly pushing the bead up onto the seats, thus seating it first time every time. Such tools are good to have in the tool crib, lest your technicians be tempted to try pyrotechnics to seat ornery tires. 


  1. 1. Terry Cornelius [ March 30, 2014 @ 09:10AM ]

    Todd, is a very respectable gentleman in the tire industry. Lessons from him should be taken with some true hearted thought. Lesson that his current employer should consider strongly in their quest for the mighty dollar, and truly should show real concern for their employees instead of just numbers on a board. Along with the tools mentioned in the above there is also the Jack stands that prevent the unit from falling to the ground or worse yet on a technician the safety glasses that prevent foreign materials from going to an eye with the burst of air from the impact guns, Gloves that prevent cuts and abrasions to the hands and fingers ah and lets not forget the investigation process that does occur when an unfortunate incident does happen. Like what did the tech do wrong to cause him or her to get hurt in the first place. Just to add a few more thoughts to the correct tools for the work place How many good people have lost jobs to an unfortunate incident???

    Terry Cornelius


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