DIY - Replacing Main Tire and Tube

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Gasser
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Re: DIY - Replacing Main Tire and Tube

Post by Gasser »

Yes, I've changed two myself. Nothing difficult at all.
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krellis
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Re: DIY - Replacing Main Tire and Tube

Post by krellis »

I don't know the rules outside the U.S., but under Part 61/91 and according to FAR Part 43, changing tires is one of the approved items under owner/operator preventative maintenance.
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Re: DIY - Replacing Main Tire and Tube

Post by Nigel »

Thanks to Rick for his great post!

I was landing last Friday evening at KOLE, a small airport in rural western NY, when I experienced my first flat since I bought my DA40 (8years). KOLE is not staffed after 4:00pm so I had to take a chance and power off the runway to the apron. Even though the tire was off the bead I luckily didn't damage the wheel or brake disk. In the morning I called a few regional aviation types with no luck but eventually called Dunkirk Aviation and the owner Lou called back immediately. He only had a tire but his other location in Jamestown NY had a tube. Lou said he would drive down to their Jamestown location with the tire and meet Kirby who would build up the new wheel for me.

Back at KOLE, Jim, the attendant, and I found a jack and using Ricks instructions I was able to remove the wheel with no problem other than the fact that it was pouring with rain! We were right in the middle of that extraordinary front that, on last Saturday, stretched from the Yucatan peninsula all the way to Hudson Bay. I borrowed the KOLE crew cab and met Lou and Kirby in Jamestown. Hats off tho Lou and his team. And to Kirby's family who waited patiently in the hangar while he built my wheel. A great bunch!

Without Rick's instructions and tool list I may have not had the confidence to remove the wheel by myself.
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Jean
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Re: DIY - Replacing Main Tire and Tube

Post by Jean »

I eventually found a mechanic who could fix the flat tire. I feel I could do it myself though, thanks to Rick's post.
I bought a Flat Tire Quick Fix Can that I will keep in the plane.Has anyone experience with these sealant cans ?
Now the plane is undergoing its annual inspection. So far no surprise.
The spark plugs needed be replaced. I ordered Tempest finewires. Hope it will improve LOP.
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Nigel
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Re: DIY - Replacing Main Tire and Tube

Post by Nigel »

I carried a can of Quick Fix for 8 years and, just my luck, my first flat was clean off the rim. No chance to try it out.
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Jean
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Re: DIY - Replacing Main Tire and Tube

Post by Jean »

I hope it will be a long time before a can proof test mine :D
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Chris B
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Re: DIY - Replacing Main Tire and Tube

Post by Chris B »

Jean wrote:I bought a Flat Tire Quick Fix Can that I will keep in the plane. Has anyone experience with these sealant cans ?
Yes, with my car & bicycle. It didn't work in either case. But it did make a *giant* mess in both instances. :roll:
I carry spare tubes in the plane instead.
I ordered Tempest finewires. Hope it will improve LOP.
Unless your injectors are way out of balance, fine wires should help quite a bit.
Certainly they won't make things worse!

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Chris B
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Re: DIY - Replacing Main Tire and Tube

Post by Chris B »

On my third Young Eagles flight of the morning in October, my right main suddenly went flat just before takeoff during a major event at the airport. This closed half of the runways on an exceptionally busy day, until eventually my aircraft was ignominiously towed off the tarmac. :oops:

The failure was a small (~2mm) tear in the main tube tread area. A careful inspection of the tire & tube revealed no folds, sharp protrusions or tire punctures, so apparently the cause was "cosmic." :lol:

However, removing the tube from the other main revealed the following fold in the tread area after 8 months & ~150 hrs of service. The tire was still holding air just fine, but could have failed at any moment:
Fold in main tube.jpg
Like the other mysterious failure, this tube had been carefully (copious tire talc, proper repeated partial inflation, etc.) re-used in February by an exceptionally experienced mechanic. Our low profile tires may also be more susceptible to folds than more conventional large diameter tires.

My personal conclusion from this incident is to replace the tube every time the tire is removed. IMO, the risk is just too high to warrant saving ~$50/tube. When the tire goes completely flat, the aircraft rests on the wheel pant cover plate. Fortunately the damage on my aircraft is not normally visible, but if the tube had failed during takeoff or prior to touchdown, an embarrassing situation could have been much more serious. :(

Chris
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Re: DIY - Replacing Main Tire and Tube

Post by smoss »

Additional suggestion to add to the original post... Breaking the bead on the old tire is truly insanely hard manually, and very frustrating. After learning my lesson the painful way, I invested in a $45 bead breaker from Harbor Freight (after 20% off coupon), and it worked great! Simple and fast. The device has a metal nub on the bottom that will hit the hub of our tires, so I simply put 2 pieces of wood under the wheel to raise it up a bit. Best $45 I've spent on the plane in a while. No clue why a similar device is $200+ at Spruce.
https://www.harborfreight.com/bead-breaker-92961.html
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Re: DIY - Replacing Main Tire and Tube

Post by Scottsware »

I replaced both mains yesterday. The original posters text and photos gave me the courage to tackle the job. I couldn’t figure out the torque values from the maintenance manual though. It looks like you have to figure out what bolts are used then read from the tables.

Here is a photo of the cradles I slapped together to jack the gear up.
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