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bead breaker ??

John_RV4

Well Known Member
Anybody have some inexpensive ideas for a bead breaker ?

Also, what are people using to clean plugs ? I have a tool order going together and I don't want to buy stuff that I will end up not using.

Thanks

John
 
Jump up and down on the thing!

Bead breaking? Can just beat the snot out of it with a small sledge hammer. OK, maybe not. I like the link...using pieces of 2x4 and some goon muscle. (I have enough of both). Just make sure you use a clean piece for the lever or you'll end up with just a pile of kindling and splinters in your forehead. :eek:

To clean plugs I've found nothing better than a piece of safety wire to dig out the little globs of lead that can form. Since I added the Lightspeed ignition a few years ago the lead fouling dropped off to almost nothing. For general cleanup, I wire brush them with a small soldering brush, blow 'em out with compressed air and check the gap. Good to go. I bought an abrasive spark plug cleaner but then thought that even a tiny bit of sand or walnut husk or..whatvever those things use, is not what I want to introduce into the engine. Dirt is bad. I think this was addressed in the SkyRanch engineering manual as something to be aware of with the abrasive cleaning methods. By the way, John Schwaner's book is THE BIBLE of air cooled piston engines. Highly recommended.

For regular tools and consumables to maintain an RV, I like to keep on hand:

1. bag of copper spark plug washers. (Use them once then toss 'em.)
2. safety wire, both sizes
3. shop rags
4. silicone spray lube
5. baby powder for tires/tubes and the baby if you have one of those. :D
6. oil filters
7. oil of whatever flavor you like.
8. gaskets/locking washers suited to the type of fuel metering system you
have.
9. beer.
10. more beer, if your annual inspection comes due in the summertime.
11. still more beer if you find a blown jug or metal in your oil.
12. lemon pledge, or Plexus for the canopy
13. fuel lube
14. differential compression tester
15. mag timer
16. box wrenches
17. torque wrench
18. electric and manual screwdriver. (I hired Manuel to operate my screw gun but he keeps quitting. Says I don't pay him enough. Hmmph.)
19. Set of tires, mains and nose or tail.
20. Set of tubes as needed.
21. Wheel bearing grease.
22. Plenty of screws, washers and locknuts. They're cheap.

I'm sure there is more "stuff" needed to keep an RV happy and healthy, but this is all I can think of right now. After five, and currently in the middle of, the sixth annual, these items are necessities for my carbureted RV8. I needed item 11 THREE YEARS IN A ROW. I replaced three cracked jugs in as many years, then did the fourth just as a pre-emtive strike.

Have fun.

Brian Denk
RV8 N94BD
RV10 '51
 
bead breaker/ plug cleaner

Hey Chief.... first of all DONT USE SCREWDRIVERS!!! OR ANY OTHER HALF ARSED WAY OF DOING IT.. unless you have really good health insurance.....(legal disclaimer.. deflate before dissassembling wheel halves.. it's killed people) I"m an IA full time and I'll let you know what we do. Buy the 139.00 bead breaker from spruce pn 12-16790
bolt that sucker to a workbench and go at it... if you use screwdrivers you scratch the wheel and my customers dont like that.. not to mention damaging the wheel assy... make sure you use powder t0o. Leave the halves in while you break both sides. For plug cleaners...the airtool type for automotive plugs works just fine... just cut the opening bigger for your plugs... make sure you clean the grit out before using the plugs... I'm sure you know that but I had a newbe not do that.... caught it just in time.... Matco sells a bearing packing kit that is a 7" cylinder with a red top and a white handle... clean and pack your bearings while your at it... If you have any questions please call me.
ps.. when you clean the plugs the grit loves to get inbetween the post and the outer contacts.. DENTAL FLOSS will work greatly in getting the grit from inbetween the contact areas. Make sure you use anti-seize.. and the snap-on piks work great for digging around on the bottom...


Brian Wallis
Owner
Wallis Aviation
404-405-1315
N41RC
N357BW reserved
:cool:
 
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Brian Denk said:
Since I added the Lightspeed ignition a few years ago the lead fouling dropped off to almost nothing.

Brian,

I'm curious - my RV is my first plane with electronic igntion (1 LSE + 1 mag). Did the lead fouling also drop on the non LSE plugs after this change? I'd expect so but haven't looked yet.
 
kevinh said:
Brian,

I'm curious - my RV is my first plane with electronic igntion (1 LSE + 1 mag). Did the lead fouling also drop on the non LSE plugs after this change? I'd expect so but haven't looked yet.

Yes, the fouling almost went away entirely. I'm sure it also has to do with mixture settings and temperatures that are unique to every engine/operator, but I do feel that the LSE provides a more complete combustion at every stroke and leaves less carbon and/or lead behind.
 
Tire Bead Breaker

To break the bead, I have been using a small drill press sitting on my bench. Move the adjustable table out of the way and put a couple of wood blocks under/over the rubber tire. Works better than I ever thought it would on tires.
Works great for drilling holes too.
 
Large wood screw clamp used for woodworking. Can be found at harbor freight.

Have used this for motorcycle tires.

Use plastic scavenged from shampoo or dishwashing soap bottles to protect the rims from tools.
 
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I've been just bouncing on the sidewall with my knee and the weight of my body. Slow, but works. I like the idea of a press and 2X4's

My auto plugs need no cleaning. The Tempest plugs just need a dental pick to get the little balls deep in the cavity. Other than that, they need no cleaning. I rarely run overly rich, beyond best power, and this keeps the carbon from building up.

Larry
 
I jack up my GMC Sonoma with a floor jack then lower slowly using a 8" long 4X4 to break the bead. I have several 8" long 4X4s used for cribbing on the airplane for holding axle off the ground while changing tires.

I never bead blast my plugs. I use a special vibrating tool to clean the lead out. I think mine came from US Industrial Tools and it is red but very similar to what Aircraft Spruce sells.

12-21355kitm.jpg
 
WOW! What some folks go through to accomplish a simple task! Get yourself to Habor Freight and buy a motorcycle tire bead breaker. (I think they're 20 bucks.) Easy Peasy.
 
WOW! What some folks go through to accomplish a simple task! Get yourself to Habor Freight and buy a motorcycle tire bead breaker. (I think they're 20 bucks.) Easy Peasy.

Yep, that's what I have. Safe and fast.

Vic
 
WOW! What some folks go through to accomplish a simple task! Get yourself to Habor Freight and buy a motorcycle tire bead breaker. (I think they're 20 bucks.) Easy Peasy.
I just check, they have gone up. Then again, they often have sales and coupons.

Here's the link.

I need to buy one of these!
 
To break the bead, I have been using a small drill press sitting on my bench. Move the adjustable table out of the way and put a couple of wood blocks under/over the rubber tire. Works better than I ever thought it would on tires.
Works great for drilling holes too.

This is how I do it as well. Works great!
 
Cheaper one discountinued

They use to have a cheaper one but it has been discontinued. I bought the last two at our store, when I heard they were being discountined. They are great tools, and make this task so much easier.
 
They use to have a cheaper one but it has been discontinued. I bought the last two at our store, when I heard they were being discountined. They are great tools, and make this task so much easier.

Yep, nice tool at less than $20. It would be pretty easy to make, it looked like this one:

New-Portable-automotive-Shop-Manual-Auto-Tool-Tires-Changer-Levers-BEAD-BREAKER-Mount-Home-Garage-Farm.jpg_640x640.jpg
 
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My bead breaker is a 3/4" thick piece of plywood, about 2' square with a hole cut in the middle just slightly larger than the wheel diameter (i.e. 5+"). Put the deflated wheel flat on the concrete floor, plywood on top, and stand on it. Rock back and forth a little, maybe bounce up and down to get it started. Flip it over and do the same to the other side. Works great for me.
 
harbor freight unit works great

I have used the harbor freight unit for many years, works great for RVs, riding lawnmowers, wheelbarrows etc. Didn't like it quite as well for motorcycles, but putting the tire part of a motorcycle wheel under the front wheel of my car and rolling over it works well. DON'T get the rim under there!!
 
5" wheel diameter

My bead breaker is a 3/4" thick piece of plywood, about 2' square with a hole cut in the middle just slightly larger than the wheel diameter (i.e. 5+"). Put the deflated wheel flat on the concrete floor, plywood on top, and stand on it. Rock back and forth a little, maybe bounce up and down to get it started. Flip it over and do the same to the other side. Works great for me.

I'm going to give this a try but I'm not near the hangar and don't have an actual wheel diameter. Anyone got a wheel they can measure?
 
AntiSplatAero drill press bead breaker tool works great

The tire bead breaker tool sold by AntiSplat Aero for $28.75 that mounts in a drill press made the job really easy. The shaft is 1/2” in diameter. Priority mail shipping for $10.65 was quick. It is a well designed and well made tool and takes up about the same amount of space to store as a screwdriver. Attached below are a couple of photos and there is a video of the tool in use at www.antisplataero.com (YouTube https://youtu.be/n6rc3rV0Cf8).

9F016BED-62BB-4ECF-B1B3-BBC3444A13C3.jpeg.
 

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I bought the Anti Splat bead breaker for my drill press. When I do tires, I always take out the valve stem first, unplug the drill press second and have some small pieces of wood around for the tire to set upon. That thing works great and stores away for use every 2-3 years in the drawer of the toolbox. It is like storing a large wrench so I don't have to trip over another piece of equipment in my work bench area.
 
The tire bead breaker tool sold by AntiSplat Aero for $28.75 that mounts in a drill press made the job really easy. The shaft is 1/2” in diameter. Priority mail shipping for $10.65 was quick. It is a well designed and well made tool and takes up about the same amount of space to store as a screwdriver. Attached below are a couple of photos and there is a video of the tool in use at www.antisplataero.com (YouTube https://youtu.be/n6rc3rV0Cf8).

View attachment 39734.

+1 - My plywood piece wasn’t doing the job so I got one of these too. Works great.
 
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