CHANGING LANDROVER TYRES

Unlike bicycle tyres, motor vehicle tyres really stick them selves onto the wheel and need to be forced off. The best way I have found is to improvise a press, useing the Landrovers front bumper. A jack can be placed on the tyre as close as possible to the rim. Then the jack operated until the tyre comes off the rim ! Easy peasy , On really stubborn beads sometimes the jack needs to be released and moved closer under the rim and jacked a second or even third time. Turn the wheel over and repeat, and Bobs your uncle, the tyre is ready to be eased over the rim with nice big tyre levers.

Despite their size, Landy tyres are easy to remove. If you're off road, miles from anywhere, with two punctures and one spare wheel, you might be really glad you read this page. You need 2 tyre levers, a hammer or mallet, and a puncture repair outfit. Or, better still, a spare innertube and a puncture repair outfit. And some sort of pump. Foot pumps are very reliable, if you're keen on keeping fit! but a small electric compressor will take all the hard work out of it.

It's important to keep the portion of tyre opposite your lever, firmly in the "well"

The best way I've found of doing this is to stand on the tyre this pushes one side down into the "well" and allows you to insert a tyre lever on the opposite side, and lever it over the rim.

Once you have a short section of tyre pulled over the rim, hold it there with one lever (hold the lever down with your foot if necessary) and insert a second lever close to the first, and ease a bit more over the rim. The first lever should stop trying to flick back once you have levered a big enough section of tyre over. Don't try to take too much over at a time. Do it in very small bites.

Once you get this far it starts getting easy and you can lever much bigger bites at a time. Continue working round until the whole side is free.

If you are just mending a puncture, there is no need to remove the other side of the tyre from the rim. Insert a hand and pull out the innertube, you may have to push the valve down through its hole to free it.

TO REFIT

Align the valve first, and stuff the tube back in. (Stopping the valve from popping back inside can be a bit fiddly, there are special tools available, but a little perseverance with the fingers usually works ) Put enough air into the tube to inflate it to about three quarters full. This is to lessen the chances of it being trapped under the tyre bead.
Lubricating the tyre and rim with soapy water or washing up liquid will help, but I've often done this "dry" when I've had to. Then put a foot on the tyre at one side to get it started.

Insert a lever a short distance from your foot, and ease the tyre as far over as it will go, then use a mallet to persuade the section of tyre between your foot and the lever go a bit further. The tricky bit here is stopping the tyre flicking back off the rim when you release the lever.....So don't release the lever suddenly, ease the tension off it, and use the mallet to tap it sideways an inch or so along the rim. Then lever up again and hammer a little more of the tyre over.

After the first few inches the tyre will stop trying to jump back off the rim. The further round you get, the easier it gets. But keep using your feet to hold down the section you've done.

Use your weight to hold the tyre in the centre of the "well"

Take care not to trap the innertube as you flip the last bit over.


Stand the wheel on edge and bump it on the ground a couple of times, to settle things in place. Then blow it up! and refit.

Back