Separate Tail wheel Halves

[hilltop170]

I have run across stuck wheel halves a couple of times, both times when a gasket has been used between the halves. I do not use a gasket in my tailwheels. One was on a new wheel that had the bolts tightened apparently before the paint fully cured on the wheel halves. When the wheels were finally separated, the gasket sheared in two requiring scraping the gasket off both halves with a putty knofe.

In both cases, nothing worked until the nuts were evenly backed-off a couple of turns and air pressure increased until the wheel halves popped apart. Then as Miles described, break the beads off the rims with a bench vise.

[edbooth]

I always used my bench vise to break the bead on the tailwheel tire. I don't recall ever having a problem separating the wheel halves.

That works, also a big "C" clamp.

[DaveF]

Breaking the tailwheel bead has never been a problem. It's the mains that I'd want the tool for.

[edbooth]

Breaking the tailwheel bead has never been a problem. It's the mains that I'd want the tool for.

Big "C" clamp works for that also.

[MoonlightVFR]

I got tail wheel disassembled and new Tire/Tube installed.

Local auto tire Co carefully broke bead on their standard auto tire fixtures.

We learned from your post. Thank you.

The gasket has a potential function in preventing grease from being injected up against the butyl rubber TUBE.

Purchased a tool grade Reamer 46.00 $$ ouch. Don't you think a new 1/4 twist drill rotated by hand would work to clean out holes in the wheel halves.

New bolts - applied anti seize on the bolt shank - stop the dissimilar metals corrosion for next half century.

New grease on wheel bearings

Impressed with the tube from Desser Tire. Co. Butyl rubber. Very good tube.

[GAHorn]

Gun cleaning brushes work nicely in holes. Drills can inadvertently gouge and remove metal if you're not very careful.

[flyguy]

My tail wheel hasn't had a gasket in 27 yrs. don't remember ever seeing one.

Same here Frank. And I've never had the problem of un-mating the wheel halves. George's suggestion on inflating the tire/tube combo (after removing the bolts?) would best be done in some restraint (Longer bolts with nuts?). It wouldn't be fun to try to find one wheel half that shot into space when it finally separated without some method of restraint!

[cessna170bdriver]

My tail wheel hasn't had a gasket in 27 yrs. don't remember ever seeing one.

Same here Frank. And I've never had the problem of un-mating the wheel halves. George's suggestion on inflating the tire/tube combo (after removing the bolts?) would best be done in some restraint (Longer bolts with nuts?). It wouldn't be fun to try to find one wheel half that shot into space when it finally separated without some method of restraint!

George said to just LOOSEN the bolts, not remove them! Just backing off each nut a turn or two should be sufficient. Inflating the tire with the bolt removed, or removing the bolts before deflating the tire could very likely be the last mistake you ever make.

[170C]

I splurged and got one of those gaskets ($8.15 incl shipping) from Spruce. Now I can be "official". That gasket would be easy to make.

[DaveF]

Thanks Dave. Post a pic or link to that wheel puller if you can. I'm always open to a good tip on a tool.

I finally made it to the hangar. Here's the HF wheel puller. It comes with those extra extensions, which I didn't need for the magneto gear. I don't remember how much it cost, but it was well within my frugal budget for a rarely-used tool.

[gfeher]

Got it. Thanks for the pic Dave. Much appreciated.

[GAHorn]

I splurged and got one of those gaskets ($8.15 incl shipping) from Spruce. Now I can be "official". That gasket would be easy to make.

WHEW! Just in-time, Frank! The Gestapo had called me about you.....