What size bead blaster bazooka for sealing tire beads?

[Thomas]

I'm gonna buy me for Christmas a bead blaster bazooka so that I no longer
need to fumble with the larger new tires that won't seat all that well.

But I need to figure out which size bead blaster bazooka to get on Amazon.

For normal SUV and passenger tires of around 16 inches, what size is best?
(Is the larger size better for other uses such as portable pressurized air?)

Which size do you use to seat the beads when you're mounting tires at home?
2.5 gallon?
5 gallon?
10 gallon?

Which works best overall given the 10 gallon tanks are huge (so they need to
be stored in the garage and they'll take up more room) but they also
(obviously) hold a more compressed air than the smaller 2.5 gallon tanks
(if the tanks are used as a portable compressed air supply for other use)?

[rbowman]

Post by Thomas
Which works best overall given the 10 gallon tanks are huge (so they need to
be stored in the garage and they'll take up more room) but they also
(obviously) hold a more compressed air than the smaller 2.5 gallon tanks
(if the tanks are used as a portable compressed air supply for other use)?

Looking at some of the Amazon reviews some that bought the 5 gallon
version wish they had gotten the 10 gallon. They were doing stuff like
F-350 tires.


Interesting. I mount the tube type tires on one bike but I've shied away
from tubeless. Years ago I bought tires for the Harley from an indie.
The sun was sinking in the west as he struggled to get the bead to seat.
He had a large airline but was but was going in through the stem and not
the sidewall.

[Snag]

Post by rbowman

Post by Thomas
Which works best overall given the 10 gallon tanks are huge (so they need to
be stored in the garage and they'll take up more room) but they also
(obviously) hold a more compressed air than the smaller 2.5 gallon tanks
(if the tanks are used as a portable compressed air supply for other use)?

Looking at some of the Amazon reviews some that bought the 5 gallon
version wish they had gotten the 10 gallon. They were doing stuff like
F-350 tires.
Interesting. I mount the tube type tires on one bike but I've shied away
from tubeless. Years ago I bought tires for the Harley from an indie.
The sun was sinking in the west as he struggled to get the bead to seat.
He had a large airline but was but was going in through the stem and not
the sidewall.

I found a long time ago that a bicycle tube will help inflate a
motorcycle tire ... Properly sized to fit between the rim and tire bead
, it can seal enough air in to seat the bead . In a pinch I have used a
length of water hose ... ya just gotta slow the leakage a little .
Or you could use the trick a rock crawler buddy showed me . A short
blast of butane from a refill can and toss a match at it .

[Bob F]

In alt.home.repair, on Mon, 13 Dec 2021 09:29:15 -0600, Snag

Post by Snag

Post by rbowman

Post by Thomas
Which works best overall given the 10 gallon tanks are huge (so they need to
be stored in the garage and they'll take up more room) but they also
(obviously) hold a more compressed air than the smaller 2.5 gallon tanks
(if the tanks are used as a portable compressed air supply for other use)?

Looking at some of the Amazon reviews some that bought the 5 gallon
version wish they had gotten the 10 gallon. They were doing stuff like
F-350 tires.
Interesting. I mount the tube type tires on one bike but I've shied away
from tubeless. Years ago I bought tires for the Harley from an indie.
The sun was sinking in the west as he struggled to get the bead to seat.
He had a large airline but was but was going in through the stem and not
the sidewall.

I found a long time ago that a bicycle tube will help inflate a
motorcycle tire ... Properly sized to fit between the rim and tire bead
, it can seal enough air in to seat the bead . In a pinch I have used a
length of water hose ... ya just gotta slow the leakage a little .
Or you could use the trick a rock crawler buddy showed me . A short
blast of butane from a refill can and toss a match at it .

What about what I've seen shops use, an inflatable tube around the
entire tire? That squeezes the tire and makes the bead get close to the
rim. I don't think I've seen that mentioned here.
On a separate subject, someone on the radio just asked about replacing a
tire stem without removing the tire, totally from the outside. The
"expert" answer said yes, but only talked about remvoing the old stem.
That doesn't help much. Can you insert a stem from the outside?

[micky]

In rec.autos.tech, on Mon, 13 Dec 2021 12:48:59 -0800, Bob F

Post by Bob F

On a separate subject, someone on the radio just asked about replacing a
tire stem without removing the tire, totally from the outside. The
"expert" answer said yes, but only talked about remvoing the old stem.
That doesn't help much. Can you insert a stem from the outside?

http://youtu.be/TgDzZIop_uw

Well, that certainly does seem easy. I guess most times no one wants to
replace the valve except when the tire is off, but if they did why would
anyone do it the other way if it were not off.

The guy asking the original question had had someone vandalize his
valve.

[Thomas]

Post by Snag

Post by rbowman
Looking at some of the Amazon reviews some that bought the 5 gallon
version wish they had gotten the 10 gallon. They were doing stuff like
F-350 tires.
Interesting. I mount the tube type tires on one bike but I've shied away
from tubeless. Years ago I bought tires for the Harley from an indie.
The sun was sinking in the west as he struggled to get the bead to seat.
He had a large airline but was but was going in through the stem and not
the sidewall.

I found a long time ago that a bicycle tube will help inflate a
motorcycle tire ... Properly sized to fit between the rim and tire bead
, it can seal enough air in to seat the bead . In a pinch I have used a
length of water hose ... ya just gotta slow the leakage a little .
Or you could use the trick a rock crawler buddy showed me . A short
blast of butane from a refill can and toss a match at it .

That's the thing about 10 gallons. It's big(ger).
That means more storage. But it also means more air.

I have a mounted 20 gallon compressor but I rarely need 20 gallons.
Most of the time the compressor takes up space in my small garage.

I am hoping the 2-1/2 gallon bead blaster will work.
Or maybe the 5 gallon bazooka blaster is a worthy compromise?

The main advantage of the 10 gallon is that it can be a portable source.
But only someone with experience in these things will know for sure.

BTW I know about the bicycle tire tube trick and the spray explosion trick.
Normally I just use a second person to help lift up on the lower bead.

The tires I'm doing aren't large by tire standards (14 to about 17 inches).
With the air locked onto the valve it will seat only after the bead holds.

I just want to know from others who have used them what their experience is.

[micky]

In rec.autos.tech, on Mon, 13 Dec 2021 19:03:52 -0800, Thomas

Post by Thomas
The tires I'm doing aren't large by tire standards (14 to about 17 inches).
With the air locked onto the valve it will seat only after the bead holds.

You have the valve out of the stem when you do this, right? "Locked
onto the valve" doesn't sound like it. If you don't, you'll cut down
the flow and the pressure, what, more than 50% I'm sure.

[Thomas]

Post by micky

Post by Thomas
The tires I'm doing aren't large by tire standards (14 to about 17 inches).
With the air locked onto the valve it will seat only after the bead holds.

You have the valve out of the stem when you do this, right? "Locked
onto the valve" doesn't sound like it. If you don't, you'll cut down
the flow and the pressure, what, more than 50% I'm sure.

Almost everyone I know who changes their tires at home does it the same way
that I do which is you first install a new valve stem and then you
immediately unscrew the inner valve out of the stem tube just before you
clamp the compressor nozzle on it so that your compressor air is continually
feeding into the loose carcass which is doing nothing useful till you seal
it off.

The work is in sealing it off momentarily to give the bead a chance to seat.

All you do after that is give the air a chance to stay in by lifting up the
bead manually by hand or if you have the bazooka you blast it momentarily.

When it doesn't seat you might need to summon a helper but when it seats you
will know in a few seconds. The bead blaster is to eliminate the helper.

Right now I'm only asking about which size of bead blaster works best.
My question can only be answered by those who have done it before.

Which works best overall?
2.5 gallon?
5 gallon?
10 gallon?

The tradeoff isn't much in cost but more in the utility and storage issues.

[Thomas]

Post by Thomas
Almost everyone I know who changes their tires at home does it the same way
that I do which is you first install a new valve stem and then you
immediately unscrew the inner valve out of the stem tube just before you

Good. So you do have the valve out of the stem. I was misled by "with
the air locked onto the valve."

I guess I should have mentioned that a normal filler "chuck" on the end of
your compressor hose wouldn't work because it requires the center schrader
valve to exist in order to compress its center pin for air to flow through.

Everyone I know who does this makes their own fitting instantly and easily
by twisting onto that open valve stem a fitting which almost every airgun
has already because it has threads to fit a variety of nozzles and stems.

This is a little like asking which flavor of ice cream is best.

It's not at all asking anything like that as far as the question was aimed.

It only sounds that way to you because you've probably never changed a tire
yourself (and that's fine - but you can't answer the question for me).

It's more like asking whether you find a 12 inch bolt cutter to work better
over the next 30 years of anticipated needs than a 24 inch bolt cutter
versus a 50 inch bolt cutter, given you're only going to buy one in your
whole life and you have to store it but you want to anticipate future uses
too.

Personally, I wish I had bought a larger bolt cutter - but I only want one.
The only people who can answer it are those who very often do the task.

I was hoping to find one other person on here who uses the bead blasters.

[Peeler]

On Mon, 13 Dec 2021 07:48:58 -0700, lowbrowwoman, the endlessly driveling,

Post by rbowman

Post by Thomas
Which works best overall given the 10 gallon tanks are huge (so they need to
be stored in the garage and they'll take up more room) but they also
(obviously) hold a more compressed air than the smaller 2.5 gallon tanks
(if the tanks are used as a portable compressed air supply for other use)?

Looking at some of the Amazon reviews some that bought the 5 gallon
version wish they had gotten the 10 gallon. They were doing stuff like
F-350 tires.

You looked up the Amazon reviews for him, you weirdest weirdo???

Post by rbowman
Interesting. I mount the tube type tires on one bike but I've shied away
from tubeless. Years ago I bought tires for the Harley from an indie.
The sun was sinking in the west

Oh, fuck! It starts again! <tsk>