Homemade air blaster tank for mounting tires

chuckinnc

Member
Have lots of tires that won"t take air after mounting so I plan on building one of these. Has
anyone build one? I plan on using a old well
bladder tank or propane tank, the well tank already has a air valve on top and large 1" pipe fitting on the bottom. What"s your ideas on the
water tank.
 
Make sure you put a blow off protection valve at 120 psi . But buy one that is done from cheetah . YOU ARE holding a controlled bomb . Bladder tank isn't up to the pressures your going to need!
 
I made one, using a 10 gallon compressor tank that the compressor had failed on.

I put it together with stuff I found around my shop, all 3/4" stuff, and flattened a length of 3/4" rigid copper for the end to insert into the tire. Didn't know if that was large enough, but to go larger on the pipes I'd have had to weld a larger fitting onto the tank. Just dumping the air into the open, it appears to have enough volume to at least work on passenger vehicle tires.

I anticipated trying it out on a new set of tires I had for my wife's Chrysler T&C, (215-65-16), then when I installed them they fit tight enough that they inflated with no assistance.

Still don't know if it works. Maybe tomorrow I'll get down to my shop and take a pic of it.
 
Mine was made from a new air tank. Hole saw a hole in side for a 1 inch steel pipe that will allow you to sort of thread it in tight then wire weld around it. Add a quarter turn 1 inch ball valve then a bell reducer 1 inch x 1 1/4 inch then a short steel nipple 1 1/4 dia and mash it down pretty flat on end for a nozzle and can weld a small tab to rest on the rim. Remove thehose from the tank, replace with a female air hose coupler so you can use a male to male adapter and hook direct to your air hose for rapid fill. The air tank has a built in pop off safe valve. Cost is less than $50 with all new stuff. With some plywood end caps made just right these will clean air filters pretty good too.
 
I used an old air pig, weld a bead rest on the end of your nozzle so you are not trying to hold the weight of the tank,aim it, and throw the valve all at the same time
 
In my opinion a water tank is way to thin of metal a propane tank is heavier maybe you can find a air tank off a truck or trailer
 

Friends have one in their shop made from a propane tank. It works well. I believe that the valve is one inch. I wouldn't think that a bladder type water tank would be heavy enough.
 
Friend made one. I believe it was a 3 gallon tank with a 1-1/4" ball valve. He used a flattened ended 6" nipple for the tire end.
 
Do not use the water tank. It's not made for the kind of pressure you need or are likely to be using. A LP tank is sketchy enough too... You NEED to weld in a 1-3/4" or preferably a 2" nipple to receive a 2" ball valve. Welding on LP tanks is dangerous to say the least... The main problem is that the LP is absorbed into the pores of the metal and even after you think you have the tank washed clean... the residue is still there. Running the tank full of mig gas would be a good starting point before you try welding on it. I'd also suggest you fill it with water and then apply air pressure on the full tank to hydro test it before you put it into service.
Or you could just go buy a Bead Cheetah. You'll also notice they have a 2" ball on them. A 1" ball might pop a wheel barrow tire... and not much more. Even the 2" has a hard time with stiff truck tires.

Rod
 
Why won't your tires take any air after mounting? How do you check or adjust their pressure?

There should be a tag on any approved pressure vessel listing the maximum rated pressure. I doubt that a thin walled water blatter tank is rated for much over 75 PSI. Corrosion inside a used water tank will weaken it further.

Have you considered using 100 pound or larger propane tanks for storing compressed air? 100lb tanks hold somwhere around 20-25 gallons.

If you have any employees or neighbors that will be using the machine you should consider buying one rather than exposing them to a potentially explosive homemade machine.
 
I would use a propane tank, they are rated for at least 200psi. If you take all the fittings out of it and stand it upside down for a week it will be safe to weld on. Propane is heavier than air, I have done it. Most small propane tanks are 3/4 npt, is that big enough? I could of used one of these a couple of years ago, broke off a valve stem on the 4600. I broke the bead and changed the valve stem, but had a tough time getting the bead to seal again. I T'd two compressors together and put and put a big ratchet strap around the tire and got it. If you take the valve core out and slip a hose over the valve stem it will take air a lot faster.
 
I was fortunate to have been given about 60' of 1" hose off a jackhammer and the appropriate fittings to connect into a tee directly off my 80 gallon tank that is located at one end of the shop. I also made a 1" X 3 1/2' black iron pipe with ball valve and typical quick disconnect flattening the end and welding a "stop" to rest it on edge of the rim.

I have only used it on tires not larger than 245-16's and it seems to work fine. Works best when the compressor cycles off at 175 psi. I'm sure tires much larger would require higher volume than the 1" could supply, especially at the end of a 60' run.

This eliminated the need for a hand carried tank as long as I have the tire within 60' that is....but that's usually the case because the tire changer is right there too. Plus there ain't much danger with this set up. Wear your ear plugs though...
 
The first 1 I bought was close to 400.00 they have come down in price so much, why not buy 1 and not have the liablilty of it exploding and hurting anyone around you.
 
A can of starting fluid (ether) and a match is a whole lot cheaper, easier to carry and works quite well. I had never tried it myself until about a year ago.
Caution: Your mileage may vary.
 
You can seat a truck tire like that. A buddy of mine does that. The difference between that and a 5 gal tank is that you have a large supply of air with good pressure behind it so you still get a high velocity delivery. Otherwise, the 1" line would not work if it was only hooked to 10 gal of air.

Rod
 
Well tanks & Propane tanks are a BAD IDEA for the reasons already stated. Years ago I bought a "belly band" for mounting large truck tires, from NAPA. You put the band around the tire in the middle of the tread, cinch it snug, and inflate the tube that's inside it. The inflated tube squeezes the tread around the full circumference of the tire, forcing the bead to seat, then just inflate the tire & slowly release the pressure in the "belly band" until you can remove the "belly band".

For those of you that want to do it the "cheap & expedient way" - wrap a piece of strong rope around the tire in the same way as you would use a "belly band", tie a secure knot in the rope and insert a stick, bar, piece of pipe, anything strong, between the rope and the tire and begin twisting the rope. It accomplishes the same thing as the "belly band" only a whole lot CHEAPER.


Doc :>)
 
A couple months ago I took a trailer tire and rim to a tire shop to have the tire mounted for a friend. The tire was mis-shapened from something stored on it. When it was done I asked the guy how he did it, he said he resorted to ether (or butane?) and a spark. I'd like to watch (from a distance).
 
Hello chuckinnc,

We made two of them at work. Both were made from 1" copper as circles to fit the tires. Fitted with 1" quick coupler. holes every in" or so towards the bead. Worked like a charm,

Guido.
 
They have 5 gallon bead seaters on ebay for as low as $99.95 with free shipping. That is the cheapest that I have seen, looks like a Cheetah with no label. It was under "tire bead blaster"

Garry
 
Here's a youtube video. I don't know why the other guy was standing by with the air chuck ready to inflate. When the beads seat on the rim they're not going anywhere.
I use a butane fire starter that has about a 6" long tube on it to light the ether. That way my hand isn't near the tire when it lights.
Bead Seating with Ether
 
(quoted from post at 15:01:34 03/25/14) Here's a youtube video. I don't know why the other guy was standing by with the air chuck ready to inflate.

Bead Seating with Ether

If you don't immediately get the air pressure going in as soon as the tire "pops" to seat itself the rapidly expanding gasses from the explosion cool quickly inside the tire, the rubber sucks in and the tire bead can slip back into the center of the rim.... At least I've had that happen a few times on 14's and 15's. Other times not.
 
On car and pickup tires I use a 15" bicycle tube inflated just enough to expand it. I place it between the bead and rim seat and inflate the tire. If you lube the bead and bicycle tube, and it pinches it pulls right out.
 

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