Reseating Beads using Dive Cylinders?

Yes pls KK.

Cheers.

Hi John, I have spoken to 2 of my friends who use compressed air cylinders for tyre filling.

1. Dive instructor. He uses a dive cylinder and has access to high pressure refilling gear plus periodic certification for his dive bottles so he uses a normal dive regulator. He tells me that a basic second hand regulator sells occasionally on Trade Me (NZ version of ebay) for around $100.

2. The second guy is an ex fireman and uses a BA (breathing Apparatus) bottle. These are smaller then SCUBA bottles and not subject to the corrosion of salt water. However, unbeknown to me these bottles do have some unique problems. The BA bottles have a sharply tapered thread and use a direct pressure hose that has the regulator on the end of the hose. The hose carries about 3,000 lbs so as you can imagine its very stiff and has special high pressure properties. The firemen have their demand valve and regulator built into their mask. The BA cylinders have BOT stamped on the neck (British Board of Trade) and this standard is different to the specs on a dive bottle. I don't know the details but it seems that these bottles use different fittings from that found at dive shops so unless they are modified they can not be filled as easily as the normal dive bottles.

It seems that my friend with the BA bottle who always made out that this was the way to go has contacts that make it easy for him to use and service but not for us non - fire fighters !

So I have now found that if I was going to use a high pressure bottle it would be a SCUBA bottle with a second hand regulator. And I would have to be near a dive shop to replenish the air. :-))

Sorry if I had gotten your hopes up about a what looks to me like a good system (BA) as those bottles are an ideal size for one vehicle.

Ray H.

Thks Mick, I noted similar from your response to my last thread.

My compressor is, I think, a clone of the Airmax so I'll certainly test run it before getting any extra kit. Just need to get the R&R breaker first to testrun it all.

On the video you were using a cordless drill to run a terminal piece to clean/rough-up the inside of the tyre. Was it a burr bit?

Cheers.

Mick and John,

These things tend to come full circle.
Next thing you'll use a handpump to reinflate tubeless like I did in the 1970's :-))
Then I went to a KMart pump
Then I got a Blue Tongue
Now I've got a bigger pump.
All have been used to reinflate tubeless tyres.

Important stuff in my experience is to not distort the bead during removal - lubrication and good levering technique help.
Use tyres that are relatively big for the width of the rim eg. a 265 tyre goes better on a 7" rim rather than an 8" rim.
Remove the valve core during reinflation
While a good pump helps, anyone can get a whoosh of air with something as simple as a length of fuel hose connected to the valve of an overinflated tyre. I make something a little bit fancier but the principle is the same.

Since the magic of tyre plugs, there's been much less need to patch tyres. But it's good to keep practicing this stuff. I travel with larger groups of people so theres always tyres to fix. And we teach it on 4wd club trips.

Never ever needed butane - IMO its a party trick!

Cheers
Phil

Thks Phil.

I agree. Plugs are great but during my recent trip to Gregory NP I only had 3 tyre incidents but all were sidewall slashes (2 from rock and one from a stake). Only one took a plug and while the air is still in, it is now unroadworthy.

That's why I have decided to get serious and invest in the rest of the gear. Thks for the tip about 'whooshing' from another tyre.

Cheers.

As Phil mentions you can even use as we used to a hand pump, one thing I would suggest is a trick I learned a loooong time ago. Put a ratchet strap around the tyre and pressure it up slightly, (2" is best but 1" if thats all you have) it pushes the beads outward towards the rim.

Hope this helps

Thanks Mitsi.

Cheers

Gday Blaze,
Sometimes a ratchet strap helps, but if you do it up tight, the modern steel radials often buckle under the strap.

I cant believe people would be so silly to carry around cylinders of highly compressed air to inflate a tyre
They are virtually bombs waiting to go off
A good quality air compressor is a much safer option

IMO ...no more dangerous than an LPG cylinder when properly restrained...and after all considering the weight who wouldnt make sure it is.

lots of holidaying 4wd out there without cargo barriers with unrestrained cargo in the back .......in a serious front end smash you wont need a dive cylinder to smack you in the back of the head to kill any of those in front.....? an unrestrained can of coke hurtling forward can porbably do that job just as well

Cant really compare a compressed air cylinder with an LPG cylinder
Both have different inherant problems
LPG isnt highly compressed but is highly flamable
The Air cylinder will be holding compressed air at somewhere around 3 to 4000psi which is extremely dangerous. One faulty tank or a knock on the regulator valve and i wouldnt want to be anywhere near it

Sorry but its a no brainer for me

Settle down! People carry around dive tanks every day...to get to the beach, dive boat, ramp..etc.

Every day they are carted in vehicles...some times on road and others across very arduous terrain to get to the site...hell they dive charter I went on once threw all our gear (tanks included) into the back of an unrestrained ute to deliver from the shop to the beach.

Most people dont carry around cylinders to inflate tyres.......they use the cylinders they are carrying around to inflate their tyres...note the difference.

Doesnt mean they are all no-brainers now does it!

"Cant really compare a compressed air cylinder with an LPG cylinder"..???
you cant compare a Low Pressure highly flamable gas CYLINDER with a High Pressure non flamable gas CYLINDER ... i know which one i would prefer to have leaking vapour ....

you dont honestly believe you dont get faulty LPG gas cylinders??? all pressure cylinders must be checked by by law?

LPG gas cylinder valves dont get knocked off either?...ask BOC/SupaGas etc how many get knocked off their cylinders ....and they also have shields around valve.

If correctly restrained i wonder what happens to a high pressure cylinder if the valve was removed in an instant.??? I suspect it just vent's its vapour to atmosphere...now if the cylinder aint correctly restrained then thats a different story (dont refer to the qantas thingy...we aint in a plane and you and I dont know what actually happened..i do have my theory tho) ...ever noticed why the cylinders are always upright when being transported, and also when they're used (as required by OHWS)....they are supposed to be just in case the valve is forced out; it aint going nowhere if the high pressure force is going vertically upwards

Once had a dive cylinder in the boot of my Torana move and open the valve. I thought the burst disk had gone. Popped my ears, that's all.

Where I work we carry compressed air cylinders around all the time. Have doen for years. Every truck in the fleet carries at least 8 and we have a couple carrying 36 each. Never had a problem. But yes they are properly restrained.

Have been to incidents involving LPG cylinders leaking and on fire. That is why mine are carried, properly restrained on the trailer and not in the car for all but very short trips like up to the servo for a refill.

Duncs

Many thks for the tips Russnic. Cheers.