Truck tire question

benmack1

benmack1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2010
Location
USA
I have an Chev 3500 farm truck that has 225/70/R19.5 tires on it. I want to change out the fronts. Most tire shops I have called won't work on the 19.5 tires. The ones that will are saying 25-35 per tire to dismount and mount (and balance I think). Question is whether for these larger wheels, do they typically have machines like car tires or will they use spoons and do these manually? Maybe a dumb question, I just don't know and a couple said it's alot of labor so made me think maybe they do these old school. Also form youtube I see some guy using beads to balance. Any thoughts on that approach for balancing on a tire like this?
 
benmack1 said:
I have an Chev 3500 farm truck that has 225/70/R19.5 tires on it. I want to change out the fronts. Most tire shops I have called won't work on the 19.5 tires. The ones that will are saying 25-35 per tire to dismount and mount (and balance I think). Question is whether for these larger wheels, do they typically have machines like car tires or will they use spoons and do these manually? Maybe a dumb question, I just don't know and a couple said it's alot of labor so made me think maybe they do these old school. Also form youtube I see some guy using beads to balance. Any thoughts on that approach for balancing on a tire like this?
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I think if you talk to the big chains, they are afraid of em or have a rule against it. 2 local places near me had no issue putting 19.5's on my truck. $25-35 for mount and balance is the going rate for car/LT tires anyway, so that sounds right. The "good" local shop that mounted a 19.5 for me said they don't balance them but they use balance beads so he threw them in there. I watched/helped him dismount/mount/balance and it wasn't any different than a normal LT truck tire, other than a bit heavier. Beads have been fine I suppose, but it was a front and I also have Balance Masters external rotary balancers on there so who knows.

If I remember correctly where you live, it looks like there are a couple truck tire shops not far away in Mebane that should have no problem handling those. 225's on a 19.5 are pretty much just like 31's on a 20" wheel, but with a thicker sidewall. I had 285's, so they were much heavier, but otherwise not anything special.
 
Balance beads and any store that does commercial tires on trucks should know the drill. I drop them off and pick them up when finished so I am not sure if theyre doing it with a machine or spoons. I have changed a mess of tires manually and still have an old school manual changer in the shop. Any more my time, patience and back isnt worth fighting them so I pay the man.
 
Commercial tire places are going to use tire bars. It's faster, easier, and they don't have to pick them up off the floor to put it on a tire machine.
 
Monkeynono said:
Our 19.5 guy uses spoons and beads and does them on the truck if possible. Kid can have a 19.5 off and back one before I can do a normal tire.
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"Technically" they're not allowed to do that...soley because they're supposed to be aired up in a tire cage, per OSHA. We all know how that goes though. I wouldn't want to be responsible for a tire blowing up on the truck. Saw my buddy do it on an RV once with the the guy's spare 😂 Full tread, looked new, 2 years old, but blew all to pieces....along with a lot of fiberglass.

It definitely IS faster though.
 
If the spoons gotta come out I’m making 60 a tire at least. But that being said, most truck shops mark their tires up to the sky. So the install is cheap
 
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