Inflating a Flat Tire | Tool Tip

Tip For Inflating a Flat Tire

Nothing can slow or altogether kill your momentum when you pull out the wheelbarrow, lawn mower, or hand truck and discover the tire has gone flat. If it's a tube-type tire, your only real option is to get another tube and spend the next hour or so wrestling with it. If you're dealing with a tubeless tire, there's hope for a reasonably quick fix.

You'll need: Ratchet strap, air compressor or pump, inflating nozzle, and maybe some soapy water.

First, of course, you need to look for anything that may have punctured the tire. If you find a nail or any other foreign object, you'll need to remove it and patch the tire from the inside. In our case, we're simply dealing with a tire that had been sitting in one place too long and lost its will to be inflated.

Fixing The Flat

For first-timers to this process, the goal is to 'seat' the inner lip of the tire onto the wheel and achieve a good seal - or tight bead. This must be done using outward pressure on the sidewalls of the tire, causing them to bloat outward and make solid contact with the wheel.

While there are several ways to fix the problem, I've always had good luck using a ratchet strap. The nylon band is wide enough to cover a lot of the tire tread, and the attached hooks can be used for leverage.

In our shop, the flat occurred on a 2-wheel hand truck, so we left the tire in place. For larger equipment, you might want to consider removing the tire, just to make it easier to handle.

First, wrap the ratchet strap around the tire, making sure the band is flat and centered on the tread.

Then, you have a couple of options. You can either simply loop the band through the hook eye and pull the strap to apply pressure, or install the ratchet end of the strap and crank it down until the tire begins to bulge outward.

And With Your Third Hand...

No matter which method used, you'll need to use the inflating nozzle to force air into the valve stem. You may have to move the tire back and forth on the wheel until it catches. A little soapy water can also be beneficial during this process, to lube up the inner lip of the tire, making it a little easier to seat on the wheel.

Once the bead catches and the tire begins to inflate, loosen the strap and inflate to the proper tire pressure.

Even though the process sounds simple, it may take a little while to accomplish, so patience is a virtue here. If you have any tips or suggestions for this method, please let us know in the comment section below.

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