Looking to swap out your mobility scooter tyres for some fresh rubber? Wanting to know how to upgrade from pneumatic tyres to solid tyres? Well in this guide we give you the outline as to the method when it comes to changing tyres on mobility scooter and power chairs so you can better understand the process.
Please note this is a guide for two piece rims.
Disclaimer: This is merely an explanation as to how the process of changing a mobility scooter is done and is in no way professional advice. It outlines the process as to which a professional mobility scooter mechanic may approach the task.
1. Remove the wheel
First up, remove the wheel you wish to change the tyre of. A mechanic will focus on one wheel at a time, not taking all the wheels off at once. It's a good idea to prop the mobility scooter / power chair up correctly similar to changing a car tyre. This way having the tyre ever so slightly off the ground makes removing the wheel possible. Also, this prevents any damage happening to the axles as undue weight might be put on them if they are resting on the floor. usually, the wheel will be held on with a singe nut that can be removed with a socket set.
2. Remove the tyre
Removing the previous tyre couldn't be simpler. With pneumatic (air-filled) tyres, you need to deflate the tyre completely. You can do this by pressing in the little valve core inside the valve stem on the inner tube. Press and hold in until no more air escapes.
3. Split the rims
Inside the wheel are the bolts holding the two pieces of the rim together. simply un-tighten them a little at a time, one by one. The reason is the previous tyre may want to push outward and if the bolts are removed completely one by one, it can put stress on the remaining bolt and make it far more difficult to remove it. Hopefully the rim comes apart easily, else you may need to pry it with a lever a little. Once apart you're onto the next step.
4. Fitting the new tyre
Sandwich time! Not literally, but with the two pieces of the rim with the new tyre in the middle. Make sure you line up the bolt holes while doing this then simply re-attach the bolts. Sounds easy, however it's more likely that the rims will be hard to press together. The use of longer bolts or a clamp may be needed to make things a lot easier. This also reduces the risk of threading the original bolts if only a small amount of the thread can be engaged to get the rims closing together. Also, don't tighten one bolt fully at a time, tighten them a little each, not going around in a circle, but ideally tightening bolts opposite to each other. This ensures a smooth closing of the rim pieces and reduces the risk of putting too much pressure on one bolt or risking damaging the threads.
In most cases a professional will use a tyre fitting kit. Because once the rims are separated, it can be very difficult to get them to close together again as the tyre (and or infill) requires compressing. We would always recommend mobility scooter tyres are changed by a professional.
5. Refit the wheel
All sorted? Rims nice and tight again? Everything looking good? Then simply reattach the wheel to you mobility scooter or power chair. It's also a good idea to check the torque setting for the bolts so to prevent any issues and know they are tightened up to the manufacturers specification. Then its just a case of repeating the process wheel by wheel until all your tyres are swapped out!
