Portable tire tool

A portable tire tool adapted for removing and installing tires. The tool includes a lever arm, tire pry arm, and J-shaped hook arm which may be connected in different configurations to provide various tools for removing and installing tires. The tool is conveniently shaped to allow assembly in a compact configuration for transportation and storage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to portable tools and devices for 
installing and removing tires. More particularly, the present invention 
relates to a portable tire tool in which the same three basic tool 
elements may be quickly and conveniently rearranged into various 
configurations for both tire removal and installation. 
Motorcycles have become increasingly popular for use in both everyday 
transportation and use as recreational vehicles. Along with the increasing 
popularity of motorcycles, there has been an increase in size, performance 
and sophistication. These factors have dictated the necessity for 
providing motorcycle tires and rims which are larger in size and stronger. 
The typical motorcycle tire includes a central hub which is connected to 
an outer steel rim by a plurality of spokes. For small rims such as those 
found on bicycles, it is a relatively simple matter to remove and replace 
a tire on the rim utilizing simple hand-manipulated pry equipment. 
However, for the much larger motorcycle tires and wheels, it is difficult, 
if not impossible, to remove and replace a punctured tire without 
resorting to high-power hydraulic equipment designed especially for this 
purpose. This is especially true for modern safety rims which include 
various ridges and bead configurations on the rim to prevent the tire from 
coming off inadvertently during a blowout. Also, because of cost, many 
people must resort to hand manipulated pry equipment. They are tolerated 
since there is no substitute available, and there is no guarantee during 
their use that the tire side wall will not tear and/or the tube will not 
be punctured. The pressures involved in using these pry tools are enough 
to pinch and puncture the tube of the tire when prying actions are 
commenced. If the tube is punctured, it may not be noticed until the tire 
is installed and pressure tested. During testing, a quiet but detectable 
hiss will be heard, signaling damage and the necessity to remove the tire 
and repair the tube. 
It would be desirable to provide a portable tire removal and installation 
tool which is compact enough to be conveniently stored on a motorcycle, 
but which is also suitable for use in the field to remove and replace 
modern high performance tires. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the present invention, a relatively lightweight, 
portable tire tool is provided which may be used for both removing and 
installing tires on motorcycle rims. 
The portable tire tool includes three basic members: a lever arm, a tire 
pry arm, and a hook arm. The lever arm includes a handle portion at one 
end, a neck portion and a fulcrum portion at the other end. The tire pry 
arm includes a first end portion having a tire contact surface, a middle 
portion and a second end portion having a tire pry surface. The hood arm 
is a J-shaped member having a hook on one end, a middle portion, and a 
straight end portion on the other end. Both the tire pry arm and hook arm 
may be bolted, or otherwise connected, to the fulcrum portion of the lever 
arm in various different configurations which may be utilized for both 
removing the tire from the wheel rim and installing the tire on the wheel 
rim. 
As a further feature of the present invention, a channel member is provided 
for mounting the lever arm to the central hub of the wheel rim. Depending 
upon the particular removal or installation operation, the lever arm may 
be connected to the channel member by either the lever arm handle portion 
or the lever arm fulcrum portion to secure the lever arm to the wheel. 
The tire tool in accordance with the present invention may be assembled in 
six various configurations. One of these configurations is a compact 
assembly designed for storage and transportation of the tool. The other 
five configurations provide for removal of the first tire bead off of the 
wheel rim, forcing the tire off of the rim, and pushing the tire beads 
into position on the rim. 
Many devices have been developed for providing field removal and 
installation of tires, but none provide the numerous tool configurations 
available with the tool of the present invention and none offer the 
versatility, ease of operation and the capability of being assembled into 
a compact configuration for storage. 
The above-described, and many other features, and attendant advantages of 
the present invention will become apparent as the invention becomes better 
understood by reference to the following detailed description when 
considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The basic individual elements of a preferred portable tire tool device in 
accordance with the present invention are shown in FIG. 8. The basic 
elements of the tire tool are: the lever arm, shown at 10; the tire pry 
arm, shown at 12; and the J-shaped hook arm, shown at 14. Also shown in 
FIG. 8 are bolts 16 which are used to connect the various arm members 
together in different configurations during tire removal and installation 
operations. Further, pivot pin 18 and channel member 20 are also shown. 
These two pieces provide means for rotatably mounting the lever arm 10 to 
the hub of a given wheel rim. 
The lever arm 10 includes a handle portion 22 at one end, a neck portion 24 
and a fulcrum portion 26. The handle portion has a hole 28 near the end 
through which a bolt is passed for securing the tire pry arm 12 thereto 
during storage and transportation as shown in FIG. 7. The handle portion 
22 further includes mounting holes 32 through which one of bolts 16 may be 
passed when the lever arm 10 is mounted to the channel member 20 as shown 
in FIG. 1. The fulcrum portion 26 is preferably a forked-shaped member 
which may be formed as an integral part of the lever arm 10 or may include 
appropriately-sized metal tongues 34 and 36 which are welded to the lever 
arm neck portion 24. Holes 38 and 40 are provided in the fulcrum tongues 
34 and 36. These holes 38 and 40 are of a sufficient size to allow passage 
of bolts 16 therethrough for mounting the tire pry arm 12 and hook arm 14 
thereto as shown in FIGS. 1-5. Preferably, the lever arm 10 is bent as 
shown in the drawings to provide desired angles of contact between the 
various arm members, height from rim, and to provide a convenient storage 
package as shown in FIG. 7. 
The tire pry arm 12 includes a first end portion 42 which includes a tire 
contact surface, such as cross bar 44. The tire pry arm 12 further 
includes a second end portion 46 which includes a tire pry surface 48. The 
tire pry arm 12 also includes middle portion 50. 
The tire pry arm second end portion 46 includes a hole 54 which may be 
lined up with hole 28 of the lever arm 10 for passage of a bolt 
therethrough as shown in FIG. 7 to assemble the tire tool in its storage 
configuration as discussed above and as shown generally at 56 in FIG. 7. 
Holes 58 are provided through the tire pry arm middle portion 50 to 
provide a means for mounting the tire pry arm 12 to the fulcrum portion 26 
of lever arm 10. This attachment is accomplished by aligning the various 
holes and passing one of bolts 16 therethrough. Of course, any other 
suitable pins, rods, or other suitable mounting means may be used. 
The holes 60 in the tire pry arm middle portion 50 are provided for 
securing both the hook arm 14 and channel member 20 to the tire pry arm 12 
during storage and transportation as shown in FIG. 7. The holes 62 are 
provided for receiving bolts or pins for mounting the hook arm 14 to the 
tire pry arm 12 as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The tire pry arm 12 is 
preferably bent at 64 and 66, as shown in FIG. 8, to provide desired 
orientation of the lever arm 10, tire pry arm 12, and hook arm 14 during 
tire removal and installation operations, as well as during storage of the 
tool. 
The hook arm 14 is a J-shaped member having a hook portion 68 on one end 
and a straight end portion 70 on the other end. The straight end portion 
70 includes a longitudinally protruding tab 72 which may be integral with 
the hook arm 14 or welded thereto. The tab 72 is utilized for preventing 
slippage of the tool from the tire bead as shown in FIG. 5 or for applying 
localized pressure to the tire as shown in FIG. 4. The hook arm 14 
includes hole 74 which is positioned to allow mounting of the hook arm 14 
by way of a bolt 16 to the lever arm fulcrum portion 26 as shown in FIG. 
3. Hole 76 is provided in hook arm 14 for mounting the hook arm 14 to the 
lever arm fulcrum portion 26 as shown in FIG. 2, or hole 74 may be used. 
Holes 78 are provided for mounting the hook arm 14 to the tire pry arm 
first end portion 42 by way of bolts 16 and holes 62 as shown in FIGS. 4 
and 5. 
The channel member 20 includes a U-shaped channel 80 having holes 82 
through which bolts 16 may be passed for mounting the lever arm 10 
thereto, as in FIG. 1. A plurality of holes 82 are preferred to provide 
adjustment of lever arm 10 mounting configurations to accomodate rims of 
different diameter. The channel member 20 further includes means for 
receiving the pin 18. Preferably this is a nut 84, or other threaded 
assembly, which is adapted to receive the threaded end 86 of pivot pin 18. 
The nut or threaded assembly 84 may either be integral with the U-channel 
80 or may be welded thereto so long as it is securely fastened. 
All components of the preferred tire tool are made from high strength steel 
and steel alloys which have sufficient strength to withstand forces 
necessary to remove and install tires without deforming or breaking. 
Preferably, the lever arm 10, tire pry arm 12 and hook arm 14 are made 
from one half-inch square steel rod which is bent and formed to the 
desired configurations. The pivot pin 18 is also preferably made from a 
suitably strong metal such as those typically employed as axles for 
motorcycle wheels. The preferred pivot pin 18 is the axle from the wheel 
on which a given tire is to be changed. The channel member 20 is 
preferably, also, made from high strength steel materials, as is the T-bar 
91. 
The T-bar 91 is a T-shaped piece of metal used to position the tire 
sidewall and beads during various operations. The T-bar is shown in FIG. 
10 at 91. The T-bar 91 includes a straight end 93 for insertion between 
the rim and tire as shown in FIG. 9. The T-bar 91 also included spoke 
attachment end 95. The end 95 is designed to releasably engage the spokes 
100 as shown in FIG. 9 to securely position T-bar 91. The use of T-bar 91 
prevents the tire 88 from slipping back onto the rim during removal 
operations. The T-bar 91 is bent to provide desired positioning when in 
use (FIG. 9). This bent T-bar 91 configuration also allows it to be 
conveniently inserted into the compact tool assembly shown in FIG. 7. The 
inserted T-bar 91 is not shown in FIG. 7; however, when inserted, the 
T-bar 91 would be positioned between the lever arm 10 and the tire pry arm 
12 and preferably between the tire pry arm 12 and the hook arm 14 with the 
spoke attachment end 95 sticking out between the arms of lever arm fulcrum 
portion 26. 
Referring to FIG. 1, a typical motorcycle wheel and tire assembly is shown 
generally at 88. The wheel includes a central hub portion 90. The hub 
portion shown in FIG. 1 is designed for driving the wheel assembly and, 
therefore, includes drive sprocket 92. The central hub 90 includes an axle 
hole 94 (shown in phantom) for mounting the wheel 88 on an axle. During 
tire removal operations, the wheel 88 is placed on suitable supports 96 
and 98. Although the use of supports similar to those shown at 96 and 98 
are desirable to provide convenient positioning of the wheel 88, they are, 
of course, not necessary. The central hub 90 is connected by way of spokes 
100 to the wheel rim 102. The tire 104 is mounted on the rim 102. The tire 
104 includes tread portion 106, sidewalls 108, and first tire bead 110 and 
second tire bead 112. 
The preferred tire tool configuration shown in FIG. 1 is designed to remove 
the tire bead 110 from the rim 102. The lever arm 10 is mounted to the 
channel member 20 which is in turn rotatably secured to the central hub 90 
by way of pivot pin 18, which most conveniently is the axle of wheel 88. 
As is apparent, the various holes 82 in the channel member 20 provide for 
adjustment so that the lever arm 10 may be utilized for rims 102 having 
different diameters. Preferably, a bolt 16 is placed through holes 38 in 
the lever arm fulcrum portion 26. The tire pry arm pry surface 48 is then 
inserted underneath the tire bead 110, by way of using cross bar 44 as a 
hand held pushing surface. The tire pry arm 12 is then leveraged against 
bolt 16 by pulling the first end portion 42 inward as indicated by arrow 
114. After the tire bead 110 has been pried up and over rim 102, the T-bar 
91 is inserted in the space between tire bead 110 and rim 102 with the end 
95 being hooked around spokes 100 as previously discussed and shown in 
FIG. 9. The tire pry arm 12 may then be removed. The lever arm 10 is then 
rotated to another position along rim 102 with the tire pry surface 48 
being again inserted between the rim 102 and tire bead 110 to repeat the 
process until the bead is pryed away from the rim around its entire 
perimeter, perferably the T-bar 91 staying in its original inserted 
position during the entire tire removal operation. 
FIG. 2 shows a preferred configuration for exerting pressure on the tire 
sidewall 108 for tire removal. The hook arm 14 is connected to the fulcrum 
portion 26 through holes 38 utilizing bolt 16. The tire pry arm 12 through 
one of holes 58 is connected to the fulcrum portion by way of bolt 16 
through holes 40. As will be realized, the various holes 58 in the tire 
pry arm 12 provide for adjustment of the tire pry arm 12 relative the 
lever arm 10 to provide for operation on different size tires. The lever 
arm handle portion 22 is forced downward as indicated by arrow 116 to 
apply pressure to the tire sidewall 108 by way of the cross bar 44. The 
hook arm 14 is hooked to rim 102 by way of hook 68 to provide the 
necessary leverage attachment for pressing the tire 88 away from rim 102. 
FIG. 3 is a similar configuration to the preferred tool setup shown in FIG. 
2. The hook arm 14 is reversed so that it hooks the inside of rim 102 as 
opposed to the outside of rim 102 as shown in FIG. 2. Further, the tire 
pry arm 12 is mounted to the fulcrum portion of lever arm 10 through a 
hole 58 which is closer to the tire pry arm first end portion 42. This 
preferred configuration is particularly useful in forcing the tire 
sidewalls 108 and tire bead 110 down over the rim 102 during tire 
installation. 
FIGS. 4 and 5 depict preferred configurations in which the hook arm 14 is 
secured to the tire pry arm first end portion 42 as previously discussed. 
The tire pry arm 12 is pivotally mounted to the lever arm 10 which in turn 
is secured to the tire hub 90 by way of channel member 20 and pin 18. The 
difference between the configurations shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is that the 
tire pry arm 12 is inverted in FIG. 5 from the position shown in FIG. 4. 
The configuration in FIG. 4 provides desirable localized pressure 
application to the tire sidewall 108 or bead 110 at a preferred downward 
angle. In FIG. 5, more radially outward pressure can be applied using the 
shown configuration. The tab 72 protruding from the hook arm 14 is 
especially desirable to prevent the tire bead 110 from slipping over the 
hook arm 14 while the tire bead 110 is being forced outward due to 
leverage applied by the outward movement of lever arm 10. 
FIG. 7 shows the preferred tire tool when it is assembled in compact form 
for storage or transportation. As previously discussed, a bolt 16 is 
positioned through holes 28 and 54 in the lever arm 10 and tire pry arm 
14, respectively, to hold those ends together. As shown in FIG. 7, the 
tire pry arm first end portion fits conveniently into the forked section 
of the fulcrum portion 26 to provide a particularly compact package. The 
hook arm 14, channel member 20, and T-Bar 91 (not shown) also conveniently 
fit in the space between the lever arm neck portion 24 and tire pry arm 
middle portion 50 where they are securely held in place when bolt 16 is 
secured through holes 28 and 54. 
Having thus described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it 
should be noted by those skilled in the art that the within disclosures 
are exemplary only and that various other alternatives, adaptations and 
modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention. 
Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific 
embodiments as illustrated herein.