Patent ID: 7261135

Claim:
A method of fitting a tire (P) and a removable tread support (S) on a one-piece wheel rim (J), said rim comprising a first rim seat, inclined outwards, extended axially outwards by a projection of low height and joined axially inwards to a rim bearing surface intended to receive said tread support (S) and a second rim seat, inclined outwards, whose axially inner end is on a circle with a diameter greater than a diameter of a circle on which the axially inner end of the first rim seat is situated, and said tire (P) comprising a first bead and a second bead which will be mounted respectively on the first and second rim seats, said method comprising the steps of: (a) placing said tread support (S) into said tire (P), (b) placing, from a side opposite to the second rim seat, the second bead of said tire (P) and said tread support (S) on the rim (J) until positioned on said rim bearing surface; (c) fitting said tread support (S) completely onto said rim bearing surface and mounting the first bead on the first rim seat; and (d) mounting the second bead on the second rim seat; whereby the step (c) of fitting said tread support onto said rim bearing surface further comprises the sequence of sub-steps of: first, gripping the first bead seat of said tire (P) at a given location before completely pushing said tread support (S) on said rim bearing surface, then moving radially outward said given location of the first bead seat to move the first bead seat radially away from said tread support (S), pushing said tread support (S) completely onto said rim bearing surface, and releasing the first bead after completing the pushing of the said tread support (S) on to said rim (J).