I can't get my tires off!

[DZink24]

I tried to do a tire rotation this weekend, to no avail. I jacked up the rear, got the 8 bolts off of each wheel, that is as far as I got. I could not for anything get the darn wheel off of the axle. This is on an 04 w/ 20,500 miles, I assume it is the first time the tires have been off. Are they rusted on? I'm gonna have to take it to a shop and PAY to have this done. How embarassing. Any input?

 

[testraub]

Hand sledge and a couple good whacks on the rubber should do the trick.

 

[CDyksman]

Don't feel bad Zink, I too could not get my wheels off the axle on my '04. Sledge, kicking, nothing worked. I took mine in and had it done, just didn't tell them I couldn't get them off.

 

[ttbird]

With the truck jacked up and lug nuts off, sit on the ground in front of the tire, use your legs and kick the outside of the tires at different spots. Say 6:00,, 11:00 and 4:00. A couple of good kicks should break them loose. Has always worked for me.

 

[HOBrian]

1. Loosen all the lug nuts but do not take them off.



2. Let the jack down. this should be enough movement (force) that the wheels will come loose.



3. Jack truck up and repeat for all other wheels.



hope this helps.

 

[DBrooks]

I've never had a problem with the fronts but the rears can be a real bear (at least the first time). I keep a can of spray white lithium grease handy and always spray a light coat on the rear hubs when I am rotating. So far no problems after starting to do that.

 

[MChildress]

I bumped them lightly with a sledge from the inside out and they popped right off. Pretty big sledge hammer though.

 

[lil red cummins]

i have on occassion backed the nuts off about 1 full turn and driven the truck back and forth about 50 feet each way until the rims worked loose. as long as you dont back the nuts off too far, you wont hurt the studs or the rims.



this procedure is almost mandatory on plow and salt trucks.



jim

 

[TRAMPLINEMAN]

Like posted above, when you put the tires back on, put anti-seize between the rim and hub.

 

[Cattletrkr]

I don't remember ever having a problem with the stock rims, but the RIckson steel rims always need at least a tap with a BIG sledge. I don't screw around anymore. 10lb sledge and a good swing at the sidewall and it still takes a few hits to get 'em good and loose. I don't think I can swing a sledge hard enough under there to hurt a 16ply tire. Stock tires I'd be a little more careful. :-laf Kickback is a *****.



I always anti-seize too.

 

[daytripper63]

Remove lug nuts on all wheels, lower truck back down to ground, start truck go for ride

 

[mcsinfl]

great ideas here. if you're going to use the sledge method, please make sure the trucks on stands

 

[MRFost]

12-Lb. Sledge on the tire portion, 3 whacks and they jump off there.

 

[TRAMPLINEMAN]

Remove lug nuts on all wheels, lower truck back down to ground, start truck go for ride

I like it!

 

[BGarofalo]

I had one so bad I took all but two lugs off and left them loose and drove around the block and they still didnt break free. Finally I left them loose and did a line lock and sure enough they popped. Good luck!!

 

[troll3193]

I had this problem on my 04 with aluminum rims. . Got stuck with a flat one night, couldn't get the rim to let loose. 20 minutes later a guy came buy to try and help. He ran home and got a dead-blow (plastic) sledge hammer. Smacked the rim a couple of times and it came off.



Since then I have carried a dead blow sledge in the truck. .



Bryan

 

[dcherill]

I had this problem on my 04 with aluminum rims. . Got stuck with a flat one night, couldn't get the rim to let loose. 20 minutes later a guy came buy to try and help. He ran home and got a dead-blow (plastic) sledge hammer. Smacked the rim a couple of times and it came off.



Since then I have carried a dead blow sledge in the truck. .



Bryan

There is a deadblow hammer in my center console (under seat) ever since I tried getting a flat rear wheel off.

deadblows are better than a sledge because it has the loose weights inside that carry lots of intertia, and since it is plastic, you can hit the rim with it, not just the tire, the tire bounces hammers too much. and if you have a flat, you won't do much good hitting an empty tire. just a couple of whacks from the inside and the wheel should pop right off, don't forget to rotate the wheel when hitting it, that should make it pop off easier (leave a couple of lugs on there to prevent it from popping straight off

 

[MacHaggis]

I favor the hammer. I sliced one open when a piece of broken cast iron turned edge up from under the grass as I went over it. Aluminum wheel and no smacking the tire. No way I was caling a rollback for a flat tire in the yard. Couldn't stand the mortification Mechanic out the road lent me an eight-pound split head hammer with rawhide faces. Three whacks and done.



I now have my own eight-pound split-head hammer with rawhide and nylon faces. I've also gotten a litttle more religious about rotating, so as not to have the problem in the first place. And anti-sieze at every rotation. Haven't needed the hammer since.

 

[DZink24]

I'm done- to the dealer it goes!

Tried again a few days ago- still not a chance of them coming off! This time, I had loosened all 16 on the front, put each front side up on stands, got a sledge hammer, pounded the heck out of them, not even a budge, not even close. So, I have had it. To the dealer it goes, that way, when something breaks, they fix it!

 

[KSears]

a friend of mine had a flat on his truck and had the same problem etting the rim off, tried everything , hammers etc. , wouldn't budge , finally took an 8' 2x4 and inserted in in one of the wheel openings (spokes) and gave it a little leverage action, it popped off ,fairly easy ,,,,,,big enough lever you could move the world they say,,,