| How does a tire guard work? |
Tire guards are inserted inside tires to protect tire tubes. When an
object like
a bolt, nail, screw, etc., punctures the tread of a tire
with a properly installed
tire guard, the object will strike the tire
guard instead of the tube. Since the
guard is not part of the tire,
it can move toward the tube and resist the object.
The intruding object
will tend to move to the side or be forced out of the tire.
NOTE: Tire guards are not to be used on the highway or
at high speeds.
| Gathering important information |
Because tire sizes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer,
our tire guard manufacturer needs
to know some information about your
tires in order to build the tire guards.
1. Tire Manufacturer
The name of the tire manufacturer is usually displayed
on the side of the tire,
as shown in the examples below.
2. Tire Size
The examples below show the tire size for three different tires along
with a picture that
depicts where that tire size was found on the tire
itself. For instance, in the first example,
the tire size "18 x 8.50 - 8"
describes a tire that has an outside diameter of 18 inches,
a tread
width of 8.50 inches, and an inner rim diameter of 8 inches.
18 x 8.50 - 8
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4.10 - 4NHS
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20 x 10.00 - 8
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For more information about measuring tire size, see the GEMPLER'S Web
page titled How to Measure
Tires and Rims.
3. Tread Design
rib design
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sawtooth design
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turf design
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Turf Mate |
turf trac r/s design
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turf trac r/s design |
| Step-by-step installation process |
Important note: Before installing
a tire guard, always check inside the tire to make
sure there are
no objects or debris.
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1. The tire guard has a flat side (tube
side) and a beveled
edge side (tire side). The beveled edge gives
a smoother fit
in the shoulder area to help prevent tube chafing.
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2. The cut away views show
the tire
guard is 1/2" thick. |
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3. Squeeze the tire guard together and
insert it in the tire.
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4. Push the tire guard to the bottom of
the tire.
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5. Squeeze the remaining tire guard together
and push
it inside the tire.
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6. With the tire guard inside the tire,
push the loop
end inside the tire beads.
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7. With half the guard in the bead area,
push the remaining
half into the tire.
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8. With
just a large
loop left,
push on the center
of the loop.
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9. If there is a bulge or small loop left
after pressing several times
in different areas, then the guard
is too large in circumference for
the tire. Alternatively, if the
guard fits in the tire, but there is
enough space left over for
the guard to be moved up and down,
then the guard is too small in
circumference for the tire. If the
guard does not fit correctly,
it will cause a tube failure. For more
information, call our technical
service department
at 1-800-874-4755.
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10. When the tire guard fits correctly
inside the tire, the tire
guard will lay flat all the way around
the inside of the tire.
The fit should be snug, yet there should
be no bulges or
loops in the tire guard.
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11. Apply a coat of the tire talc #63 to
the tire guard
before installing the tube to help reduce chafing. |
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