A wheel supporting device for enabling the seating of bead of a tire concentrically on a wheel rim of a wheel and tire assembly when the assembly is in a vertical orientation. The device includes a main body member having a first end and a second end; a means for holding the device on a top of the tire, a means for engaging the device with an underside of the wheel rim, a means for adjusting the position of the engaging means, and a means for linking the engaging means with the adjusting means. The holding means is connected to the first end of the main body member, the engaging means is operatively connected to the second end of the main body member, and the adjusting means is operatively connected to the main body member.

A wheel supporting device for enabling the seating of bead of a tire concentrically on a wheel rim of a wheel and tire assembly when the assembly is in a vertical orientation. The device includes a main body member having a first end and a second end; a means for holding the device on a top of the tire, a means for engaging the device with an underside of the wheel rim, a means for adjusting the position of the engaging means, and a means for linking the engaging means with the adjusting means. The holding means is connected to the first end of the main body member, the engaging means is operatively connected to the second end of the main body member, and the adjusting means is operatively connected to the main body member.

A pneumatically operated gas valve mounted on a vessel containing pressurized gas. The gas valve includes a piston positioned in a cylinder with one closed end so that the piston seats against a gas outlet to close the gas valve. A control reservoir is formed in the cylinder between the piston and the closed end of the cylinder. Upon filling vessel, some of the pressurized gas enters the control reservoir to provide a control pressure behind the piston. Actuating the control mechanism vents the control reservoir, resulting in the gas valve opening rapidly to release the pressurized gas in the vessel through an exhaust port of the gas valve.

A pneumatic tire seater configured to seat a tubeless tire on a rim has a manual internal slip (MIS) valve mounted on the end of a tank. A nozzle is mounted on one end of the MIS valve, and the other end extends partially into the air tank. The MIS valve has a slotted chamber with slotted chamber holes, and a slip cylinder that fits within the slotted chamber and has slip cylinder holes. A compression spring in the MIS valve exerts force on the slotted cylinder, pushing it forward to line up the cylinder holes with the slotted chamber holes and release the high pressure air from within the tank which goes through the MIS valve and out the nozzle.

A nozzle for seating a tubeless tire on a rim using pressurized gas includes a coupling neck configured to accept the pressurized gas from a pressurized tank, a choke point adapter connected to the coupling neck and a nozzle body configured with a nozzle output. Pressurized air introduced into the coupling neck pass through the nozzle and exits the nozzle output in a burst of the pressurized gas that is directed between the tubeless tire and the rim to inflate the tire. The choke point adapter has a chokepoint surface with a chokepoint angle of sufficient angle to aid in reducing the recoil of the tubeless tire seating device.

A tire fitting device includes: an arm for moving toward a tire; a striking roller for applying a striking force in the vicinity of a bead part, the striking roller being attached to the arm; a receiving roller for receiving the tire to which the striking force is applied; and an elastic member for elastically supporting the receiving roller.

A tire fitting device includes: an arm for moving toward a tire; a striking roller for applying a striking force in the vicinity of a bead part, the striking roller being attached to the arm; a receiving roller for receiving the tire to which the striking force is applied; and an elastic member for elastically supporting the receiving roller.

A loader device includes a support pedestal movable over a range of longitudinal travel along a longitudinal axis, a support carriage movably mounted to the support pedestal, a loader actuator, and a dismount actuator. The support carriage is movable over a range of vertical travel along a normal axis, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The support carriage has a support arm adapted to support a tire casing. The loader actuator and dismount actuator are respectively adapted to selectively move: (1) at least a portion of a tire casing supported upon the support carriage in a loading direction along the longitudinal axis off of the support arm onto the expandable rim hub and (2) at least a portion of a tire casing supported upon the expandable rim hub in an opposing unloading direction off of the expandable rim hub and onto the support arm of the loader device.

A loader device includes a support pedestal movable over a range of longitudinal travel along a longitudinal axis, a support carriage movably mounted to the support pedestal, a loader actuator, and a dismount actuator. The support carriage is movable over a range of vertical travel along a normal axis, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The support carriage has a support arm adapted to support a tire casing. The loader actuator and dismount actuator are respectively adapted to selectively move: (1) at least a portion of a tire casing supported upon the support carriage in a loading direction along the longitudinal axis off of the support arm onto the expandable rim hub and (2) at least a portion of a tire casing supported upon the expandable rim hub in an opposing unloading direction off of the expandable rim hub and onto the support arm of the loader device.

A tire spreader has a pair of tire engaging members pivotally interconnected at a coupling location, each supporting a tire engaging element for contacting a sidewall of a tire. The tire engaging members can be pivotally actuated relative to one another from a neutral position, in which the sidewalls are spaced apart at a regular spacing, to a self-retaining spreading position in which the tire engaging elements are spaced further apart than in the neutral position so as to spread the sidewalls further apart from their regular spacing. First and second pivotally interconnected links are provided, with one of the links connected to the first tire engaging member between the coupling location and the tire engaging element of this first member, while the other one of the links is connected to the second engaging member spaced from the coupling location in a direction distal to the tire engaging element thereof.