The Danger Of Mounting Tyres

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An exploding rim has left an American karter with hand injuries.

Anthony Colandro of Tony Power Kart Supply was mounting new tyres in his shop when a one-piece aluminium rim split.

Colandro told KartSportNews the rim was a brand new Van-K Wheel and he was using “around 120ish” psi air pressure.

The outer half of the rim that exploded in two (pic – Colandro/fb)

“I was mounting a LF and the rim blew apart” he posted on social media.

“It blew my thumb off, 20+ stitches in right hand, eight stitches in my left hand. Fractured right thumb and slight fracture in left hand.


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“It went off like a bomb. I couldn’t hear or see for a few seconds, then I looked down and seen (sic) my thumb gone. They sewed it back on.”

The two parts fit together after the accident. Further damage was done when each piece hit other objects in the workshop (pic – Colandro/fb)

 

Tyre Fitting Recommendations:

  • Use an inflation cage
  • Use tyre lube to assist the bead pop on the rim
  • Kart tyres in Australia typically have a 4-bar (58psi) maximum pressure warning. Do not exceed it.
Outer rings to prevent tyre stretch don’t contain an exploding rim (pic – Colandro/fb)
Anthony Colandro nursing his injuries (pic – Colandro/fb)
Anthony reported it had been a productive day up until the explosion (pic – Colandro/fb)

The shop has now rigged up a new device (click to play):

 


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Anthony Colandro tpm tip of the month

Posted by Chris Cirillo on Monday, March 26, 2018