How to Remove a Tire From a Simplicity Riding Lawn Mower
Tip
Clean the wheel and tire with soap and water before attempting to remove it from the lawn mower.
Warning
Shut the engine down before jacking up the mower.
Simplicity manufacturing boasts to have some of the highest quality mowers on the market. This may be the case, but every lawn mower experiences normal wear and tear--resulting in eventual maintenance and repair. One such type service that all mowers require at some point, replacement of a bad tire. Removing a tire and wheel from a Simplicity riding lawn mower requires the use of a few, everyday, tools found in most homeowner toolboxes.
Position the simplicity mower on a hard surface such as concrete, or in the garage. A firm, level surface will support the mower and jack while servicing the tires.
Place the mower’s gear in reverse and set the parking brake. This will prevent the mower from rolling off the jack--making the lawnmower safer to work under.
Set a standard car jack, or floor jack, under the axle of the tire to be removed. Ensure the area around the axle will support the weight of the tracker when jacking it up. Do not jack up on the exhaust or fiberglass body parts.
Jack the lawnmower up until the tire clears the ground.
Remove the plastic dust cap from the center cap of the tire. A small flat-head screwdriver placed along the edge of the dust cap will help to pry it off the center cap.
Slide the retaining ring off the end of the axle shaft. With the dust cap out of the way, the retaining ring is exposed at the tip of the axle, and holds the tire and wheel onto the axle. A flat-head screwdriver, placed between the gap in the retaining ring and the axle, will allow the ring to pry off the end of the axle.
Remove the retaining ring, and the flat-washer directly underneath it. Set these parts to the side for reuse when reinstalling the tire.
Grasp the tire at the three and nine-o'clock positions with both hands and pull it straight off the lawnmower's axle.
Replace the tire with a new one, or have the existing tire repaired. Reinstall the new tire using the same hardware in the reverse order.
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Writer Bio
Damon Hildebrand is a retired U.S. Navy veteran. He has more than 15 years within the oil and gas industry in both technical and managerial positions. Hildebrand has been a technical writer and communicator for the last four years. He is a certified specialists in lubrication and tribology, as well as a certified maintenance and reliability professional.
