A bead seater, also known as a bead blaster, is an important piece of equipment for any auto shop. It’s important to understand what a bead blaster is, its benefits and why it’s a smart investment.

What is a Tire Changer’s Bead Blaster?

What is a bead seater? It’s a piece of equipment used when repairing or installing tires, typically for cars and light trucks. By providing a high-pressure burst of air into a tire cavity, a bead seater helps to align the beads that are necessary for proper seating of the tire in the wheel assembly.

The bead blaster is necessary when you are repairing old tires or installing new or old ones. When the tire is mounted on the wheel and the beads on the tire do not align with the rim, important steps need to be taken.

The bead seater uses a brief, massive burst of air that seats it in the rim. It can then be inflated to the proper pressure level using the tire valve.

How It Works

Tire changer bead blaster systems are an effective way to ensure the tire and wheel are properly aligned and ready for use. The bead blaster system generated a large amount of high-pressure air. The air is directed into the interior cavity of tubeless tires. Doing so helps to seat the tire in the wheel assembly.

It’s important that the tire bead – the section of the tire that’s reinforced and comes in contact with the rim – is properly aligned. Tire beads are critical to tire performance, by establishing and maintaining the seal between the tire and the rim in order for the tire to hold air.

That’s where the bead blaster comes in. The system allows for proper inflation, especially in tires that have very stiff sidewalls. The beads on these types of tires often will not seat properly when inflating them using a valve stem.

Most bead blaster systems operate in the same way. Compressed air is held in an external tank where it remains until needed. A technician uses a foot pedal to control the system. When depressed partially, air rushes into the tire using a hose that’s attached to the tire’s valve stem. If the pedal is depressed fully, there’s a larger volume of air introduced into the tire from holes in a slide mechanism.

It’s the combination of air, from both the valve stem inflation hose and the compressed air from the bead blaster that seats the beads even among the most difficult tires.

When the blast of compressed air arrives, it creates pressure at the top sideway. The air pressure seats the top beam of the tire to the tire’s rim temporarily.

After that first burst, the technician directs a large amount of compressed air to the bottom sidewall. That burst temporarily aligns the lower bead to the lower rim.

In most cars and light trucks, this process happens quickly, usually less than a second. Meanwhile, the continual flow via the value stem of air keeps the pressure up against both beads. In no time, both beads are seated permanently. At this point, the tire can be inflated to its proper pressure,

Benefits of a Bead Seater

Having a bead seater in your auto shop makes lots of sense. Here are some of the benefits of using a bead seater:

• Saves Time. With a bead seater, you can rapidly inflate new tires and ensure that they are placed properly in the tire rim. In just a few seconds, you’ll have all the tires for a particular repair job completed. Saving time lets you save money, too, spending less time on tire repair and installation jobs
• Improves Customer Service. With a bead blaster, you’ll have more satisfied customers who will have their cars ready quickly. You can be confident that any repairs or installations are done properly, accurately, and with less chance of being returned due to improper installation
• Better Safety. Properly inflated, mounted, and aligned tires are critical for car safety. When using a bead seater, you know that your customers have properly installed tires that will be safe to use on their vehicles. In addition, bead seaters are safe to use, eliminating the risk of workplace accidents that could injure your valuable employees
• Flexibility. With a multipurpose bead seater in your auto shop, you can use one piece of equipment for most cars and light trucks you work on. Having one piece of equipment saves space and the bead blaster can be used in multiple work bays at once.
• Affordability. A bead seater is a low-cost investment in your auto shop that will pay for itself in no time. With excellent performance and time and money savings, a bead seater will pay for itself quickly

Why Do I Need a Bead Seater for my Auto Shop?

A bead blaster is a must for the modern auto shop. The bead blaster helps you stay ahead of the competition by using the most advanced machines to ensure tires are properly inflated. With the right equipment, your customers will be satisfied and come back when they need new tires, tires repaired and other work on their cars.

Replacement Parts for Your Bead Blasters

Bead blasters are important components of today’s auto shops. However, despite being durable and reliable, with repeated use, parts may need to be replaced. When you need to replace a part on your bead blaster, or other essential equipment, turn to SVI International. SVI is the leading provider of shop equipment parts and a leading automotive lift manufacturer.

SVI has three warehouses and 50 different product lines. It can also create custom parts for your auto shop. Founded in 1977, SVI has more than 40,000 repair parts and more than 2,000 distributors. That means you can get any replacement parts for your bead blaster quickly and reliably.

To learn more about how SVI International can deliver the parts you need to keep your auto shop running, contact us today.