Assignment 20: How It's Made- Sam Chavez

Working at a busy Go Kart track for a few months has left me with more mechanics knowledge than I would have expected. From people flipping their karts at 45 MPH, to people driving straight through the barriers, we see lots of weird issues that require maintenance on the karts themselves. The most common one of all though, is a tire that needs replacing. On my first shift, a tire flew off of a kart and landed 50 yards away from where the kart was, which- you guessed it- is bad, so correct replacement is imperative.
1. If the bad tire is already off, then this step is of no importance, so you can skip it. If the tire is still connected to the kart though; which it usually is, you will need to remove it. To do this, you will need a 18mm Allen wrench and patience. There are 6 bolts that connect the wheel to the disc which is connected to the main frame, so you need to unscrew all 6 bolts. These bolts are upwards of 5 inches long so patience is key.
2. After all 6 bolts are off, the tire is disconnected from the disc and can be removed from it. After the tire is off, you must check to make sure the bearing is still intact. If it is, then it can be slipped out from the middle of the tire and used in the new one. It it is not, then you'll need a new bearing.
3. Once you have a new tire and a working bearing, you can do the reverse of steps 1 and 2. Put the  bearing in the new tire and slide it on the wheel post so it is close enough to the disc that you can start inserting the bolts.
4. Re-screw all 6 bolts and TIGHTEN.
Then you have a new tire on a go kart.