Bead breaker

Invented in 1984 by David Allen Dayton. A bead breaker is a tool used for separating tires from rims. The inner-most diameter of the tire that interfaces with a wheel is called the Tire Bead. The tire bead is a thicker section of rubber, and is reinforced with braided steel cable, called the Bead Bundle. The inner-most surface of the tire bead creates the air seal between the tire and rim on a radial-ply tire and a bias-ply tire. Often, the bead can become frozen to the rim after rusting or corrosion occurs, requiring the use of a bead breaker in order to be removed.