Ken-Tool's new tire service tool, the Valve Breaker, quickly removes valve stems from demounted wheels.
The Valve Breaker is compact and powerful, the company says. It uses a slide ram design to drive a heat-treated punch into the valve stem seat to easily pop the valve stem out of the rim after the wheel has been demounted. This allows the service technician to quickly remove the stem with the wheel on the floor.
The slide ram is made from solid round steel bar stock to drive more energy into the valve stem to knock it out of the wheel quickly and efficiently.
The Ken-Tool Valve Breaker protects the operator with a rubber safety-grip drive handle and a vibration-absorbing rubber grip on the outer tube. A protective flange at the top of the tube helps to prevent pinching, and an energy-absorbing, spring-loaded punch assembly protects the wheel while reducing shock to the operator’s hands.
The Valve Breaker is made in the U.S. and is available in two lengths -- 27 inches and 45 inches, and weighs nine pounds and 15.5 pounds, respectively.
The Valve Breaker tool is easy to service, says Ken-Tool, with three components needed to rebuild it – the punch, a spring and a roll pin. A repair kit includes these replacement components.