Bead Breakers & Wedges

Commercial vehicle bead breakers and wedges from Melco — made in Sheffield for professional tyre, agricultural, fleet and workshop use. The range covers traditional struck bead-breaking chisels, portable slide-hammer bead breakers and a bead wedge for holding a broken bead clear of the rim. For HGV, fleet and heavier commercial work, see our Commercial Bead Breakers. For more detail on choosing a model, see our bead breaker buying guide.

Which Melco bead breaker do I need?

Model Type Size Best suited to How it works
BB/0 Struck bead-breaking chisel with guard 20″ / 500mm Vans, 4x4s, tractors, agricultural, construction and commercial tyres Place at the bead/rim line and strike with a lump hammer.
BB/0/S Short struck bead-breaking chisel with guard 10″ / 250mm Heavy-duty tyres where a shorter tool keeps the user closer to the work, especially tall tyres Used with a lump hammer in the same way as the BB/0.
BB/1 Single-pole slide-hammer bead breaker 37″ / 960mm closed; 61″ / 1550mm open Agricultural trailers, tractors, mowers, light commercial and on-site puncture work Built-in slide-hammer action — no separate hammer required.
BB/4 Heavy-duty double-handled slide-hammer bead breaker 38″ / 965mm closed; 62″ / 1575mm open Professional tyre fitting, commercial vehicles, fleets, quarry work and heavier agricultural tyres Two-handed slide-hammer action with spring-loaded safety trigger.
BW/1 Bead wedge Approx. 8″ / 200mm Holding a broken bead open while changing a tyre on the vertical Hooks over the wheel rim after the bead is broken to stop it re-seating while tyre levers are used.

Quick choice: choose the BB/0 for a traditional hammer-struck bead breaker, BB/0/S where a shorter tool is easier to control, BB/1 for portable slide-hammer work without a separate hammer, and BB/4 for the heaviest professional commercial applications. The BW/1 is used after the bead is broken to hold it clear of the rim.