this isn't exactly the kind of shop work I like to do, but shit breaks down. somebody has to fix it. I couldn't get Nancy to do it for me.
a few weeks ago I went out to the shop to saw a couple of chunks of oak and cherry off of some firewood pieces I've been using for smoking brisket. I turn on saw and as soon as I touched the blade to the wood, BANG kerchunk kerchunk. I finished pissing my pants while I smashed the off switch. the "tire" on the upper wheel just disintegrated without warning. never saw a bandsaw tire fail so dramatically. luckily, it didn't demolish the relatively new silicon steel blade.
the top tire that blew was probably the original rubber tire that Jet put on it. the lower wheel had a white urethane tire that the dude I bought this saw from must have put on it. I decided that I'm not ever doing this again, so I decided to just get two new tires. I got busy hunting and just got around to ordering new tires last week. package arrived saturday, three days ahead of schedule. the researching I did all pointed to these.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/273870553420 as being the best aftermarket replacement tires to be had. made in USA, lifetime warranty. several reviews stated that their saw ran a small but noticeable amount quieter and with less vibration. we'll see. Ebay was the best price I found, too. These do seem to be extremely well made, high quality urethane tires.
the two tires came with a very simple little tool to aid in getting new tire stretched around the wheel, which was a huge help. just a 4" piece of wood dowel with a 12d nail with a sleeve in it. this job is a pain in the ass, period. it's hard to appreciate what a pain it is unless you've done it before.
got skunked this morning, decided to not hunt tonight, so I sharpened up my butchering knives and got to work on the bandsaw.
while it was a pain in the ass, I did manage to get the top tire on without removing the wheel. had to take the bottom wheel off, but it did make stretching the new tire on a little easier. these things are stretched super tight getting them on, and the tool included helped a lot. I'll put the blade back on and readjust the guide bearings another day. glad that's over. I hope these outlive me.