Hand Mounting Tires/Tubes

[sail]

Does anyone have experience with this? It seems like with a couple cheap HF tire irons and care it should be able to be done properly.

 

[Andrew Mace]

I have Harbor Freight's manual tire changer and have had decent luck with it. I find it awkward to use for mounting tires, but with practice I've gotten better. It is rather an "old school" style, which means that one will likely put some scratches on the paint on the very edge of a rim, and I don't know as I'd want to even attempt changing tires on an alloy rim with it, but....

 

[TR6oldtimer]

Why? The last time I did a tire change with tire irons was when I was in high school some 50 years ago. Nothing like seeing a tire iron sail across the drive way, or pinching a tube and not discovering it until you put air into it.

Then there were those killer split rims on the 51 Dodge Power Wagon that could go boom into the stratosphere...

 

[sail]

Yes I did them in HS on a machine also. I have a broken spoke and wanted to do it here. I may be able to just pull the tire back on one side.

 

[angelfj1]

Does anyone have experience with this? It seems like with a couple cheap HF tire irons and care it should be able to be done properly.

Sure! Lots of experience from high school days working as a grease monkey. That's why I would never do it again.

Why would you want to?

 

[Rhodyspit75]

You will first need to break the bead which we used to do with a bumper jack. Once you have done that you use the tire irons along with a 3 lb hammer to separate the tire from the rim.
If you are just trying to replace a spoke then I think you are right . You don't have to remove the tire just break the bead and collapse the tire enough to get to the spoke.

 

[Geo Hahn]

I use the Harbor Freight changer with total success. The unit comes with a bead breaker -- it's very easy to break the bead on TR rims. I have done wires, alloy and stock steel, no problem. Tube-type, tubeless, even modern safety rims -- all good.

To avoid scratching the rim you just put the tire on the changer face down -- all the tire iron work is then done on the backside of the rim.

I use the long tire iron that comes with the unit plus one of their 24" irons if the tire wants to creep back on the rim as I go around. The key thing may be to have the unit securely mounted to the floor so you can apply lots of leverage w/o a concern about anything else wanting to move.

The other useful tip is to have the rim well-secured to the changer. I used my angle grinder to remove that metal universal pin that is supposed to go through a lug hole (have to get rid of it anyway for wires) and use a suitable nut & bolt for disc wheels and a wire wheel adaptor hub for the wires (adaptor right way 'round, wheel on it backwards).

I also use their bubble-balancer which has always got me a good result.

With the many sources for great tire prices on the internet it is pretty handy to be able to mount them at home.

 

[Andrew Mace]

I use the Harbor Freight changer with total success....I use the long tire iron that comes with the unit plus one of their 24" irons if the tire wants to creep back on the rim as I go around....I also use their bubble-balancer which has always got me a good result.

Good tips on the changer; thanks!

I've been tempted by their balancer as well. Do you have any trouble buying appropriate wheel weights local to you, or do you mail-order them?

 

[Geo Hahn]

I bought them on the internet because all the local sources wanted to sell me a 100-lifetimes supply. Soon thereafter I saw them in small quantities in an auto parts store.

Even dumber -- I didn't pay attention to where the eBay seller was -- only when they arrived did I realize he was just a mile from my home.

BTW -- I use the stick-on weights rather than the clip-ons. Since I am not doing dymanic balancing (or whatever you call balancing inside to outside) I just put the weight on the centerline of the rim.

 

[TomMull]

I agree with the affirmative side. It's kind of satisfying to be able to do it (although in the interest of full disclosure, I drive to the tire store now). I worked for a new car dealer back then who did all tire changes by hand (seems like I got to do most of them). Did have a bead breaker contraption which probably didn't work as well as Rhodyspits's bumper jack (anybody else got one of those?). The rest was done with a pair of spoons and a bunch of grunts. The bubble balancer was another story. It took some skill and a bit of luck to get it right. Tom

 

[Marvin Gruber]

I still do it by hand. Most places here will not touch a wire wheel. I do have a guy ( small shop) that will balance for me. I have a bead breaker that is mounted just outside the garage door. Two seconds and I have it broken down. Two large screwdrivers, a rubber mallet and the tire is off. Painted wheels do get a scratch sometimes.

Marv

 

[TR3driver]

I use the Harbor Freight changer with total success. The unit comes with a bead breaker -- it's very easy to break the bead on TR rims.

I'll have to bring you some of my tires & rims; have you show me how, Geo :laugh:

I likewise have one of the HF changers, but I've only been medium successful with it. Mounting one of my 205/55 Potenzas onto a 5.5" alloy rim was a major exercise in frustration. I did get there, but it took over an hour and I was literally dripping sweat by the time I was done. Felt like a total idiot when I took the second one to the local WalMart and they mounted it for free!

But then after I discovered the alloy rims wouldn't work on my TR3, I got a different grease monkey, and he couldn't mount them even with his pneumatic machine! The manager had the nerve to tell me that those tires were 15" while my rims were 5.5J; and then use his tape measure to show me that it was more than 15" from one side to the other

I've only done one wire wheel on the HF changer, and it did go pretty easy. No adapter, I just laid the wheel face down with the little locator thing between the spokes and clamped it firmly. The tire went on fairly easily so not too much strain on the spokes.

PS, bead lubricant is your friend. No doubt there are better concoctions, but I use Simple Green diluted about 1:1 with water, in a spray bottle.

 

[Brosky]

I did thousands of those when I was an apprentice years ago. I won't ever do one again unless there is no other way for me to get home.