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Post by gdjohnson on Jun 20, 2005 23:06:14 GMT -5
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Post by 5twins on Jun 21, 2005 8:08:20 GMT -5
So have you used it yet? How's it work?
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Post by 30coupe on Jun 21, 2005 9:39:48 GMT -5
Yeah, hows it workin out? Have you you tried both spokers and mags? Any scratches? Punctured any tubes? Uh, not meaning I've ever had that happen to me doing it by hand...  ...30coupe |
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Post by gdjohnson on Jun 25, 2005 17:46:28 GMT -5
No I haven't even put it togather yet, maybe this weekend. I've been busy getting new carpet throughout the house and now I've got a week long business trip coming up week after next. The garage is full of furniture so very little room to build it right now.
Greg
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ducky
New Member
Posts: 14
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Post by ducky on May 28, 2007 8:22:06 GMT -5
I have one. So far it works great - yeah it isn't super fast but @ 3 in the morning it gets work done. Not as good as the one I used at Western Auto - but it will suffice. Make sure that you spend a few dollars and get "drop anchor concrete bolts." I still change my cycle tires by hand on an old plastic walk on industrial trigger mat. Stil wood wedge nicely break the bead. Spring steel brake hardware from railroad car are my tire "irons," & cut up plastic from milk jugs protect my rims. Looks kooky but works. I was raised on a farm years ago - we make the buffalo grunt.
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ducky
New Member
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Post by ducky on May 29, 2007 15:40:57 GMT -5
Just a note; the wedge I use to break the tire bead is made of plastic. It is available from your local Stil Chainsaw dealer.
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Post by tomterrific on May 29, 2007 17:13:41 GMT -5
I posted about a bead breaker I made up on the spot with two pieces of wood and a loop of chain. It worked great if you are a cheapskate, have some junk and have a bit of imagination. Search.
Tom Graham
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Post by xsleo on Jan 22, 2008 23:40:41 GMT -5
i have used a large c-clamp to break beads, not fast but works, works to push brake caliper pistons in when changing pads. most any leaf spring leaves will work for tire irons, just narrow them for the first few inches. i have been thinking of a way to hold the wheel up at a good hieght and keep it from turning. a frame with a long bolt to slide wheel down over,then a large washer and wing nut for hold down. maybe a couple padded pins to put against the rim between spokes, adjustable to match wheel size. i'm still planning
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Post by eric123 on Jan 23, 2008 17:47:21 GMT -5
I have the Harbor Freight tire changer...I wish I would have just bought a good set of tire irons instead...
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Post by bubbakahuna on Mar 25, 2009 15:16:32 GMT -5
I have the HF tire changer as well & I like it. You really need to anchor it to your floor.
Not doing so lets you just walk your tires around the garage in a circle.
Cheers
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Post by 5twins on Jul 1, 2009 10:49:56 GMT -5
I'm putting the finishing touches on my HF motorcycle tire changer now. I wanted to do things as cheap as possible so I bought only the top part, the motorcycle attachment, and built my own base. This means I didn't get the long pry bar either so I had to make one of those as well. From my research on the web, I found that many who get the complete HF set-up end up buying another motorcycle specific pry bar anyway. Problem is, they cost like $99. Well, I found a place that sells just the replacement plastic ends for their bar. I got a set of them for $18.95 and built a bar to use them ..... tinyurl.com/m2gzz2The HF changer has some short comings and works better with a few modifications. The clamping blocks have a very small groove for the rim and while they'll fit the spoked alloy rim, a mag or a more modern wheel may not go in it. Also, it would be nice to have some extra space to place rubber padding in so the rim is not marred. I found this PDF doc on-line that outlines a fix for the blocks ..... www.advrider.com/Wisdom/TireChangerMods1.0.pdfI made my own out of some 1/4" steel plate with some bent plate welded to the top for the rim to fit into. I use lengths of 3/8" fuel line split down the side and slipped over the rim edge to protect it. I'll get some pics up with some more info soon. |
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Post by 5twins on Jul 1, 2009 16:28:59 GMT -5
I have a little "platform" made up of a double layer of 2x6s nailed together in a square to lay tires/wheels on when I work on them. The double thickness and open center allows the disc or sprocket on the wheel to stick down in but not rub on the ground. This was a big improvement over just laying the wheel on a couple loose 2x4s or 4x4s but still, I was working on my knees on the ground. So I decided to build a little table to hold this thing .....  The screw on the aluminum spinner knob sticks into the side of the 2x6 about an inch to hold it down into the angle frame. Then I got the idea of using this table as the base for a HF motorcycle tire attachment. I needed to add a shelf with a tube in the center. That tube needed to be low enough so I could still set wheels on the 2x6 frame to work on them .....  This meant a second tube was needed to slip on the 1st and bring the height up so the tire changer attachment could be fitted. This had to be easy on and off so the table could still be used for wheel work. Pinning the 2nd tube to the 1st with a hitch pin solved that problem .....  The tire changer then slips over the second pipe. It is secured by a locating "pin" on that second pipe and a thumb wheel on the side of the changer .....  |
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Post by 5twins on Jul 1, 2009 17:04:51 GMT -5
The big issue with these changers is keeping them secured while using them. I didn't have a place I could bolt it down so needed another way to hold it steady while in use. I put strips of steel plate with a bent up lip between the legs at floor level and simply stand on them while using the changer .....  Pieces of that same bent plate were used as a basis for my larger clamping blocks which just bolt to the originals. They're big enough to allow rubber padding on the rim .....  All that was left was to make the mount/dismount bar. So far, it's worked very well for dismounting (the peg shaped end) but I still haven't gotten the hang of the mounting part yet. Then I watched some of the videos on the No-Mar site ..... www.nomartirechanger.com/video/showcaseThey've added a "T" handle to their bar recently and claim it makes mounting 200% easier. Also, it seems my technique was a little off as well. They say you should pull the bar for dismounting (which I was and it worked well) but push it with your hip while pulling on the "T" handle for mounting. The guy in the video says about 60% of the mounting operation is done by pulling on the "T" handle and 40% by pushing with your hip. So I've made up a "T" handle for my bar. I haven't had a chance to try it yet but I think it just might be the missing ingredient here .....   The final step is a good lube for the tire. For years I just used a mix of dish washing soap and water. I knew there were real lubes for tire changing but the ones I had previously run across were quite expensive. In my recent research though, I ran across this Ru-GLYDE stuff, available at NAPA and quite reasonably priced. A whole gallon was $14 but that's more than a lifetime supply and it does work very well .....  |
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Post by 5twins on Jun 15, 2011 12:06:25 GMT -5
Well, I finally sorted the mounting end of my bar. I was never able to find a good picture of that end but finally did .....  I didn't angle the end of the square tube on mine when I originally made it and that was the problem .....  The bar kept popping out and basically didn't work. So, a little modding to the end of my bar, angling the square tube portion back .....  ..... and it mounts tires like a charm now .....  Cutting the square tube back and at an angle allows the bead of the tire to ride up over the mounting angle part and hold it in place. That was the "secret" and so like I said, now the bar mounts tires as well as it dismounts them. |
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Post by tomterrific on Jun 15, 2011 18:30:14 GMT -5
Great research 5T! Thank you for sharing it with us.
Tom
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...30coupe
