Adding an assist arm to a tire changer

[rslaback]

I have a standard older Ranger tire machine in my shop. Every now and then it would be nice to have an assist arm and I am way too damn cheap to buy a new machine with one on it. Does anyone have any experience with the universalish fit ones designed to add on to an existing machine. Looks like they run from about $275 to $500 which is a lot more reasonable than a new tire machine.

 

[JSGAuto]

I have an older machine and am interested in this as well!

 

[rslaback]

I have an older machine and am interested in this as well!

We might have to figure this out on our own. How about you send me half of the cost of one so I can try it out. If I hate it then I will send it to you.

 

[JSGAuto]

HAHA! I'll have to move it up my to-do list. I have my usual round of spring winter-summer tire changes in a couple of months.

Jim

 

[signcrafter]

I have been looking at these every time I get a low profile or stiff wall tire to do. I have an atlas machine I bought a few years ago and atlas makes some assist arms specific to their machines but they are far more expensive then the generic add ons you can get for 300 bucks. The atlas ones are about 1000 each for the left and right hand. I don't do enough tire work to justify one of them I don't think. Don't really do enough to justify the balancer I bought but if you have a tire machine you kind of have to have a balancer. ***** mounting your own tires and then taking them to be balanced. I'll be watching to see if anyone has real world feedback on one of these. If you do get one would you get the left or right hand one?

 

[bb29510]

you tube

 

[39CAMC]

I don't have any real good advice on retrofitting an assist arm to a machine, but if you do any type of stiffer tires it would probably be worth it to add one. This style is a dead copy of the one on my shop Hunter machine https://www.ebay.com/itm/2550888844...ko4GNwDjoNuHu5UChlKQvIPTKdJW4F5BoCz7AQAvD_BwE

I think i would mount the pivot in double shear instead of how they show it.

My shop machine has all the fancy bead breaker rollers, and the assist and a leverless head so it is hard to compare...but my track machine is a Hunter Tc3700 with just and robo arm and granted, I am doing tires at the track which are by definition stiff, but it is an indispensable part of the machine/process. With a little skill, I can do anything I can do on the shop machine (without damage)

DaveW

 

[rslaback]

So I have never used a machine with an assist arm so I don't really know if a left or right attachment would be more helpful. It seems like a left arm would be helpful in holding a stiff tire down in the drop center when installing the top bead. What is the primary use of a right hand arm?

 

[rslaback]

So it looks like we would be best served with a left hand arm. In use the end of the arm rotates around the tire as it spins so this is the one you would want to help keeping a stiff tire down in the drop center.

I was seriously considering pulling the trigger on one from eBay but to be honest I am a bit put off. It looks like there are really just two sellers offering these right now. One in California and one in New Jersey. There are a bunch of accounts but it looks to just be duplicate accounts of two sellers. Anyway, the price listed is $315 shipped for all of them and there is a $5 off coupon code. The listings all are set to consider best offers. I have sent an offer of $270 to three of the listings and received counter offers of $308 and $307. 2 and 3 dollars off of a $300 purchase. Not to make this into an eBay rant but I really despise it when a listing appears to accept offers but really has no intention of accepting full price (or almost anyway.) It makes me want to buy it from someone else just to spite them, even if I have to pay more.
Anyway, I am holding off on this purchase for now. Maybe a 5% back in bucks offer will come up soon and change my mind...

 

[39CAMC]

I think you want it on the left. It will swing to the right side of the tire to press down there and follow it around

DaveW

 

[rslaback]

Just my luck. I finally pull the trigger on an arm for $307 when they have been sitting at $315 for weeks. Two days later a new bunch of them get posted at $299.

 

[outlawspeeder]

I just posted looking to build a swing arm. (main part for changing tires. Mine has the as the assist arm. I needed to fix the hoses but it works.
It doesn't look to hard to build.

 

[djbmw]

As an alternative to a pneumatic bead assist arm,.. have you looked at the inexpensive Bead Clamp Drop Center Tools ($10 each)? This is what I used when mounting low profile and/or run flats. They make it easier for sure.. but you still need to use your bars as well to help.

 

[JSGAuto]

As an alternative to a pneumatic bead assist arm,.. have you looked at the inexpensive Bead Clamp Drop Center Tools ($10 each)? This is what I used when mounting low profile and/or run flats. They make it easier for sure.. but you still need to use your bars as well to help.

I have those as well, they wont fit on all rims.

Anxious to hear how the install went.

I just made up a set of adapters so I can grab larger and smaller rims with my old machine. Couldn't find a set that would specifically list my machine, and at 3-400, I wasn't taking a risk....so I made some.

 

[PoorOwner]

I use those bead clamps in picture if it fits, I have not found one it does not fit, but you can also use wood blocks, clamps, I suppose.

I also added this bar below. I gave up the idea of wanting an assist arm because overall it is effortless. You just hold the bar steady, no hydraulic or pneumatic forces needed. I stop twice and insert 2 clamps. It also gives a chance to look for issues and back up if things don't go well. Now if you need to do 20 tires an hour, then I can see assist arm being useful.
I did have to strip the paint off the end of the bar, the paint was flaking off into sharp pieces that could cut you.

Manual Tire Changer Tubeless Bead Breaker Iron Mount Demount tool Nylon Roller

 

[nafterclifen]

It's not an arm but it's a hand - the "YellowThing".

Change Your Own Tires!

www.nomartirechanger.com