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HF Manual Tire Changer - use for TPMS replacements?

The Critic

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Joined
Aug 18, 2008
Messages
675
Location
CA

I need to swap out 12 TPMS sensors, so I just need to break the bead on one side, reach in....and do the swap.

I have never used a manual tire changer - do you think I can accomplish this task using the HF tool?
 
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JeepYJ

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Dec 25, 2015
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Probably. Depends on tire size, rim material and how long they’ve been on there.
HF a sells a bead breaker too.
 

71goldss

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May 23, 2012
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1,513
Location
Northern Calif

I need to swap out 12 TPMS sensors, so I just need to break the bead on one side, reach in....and do the swap.

I have never used a manual tire changer - do you think I can accomplish this task using the HF tool?
I purchased the HF manual tire changer a few months ago for the same reason. Worked great, but I did bolt it down to my concrete garage floor using Red Head drop-in anchors from Home Depot. It may be stable enough without anchoring, but I felt better about anchoring first.

BTW, my tire size was 235/55R17
 

zendriver

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Dec 10, 2014
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Location
Indiana
Search on the Internet, there are ways to break a bead with just things around the garage
 

theoldwizard1

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Feb 22, 2011
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Location
SE MI
Search on the Internet, there are ways to break a bead with just things around the garage
If you have a truck (or heavy car) with a trailer hitch, jack it up under the center section of the rear axle. Remove valve core. Place the tire under the end of the trailer hitch. Cut a piece of 2x4 so that it just fits under the hitch and adjust the position of the tire and the 2x4 so that it rests perfectly vertical right next to the tire bead, as close to the rim as possible. Slowly lower the vehicle.
 
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428PI

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Jul 14, 2018
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Peabody, KS
You've got to break the bead and hold tire down. And don't drop the tpms down into tire. Good luck.
 

Red 17

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Oct 25, 2018
Messages
441
Location
Pasadena CA
I used a HF unit for a bunch of tires, including breaking beads and putting in TPMS.

Where are you located? I might know where a deal on one would be......
 

joshmodelskidoo

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Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Messages
872
Location
mid western michigan
I have the old red hf tire changer and when i use tire mounting lube it works good. It takes a few times practicing though. My first tire I tried to mount i tore the rubber. I think i didn’t have the opposite side low enough so it stretched and i was using a water/dawn mix with not enough dawn for lube. It will rub paint off onto your wheel though so be aware or strip the paint off the end of the bar. Watch a couple videos on it. Sixtyfiveford on YouTube has good stuff
 

jubilee

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Joined
Nov 17, 2013
Messages
636
Location
Colorado
Some years ago I fabbed a large C-clamp with 1” all thread and welded nut so I could run it up with air gun. Large pads,no tire damage.
I can change out tpms sensors without removing tire/wheel from vehicle. Just Jack it up and spin up c-clamp.
Think I posted a picture of it here some years ago.
I finally had to quit loaning it out. It was gone all the time and people weren’t properly lubing threads.
 

83VillageRepair

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Joined
Aug 17, 2007
Messages
768
Location
Merkel, Texas
Anything you can break the bead with will work. Then you need to wedge the tire down far enough to insert the new valve stem. They make a insertion tool with a cable for doing motorcycle tires that would work very good for this application to keep you from dropping your new valve stem inside the tire. I dropped one such example in the link below, no affiliation.

 
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