I used my HF tire tire changer with the duckhead mod I built this weekend to change a set of tires. As I expected, the hardest part was breaking the beads. I had tried it out on some old steel wheels and it worked ok. But on the wifes aluminum wheels I ran into a couple of issues. The outside bead wasnt a problem because the area below it is the drop center area, so it was a short area to move the bead down towards. However the back of the wheel has a lot more area to move the bead past, so you dont get the advantage of the bead getting loose as easily. The other issue is finding the best spot to rest the wheel in relation to the arm angle and the breaker "bar". Also there is no protection for the part that is pushing against the tire from marring the wheel if it slips. On the first tire I spent a good bit of time trying to find the sweet spot where the breaker contacted the bead and didnt slide away from the wheel. I tried moving it around taking several "bites" and eventually got it, but it was frustrating. I felt like I had enough leverage but just couldnt get a good spot to break it down.
Looking at a real tire changer. the breaker has a larger "shovel" like part that contacts the bead area and incorporates a replaceable plastic guard to minimize damage to the wheel. I was thinking of possibly trying to make a new steel plate like that and weld it to the existing arm. Any thoughts?
Looking at a real tire changer. the breaker has a larger "shovel" like part that contacts the bead area and incorporates a replaceable plastic guard to minimize damage to the wheel. I was thinking of possibly trying to make a new steel plate like that and weld it to the existing arm. Any thoughts?