HF Tire Changer

[stioc]

I have one too...works fine for steel wheels or wheels you don't care about scratching with the mount/dismount bar. I haven't invested in the $125 No-Mar bar so far because for about $300 or so I can pick up a Coats type tire changer on Craigslist.

What I really want is a compact affordable balancer like the old hand-spun Snap-On types. My biggest problem with the tire shops is not so much with the mounting of the tires but instead the rushed/poor balance job they do causing wheel shimmys at certain speeds.

 

[lbhsbz]

I have one. I must be stupid, because it's a pain in the *** to use it as directed. I mainly use the bead breaker and use it as a stand to fixture the wheel while I go at it with old style tire irons. I did 2 trailer tires over the weekend, took me about 15 minutes.

 

[Oldsmobile]

I bought one last year. Like OP, I had about eight or ten tires to dismount and discard. My tire guy would have done them for five bucks apiece, but I needed an excuse to buy a new tool.

I ended up bolting it temporarily to the floor of my utility trailer so that it and I were on the same plane. That worked pretty well for me. I had never done this job before, but I figured it out soon enough and got into a nice rhythm.

The weak point on those HF tools, in my experience, was the bead breaker. I bent mine pretty easily, and what I did was weld a flat piece of metal to the arms so that they were fixed into place. It was a much-needed enhancement.

I haven't used it to mount tires at all, but I have it in case I'm so inspired.

 

[BFBOB]

I have one of these, properly anchored on concrete floor. I've only used it for dismounting junk tires. It's as strong as I am - works.
The only weak point I found was the hold-down nut. It didn't hold securely enough to keep the wheel from flopping side to side as I levered on it. I solved this by making some spacers with the ID to fit over the changer's center post and the OD to fit into the wheel's center hole.
The hold-down does an adequate job of holding the wheel down, and the spacers keep it centered. I had to make 4 of them for wheels with different size centers.

Final conclusion: well worth it for occasional home use.

 

[WhiffySpark]

Video : Changing semi truck tires

In the field, very few tools. On filmed in "real time" but damn this guys is fast ! Notice the quick stab with the back foot on the tire opposite the side where he has the tire iron. This is to get that part of the bead down into the "drop center".

TECHNIQUE !!

Those are honestly easier to do by hand then car and truck tires. I worked with a guy that was just as fast if not faster than him. I didn’t care to rush like that lol.

He scratched the hell out of those aluminum wheels though. We at least put a section of carpet down under the tires

 

[Ign]

I have one. My buddy just mounted and dismounted eight 265/75/16's (~32")

With stubborn beads the bead breaker will try to "parallelogram" over. Welding a bit of reinforcement fixed that.

I bought one last year. Like OP, I had about eight or ten tires to dismount and discard. My tire guy would have done them for five bucks apiece, but I needed an excuse to buy a new tool.

I ended up bolting it temporarily to the floor of my utility trailer so that it and I were on the same plane. That worked pretty well for me. I had never done this job before, but I figured it out soon enough and got into a nice rhythm.

The weak point on those HF tools, in my experience, was the bead breaker. I bent mine pretty easily, and what I did was weld a flat piece of metal to the arms so that they were fixed into place. It was a much-needed enhancement.

I haven't used it to mount tires at all, but I have it in case I'm so inspired.

Ditto ditto

Please excuse the low level of fab, this was literally a 4 minute repair just to get it operational again.

The best part about welding on HF tools is the paint fumes. I think they’re good for you. I haven’t noticed any side effects. I haven’t noticed any side effects. I haven’t noticed any side effects.

 

[Jd34]

Mine on the tree stump successfully mounted four 32x10x14 tires on my Polaris RZR

 

[Jd34]

I have one. I must be stupid, because it's a pain in the *** to use it as directed. I mainly use the bead breaker and use it as a stand to fixture the wheel while I go at it with old style tire irons. I did 2 trailer tires over the weekend, took me about 15 minutes.

A little commen sense and patients goes a long ways- works great

 

[Ign]

Had to do this today. The sheetmetal retaining the lug hole pin just ripped away. The tiny OEM tacks didn't help

 

[freudianfloyd]

The previous home owner of my house left one in the barn. I mounted it to a heavy slab of pressure treated wood, and have used it several times. Most recently to put new tires on my 4 wheeler. Once you get the hang of it, you can do it pretty quick.

I will say though, I would only ever use it on steel wheels that you were not too concerned with. It will scuff up the rims on occasion. I have not used it on full size car or truck tires, but it has worked well for lawn mower and ATV tires.

 

[DIY_Guy79]

My grandpa had one for years. Used it frequently, never had any complaints that I know of and always mounted and balanced his own tires at home using this and the harbor freight tire balancer.

 

[theoldwizard1]

The HF manual tire changer is made from very thin metal. You can buy better quality manual tire changers for on;ly a few dollars more ! Manual Tire Changer Comparison - Harbor Freight 69686 vs. Northern Tool 13474

If you are only going to do a tire "every once in awhile", I would buy a Bead Buster XB-450 and THREE (yes, 3) Ken-Tool 32120 24" Curved Tire Mount/Demount Spoon. These tools will last your lifetime, your children's lifetime and their children's lifetime !

 

[theoldwizard1]

Any manual tire machines need to being FIRMLY bolted down to the ground. Forget using a pallet or a 4x4 piece of 3/4" plywood. You are just making life difficult for yourself.

Removing and installing any pneumatic tire on a rim is 50% "the right tool" (yes, that includes lube), 40% "the right technique" and 10% muscle !

The only tools you real need I listed in my previous post. Any thing else, just makes the job go faster/easier.

 

[ndnchf]

I made a receiver hitch mount for mine that works great. I also significantly beefed up the flimsy bead breaker. It works very well now. But as stated above, technique and tire lube are the key to success.

Here is my thread showing the mods I made.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=384953&highlight=Tire+changer

 

[Danglerb]

Read this thread, watched some videos, and the HF is NOT appealing to me. i hate to spend any money I don't have to, and I like to buy fun tools, but one of the good local tire shops will continue to get my money vs chancing damage to my fancy $$$ wheels.