New tire machine, what accessories/tools?

[pmason0]

Ok, some questions for you guys that have your own tire machines.

My Atlas TC 289 arrived last week and finally hooked it all up today and started to play with it. Quickly learn not as easy as you see the tire shops or videos show. Doesn't help I run 245/35/18 and 275/35/18 Hoosiers or Hankooks on the race car.
I just ordered one of those bead depressor tools that clamps on the rim, should help.

What other tools do you guys recommend?

I did mark up the rim in a couple of places, just need more practice. But has anyone bought the quick change head which is plastic? Not sure how well would that hold up.

Any other tips?

 

[rmc115]

I have plastic to keep damage to a minimum. Easily breakable if you dont understand the process. The most important thing to remember is you can not stretch a steel bead, it must drop into the center opposite the head, lube always helps. I like paste for mounting but a spray bottle with some lube helps for the bead to drop down on the rim on dismount. Mike

 

[MG44]

It takes a while to get comfortable and good at mounting & dismounting tires, and no it is not as easy as it looks at the shop for quite a while.


One thing to remember when mounting and demounting, keep the tire in the drop center. You need all of the space available to stretch the tire on and off the rim, and the drop center is what allows you the extra room to accomplish this.

Use lots and lots of lube. I know some guys are a fan of the paste, but I really like the water/lube mixture with a swab to really get the tire wet and slippery. If I am working on stubborn wheels I will reapply it to the rim/tire before doing my last mount.

Also invest in a good wire wheel angle grinder or pneumatic wire wheel to clean the rim. A clean rim will give you the best seal without bead sealer (which I personally hate).

 

[pmason0]

Totally agree its going to take a fair amount of practice. A lot of lube and I'm hoping this bead depressor tool helps push the bead into the drop center.

 

[rslaback]

Get one of these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rubber-Coated-Bead-Keeper-Tire-Changer-Yellow-Thing-/250664386201

I use that instead of the type like you bought and it works like a champ. You should also pick up a 12" and a 14" kids bike innertube. Inflate them just a bit to take shape. When you go to install a tire that has been flattened and won't bead well, put the innertube over the rim. It will fill the gap between the rim and the bead and allow the tire to take air. When the bead starts to seat the innertube can be pulled right out. They work like these: http://www.gemplers.com/product/IN165/Radial-Truck-Tire-Bead-Seater-165-175-TC-50 but are a bunch cheaper.

 

[smokem2020]

I'd just add to make sure you have plenty of air pressure so your clamps dont slip on your rim.

 

[Skyking1992]

pmason0,

I have a used tire machine and run 18 by 10.5 rims with 315 Hoosiers. A little practice will make it a lot easier. As mentioned, you have to get the bead into the center - you can't stretch steel. In the summer, I leave the tires in the sun for a few minutes - helps soften the tire. The 10.5 inch rim is about as wide as my machine will handle. I go through 5 to 6 sets a year and I usually flip each set once, so that's a lot of tires.

Have fun. It's so nice to have your own machine and not have to take tires to the tire place to be mounted.

 

[IndyGarage]

The demount head should never touch the rim. It raises up and moves out slightly when you lock it, and you should always use the screw adjustment that doesn't allow it to move toward the rim.

I usually drop the demount head and push it away from the rim an inch and run one revolution to see if the rim is clamped correctly. Early on, I forgot to remove a wheel weight and that threw off the clamping and I contacted the rim with the head.

I use both the spray lube for demounting and the paste for mounting the new tires.

You'll need a valve puller and valve stem remover and a pair of wheel weight pliers.

I have one of the plastic bead tools like you show, and have used it for low profile tires, but I found that short -about 1 inch - blocks of 2x2 pressed between the rim and the tire work well also. On normal tires you can just press them down with your hand.

I always take a lot of time cleaning the rim before mounting and balancing. I take them outside and use some degreaser, a hose and a heavy scotchbrite pad. For aluminum wheels that are really corroded, I've used an angle grinder with a wire brush.

I don't have a bead blaster on my machine, so I bought a cheetah and it works well, but I like that bike innertube idea - I'm going to try that.

I also thought the inflator that came with mine was junk, so I bought a Branick, which is way better.

Make sure your air is dry and you have oil in the oilers on that Atlas - when I bought mine used the guy before me apparently didn't have a drier on the line and didn't oil it and that caused rust in the bead breaker cylinder, when caused it to throw the rubber piston and it quit working the second time I went to use it.

Fortunately I was able to fix it myself without much trouble and it's worked perfectly ever since.

 

[pmason0]

Thanks for all the great advice.
Skyline, yes I figure that I did maybe 8-10 mountings last year between the new sets of tires and like you flipping the tires. I have 3 sets of 8.5x18 and 10x18 rims, a set of 17s for rain tires. last count i had about 20 used tires that have some life left in them. This probably the only tool that I have an ROI for should pay for itself under 2 years

 

[TDWendt]

Clamp from the outside in. It will hold the wheel more secure. + when you clamp from the inside you may leave marks from the clamps on the wheels.

Practice practice practice. I do this for a living

 

[Jbullfrog]

I bought a Coats 7050AX slightly used for $450. It needed a few fittings and a seal for the robot arm that cost me $60. It has bead seating jets on the table for 18" wheels and smaller. It had the plastic duck head on it for alloy wheels which is nice.

Now, for your question as to what else you will need:

+ tire crayons - to mark weight locations and holes
+ a good tire pressure gauge
+ a lock on valve chuck with hose and control to inflate tires
+ a valve stem installer handle
+ wheel weight pliers
+ a bead blaster (Bead Cheatah) to get the tires back to the rim
+ a set of tpms deflation caps - to let the air out of tires
+ a venturi deflator for tubes.
+ Flip lug sockets
+ air buffer to prep for patches
+ patches, glue, ruffer, and wheel for repairs

+ Spin balancer for new tires or offsetting big boots.
+ Wheel handler for moving big heavy tires to and from changer

You will always find something else to make life easier

 

[pmason0]

Jbullfrog, That was a heck of a deal on the Coat's machine, I did pick up a Coat's 850 balancer for $450 but all the tire machines were pricey even when used around here.
A lot of great tips, I'm pretty much just using the machine for swapping racing tires, with the one off now again on tires the street car, so I might not end up using all of them.

 

[MG44]

Any more practice yet using the machine?

Since the bead blaster was mentioned, sometimes that is the most frustrating part lol. If you don't have a bead blaster, starter fluid, a torch (I use MAPP torch with built in igniter because of simplicity) and some common sense work pretty welll.

Remove the tire valve, squirt some starter fluid on the inside of the rim in one area, stand back and hit it with the torch and it will pop on, sometimes you have to put a block of wood under the tire to bring it up closer to the edge. It is not harmful to the tire to do it this way, just kind of a pita sometimes. Tires that fit tight this is mute because you can seat the beads easily.

 

[pmason0]

No haven't had time to use the machine, tomorrow I will probably play with it some more the helper tool came so I want to try that. The machines has a built in bead blaster but I don't think I"m going to use it for these tires I'm using are hard to even get down in the valley of the rim. I have always heard the trick with the started fluid but I think I want to keep my eyebrows