Technical Changing and installing tires

Hey guys I’m planning on buying different wheels and wanted to change the tires myself. I have a harbor freight tire removal tool but it scratches the outside of the rim. Is there another way that won’t scratch the rim?
Thanks

 

get a set of 3- 24" long tire irons, and use them to get the tire bead on and off.

I'm assuming you have this HF tire machine:

 

I’ve changed many a tire using a bumper jack to break the bead and then swapping them out with a couple of tire irons.

 

Yes the proper leverage, of course proper rubber lube.
Never tried this but some guys praise the use of doubled heavy trash bag for slippage..
The job, by hand can take some time, B T D That
No shame in using your local 'tire guy' only money.

 

I have the same HF tire changer, but when I got tired of "armstronging" it, I figured out how to convert it to "gravity assisted" by removing their "Mickey-Mouse" underneath linkage & went to the top & fabricated an arm that pivoted around the vertical spindle with parts salvaged from their "bead-breaker" attached to it & with a pipe extension so my weight would break the bead, & the usual tools & spoons would peel the tires off & on. Use the usual soapy water squirt bottle to make the rubber slip on the wheels...

 

I have that exact machine. The main tool (shown sitting on the tire) is completely useless. I have tried to modify it to work, but no luck. Get some regular tire irons; I have 2 curved and one straight that do the job. Also, take a close look at the "foot" of the bead breaker; it's just a piece of cheap angle iron and doesn't work at all well. I made a custom curved "foot" for mine out of heavier steel and it was a tremendous improvement. Also, the first time you try to put any pressure on the bead breaker, the two vertical parallel pieces will try to bow out; Make a reinforcing plate from 1/8 plate now to solve that problem. It also needs some more holes drilled in it to facilitate some size tires.

After I got it modified for my needs, it was a handy tool to have around and saved me a lot of trouble and money.

 

I use Old bumper jack , plate been pined &
Also my lift, weight of vehicle with 5ft 2x4 close to up wright where control are to break beads , then spoons & dead Blow .
Or you can ,a two person Job use
Vehicle to break beed , Drive up on tire
side wall .

 

another thing I've noticed is that some of the newer tires are pretty heavy, they don't bend easily, and it's a real pain to get them on and off by hand. I'm kind of split on doing it myself, or paying bucks to get them done. I don't mind giving the local tire store some bucks every now and then, they help me out on things when they can. I just gave them some money today for some used wheels and getting my new tires (bought online since they don't sell them there) mounted/balanced.

But I know I've saved hundreds of dollars over the past ten years using the tire machine, along with a small 50 year old bubble balancer that a friend gave me 20 years ago. When it works, it's nice not to have to drive into town to swap out some tires or wheels. But when it doesn't work, it's pretty frustrating, and I still have to drive to town and spend money.

 

For putting tyres on the rims, I have used the big plastic bag trick, with a squirt of detergent on the bead, with success a few times now. Minimal bashing and cursing required, usually just your weight will pop them on.

 

It depends on the tires, though. Bias ply 15" slicks just pop right on, but 13" radials are a real pain.

 

Look for a buddy w one of these. I bought this one pretty cheap.

 

I’m a tire guy that does tires by hand from time to time. HF tire changer went to the scrap pile where it belongs.. the bead breaker sort of works so that may do. Beyond that, 2 tire bars is all you need. It can be done without scratching. Leather slip protectors if your really cautious

 

You can get a duck head accessory like the one pictured. They work very well with tire lube and are a great addition for a manual tire changer. The head is plastic and won't scratch your rim. Just make sure to get one that fits your HF changer, many don't.

 

My dad picked this one up years ago and it works like a champ. I can’t remember what he paid for it but it wasn’t all that much and this is the same machine I used at the Exxon station I worked at in high school

 

I hate giving away money like the next guy but what really made it easier was to pay a tire shop to do it by working any overtime that was offered.

 

I change mine by hand but use light grease as tire lube. It hasn't caused any problems in decades of use.
I would be worried about detergent as it's water based and may encourage corrosion.

 

Many of the cheap tire lubricants are nothing more than car wash soap. I use glycerin stuff where I work now but when I worked at the tire shop, we used a vegetable base product that was actually safe to eat ( not recommended ).. given the fact it was safe to eat, I use criso for my home tire swaps and it works well.


The duck head attachments for the manual tire changers are cool, but in the end are only so useful, especially for the cost of the attachment

 

The fellow that I use to dismount and mount tires on a rim, does it for a burger and malt every so often....

 

Just don't use it on Cragars or if you do be real careful that you don't break the neck where the cap mounts. Still have nightmares about mounting them using a similar Coates machine back in the '70's.

Or you could get one of these?

 

In the early seventies my neighbor bought a set of Cragars and took them to a local radiator/tire shop and the fool broke the centers out of ALL FOUR!
Took him to small claims court, the judge asked him if he took photos of the wheels prior to this, he said no, the judge said "have a good day".

 

I think this has more to do with size rather than construction. I find 15" on up to be much easier to deal with than 14" and under. And forget wheelbarrow tires, etc.

 

I've had some 15" radials lately that just don't want to go on or off rims very easily.

 

I use a couple spoons and slip a 6 inch bondo spreader between rim and spoon.


Still a pain in the ass because sometimes it gets stuck in there but it does protect the rim.

 

Wow, I thought I might be the last one.... There are still two cars in my family arsenal that use 13" tires.

I have found Michelins the toughest to install and remove manually, which I suppose speaks well about their quality.

 

My self , Probably like most others here had my share on manually breaking tires , including big trucks,
I rather go to Service shop with Wheel & tire in hand , Instead of hearing will have that done in 20 mints, Its 2-4 hours
I have even asked I will pay you to use your Machine,
where I am , there 4 service shops all less then 1/4 mile from each other

 

Getting tougher at my age, but always used a manual bead breaker, a pair of tire irons to dismount & mount, a short length of garden hose on the tire irons protects the rim edge, & another short piece of split hose on the rim edge & rotated around if needed. A garage sale bubble balancer has served me well for decades, usually rotate the tire on the rim to take advantage of rim tire weight to minimize weights.

 

That looks just like my machine!




Bones

 

Breaking the bead is the hardest part. I have an old lever action swap meet bead breaker, but I also broke down and bought a "Bead Buster" tool last year, to get the real stubborn tires broken loose.


https://beadbuster.com/product/xb-450i/

I like the idea of split garden hose to protect the wheel. I had a set of steel wheels nicely powder coated and brought them in to a shop to mount tires since my DIY technique would surely chip the coating.

 

I’ve the same one.

 

I have one of those too. The only thing was that we never bolted it to the slab and you couldn’t use it as it was intended for but was way better than a bumper jack and spoons