Look what I scored today for 50 bucks

I have a Coats just like that, but have air up and down to break the beads.

I see you got the handle with it...I'm betting the end is broke off on the "flipper" side (opposite end of the bar you're showing in the pic)? Mine broke, and everyone I've see was broke off as well.

 

Nice score Lo-crod looks like a Coats. I worked in a Champlin Station,--can you tell by my avatar,-- when I was in high school and we had 1 just like it. The cat that ran the station was a horse trader so I snagged the changer that looks just like yours for $75.00. I rarely use it but when I do it's worth it's weight in gold >>>>.

 

they have one like that at the local dirt track easy to use and will not break.it'll still be here long after your gone.

 

Oh hell yes if you score a balancer you can open your own discount tire store. I like the bubble type as it's the only thing that'll balance my vintage rims >>>>.

 

i started at a service station when i was 13, pumping gas, changing tires an oil and washing cars, to this day i think that self serve put millions of young people out of work. it was a great experience, i think i put in about 50 hours there a week, i worked there for about 7 years i gues and i cant think there was a day i didnt change a few tires on a machine like yours, our had the air to break the bottm bead but that was to slow so i would place the tire on upside down first than flip it over and lock it down, we had a michelin tire plant in town and everyone who worked there got free tires every 6 months, those bastards dont like to come off the rim and i'd have to jump up in the air and give her all i had, i could use that workout again...lol

 

The only thing I could say is to anchor it well!

Dad had/has one of those that I've changed many a tire on while growing up. Its a bitch to chase that thing in a circle as I 'bumped' the tire on!

 

Nope the bar is not broke and hasn't been welded. In fact nothing on this one has ever been welded. I'm in the market for a bubble balancer now

 

oh yeah, we had a bubble balancer as well, the owner an ex airforse guy would always tell everyone that if a bubble balancer was good enough for the plane props in WW2 there were good enough to balance theres tires.

 

maybe someone should buy the rights from coats and start building them again

 

I learned on one in high school and also taught a lot of kids how to use it when I taught the auto mechanics class there later. I also changed a lot of tires on one at the Pontiac dealership in Waco. Vogue tires are a real bear to change on one of those though.
Great unit and it will pay for it's self many times over.
A piece of leather just a bit larger than the diameter of the deck with a hole in the middle goes a long way in keeping custom wheels from being skinned up.

 

I envy you!

When we got ours back in the mid 70's, the tip was brazed on, it promply snapped off.

Dad drilled and pinned it, then welded it, and it promplty snapped again...so we just said to hell with it and started looking for another bar.

Must have come across 4 or 5 bars while looking, all were snapped..we figured what the hell, and just used it as-is.

As mentioned before, you'll have to get it anchored, if not just for force needed to break the beads by foot, but for spinning the tires on/off with the bar.

If you don't want a permanent mount (we didn't for years), we mounted it on a wide sectioned platform made from some old channel and stuck one of the channel ends into some post/rail that was sunk into the ground somewhere that wouldn't give...dad would be pulling on the bar, I'd have my boot on the opposite piece of channel to anchor it, so we could get the tires on and off.

Ahhh, the good old days...when I went to work for the local 76 staion and they had the fully auto Coats 20/20, I thought I was in heaven

Mine is now anchored in with a few lag bolts into the concrete pad out back so it's now becoe a "one-man" operation

Ya know, you reeeeeaaaaaaly don't need the bar...wnat to get rid of it?

 

Naaaa. I guess i better keep it. It may come in handy.
Actually this is already mounted on about a 4x4 piece of steel. It may be big enough to stand on while using it. If so it wont have to be anchored.

I think the next time i go by the place where I bought it I may stop and see what other old stuff they have. May get lucky again and find a bubble balancer.

 

Well, I recently found me one of these too (for $25) --- about 6 months ago. I had hoped that it would also work in changing Model T and Model A tires, but it looks like it's not going to work on 21" or 19" tires, but should great for 15" thru 17" tires. Hey, I'm not sure what you mean about the "flipper" side of the bar often being broken off. Do you have a pic of the "flipper" part?

 

I've alway's wanted one also, I put the word out to a friend if he ever came across one. He did and he bought it for himself.

 

I'd like to have one of those. We had a cheap one and the bead braker folded up on it. It is now laying in the back yard rusting away

 

Here's one on Dallas CL for $75. Somebody needs to snag it.

 

That looks EXACTLY like mine. Same tag and chipped up almost gone red paint.

 

Very nice, I have done a tour of duty on one myself.

 

He sounds like a buddy jobber

 

I can't believe it! I've wanted one for years and a neighbor stopped yesterday afternoon and wanted to air up a low tire,i made the comment i would like to have one of those and he asked if i would give 20 bucks for one.He said he would never use it! I said lets go get it!!!