| Author | Message | ||
     Pcmodeler |
Anyone else have this? Man, I just picked it up today and am trying to mount a tire to my back rim. I just cannot get this thing mounted. I'm guessing it's probably easier with two people, but my wife isn't real helpful with this kind of stuff. I looked on the net at a couple of how to articles and they make it look so easy. | ||
| Henrik |
I've never tried mounting my own tires, but have read a bit and will likely dive in soon. So if you can describe your trouble in particular maybe we can provide some answers. I think one of the major difficulties people run into is if the edge of the tire is not in the center grove of the rim, which makes it very difficult (impossible) to get the "last bit" of tire over the edge of the rim. Also, preventing the tire from slipping using a tire iron is said to be a good idea. Anyway - just ideas from someone who really doesn't know. Henrik | ||
| Henrik |
this clamp would likely help with the tire-in-the-groove thing: http://www.myerstiresupply.com/pls/myers/display_coupon?pass_cou_id=232&cart_id= gmov3108 Henrik | ||
| Garp |
I have used C-Clamps to squeeze the bead on the opposite side down into the groove. I used the Harbor freight set up to spoon my Diablo Strada onto the rear wheel, and there were more than a few choice words used in the process. I have since upgraded to a No-Mar tire change and can't wait to try it out. | ||
| Pcmodeler |
That clamp looks like it would be pretty useful. I think I may go pick up a couple of c-clamps tomorrow. Some of the problems I am running into is keeping the bottom bead in the center of the rim. It keeps wanting to bead up against the rim. The other problem is the way the changer is designed, the rim will still spin a bit in the changer. I'm going to give it another go around tomorrow. If it doesn't work, I'm taking that dang thing back. | ||
| Pcmodeler |
Hmmm......Just looked at the NoMar stuff. Nice looking stuff but a bit pricey. That bead bar looks killer though. It would sure beat the bar in the Harbor Freight kit. They also have some videos on the site that are pretty useful. | ||
| Henrik |
Garp; please report back with any thought on the No-Mar. That is exactly what I've been looking to buy. Mark; while it of course doesn't directly apply to your changer, there is a nice section of how-to videos on the No-Mar site. There may be some tips that could help you: http://www.nomartirechanger.com/ Henrik | ||
| Henrik |
Mark - you just beat me to it. Must learn to type faster  Henrik | ||
| Leftcoastal |
My personal opinion is that the Chinese are planning to invade the USA. One of the first parts of their plan is to get everyone with any mechanical ability lured into buying Harbor Freight tools. Then, when they hit the shores with their landing craft, we won't be able to fight back due to lack of operable equipment. You WILL NEVER save $ buying cheap tools!!! EVER!!! This has been discussed over and over on this board. Anyone thinking of buying any of this Chinese crap needs to speak up NOW so the rest of us can stage an intervention. PC - we feel your pain, but you won't get any sympathy here - I once bought a set of 3 ball-pein hammers from 'Harbor Fright', and each one snapped in half on the first hit - and since I'm highly trained in the art of bashing things with hammers, I can assure you it was not "operator error"! All the pretty advertising and website details in the world will never make cheap junk into anything other than cheap junk. AL | ||
| Pcmodeler |
I won't disagree with you. There are certain things I won't buy from Harbor Freight due to quality. It started with the scroll saw that wouldn't even cut straight and the heat gun that won't come back on until it's cooled off. I did this primarily because I wanted to try it myself instead of having to take it somewhere. | ||
| Garp |
The Harbor Freight changer has it's place. It was great on my XR650L wheel, and my Caponord, but not so good on the wide low profile sportbike tires. You CAN get them changed, but it is hard work, and you have to be REALLY careful not to scratch the rims. My No-Mar just arrived on Friday, but as soon as my PitBull stand arrives from Daves I'll be changing the front tire, and I'll let you know how it goes. | ||
| V2win |
Henrik, The Nomar is made here in St. Louis. Good people and a very good product. They ride with us on a lot of our weekly rides. The business is growing very quickly for them. He used to work as a carpenter. He got tired of taking his wheels down to the local shop, designed this Nomar changer, and started making them at his house. They are now looking for a 10,000 sq/ft. building to work out of. | ||
| Swampy |
I have not used the Harbor Freight Tire changer. I always use C clamps to break the bead and tire irons to mount-dis mount the tire. I bought a set of irons at TSC Farm store, thy are a little long and could really put some force on the rime so you have to be careful not to bend the rim...just like the Harbor freight changer. Use lots of lube and it should go smooth. OK? I made up a balancer and that works great for static balancing. | ||
| Oldog |
Same as swampy hand irons and rim protectors and a C-clamp, I did front and rear, ditto what Al said harbor freight (cheap tools) tools byer beware. | ||
| Xring |
The web page about changing tires worked for me. I made my own changer similar to what he suggests. A few days later it didn't seem so bad, but I remember right after I got done I thought "I would have paid $100 for somebody to do that for me". Basically I don't trust any of the local shops to not bend, break or cosmetically damage my wheels. Lots of lube (Ivory dish soap), a 2nd person would help a lot. I didn't ask my wife to help either; that just wouldn't work. I ended up getting on top of the tire and using my knees to help hold the bead down, either directly or to hold a tire iron. Good luck, Bill | ||
| Snail |
Cut a piece of wood 3/4" thick X 2" wide X 18" long. Use this stick to hold the bead in the wheel cavity (like a 'wooden' spoon). With a little practice you can hold the wooden spoon with an elbow while using the mounting bar to get the last bit of bead over the edge of the rim. 'Nother tip, buy a gallon jug of NAPA tire lube, works more better than dish soap. I threw my Harb. Freight tire changer in the trash and bought a Coats 220, but if I had figured out the 'wooden spoon' trick when I was using the Harb. Freight changer I might still be using it. The 'wooden spoon' won't mar the rim, and it will 'stick' to the rim/tire, (to some extent) while you're seating the bead. Try it before you spend a gob lot of money on more exensive tools. | ||
| Dave |
Mark, I sent you an IM with my phone number if you still need some pointers. I went the same route but only used the Harbor Freight changer to break the bead. Soapy water 3-4 Motorcycle tire spoons/irons An old laundry detergent container Choice coaxing words but stay away from the French! DAve | ||
| Pcmodeler |
Hey Dave, thanks for the offer of assistance. I'm going to pick up a few C-clamps later today and give it another shot. I did kind of try the wooden spoon method. I shoved a piece of 3/4 wood on one end. I think part of my problem was that the bottom bead went all the way to the lip. I think the C-clamps should help me keep both beads in the center of the rim. I've also got two rim protectors and two tire irons. I think a second person would help as well. I think if continue to do the tire changes, I'm going to look into at least getting that NoMar tire iron. With my rims now being powder coated, part of my difficulty is trying to mount the tire and avoid scratching the rim at the same time. | ||
| Snail |
Its o.k. if the bottom bead goes to the lip. As you work your way around keep pushing the top bead down into the well. Tape the pawls good, and tape the plastic protector carefully to the mounting bar. I ruined a new $130 tire the first time I used my HF changer. And as an added bonus I put some divots in my rim. Patience isn't my strong suit. | ||
| Snail |
I might change a tire for a friend today, will take pics if I do. | ||
| Cowboy |
I break the bead with the bucket of my front end loader. use tire spoons and the cuff of a welding glove to protect my rims. I should not take more than a few min. to change. As I have to install a new rear every 3500 miles on buell and new rear every 6000 on V-Rod, I guess I have more changes than most. | ||
| Swampy |
By the way, Harbor Freight has a very generous return policy. | ||
| Pcmodeler |
Well, I'm glad that's over. The C-clamps pretty much did the trick. What I find to be one of the biggest drawbacks, aside from the tire iron included, is the short base. It's nearly impossible to stand/hold the base stationary. When you are trying to torque/spin the iron around, the whole unit wants to spin. You pretty much need to either bolt the thing down to the floor or add some trimmed 2/4's (the feet aren't wide enough to hold a 2x4). Ultimately, I will probably get some of that rubber dip for tool handles and put that on the clamps that hold the rim. Right now, I put duct tape on it to prevent them from scratching the rim. | ||
| Snail |
Bolt it to the floor. I used a massonary bit and installed the expander plugs in the concrete floor, then used 1/2" bolts to secure it. Had it bolted to a 4'X4' X 3/4" plywood, at first, and it moved too much. | ||
| Sgthigg |
If you cant get the tires mounted easily..Try throwing them out in the sun for about an hour. This worked on my last tire change...when the rear almost didnt go on. we in the mean time we threw the front out in the sun to let it expand/soften(what ever you want to call it..it worked)...Then it went on alot easier (Message edited by sgthigg on July 23, 2006) | ||
| Diablobrian |
Good tip! | ||
| Jimidan |
I have the Harbor Freight tire changer and change tires on all kinds of wheels, including 190's on the Marvics on my Duck. It works fine for me, but I modified it slightly to prevent any rim damage. I use it in conjunction with copious amounts of NAPA tire lube and a few aluminum tire irons. I also bought another combo tool (107156) made by Coats, which have plastic sleeves over the ends to protect rims. You can order one of these from Mile-X Equipement (www.mile-x.com) (800-837-3818) in Coldwater, OH, for $96. The first thing I did was to modify the rim clamps on the HF unit by adding plastic covers on the exposed parts. I made the covers from cut-up laundry detergent bottles and nylon ties. I use the ties to form it into the groove of the clamps and hold it on. The plastic in these bottles is thick and tough, and I use it with the tire irons too, between the rim and iron (which are aluminum). I wish I knew how to post a few photos on here...it is so much different than the way we do it over on ATC!. Check out this web site too: http://www.clarity.net/~adam/tire-changing.html also check out Marc Parnes site: http://www.marcparnes.com/ He sells an excellent wheel balancer for a reasonable price. I have one. The HF unit is very functional and cheap! I have under $200 in it and the Coats bar, and it already has paid for itself. The downside is that you have to bolt it to the concrete floor (space) and it helps to have another big strong guy there to help...no problem as if you help one of your friends change his tire, he will be more than happy to help you change yours! It still is some work even for strong guys (wives are not much help), but with a little practice and by reading the above sites, you will be good at it in no time. It ain't rocket science...and remember, happiness is a Warm Tire...and NAPA lube. I don't use clamps, but rather one of the tire irons to keep the bead from slipping back off the rim. It helps to have 3 arms or a friend to hold it, but I have done it myself. It is kind of like the guy with no arms ringing the doorbell...how'd he do dat? I hope that I am not going to get into trouble for giving the web sites of non-sponsors on here...I mean no harm. Just trying to help. jimidan | ||
| Josh_ |
You can get a hitch-mount for the no-mar if you don't have a heavy worktable and don't want to bolt it to the floor. I'm saving my pennies for one. | ||
| Henrik |
You can get a hitch-mount for the no-mar Just need a car to stick the hitch/hitch mount onto  Henrik | ||
| Just_ziptab |
In my "wonder Bread years",I grew up fixing/ changing all types of tires.........from cars,trucks,earth movers and 24 ply air craft tires........on a manual machine......... with a slide hammer type bead breaker(of which I slipped once and broke my big toe) Changing the tires on my Buells with the HF unit was a cake walk....and with no damage after I put 3M stretch tape on the contact parts. Experience counts greatly when monkeying around with that type of stuff. | ||
| Aldaytona |
I changed lots of tires with an empty 5 gallon paint bucket and tire irons, my slightly modified HF changer minus the mounting bar works much better, and all for the price of 1 dealership mounting (minus the scratched/dinged rims) No appointments, and i'm sure the tires are going in the right direction. If I hit the lotto i'm going to buy the No mar changer, but until then the HF works great, for me anyways. | ||
| Bigblock |
Bolting it to the floor and some inner tube rubber on the rim clamp to prevent spinning were the trick for me. | ||
| Garp |
Well, I changed my Front Tire with the Nomar changer yesterday, and it was smooth and easy. Took me longer to remove and reinstall the wheel than it did to change the tire. It is truly a well engineered system, and made changing the tire almost a pleasure. And no scratched rims. Whether it is worth the premium over the Harbor Freight Changer is debatable, but I'll never go back now that I know how easy it is do the job with high quality tools | ||
| Jandj_davis |
Garp, since you have now used both systems, how would you feel about the HF tire changer with the NoMar tire bar? That is the setup I plan on working with. Do you think it was the bar that made that much difference, or was it the whole setup? | ||
| Garp |
The bar makes a huge difference, and greatly reduces the risk of damaging your rims. The other thing that helps hugely is the XtraHands Clamp to keep the bead pushed down into the well. I would say with those two parts and the Harbor Freight changer you are most of the way there. You do need to watch the wheel clamps on the HF changer and use some kind of tape, or plastidip, to keep the clamps from marring the rim. | ||
| Pcmodeler |
I will most likely look into that bar for the next change. In fact, my neighbor may have me change 4 truck tires, so that may be a good time to get it. I bet those XtraHands clamps made a huge difference as well. Without using C-Clamps, I don't think I would have been able to get the tires mounted. I did have to apply several layers of tape to the clamps on the HF changer. I realize you get what you pay for, but I would have gladly paid a bit more to get nylon clamps and nylon on the end of the pry bar. | ||
| Henrik |
I jumped in and bought the full No-Mar set-up. What a nice shopping experience; they were very helpful on the phone and took lots of time to discuss the differences between their different models and packages. Since I had a static balancer already they kindly swapped in a set of their spoons instead. Great deal. I bought the Classic changer with most of their bits'n bobs. It all arrived very nicely packaged and with reasonably detailed instructions. Not that the set-up was terribly difficult anyway. They also include tire changing instructions, and the videos on their site and on the included video CD are great and give users the very simple basics of using their changer. I had a chance to pull the tires off my S2 wheels this weekend. I started with the front wheel and removed and re-installed the tire a couple of time just to practice. I needed to adjust my technique a bit - basically I just needed to stick to their instructions Once I got the clamping blocks dialed in to center the center post in the middle of the wheel everything else was a piece of cake. The extra hand is a great help for getting the tip(s) of the bar into place. No-Mar has detail tips and tricks about what tire lube to use, how much and where. All in all a good outfit. Good stuff - and boy so much easier than pulling off the wheels and finding a way to get everything transported to a shop willing to do the work. And with an estimated $200 bill for mount and balance (tires not included) of two tires this puppy will pay for itself in about 4 sets of tires. It also gave the chance to check the balance of the wheels without tires to find the true "heaviest spot" on the wheel. It turns out that on my Marchesini wheels the heaviest spot is 20° and 25° off from the valve stem. Very cool. Henrik | ||
| Court |
This means you'll do mine as well? |
