HF Tire Changer

Topic: HF Tire Changer (Read 1786 times) previous topic - next topic

HF Tire Changer

April 24, 2010, 01:05:29 AM

Anyone got a Harbor Freight Manual Tire Changer?

We just bought one to transplant a set of tires to another set of rims, Instead of paying les schwab or big-o around 10.00 mount and 10.00 dismount per wheel. (WTF?)

It cost us 44.00 w/ tax and a coupon. :hick:

Don't really have a good place to bolt it to cement, So i built up a big wood palette thinger and bolted it to that.

Been poppin' tires off all night.

Works pretty darn good when its bolted down and you gotta use some lube! (I use dish soap), Just have to be careful not to to scratch up your rims with the Tire Bar that comes with it.

I tried electrical tape + duct tape, but it just makes it too fat and gets all torn up.
I'm going to try some spray on bedliner type stuff or rubber dip next.

HF Tire Changer

Reply #1 – April 24, 2010, 09:01:18 AM

glad to hear, always wondered if it worked well. ive never been disatisfied with HF stuff.

HF Tire Changer

Reply #2 – April 24, 2010, 03:07:12 PM

I'm looking into this now...I've done a lot of tires with by hand, with the spoons, a hammer, and a bead breaker thingie...
Not too cheap to pay to have tires mounted, just...I dunno. I can do it myself and know I won't scratch or dent an otherwise perfect wheel...

HF Tire Changer

Reply #3 – April 24, 2010, 04:18:41 PM

I bought one of theses style tire changers from princess auto (like HF but 26 years older and canadian) a few years ago.

Got it on sale cheap and changed close to a dozen sets of tires with it, did 31's once, paid to get them done the second time! I bolted mine down to a good wooden pallet (the kind you find behind walmart when nobody is lookin') and just left it leanin up behind the garage when not in use. Breaking the bead is tricky some times and I had to reinforce the bead breaker but decent enough for the price. Recently picked up a coates tire machine for a great price but the manual machine will stick around for quad tires etc.

Scott

HF Tire Changer

Reply #4 – April 25, 2010, 01:40:46 AM

That is the exact one we got. :hick:

It's a bit rough, But it works!

I've been doing 14's and 15's so far, Broke a pin on the Bead Breaker and replaced it with a nail.

HF Tire Changer

Reply #5 – April 25, 2010, 05:15:59 PM

if i had a place to mount one i wouldve bought one also.
a few months ago i needed to change my tires very badly on my DD and the local shops wanted 30+ bucks per tire to change them over.
before the one place had new owners i had tires changed for 5 bucks and a decent tip.
they were 13s for christ sake and already off the car :/

im pretty sure you can get a flat bar thats already rubber(or vinyl or whatever) coated at home depot and the like.

HF Tire Changer

Reply #6 – April 25, 2010, 05:26:46 PM

I'd always found the best "at home" bead breaker was the rear step bumper of a half ton truck (truck still attached) and an old bumper jack. Cut the base of the jack so that it is curved like a rim, then lie the tire down, set the cut portion of the jack base as close to the bead as possible, and jack the truck up. Obviously common sense will have to prevail here (don't actually lift the rear wheels off the ground)...

HF Tire Changer

Reply #7 – April 25, 2010, 06:51:16 PM

i use a hilift jack and my truck bumper to break the bead and three long heavy duty flat head screwdivers with soapywater to remover the old tires and install the new tires i can useally do a tire in 5 minutes from breaking the bead to airing up the new tire all i need is a new wheel balancer my old bubble one went bad last summer. and no i dont hurt my aluminun rims i use heat sink to coat the screw divers. yes im cheep on some things lol

HF Tire Changer

Reply #8 – April 25, 2010, 07:25:16 PM

I've dug out some old wheels on the property from vehicles we no longer have, And was wondering...
How hard is it to get rid of tires and roughly how much might i get per steel rim at a s yard?

I also noticed a pile of roughly 2 sets of wheels up the street with a free sign on them.
So, I'm wondering if it might be worth it to pop the tires off and s em?

S tires in wash.

Reply #9 – April 27, 2010, 10:42:28 AM

Average price at the dump is 2.50 ea (off rims) if wash is the same as ore, you can not haul more than 10 tires w/o
a recyclers license. Get caught dumping them, a very sizable fine (just ask schwab) the best tire iron i have is
about 60 years oldm and was made from an old leaf spring.
Many years ago, when using a manual tire changer, i used an old axe handle to keep from scratching alloy wheels