Mounting tires at home

[idahovette]

@Ricko1966 don't worry the brilliant feeling will pass quickly

That's funny,I have a bead spreader, forgot all about it. I feel brilliant now.

 

[AyWoSch Motors]

My boss has an old Harbor Freight tire changer. That thing works awesome. I've put tons of tires on and off with it, I get it pretty much first try everytime. My boss said the first time he used it, he bent the bead breaker. He just took it off, welded up some reinforcement, and it's never given him any problems ever since.
Twice, I had a heck of a time getting a tire on. Tried everything, wouldn't go, so I flipped the rim over, went first try.
And I use the factory HF tire bar, works no problem.

 

[SirRobyn0]

My boss has an old Harbor Freight tire changer. That thing works awesome. I've put tons of tires on and off with it, I get it pretty much first try everytime. My boss said the first time he used it, he bent the bead breaker. He just took it off, welded up some reinforcement, and it's never given him any problems ever since.
Twice, I had a heck of a time getting a tire on. Tried everything, wouldn't go, so I flipped the rim over, went first try.
And I use the factory HF tire bar, works no problem.

So most rims have a short on long bead, the short part is normally in on the front side hence you mount and dismount it from that side, but some (mostly older, mostly aftermarket) are reverse and the short part is in the back. It's something to keep in mind as it is possible to tear the bead on tire if trying to mount it from the wrong side.

 

[AyWoSch Motors]

So most rims have a short on long bead, the short part is normally in on the front side hence you mount and dismount it from that side, but some (mostly older, mostly aftermarket) are reverse and the short part is in the back. It's something to keep in mind as it is possible to tear the bead on tire if trying to mount it from the wrong side.

Thanks. Yeah, I learned that after the first one I fought with. Just by looking at them, you can usually see which one is smaller. It's usually the front, but a set I was putting on my jeep, it was reversed. I put it on there, front out, fought with it for a while, then flipped it over and it on.

And as far as inflating them, I've only ever had a few tires that wouldn't just inflate. For those, I either just sit on it, or use a ratchet strap

 

[Ricko1966]

Thanks. Yeah, I learned that after the first one I fought with. Just by looking at them, you can usually see which one is smaller. It's usually the front, but a set I was putting on my jeep, it was reversed. I put it on there, front out, fought with it for a while, then flipped it over and it on.

And as far as inflating them, I've only ever had a few tires that wouldn't just inflate. For those, I either just sit on it, or use a ratchet strap

Are you spinning them on with the bar or prying them? I've never seen anyone that can spin one on with the hf bar. I'd love to see it. As a matter of fact I've watch a bazillion you tube videos anyone I've seen spin one down was using a lucid modification a Nomar bar or a homemade bar. If you can do it with th H f bar please show us how. I've had mine since 2001 and failed everytime unless I pry them on or use a different bar.Seriously show us how.

 

[AyWoSch Motors]

Are you spinning them on with the bar or prying them? I've never seen anyone that can spin one on with the hf bar. I'd love to see it. As a matter of fact I've watch a bazillion you tube videos anyone I've seen spin one down was using a lucid modification a Nomar bar or a homemade bar. If you can do it with th H f bar please show us how. I've had mine since 2001 and failed everytime unless I pry them on or use a different bar.Seriously show us how.

Kind of a little of both. The way I do it once the tire is off, lubes up the new tire with dish soap as I'm sure all you guys do, then I hop on the tire to get the one side popped on, hop on it again to get half of the outside bead on. Then I use the bar, go about one 3rd across the open section, pry over, then turn the bar 90, then push/slide the bar along to rim to get the rest of it. I can get 90% of it on there without the bar, just buy kinda hoping on it.

 

[Camar068]

Kind of a little of both. The way I do it once the tire is off, lubes up the new tire with dish soap as I'm sure all you guys do, then I hop on the tire to get the one side popped on, hop on it again to get half of the outside bead on. Then I use the bar, go about one 3rd across the open section, pry over, then turn the bar 90, then push/slide the bar along to rim to get the rest of it. I can get 90% of it on there without the bar, just buy kinda hoping on it.

Prolly a 'tarded question, but if you can get one side on by jumping on it, why can't you get the other side on the same way?

 

[AyWoSch Motors]

Kind of a little of both. The way I do it once the tire is off, lubes up the new tire with dish soap as I'm sure all you guys do, then I hop on the tire to get the one side popped on, hop on it again to get half of the outside bead on. Then I use the bar, go about one 3rd across the open section, pry over, then turn the bar 90, then push/slide the bar along to rim to get the rest of it. I can get 90% of it on there without the bar, just buy kinda hoping on it.

It's kinda hard to explain. I'm talking with my hands as I was writing that, not that it helps you guys any, haha.
But like with a 265/76 R16 or a 31x10.50 15, a little soap, and all 6'4", 225lbs of me hoping on it, I can get one half on, and all but about 10 inches of bead of the second side on.

 

[AyWoSch Motors]

Prolly a 'tarded question, but if you can get one side on by jumping on it, why can't you get the other side on the same way?

Its the shape of the bead. In that direction, one side has a nice round side, and the other has a sharp jagged angle. If they were round on both sides, I could probably get the whole tire on.

 

[Camar068]

Its the shape of the bead. In that direction, one side has a nice round side, and the other has a sharp jagged angle. If they were round on both sides, I could probably get the whole tire on.

gotcha, after I posted that I got to thinking about it and understood more.

 

[Ricko1966]

See everybody can get them part of the way on with the harbor freight bar and then pry them over. As a matter of fact if I want to pry them on I don't need a machine at all,just a table or bucket and 2 tire irons. That's not how its suppose to work. It's suppose to work like the videos I've put up on this thread, and it is how it works with the coates bar. Watch the videos. The harbor freight bar does not work as it should.

 

[AyWoSch Motors]

Heres my HF changer. Dont know if its different from yours or not. You can see the bar in the background, and you can see the 2 peices of steel booger welded to the bead breaker to beef it up.
That thing looks like Ray Charles welded it with his feet, but a works well

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I think he said he bought it in the late 90s early 2000s. Its seen some milage, haha.

 

[Ricko1966]

I don't even use the harbor freight bead breaker anymore and got a good mount bar finally. I put a pic of my bead breaker on the homemade tool section. I'll put another one up here when I get a chance. Basically it's a rough copy of the coates breaker. Use yours a while more it only takes a couple of times of fighting a stubborn bead for an hour before you figure out you gotta do something different. It works most of the time,but I need something that works everytime

Sorry I don't have the rosie view you do, I used a machine like SDJunkmans for years and then getting something that kinda works just isn't the same..

 

[SirRobyn0]

Everyone that uses a ratchet strap to help seat a bead on a tire likely already knows what I'm about to say, but for someone that never has or might see this thread in the future the idea is that by crushing the tread of the tire in it pushes the bead out there by making it easier to seat. Which it often times will. However as soon the bead starts to seat you need to stop filling the tire and release the strap. The reason being is it does not take much pressure in a tire to break a strap especially smaller straps. You can get whipped by the broken strap ends or have one of the metal parts nail you. Not good. Pay attention to the strap and if you even think your putting to much pressure on it stop, but the trouble is it is very easy to break a strap before you realize you've put to much pressure on it. Please be careful.

 

[SirRobyn0]

I would be physically unable to use a manual mount machine anymore, well actually I probably could do it, I'm strong enough, but it would take so much outta me I'd be done for the day. With that said I'm going to go see if there is a video on youtube of someone using the HF machine cause I'd like to see it in action.

I wonder about the HF balancer does anyone have one? Is it any good?