Harbor Freight Tire Mounting Tool

[GSequoia]

It will cause scratches to the rim as it doesn't have the advanced non friction surface of professional tooling. To augment this I would mount the tire from the backside of the wheel (while it will still scratch the surface of the wheel it will not be noticable).

Also as with any tire mounting tool you must lubricate the bead while you are mounting it to prevent damage to the bead. I used a solution of dishwashing soap and water and it worked out fine, I used about a 60% water to 40% soap solution but this was a bit strong (it didn't spray easily), the next time I work on it I will most likely use about a 20/80 mixture.

 

[scorpio_vette]

have you managed to remove/re-install the tire??? unfortunately it's hard not to scratch rims with that tool, which is why i only use it with my old wheels. you can try to wrap the part of the handle that contacts the wheel with some heavy cloth (like from a bathroom towel) and duct tape. and make sure you use a good lubricant around the bead of the tire. it will make it come on/off easier.

 

[89Daytona]

It will cause scratches to the rim as it doesn't have the advanced non friction surface of professional tooling. To augment this I would mount the tire from the backside of the wheel (while it will still scratch the surface of the wheel it will not be noticable).

You could make your own nylon/teflon pads to put on the end of the mounting device that touches the wheel's rim.
Teflon Nylon
It looks like all you have to do is cut some pieces to fit and coutersink screw them (or attach however you see fit) to the bar so that no metal scraps the wheel lip.

 

[splitz]

Ok, so now I've got 1/2 of the tire off the rim, but I'm having trouble getting it off the rim. The instructions say to pull the tire up to the top & insert the tool, but that's really f'n hard with a 33 (so I have no idea how you guys do the bigger ones). Does anyone have any tips for getting the 2nd half of the tire off?

 

[GSequoia]

Actually bigger tires are much easier! It's all about the sidewall deflection, your 33 should be easy to do actually (provided it's not an obnoxiously large rim) you're just still learning.

I assume by "half the tire off the rim" you mean you have one bead off, yes? (LIke this:

)

Now what you want is for one side of the tire to have the lower bead (the one still on the rim) to ride in the sunken portion of the rim (the safety for flats), that will make it easier to get your bar in place on the opposite side. Then lift up on the tire while pulling the bar around.

It's really a lot easier than you think, after you do it a couple times you'll get the hang of it and it'll be a breeze.

 

[splitz]

Does the tool go between the bottom bead and the top lip of the rim? I can get it in there, pull up and have a gap between the bottom bead & the top lip of the rim, but when I try rotating the tool, the gap just follows the tool, and the bead never goes over that top lip.

 

[GSequoia]

Yes, if you look closely at this picture you can see that the tool is pulling the bead up over the rim.

 

[splitz]

Oh yeah, now I see it. Yeah, that gap just keeps walking with the tool! Any tips on how to stop that from happening?

 

[splitz]

Ok, here is a video on what I'm talking about.

http://www.dontsuckatlife.com/images/forum/tirechanger.wmv

 

[89Daytona]

When moving the bar pull the tire towards you so it stays ontop of the wheels rim, or have another person hold the tire up (so it doesn't just fall back down) on the side the bar is pulling the tire off of.

 

[Blue XJ]

I picked one up last weekend and successfully dismounted my tires and mounted them on beadlock rims. However when I went to do the non bead lock one, I can't seem to get the last 20% of the outer bead back on. The inner bead goes right on and the first 3/4 of the outer bead go on, but I can't get past that point.

Any tips or tricks? I used soapy water to lube the bead, but the tire looks like it needs to stretch about 2" before it will go over the last part of the rim.

 

[scorpio_vette]

make sure the bead opposite to the part you are trying to stretch over the rim is well below the wheel bead. if the tire bead is sitting where it would be on the rim while inflated, it will be 10x harder to get the tire on even with a tire machine. sometimes all it takes is an extra pair of hands to push down on the opposite side of the tire while you seat your end.

 

[Blue XJ]

worked great thanks!! took about 2 minutes to get the outer bead back on.

 

[scorpio_vette]

glad to be of assistance

 

[fender]

Coupon FYI:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/emails/12/RetailB_1/images/4.gif

On sale for $39