Manual tire changer

[foodfisher]

Don't forget the belt to help reseat the bead.

 

[StarTed]

I see 2 problems. The best dynamic balance will be on the car installed in the exact lug holes where it will run. Everything else is a compromise. The compromise is acceptable in most cases. Tires aren't exactly round and need to be shaved down on the hub and wheel where they'll run. A point I noticed in this was some sears tires I had on the rear of a beetle. At around 10 mph it would either hop down the road or walk depending on how the tires were rotated at the moment. The cure was other tires but they probably could have been shaved and rebalanced. Balancing is a compromise and generally works OK.

 

[Tim Frank]

I worked my way through college doing this stuff in a shop 45 years ago. If anyone who did it recalls, you spin the tire on the balancer , adjust weights, repeat until the bubble stays centered as the tire rotates. That's dynamic balancing. Today's high-speed dynamic balancing process is more exacting and less labor intensive, but just how much does it add to the life of a tire? And, who here has their tires rebalanced after they're installed? I never have. The OP plans to do just that when he rotates them. IMO, his tires will last just as long.

My .02

45 years ago you are talking bias ply tires.
Balancing today's generation of radial tires is a whole different story.

I get my tires re-balanced every time i switch from summers to snows... and back.

 

[frobotz]

I worked my way through college doing this stuff in a shop 45 years ago. If anyone who did it recalls, you spin the tire on the balancer , adjust weights, repeat until the bubble stays centered as the tire rotates. That's dynamic balancing. Today's high-speed dynamic balancing process is more exacting and less labor intensive, but just how much does it add to the life of a tire? And, who here has their tires rebalanced after they're installed? I never have. The OP plans to do just that when he rotates them. IMO, his tires will last just as long.

My .02

The method your describing is dynamic, so is a spin balancer, but some were just stationary and you added weights till the bubble centers up. Those are static , and that is the type I think the OP is talking about.

 

[bigdee]

The method your describing is dynamic, so is a spin balancer, but some were just stationary and you added weights till the bubble centers up. Those are static , and that is the type I think the OP is talking about.

Yes I was referring to static balancing. The majority of my driving is around town with speeds under 45 and rural roads at 55mph. Only occasionally do I get on the interstates and when I do I seldom go above 65.
I am more concerned with the abrasive aggregate back roads here in NC then I am about dynamic balance.

 

[bruceb58]

If that's all you are doing then I agree it probably doesn't matter at all.

 

[Cdubb2010]

You want a work out? Get a set of tire spoons from TSC and a manual hand held beadbreaker. Boy them all-terrain tires a lots of fun, like a older fella used to tell me "It builds character":laugh: But in all reality spoons arent a bad investment, they are cheap, take up no space, nothing to break (unless you somehow bend the hell out of them or turn into the Hulk and break one in half) and if you can get a tire off a bead you can pop damn near any tire off the rim with em.

 

[frobotz]

I use spoons and a manual bead breaker. I can dismount a tire and have another one mounted in less than 2 minutes. Its all about technique.

 

[bassman284]

Don't forget the belt to help reseat the bead.

Huh? I thought that was what starting fluid was for.

 

[bassman284]

I use spoons and a manual bead breaker. I can dismount a tire and have another one mounted in less than 2 minutes. Its all about technique.

I learned to use spoons about 45 years ago. I was young and healthy and it was fairly entertaining. I never got anywhere near as good as the old wrinkled guy who taught me. He'd bust a tire before you could draw your second breath. Put the new one on about the same way. Old Jonesie. Quite the character.

 

[bruceb58]

Huh? I thought that was what starting fluid was for.

I have seen these in use:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200451163_200451163

Never seen the ether method and not sure I want to be around when they try it.

 

[StarTed]

I had an old fellow tell me to take the valve out and drive over the tire next to the wheel to break it loose. It doesn't always work, especially if the tire is rusted to the wheel. It doesn't take long to see if it works however.

Of course that's not as much exercise.

Pounding with a big sledge being careful to not hit the rim is a lot more exercise.

 

[bigdee]

I had an old fellow tell me to take the valve out and drive over the tire next to the wheel to break it loose. It doesn't always work, especially if the tire is rusted to the wheel. It doesn't take long to see if it works however.

Of course that's not as much exercise.

Pounding with a big sledge being careful to not hit the rim is a lot more exercise.

Your scaring me! I have alloy rims so at least there won't be rust. I tried it yesterday on an old 4.80x12 trailer wheel and it was a cake walk....hope it will be that easy on 225/75x16

 

[wrench 3]

We used to brake down transport tires with a bead hammer. We seated the 1000X22.5s with ether, not as scary as it sounds. Airing up the 1000X20s was worse, had to chain them up for safety.
Now changing those tires was a real work out. I'm glad I'm not doing it any more.

 

[foodfisher]

Huh? I thought that was what starting fluid was for.

To borrow a username (Boom ya) Never had the guts to try it.

 

[oldjeep]

I have seen these in use:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...1163_200451163

Never seen the ether method and not sure I want to be around when they try it.

We've done that a ton of times off road. As long as you don't get carried away with the fluid it works very well. Really only needed when you are running too wide rims or trying to reseat a tire when the bead is all full of muck, most tires on a proper sized rim will seat them selves just using a normal air compressor

Hi-Lift for breaking beads and a couple of prybars is how we change trailer and jeep tires at my house.

For balancing big tires I just use balance beads rather than any sort of rim weights
http://www.innovativebalancing.com/

 

[bigdee]

Well I got a chance to try it out. Tires unmounted very easily and mounting new tires on rims was no problem at all. The BIG issue was that I was unable to seat the beads to air them up...so in the morning I will carry them to a tire shop. Oh well, the agony of defeat!

 

[MTboatguy]

Well I got a chance to try it out. Tires unmounted very easily and mounting new tires on rims was no problem at all. The BIG issue was that I was unable to seat the beads to air them up...so in the morning I will carry them to a tire shop. Oh well, the agony of defeat!

Good quality ratchet strap around the tread normally will change the geometry of the tire enough to allow it to seat with the air compressor.

 

[bruceb58]

Good quality ratchet strap around the tread normally will change the geometry of the tire enough to allow it to seat with the air compressor.

That's what I have always used as well. Changed many valve stems over the years and had to do this many times.

 

[fhhuber]

Rope and a stick is what I used to compress the center of the tread to get the bead to seat. Just wrap the rope around twice and insert stick... Tie knot around the stick and start twisting till the tread compresses a bit. Usually doesn't need much.

A little water on the bead helps.