The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest The Harbor Freight tire Demounting tool???

The Harbor Freight $59 tire changer worked good enough to break down tires. I’ve done 14 split rims and a few 16” tires and I just did four 16.5” tubeless wheels today. Now that was all dismounting and for the last two days I’ve been trying to figure out how to remount the tubeless tires on to the rims. This thing doesn’t seem to have been designed to mount tires up. If anyone has been able to mount a tire with it could ya explain it to me.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny, that unit sounds like it is just what I need around here.
I mount tires, with very few problems, by lubricating the beads of the tires with detergent and using a rubber hammer to stretch the bead over the rim. I do the pounding alternating on each side where the bead is stretched on the rim. It works with everything from a wheelbarrow tire to a 16.5 truck tire. I find that the hardest tires to mount are tires on super wide rims.
I have been meaning to go to the tire store and find out what they use to lubricate the bead, but after I am finished mounting the tire of the moment, I promptly forget.
I have been using a couple of rounded off broken springs to demount the tires, that is work.
Bob

Denny, do you have the item number so I can see what you are working with??

Bob I use Palmolive dishwashing soap for a lube. Not to keen on using a BFH, I don't want to damage the bead. and I have a set of tire tools from HF that have come in real handy.
What I was wondering was how the tire changer could be used to put mount a tire.

MN, it's item #34542-8VGA and it's on sale now for $49.99. It's saved me a couple of hundred bucks in tire removal since I got it this past Spring. So, as far as I'm concerned even if I can't use it to mount a tire, it's still worth the fifty bucks for breaking down tires.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Down near the bottom of this page, Denny. I don't have mine bolted down so it's a lotta gruntin' and cussin' evertime I do one and it wears me down for the whole day since I'm getting older and don't exercise much.

http://www.laroke.com/larryk4674/2005/bbpartshp4.htm

Hey Larry, I just sunk a few lead anchors into the garage floor and bolt her down when I want to do some tire work. When it's bolted down solid it's a piece of cake to remove a standard tubeless tire. I see you mention that on your web page.
And a GREAT BIG DUHHHH!!!! You know, in all the time that I have spent on the end of that handle I never even noticed that it was double ended. All I've ever used was the tongue end for removing the tires. I think I might modify the putter back on end and add a ball bearing roller to ride on the bead, also some kind of a sleeve that will go over the post and keep the handle from rotating. Then all I have to do is figure out how to keep that tool from scraping off all that new paint from the rim!
Thanks Larry for slapping me up side the head.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

On most tire machines, they teach us to assemble the tool to the wheel / tire assembly and spin the rubber to start the beads on. Most of the time, the machine is not necessary to operate as the tire will pop on from hand spinning. Provided you have good lube. With Bias tires or old stiff ones, this is not so easy to accomplish. With your machine, if you can find a way to mount the handle so it doesn't move, you could probably accomplish this. Most machines also come with plastic protectors for the "spoons" or pry bars, so that your paint doesn't chip. Maybe you can wrap your tool with duct tape or something??

Well, Laroke, Denny, this has convinced me that I need to purchase one of those for myself. It will be much less hassle than now. I have normally just done this on tires where it isn't important whether or not I mark the rims, but it would be worth having the machine just to save the time of running down to the tire shop with a trailer tire that just has a bead leak and needs cleaning up.
Bob

That does sound pretty cool. Larry thanks for the cool page with all the details.

How big of a tire/rim can you use on this?

Thanks, Jeff

Well the biggest I've done are the 16.5" wheels and the 15" split rims. Now mind you this taint real sophisticated it’s just a $49 hunk of iron that holds the tire while you muscle it off. But I did break down two more wheels today in about 15 minutes and I figure that saved me a few more bucks once again.
I still haven’t tried mounting a tire with it and after spending $20 a wheel for sandblasting and a hundred bucks on PPG paint today am seriously thinking about having the tire shop mount them up, that is if they can promise not to scratch up my black Delstar® paint job.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Most tire shops use a product called Ru-Glyde. is a rather thick vegetable soap, meant to be cut about 5:1 with water. You should be able to get it from Napa. Also, you can find both tire spoons and hammers at the Tractor Supply Co. stores. No myself, well I've been known to just use raw brute force, no tools, to mount tires back on the rim. Just lube 'em up reall good first, and most times they'll go on real easy. It ia a good idea to have the rim locked down, though.
BTW, we only cut the lube at 1:1, it works better if it's a little thick.

Hey there all. I have been using one of these units for about 5 years now. They work great for steel wheels, but are definitely not good for aluminum rims, as the bar really likes to gouge. I have some old Chrysler Corp tire irons/spoons from late 40's and early 50's that work great on or off with plenty of Polmolive. Grant.

Polmolive, that's the stuff Dupee, got a squirt bottle and brush in a tin full of it.
Bill, you sure they have "Ru-Glyde"??? I used that when I was a greaser starting out with Chevy back almost 50 years ago. Lubed all the rubber parts with it. I haven't been able to find it for years. Stopped at the NAPA store yesterday for something and they had a gallon bottle of a blue tire lube for $5.49, the guy said it's the same as dish washing soap.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny,
Load up your stuff and head back to Cedar Rapids. I'll mount and balance all of your tires on state-of-the-art tire equipment. No scratches, no damage and no aches or pains!
Just a thought,
Scott

Tks for the offer Scott, I mounted up the two rears this morning. And as the guys said with a little Palmolive and the back side slid right on with out even using any tools. the front side was a little more of a problem as the tool wants to keep slipping out from the rim. I used duct tape to protect the rim and it worked fine.
The bubble balancer worked fine also, we used to use it for our wheels on the midget and I would hit about 130mph at the end of the straights on paved 1/2 mile tracks without vibration.
All I need now is are the adapters for the front.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL