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Apr 26th, 2026 | | AD Chevy Trucks  Over 6,000 pictures Brad Allen has an awesome collection of Chevrolet factory pictures that he has set up from film strips. Check them out!
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| | | | Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,682 Extreme Gabster | | Extreme Gabster Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,682 | I've had the displeasure of changing tires on rims here in the yard, with nothing more than a small assortment of prybars and tire irons to work with.. one of the toughest things was to break the bead on the tires.. The only method I found that worked half decent was to lay the tire flat under the bumper of a car, put a board on it, then sit a bottle jack on the board and jack up the car.
Quite a pain in the @$$.
So as luck would have it, a few weeks ago at the local auction I bought an apparatus called a "bead breaker" for $35.. man this thing is the cat's pajamas!
Lay the tire on it, push down on this bar, and what used to take me an hour happens in less than a few seconds!!!
Getting the tire off the rim after the bead is broke loose still presents a time consuming challenge.. but i'm betting theres a special bar or tool that makes that process alot faster.. any of you old school guys know what it would be called?
Yea, yea.. I know you can take a tire to a place and get it mounted and balanced for $10.. but there are times when it comes in real handy to be able to swap a tire at home without having to drive into town.. especially when the only vehicle you have at the time is the one that needs the tire!!
an idea is only stupid if you think about it rationally.
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2003 Posts: 2,384 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Sep 2003 Posts: 2,384 | I've always called them a tire iron or a tire spoon, the end is curved to make it easier to dismount,look at tractor supply,napa,co-op,,brian | | | | | Joined: May 2005 Posts: 314 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: May 2005 Posts: 314 | Northern tool has Bead breakers You should also get yourself 2 of these. Tire spoon | | | | | Joined: May 2001 Posts: 709 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: May 2001 Posts: 709 | If you do this often I'd suggest you keep your eyes open at the swap meets for an old manual tire machine.
Bruce
Old Toy: Ol' Betsy stock 59 Apache SB Stepside (Gone but not Forgotten)
New Toy: 1962 Impala SS Coupe
The Driver: 1990 Toyota truck
| | | | | Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 581 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 581 | A manual tire changer and a static balance machine are also available from Harbor Freight. Each of them for about $70. This "how-to" article shows them both in action, Fumblin'. Wheel Restoration | | | | | Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,158 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,158 | We used one of those old lever action bead breakers when we changed the tires on Number Seven. Works like a champ.
We've also got a homemade tire spoon that we used to put the new ones on. It looks like a piece of a girder ground into a rounded shape (and with a handle ground into the end) and the end that you stick in the tire is curved. We were reusing the split rims, though, so they didn't need much finagling. | | | | | Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 1,969 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 1,969 |
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