Manual Tire Removal, A Lost Art

[tardis454]

This is what I did today...

https://imgur.com/gallery/ezpQFVG

[squirrel]

fun!

I bought one of these instead, and bolted it to the concrete in front of my shop....having the rim attached to something solid, is a big help

https://www.harborfreight.com/manual-tire-changer-69686.html

[DanStokes]

I don't do enough of this to make it worth my while to have the equipment or maybe hurt myself doing it with pry bars. I have a relationship with Black's Tire here in town so I just run them down to the pros and they either dismount them for free or charge me a couple of $$. Can't say there haven't been times when Jim's HF gizmo wouldn't have been handy.......

Dan

[squirrel]

the trick is to also find an old bubble balancer...then you can save $15 a pop vs getting a tire mounted and balanced at the tire store.

I still take some to the tire store...but not the ones that don't need money spent on them.

[tardis454]

I used to be able to go to the junkyard, use their tire machine, and dispose of old tires for free.
The junkyard is closed now so doing it the hard way saved me $10 a tire to dismount 6 junk tires.
I'm taking advantage of our county's annual free tire disposal, plus I put the rims on craigslist for sale.
The sale of the rims will help pay for the set of tires my DD S-10 needs so it's a win win situation.

[Loren]

We got the HF one and welded it up with some stock so it fits into a trailer hitch receiver for a solid base. I have dismounted tires at the Pick-Your-Part using a bumper jack and the weight of a car, when I wanted wheels but not the tires. I'd be happy to just take them all to the tire shop but everybody acts so put-out, and charges so much, it became better to just do it myself in most cases. The HF one can't handle anything like newer Vette wheels etc., it just can't get those beads broken, and it does tend to rip up the sealing surface around tires you wish to re-use so there are still those times when the tire shop is it...but I've saved a bunch of time, money and hassle by having the one I do. The HF bubble balancer, I think was $60, sorta works.

[67 Malibu]

fun!

I bought one of these instead, and bolted it to the concrete in front of my shop....having the rim attached to something solid, is a big help

https://www.harborfreight.com/manual...ger-69686.html

There used to be an old gas station in my home town with one of the original old manual ones bolted down in their service bay. The last owner also just happened to be the owner/manager/promoter at the roundy-round track that we raced at. By then (mid-seventies) there was no more "servicing" being done in a bay mostly filled with race car parts as most of his business was self-service gas & under-the-counter sports betting. So I could use it anytime that he was open. There is an art to using a manual one but it doesn't take too long to pick up. I always wished that I would have bought that one from him. I had no idea that "China Town" was peddling imitations. Love the marketing here, "This manual tire changer requires no expensive 240V power hookups or pneumatic lines to operate...." So that's what "manual" means! Break out the elbow grease!!

[Dan Barlow]

I technically own a harbor freight one and gave it to a friend when my cars all had aluminum rims . plus I still get to use it when I need it ,