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Technical Cheap Tire Mount Tool (like Coats Tire Man)

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by MrCreosote, Aug 11, 2016.

  1. MrCreosote
    Joined: Jul 23, 2009
    Posts: 368

    MrCreosote
    Member
    from USA

    Yes, I bot a Harbor Freight crappy changer and it actually functions as a bead breaker and dismount, however the mount head is useless:
    • head does not have enough wheelbase to keep from flipping over
    • head is symmetric
    • head stretches tire radially way beyond the edge of the wheel (!)

    I forced to, I'll weld and grind it into something that looks like a Coats tool with the drive slot in the middle of the bar.

    I'd love to get the manual bar from a manual Coats but there seems to be none on eBay just when I'm in the market for one.

    I'm trying to mount 12in tires which are a real PITA.
     
  2. So you bought garbage and found out it's garbage?
     
    56don likes this.
  3. MrCreosote
    Joined: Jul 23, 2009
    Posts: 368

    MrCreosote
    Member
    from USA

    Duh, steel is steel.

    It only takes a moron to copy a Coats mount head.

    Here is a Hunter - it's not complicated:
    [​IMG]

    Here is what one guy made:

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2016
  4. To show you what a nice guy I am, I'll be checking eBay for one.... and I'll buy it just so you can't have it!
     
    Texas Webb and prewarcars4me like this.

  5. $73 seems reasonable, but It would be satisfying to fab one. There's a lot of HF haters, but back in the day a lot of hot rodders were just making it work with what they had and what they could afford. It's no different today. I would rather be working on a hobby than saving up to buy expensive tools. imho.

    Here's a good hack for the HB manual tire changer.


    http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/index.php?/topic/78450-harbor-freight-tire-changer-no-mar-mod/
     
    slack likes this.
  6. MrCreosote
    Joined: Jul 23, 2009
    Posts: 368

    MrCreosote
    Member
    from USA

    That HF changer is for motorcycle tires ...

    $73 seems reasonable except that they show up on CL for $20. The big bar for a manual Tire Man used to show up on eBay used for $50 which I would buy in a heartbeat. But there hasn't been anything anywhere for months now. It also seems like manual tire changes have jumped in price too. The $100 Tire Man with all accessories is now $200-300.

    As far as HF goes, that's one of the reasons I have many welders. But seriously, why didn't they copy a good mount head? Even the guy rigged one up with some round. Oh, and his tire machine was a small pylon on his workbench - very minimalist and takes up little space - but then his work bench was clear and who ever has a cleared workbench???
     
  7. True, they always design f-uped things from the drawing board. I almost think it's on purpose, because the hacks people come up with could have easily been done from the start.

    I thought you were talking about this tire changer; View attachment 3296202
    There's an attachment for cycle tires; View attachment 3296203

    That's the one he hacked, he was using it for smaller tires.

    Also, the only people who have a clear workbench are the ones that never do anything, they just think about doing it!
     
  8. MrCreosote
    Joined: Jul 23, 2009
    Posts: 368

    MrCreosote
    Member
    from USA

    Heavens to Murgatroid, HFT changed the head! And the NEW ONE looks good:

    OLD ONE:
    [​IMG]

    NEW ONE:
    [​IMG]
     
  9. MrCreosote
    Joined: Jul 23, 2009
    Posts: 368

    MrCreosote
    Member
    from USA

    Supposedly they have the same item made by different factories in China with different part numbers. They see which one has fewer returns so they can find the better manufacturers.

    I can't find my slip - I'll have to buy another one, put my busted tool (actually the mount head broke off the end of the took due to no weld penetration) in it and take it back for refund. I'm actually within return date but I can't find my receipt. Threw the box out too - was resigned to mod or get a real tool.

    But I want his new designed one - looks like it might work. (They sure responded to this problem)
     
  10. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,583

    The37Kid
    Member

    Do I have to take a photo of my BIG rubber hammer?
     
  11. I bought one of those POS things also years ago before I realized just how sorry you can make something. The steel is so soft that just about everything on it bent with use. I tried welding strengthening steel to the bar but then the head broke off. I threw it in the scrap metal pile.
     
  12. Uh... no porn here please...
     
  13. Lone Star Mopar
    Joined: Nov 2, 2005
    Posts: 3,808

    Lone Star Mopar
    Member

    Where the hell is the mount a tire with nothing but a trash bag and some elbow grease thread when ya need it.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
    slack likes this.
  14. MrCreosote
    Joined: Jul 23, 2009
    Posts: 368

    MrCreosote
    Member
    from USA

    Yes, you can hit them on with a rubber hammer - but only if they have paper thin side walls. I have some high performance 12" tires with very stiff sidewalls and you won't get close with a hammer. In fact, it is a bear to get the bead down in the rim valley while you're pulling on the opposite side.

    EDIT: Hey, just watched video using the trash bag. I discovered if the lip of the steel wheel is polished smooth, the tire will slide over it somewhat like the trash bag which is uber slick (!) If the lip is rusty, the tire will not slide over and it becomes very difficult to mount. The trash bag is a great discovery!
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2016
  15. aaggie
    Joined: Nov 21, 2009
    Posts: 2,530

    aaggie
    Member

    Even if you have a large rubber hammer some lubricant will help. Dish soap works great and in a pinch brake fluid makes rubber slippery just try and not get it on painted surfaces and wash off the residue when you get the tire mounted. I just had a flashback moment of how we changed tires back in the day. You could usually pick up a used tire at the corner gas station for $2 and with a sledge hammer and two tire irons have it back on the car in an hour or so. Everybody had a can of tube patches in the trunk. When tubeless tire came along it made it a little harder to seat on the rim but if you bounced the mounted tire like a basketball it would usually catch enough of the bead on the rim to seal and inflate.
     
  16. MrCreosote
    Joined: Jul 23, 2009
    Posts: 368

    MrCreosote
    Member
    from USA

    Good 'ole Days Nostalgia (!)

    ATF is an insane rubber lube. Old time garage guy told me that one. Had to slide 2 power steering hoses in a very snug protective sheath on a 63 Studebaker Lark - perhaps the worst ever power steering design.
     
  17. blowby
    Joined: Dec 27, 2012
    Posts: 8,661

    blowby
    Member
    from Nicasio Ca

    I still have and use a Coats Tire Man even though I have an expensive hi-falootin' new machine. I do everything from golf cart to tractor tires, neither will handle everything. So, I have three of these from Motion Pro. Best irons I've ever used by far. About 18".

    [​IMG]
     
  18. This may sound odd to you all but I have an older Coats 20-20 and almost never use the bar to mount tires. Even with the plastic glides they peel paint and often will leave marks on Alum. wheels. For as far back as I can remember even with the machine I've used the trash bag and dish soap. One of my Dad's friends showed me that trick back before trash bags were common place using Seran wrap off the roll.
    The Wizzard
     
  19. 1-SHOT
    Joined: Sep 23, 2014
    Posts: 2,691

    1-SHOT
    Member
    from Denton

    Never Never use soap on a real Magnesium wheel
     
  20. Kan Kustom
    Joined: Jul 20, 2009
    Posts: 2,739

    Kan Kustom
    Member

    Man I guess I have been stuck in the dark ages for years. I have been using tire changing spoons for as long as I can remember. Never even gave it a thought to try something else.
     
  21. Back in the day we all knew someone who worked in a "service station" or a station owner who would let us use the machine or change a tire for us for 50 cents or a dollar. None of us owned a well stocked machine shop and we get it all done anyway. :rolleyes:

    I actually used to use a bumper jack for a bead breaker and tire spoons to mount tires when I couldn't get to a machine.

    That said if you need a tool make it, I get it.;)
     
    hinklejd likes this.
  22. With the stock cars, changing tires to obtain a desired stagger set was constant. This is where the gas station sponsor came in.
     
  23. MrCreosote
    Joined: Jul 23, 2009
    Posts: 368

    MrCreosote
    Member
    from USA

    Now I do recall that sometimes you could just twist a tire onto a rim if it was mounted in an old Coats - sometimes, but not always.

    As far as actual tire spoons - I've been trying to find cheap ones locally for at least 10 years. I keep asking people with old tire machines if they have any. I'm about ready to get some crow bars and hammer forge the ends into spoons it is that bad here. 10-20 years ago I could buy them all day long for $5-10 each. Not that long ago someone was selling the ubiquitous Coats slotted tool for $20 used - either eBarf or CL - of course haven't seen another one at that price since.

    There is a BIG difference mounting a tire on a rim that is not smooth - any rust seriously impedes the tire's ability to slide over the lip even when lubed. The plastic trash bag is a brilliant solution to this - I'm surmising since I haven't tried it yet.
     
  24. sunbeam
    Joined: Oct 22, 2010
    Posts: 6,213

    sunbeam
    Member

    Look for an old Bishman they are small and can be rolled out of the way.
     
  25. racer_dave
    Joined: Nov 16, 2012
    Posts: 206

    racer_dave
    Member

    I bought spoons at Harbor Freight. I bought one of their changers too, for like $70. Gave up on it after bending it trying to unseat a bead. Fixed it, tried it again and after few hours I gave up. Got on craigslist and found a coates 40-40 cheap and moved on. Best decision I've made in a while. I mount a lot of tires for the racecars (4-6 a week) so the bigger machine was certainly worth it.
     
  26. Im a collector of tire machines. Ive got a lever type manual bead breaker that came from JC whitney. a coats iron tireman, A second iron tireman with Pneumatic bead breaker, A coats 20 40, a jim beam rim clamp and a bishman. I only use the Iron tireman with the bead breaker and the Bishman, Paid $75 for the Bishman and less for all the others. And I commonly break down tires with a tirehammer and a bead breaking spoon. Install them with tire spoons. And I run a lot of split rims and fix them myself. I can mount any tire on any rim with dish liquid a tire iron and a big rubber deadblow hammer. Guys are always bringing me ATV tires to mount. Setting the tires in the sun when its very hot like today really makes the rubber pliable.
     
    Atwater Mike likes this.

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