Is anybody still using a manual tire changer ?

My uncle had a Gulf station in Hilister Texas where I would spend my summers. When I was tall enough to reach half way across the windshields to clean them he hired me. He taught me how to use tire spoons. This was before tubeless. Learned alot working for him. I remember one time a car pulled in with all four tires on fire. The guys brakes had locked up and overheated to the point they ignited.

 

Mine is used mostly to break the bead. The tire gets removed and mounted with irons (while on the changer) so it has never been mounted to the floor. Just roll it out from storage when the need arises.
While on the road with a uhaul, the trailer got a flat. Tire guy came out and removed and mounted a tire with irons and a hammer, right on the parking lot pavement.

 

Got one in the basement and one outside and use them both depending on the weather.

 

In the early 60's I used a tire bead breaker and wheel removal machine very similar to what you have in the picture. I guess that would make the machine at least 45-50 years old. It was rugged and dependable. I would love to own one today.

 

they are tough on the back
oh dont let the tire iron slip and hit you in the ribs, will take your breath away!!
i did hundreds of race tires in 18 year of stock car
the breaker can be extended by slipping a pipe over the top for mounting 10 in rims did a lot with the home made extension, rember to not slip with the bar!!!

 

i use a bead breaking hammer and spoons

 

I use a Coats 220 motorcycle tire machine. I don't use the overhead portion of the machine, I just want the rim held so I can work with spoons. After many years of sprint car racing I got used to mounting with spoons. Later all the wheel mfgrs. came out with the bolt on bead locks which made the job a little easier. Using spoons is not bad even with stiff beads once you have the technique down.

 

used to have couple of these machines and they work: now have 20-20 coates and they are great because parts are easy to get if needed.

 

I'm using a set of old flat tire spoons when it becomes necessary...

 

we do. just mounted my firestones last week. saved me $100.

 

I have one of the Harbor Freight units. I don't use it every day, but I've changed a lot of tires on it. I have lead anchors in the shop floor and bolt the changer in position when I need it. Works great for a cheap piece of Chinese junk.

 

We have one of those that dad mounted on a concrete pad outside the shop. I just need to figure out how to use the thing. . .

 

Use one often out on the farm! Before that it was a long and a short rear leaf from a '55 chevy! Man that changer is UPTOWN!

 

It's funny but we use ours to mount our race tires. They're alittle bit of work but heck they work.

 

on the old clanger i used i would put the rim on the machine upside down first and break the back side down first, then flip it over and lock it down with the cone shaped center screw/nut, then break that side down and then remove the tire, it had an air cylinder to break the backside down but i could do it faster my way, when you had 4 or 5 cars a day to change all the tires on you figure things out.

 

I am still using the one that came out of my Dad's garage(circa 57). I removed the threaded insert and milled the center shaft and welded the thread insert higher so the threaded collar holds newer rims.

 

Tire soap, big ass screwdrivers, and my knees

 

nope,, manual got deported, so i have this american guy bob doing them now.....

 

I used to use one in the 60's fixing flats at the texaco station. Not hard work when you know what your doing. Old hard tires can be a bear though. I've been using a separate breaker and tire irons for 40+ years and finally picked up a Coats manual machine about 2 years ago. Much easier on the back than doing it on the floor with spoons.

 

Yes >>>>.

 

Yes! I found one (though not quite as complete as the one you have) at a flea market a few months ago. I bolted it to the floor with enough room to move around with the bar. I think it's cool to have something that doesn't need air or electricity.

Some interesting links:


http://www.mytractorforum.com/showthread.php?t=150798

http://www.oldphoneman.com/TorchesForSale.htm (look near the bottom of the page)

Also, there's a .pdf attached with a parts list for the machine I have (the Coats Three Star). My machine is slightly different (it has a round base).

You should stretch before using it (that's what she said)...

 

Here's ours..

 

whoo... used the heck outta our this weekend.... man im sore!

 

I too have one just like yours that I picked up for $40. Mine has a 5 foot diameter steel pipe ring welded on the bottom. I stand on the ring to keep it from moving around when I change tires. When I'm done I just roll it out of the way. I have a lot of cars so I use it quite often. At the price the tire shops charge this thing paid for itself the first day I had it.

 

I mounted mine behing the house. Use a half a 55 gal drum as a form. I kept pulling the entire concrete pad up as I levered some tires.

 

I've got a Big Four that I bought new in 1974. I added extra length to the pivot bar so that I could deal with the 10"-14" wide wheels. I remember in the 60-70's that a lot of guys wouldn't let you touch their aluminum wheels with a powered changer. I saw a lot of them broken with the air powered jobs.



I owned a custom van shop and we used it all the time. You can dismount and remount 4 tires with one of these pretty quick if you knew what you were doing.

As I recall these were around $175 in 1974. I've still got the manual that came with it.

Drew

 

I know this thread is pretty old, but I had to post my tire changer that was my grandfather's way back in the day.

 

yes still use the same one you have in pics plus i have another earlier model i believe, trying to find all the accessories for it.have seen them mounted to a tractor trailer wheel and the wheel poured full of concrete to keep it from tipping over during use(the dish part down) mounted two 16 in spoke wheels with some old 650x16 tires i had around to make some roller wheels just this week.

 

I've got one just like yours. I bought it about 12 years ago at the Petaluma swap meet. I paid 25 bucks for it, an old Sun Engine analyzer, and a home-made transmission jack that weighed as much as a dead horse.

I didn't get any of the accessories with mine, though, so I made an upper bead breaker and a tire iron. I bolted mine down with Red Head concrete anchors, but that's about as far as I got. I dismounted and mounted a tire once just as a grudge, but my home-made accessories didn't work so hot, and it's not something you'd want to do with any wheels you valued much. Part of the problem was, I didn't realize that the cone or the part that actually holds the wheel securely to the machine was missing. I was trying to hold the wheel down only with the hook that's actuated by the foot pedal, and needless to say,it didn't work worth a shit.

Maybe I'll get inspired to troll the swap meets or e bay for the accessories I'm missing.

 

Mine looks like this one but it still has the air cylinder for the bottom bead breakdown. Best 50 dollar trade ever. Though my Dad has one like the OP, He quit using it after he turned 80.