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Mounting tires at home

Twist

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For those of you who mount / demount tiers and wheels at home. What tools are you using the get the job done?

I prefer to turn my own wrench when I can, but have never tried to debead a tire from a wheel at home... or is this a waste of my time and I should just drive up to the local tire shop and pay them for the 15 mins of work?
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garyji

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Some things are better left to others with the proper tools and equipment. Unless you have a garage full of tire tools, (Not crowbars and hammers) leave it alone.

G.
 

jaymz

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I’ve done it. It’s not fun, and it’s certainly not worth saving $50-$60 bucks.

Not even worth saving $100 in my opinion.
 

The Last Cowboy

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I used to work at a tire shop way back when. Don't try it yourself. You will scar up your wheels and you will sweat and cuss a lot.

You would need two 3' tire irons at a minimum. Harbor Freight sells a manual tire mounter/dismounter. But then you still need to get them balanced. You can buy a manual bubble balancer. They work pretty good for smaller wheels and tires or trailer tires, but no way will one get you close with tire over 29-30".

In a perfect world, I would have my own Hunter tie mounter and balancing machine in my garage. But for nearly $10k new or $5k for halfway decent used stuff, I'll pay someone else to do it.
 
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XJfanatic

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I do it with steel wheels that can be easily touched up. Not sure I would do it on aluminum wheels before they had lots of rock rash. I started doing this years ago when I ran 36” bias tires and most tire shops were not equipped to handle them. It wasn’t uncommon for the tire machines to tear the larger sidewall.

That being said I can do a tire swap in about 15 minutes. And bubble balance them with great success.

I use the HF tire changer to break the beads and mount the tires. I use some tire irons from HF to stretch the tires off. Use the bubble balancer also from HF.
 

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blnewt

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I never let a shop install or remove my wheels/tires from my vehicles (except in an emergency) since they just can't seem to resist the urge to let the impact run wild :(

But for mounting and removing tires from wheels, yeah, I won't go there :)
 

58Willys

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I do all my own wrenching, except mounting/dismounting tires. For $40 a pop, well worth it. I used to change out my motorcycle tires by hand, but I gave that up too.
 

Jim1964

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I frequently pay a tire shop. But if I’m feeling picky and want it done carefully I have the tools.

HF manual tire changer. Several tire irons of various size and style.

I pay someone with a Hunter to balance. No room in the shop for that, and too $$$ for the few times I’d use it.
 

wolf

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Not a good idea. If it can go wrong it will. Your going to hurt yourself. Let the shop do it. 40 dollars is cheap insurance. I always take mine to the shop for rotations or flats. IMO.
 

Tool Guy

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Solution - real Beadlocks and balancing beads. Easy-peasy to do at home. Standard wheels, not a chance I'm doing that at home these days.
 

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OBD

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No experience with auto tires,but to mount a stiff ass Dunlop motorcycle tire on a Harley is a special kind of Hell.Yes,I did three last winter.I have the tools.The tools used....three tire irons,tire lube,bead breaker,air compressor,baby powder,rim protectors,tire balancer,3 c-clamps,valve stem tool,stick on weights,and ceramic balance beads.
 
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ZCashio

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So here’s my opinion...

I mounted 2 trailer tires last week for my trailer...IT AINT WORTH IT! But, I will say I feel like everyone should try something once. I have a better appreciation for a tire machine and the tire shop/workers. But I used ratchet straps and a floor jack to “pop” the bead on the old tires and used my smittybilt compressorto air up the tires. I thought maybe an hour. Took more like 4. The new tires were so squished and packaged tightly that they wouldn’t expand and I struggled mounting them.
 

Moblrn

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My vote is let the professionals do it. Sure it can be done at home and I've done a few. Mostly car tires on motorcycle wheels (Riding the Dark Side), because some shops won't do it.

When I got my Rubicon take offs, I used the jack and wrench from the Jeep to change all of them. After my test drive with the larger tires and the TPMS not working I let a tire shop do the switch and watched them using a battery operated Impact. Now I want one of them. My little air compressor isn't suited for an Air Impact. It took long enough to just air up the tires when I found them to be flat after putting them on.

When I turned 16 I got my first job away from the farm at a Full Service Gas station. I don't remember the brand of tire machine I started with, but you couldn't do an aluminum wheel with it. There were three approximately 3/4 inch grabbers that pushed out against the inside of the rim. It wasn't me, but I heard someone tried a "Fancy wheel" and pushed one of the grabbers through the wheel.

When I started my own shop in my 20's I got a "Coats" machine the 20/20 and it was my favorite.

From 1989 to just before the 4th of July 2022 I have been a "Travel Nurse" I'd go some place for 13 to 40 weeks and then move to the next. I took simple tools with me but nothing to change many tires until I started living full time in an RV Toyhauler several years ago. I wouldn't change a care/truck tire, but I did a few motorcycle tires.

Fast forward to my 60's and I'm back at the tire shop. Not using the machines much, but watching a lot. I don't really care for the new style, but the guys who use them many times a day are very quick and they seem to be able to do any type of wheel with them. The price to dismount, mount and balance a tire bought at the shop is $10, if you bring in a new tire bought somewhere else the price raises to around $50 depending on the style, size and such. Ours is a privately owned family business, one of two shops in town. Walmart is the only other place that sells tires now. It used to be all the "Service Stations" had tires, there was a Goodyear, Firestone and a BF Goodrich tire shop in addition. None of the "Gas Stations" deal with any tires at all any more.

Rod
 

Beau Nugget

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One more votefor paying someone e lose to do it. I’ve fixed many tires over the years. I know if I were doing it at home the rims would get scarred up and the tpms wouldn’t work when I was done
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