mickeyw Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Visiting the local tyre shop every time I want to pop a tyre of a rim ends up costing far too much £ that would be better spent elsewhere. The DIY tyre changers on Ebay look far to flimsy to do LR stuff, so I've been thinking about making a tyre changer. I have a fairly reliable method of bead breaking in the shape of a set of Tyre Pliers, so that's covered. I also have a hefty set of levers, which will work for doing just one wheel but it's effing hard work. I just need to remove the scrap tyres from the rims and occasionally put tyres back on. Has anyone made such a tool? Or what other methods do you employ? Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zim Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 use / make a manual tyre machine. something similar to one of these : but to make life a little easier, weld / bolt a hub in the middle so you can bolt landrover rims on meaning they can't slip / turn. then just walk around. once you've got the hang of them, they're easy. G Edit : Here's how they work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 I bought a Tyreplier kit about 5 years ago now, it's certainly paid for itself both on my own tyres and a number of other people's too. I always carry it in my motor so no matter where I am I can repair or replace tyres as the need arises when I'm competing or just out and about. The only tyre they've failed on was a set of mud tyres someone had put on some P38 alloy rims, to be fair though the pro tyre changer struggled too with his bead breaker taking around 10 attempts per tyre to break it and then his motor stalling under the strain when trying to remove the tyre ! For normal rims it's always worked fine. I've never found it to be hard work (other than the alloys above !) it's more a matter of technique than force. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zim Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 I bought a Tyreplier kit about 5 years ago now, it's certainly paid for itself both on my own tyres and a number of other people's too. I always carry it in my motor so no matter where I am I can repair or replace tyres as the need arises when I'm competing or just out and about. The only tyre they've failed on was a set of mud tyres someone had put on some P38 alloy rims, to be fair though the pro tyre changer struggled too with his bead breaker taking around 10 attempts per tyre to break it and then his motor stalling under the strain when trying to remove the tyre ! For normal rims it's always worked fine. I've never found it to be hard work (other than the alloys above !) it's more a matter of technique than force. those plier kits look pretty good you are right though, the hard part is breaking the bead. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giles tout terrain Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Hi lift jack and some big leavers and use your motor always works for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted September 14, 2009 Author Share Posted September 14, 2009 Thanks Gents I've used my TyrePliers bead breaker all these years and never thought too much about a portable removal devices. I didn't know TP made a manual machine. The TP bead breaker is easy to use, I always found the biggest problem was holding the wheel & tyre still. Looks pretty simple to copy. I think mine will be made one that fitted in my 2" square receiver. I have nowhere to bolt anything to the floor, and a vehicle mounted one would be far more useful. I'll post some pictures when I've made something. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Hi lift jack and some big leavers and use your motor always works for me x2 No point buying tools if you can do it with what you have. Also works on route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejparrott Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 anyone written a discription of how to do it with a hi-lift? I've got a few disco tires to remove which are scrap, and Im loath to pay a fiver when they are just scrap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwcooper Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Make sure you let as much air out as possible. Get the high lift and find somewhere sutible to jack from on the vehice prefrabley jackable sills/bumper/xmember and place the jack on the tyre with as much of the foot as you can use so you dont damage the tyre, then begin to jack up the vehicle and it should break the bead, it does take quite a bit of force mind. Nice and easy though. Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco tony Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 you dont need the special bit, just position jack as close as possible to rim like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Wightman Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Or like this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 you dont need the special bit, just position jack as close as possible to rim like I have a beadbreaker jack attachment as shown in this clip. It works well on newish tyres on clean rims, and does reduce the chance of damaging the tyre wall. However it's pretty near useless on old tyres on rusty rims, the foot just slides off away from the rim all the time I love the brutal simplicity of Paul's clip of the Jake. Not got the room for one of those though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruuman Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 may be teaching you all to suck eggs, but I didn't see anyone mentioning removing the valve core, breaking the bead is pretty easy with hi-lift and a lump of wood then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 may be teaching you all to suck eggs, but I didn't see anyone mentioning removing the valve core, breaking the bead is pretty easy with hi-lift and a lump of wood then. Errrrrm - hopefully most people will have thought of that, although I doubt it will have made any difference to JCB man [stroppy mode] Anyway we have veered off-course a little, the original point of the thread wasn't about bead breaking but removing the tyre completely from the rim once the air is out, valve core removed, bead broken by one means or another etc [/stroppy] As it is a sod to hold a wheel/tyre combo still when using tyre levers I plan to make something similar to that shown in the video of the manual tyre changer that Zim linked to above. A very simple, easy to use, easy to make, compact to store device, and can be made from odds n sods I have floating about, so cheap too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruuman Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 just checking might have an old wheel hub if you want to adapt that into your design Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landrover598 Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I plan to make something similar to that shown in the video of the manual tyre changer that Zim linked to above. Thats exaactly what i've spent this evening doing, i just need to find somewhere to bolt it down now Taking tyres off on the floor with spoons takes me about 20 minutes each, but hopefully it should be a lot quicker now with this stand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zim Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 Does anyone know where to get the bars from ? I could do with another, but can only find expensive ones G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicks90 Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 As it is a sod to hold a wheel/tyre combo still when using tyre levers I plan to make something similar to that shown in the video of the manual tyre changer whats wrong with putting the wheel on the spare wheel carrier on the back door - if you have one? Holds the wheel nice and still so you can get round with the tyre levers and gravity does to an extent aid getting the tyre off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 I made a manual tyre machine on the farm once with a LR hub welded to the top of a 40 gal drum full of water. Cost nowt, worked fine. Good tyre lube is the key to easy tyre changing but a lot of it depends on the rims - later alloys (Discovery 2 for example) are barstewards to do because the well in the wheel is really shallow meaning that the bead is nigh on impossible to get over the rim without a proper auto tyre changer, forcing it with a manual one just damages the rim. Def steel rims, Discovery Tdi age alloys and white 8 spokes etc are dead easy by comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted September 16, 2009 Author Share Posted September 16, 2009 Does anyone know where to get the bars from ? I could do with another, but can only find expensive ones G I'll be making mine. A length of 30mm box, (somewhere between 900 and 1200 long (3-4ft), not decided yet) some 25 dia bar which I'll heat the ends of and batter into the shape required on the anvil. Weld the bar into the box when done and another lil short piece of round welded on to the putting-tyre-back-on end. Should still weigh less than an HFH fabrication Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zim Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 i was being lazy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Smith Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 I use a beadbreaker almost identical to the tyrepliers one, except its about 70 years old. Then I just lay the wheel on the floor and use a good set of levers. Have done this too many times to think about on various Landy rims, and have to do it regularly at work on garden machinery wheels. If doing it with levers is hard work then you must be doing something wrong. The only ones we struggle with are some of the tiny front wheels on cheap ride on mowers. Now how did this reply end up here, I was looking at a different thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landrover598 Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 Does anyone know where to get the bars from ? I could do with another, but can only find expensive ones G http://www.mattsavage.co.uk/acatalog/Tools.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Smith Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 I use a beadbreaker almost identical to the tyrepliers one, except its about 70 years old. Then I just lay the wheel on the floor and use a good set of levers. Have done this too many times to think about on various Landy rims, and have to do it regularly at work on garden machinery wheels. If doing it with levers is hard work then you must be doing something wrong. The only ones we struggle with are some of the tiny front wheels on cheap ride on mowers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missingsid Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 I'll be making mine. A length of 30mm box, (somewhere between 900 and 1200 long (3-4ft), not decided yet) some 25 dia bar which I'll heat the ends of and batter into the shape required on the anvil. Weld the bar into the box when done and another lil short piece of round welded on to the putting-tyre-back-on end. Should still weigh less than an HFH fabrication Don't get me wrong as I am all for making stuff for free. But have you factured in your time in the cost calculation or does the fun of it cover that? I have a Sealy tyre changer which cost £60 new and works a treat (OK the locating peg needs adjustment), for that price it's not worth making one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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