Has anyone got or use manual tyre changing gear, such as the Sealey kit available for <100 on ebay? I used professional gear daily when on the tools but find it hard to pay between 8 - 10 for a change over these days! I have about 8 tyres to swap over at the moment so one of these manual machines will pay for its self. My main concern is if is will cope with the tough side walls on R888's and if it will wreck alloy wheels? Please advise me of your experiences with manual tyre changing.
i used one quite alot at my last work. there fine on steelies with 65 or big profiles etc but when you start getting lower profiles they do get a bit stiff. used to need 2 people to do them some times. or 3 if 30 profile! id say do it and see seeing as you have some many. ya might be huge for all i know!!
These are brilliant for wheels you don't care about. I was paying through the nose for tyre changes, and had stocks of 195/50s to use up on the daily, and you get ripped off bringing your own tyres in for changing (Kwik Fit refuse to serve). However, stiff sidewalls will make it more difficult and as if to prove the point, I did have to weld up the bead breaker on the changer after removing some old Dunlop DO1Js (akin to R888s, but I believe with a stiffer sidewall), and finding it tough going. I wouldn't put the changer anywhere near my good wheels. Compromises can be made when removing tyres, such as sawing the broken bead, to save running the bar round the rim, which is used to peel the tyre off. Broken bead = lift off. Even without that, often the second (lower) half of the tyre will pull off without a lever. Tyre lubricant easily got from the local motor factors in small tubs + cheap valve installation tools - and valves off eBay (packs of 100 from the factors - no need for that). In 4 years I must have saved s with my machine. 50 new when I bought it, at 10 per corner to fit tyres, I've made it back so many times over. Pics of it in use if needed.
There is another way, if you have space, power and compressed air. A mate of mine has a tyre changer he bought off ebay, for about 200 - it's a powered, single phase, with a compressed air bead breaker. This brand, but a different model http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/corghi-jolly-...ultDomain_3&hash=item3cb793a46d#ht_500wt_1156 If you let a few mates know you've got it, then they'll come and use it and can pay you in beer, scotch or a few quid a go. I took 13 wheels and tyres up to my mate and left him a bottle of bushmills 10yo for use of his facilities. You'll soon make your extra money back, and be doing your mates a favour. I'm on the lookout for one, but not top priority. The Corghi Jolly is a good model to go for (I'm told), because it's current and you can get parts for them.
This is what i am looking at: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TC960-SEALEY-...943?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item51914f08ff Chris, is this the type of thing you have? some pics would be great of it in action. mostly i will need to use on alloys with a min profile of 45. I am wondering if i can use some kind of ntlon protectors to avoid damaging the rims. Mike, something like that would be great but i am thinking of mounting the machine outside to save on garage space. might be tempted if one came up for less than 200 but most seem to be going closer to 400.
breaking the beads is the key. I bought a pneumatic bolt down job. great for beads. chris is right when he says you will mark the rims when pulling the lever around the central pole. competition use is not a problem. hope this is of some use, Jon mine was 200 quid, and I will get a chunk of that back when i sell it.
Yep, that's the one. They take a bit of getting used to, and as I say, you don't put pristine alloys near one. It'll take off 45s or 50s fine, it's just technique and understanding how you have to move a bead about to remove a tyre. Normal sidewall road tyres are easy. I haven't had a tyre fitted on my daily by a tyre shop in four years, interspersed by one emergency swapover of a couple at MOT. Will find some pics.
Thanks Chris Jon, i have a hyd body jack kit / portapower and a hyd press so would prob be able to use one of these for really stubborn beads. Like the hyd versions but as i plan to leave out side garage i am hoping that the basic one will do the job. Just need to devise a way of mounting hanging baskets round it so the misses doesn't notice the additional garden ornament!
Hard work doing a couple of sets of wheels with a manual one, I now pay 20-25quid for a set of 4 to be done at the tyre shop but Im still on the look out for a cheap mechanical changer on ebay.
5 per wheel is fair but cant get done any cheaper than 10 a wheel in my area. As i have at least 9 to do in the near future it would be save me money within 1 month.
I've had decent deals by wandering into a local garage and making it clear it's cash and I'm not looking for a receipt - about a fiver a wheel for a swap over and balance - generally swapping R888s around to even up the wear.
I have a manual tyre changer like shown above but with an air bead breaker. All the comments above apply, mainly use it to remove tyres and nothing tidy goes anywhere near it, 195/40/17`s are well fun!!! A local tyre place will do me 8 off and 4 on for 20 cash, they did the 888`s (also 8 off and 4 on) on the track car for 10 recently.
Pics as promised. Worth mentioning I have had to repair / uprate it three times, once with a bolt through the top hat (pic 2), once to brace the unbeading device laterally, and later when I bent/cracked the unbeading device on a stiff sidewall. A drill, hollw spacer tube and a welder had it fixed easily, but if that's not your bag, disappointment could follow.
Thanks for all your advice and pic's. I also watched some video on youtube of them in action. As most of the wheels i will be changind tyres on are alloy i have decided this isnt for me! Will continue to look out for something like Mike highlighted, untill then i will have to shop about to see who will do my swaps cheapest!
