It's important to mark your tire where the valve stem is so that when you remount the tire that it stays relatively balanced.

11:00 a really good tip if you can't get the bead to seat, is to take a ratchet strap and put it around the tire as though it's running down the road, and tighten up until the bead is close to touching if not already touching. Put air in until it takes and doesn't leak around the bead, then remove the ratchet strap. Have fixed many busted bead leaks on the trails or in the fields with this method.

When I was a kid I watched my friends father change tires without a Manuel tire changer, using crowbars. I was amazed he said he worked in a garage back in the late 40’s this was 1977. I was in aww 😮! Great vid!😊👍🏻

The key to getting dust out if a blind hole with a vacuum is to put the hose so it's halfway across the hole. That way air can rush in to provide the flow needed to take up the dust into the vacuum. Though it might not work that well on a hole that deep.

NOTICE: I did not balance this tire, I'll do that in a future video review of the Harbor Freight bubble balancer. I do not care about this tool "scratching my alloy wheels". Also, I DO NOT care about the tire pressure light being on. It was ALREADY on due to the fact that this is the SECOND TPS valve stem to FAIL on this van leaving a member of my family stranded. Thats B.S. If you're a yuppy and care more about "the light being on" than about the safety of having dependable rubber valve stems......then you're probably watching the wrong channel.

Something I learned the hard way - plug those holes in the floor with a piece of rubber or even a bolt of the right size. Water, ice, dirt - even small parts - all seem to find a way in and clog them.

I've changed about 30 tires with my Harbor Freight tire changer. I've modified it so I can do motorcycle tires, car tires, and small trailer tires too. One recommendation I have is to get yourself some decent large tire spoons. Remounting a "used" tire is a lot easier than mounting a brand new tire, and tire spoons come in handy! Also, warming the tire (in a heat box or outside in a sunny spot) helps with the mounting - as well as using plenty of tire lube. Also, if you're gonna do a fair number of tires, consider getting a duck bill attachment. Finally, I use balance beads in most of my tires. Easy peasy balance trick.

As someone who works on vehicles for a living, I must say I'm pretty impressed. Going into this I was much more interested in how you were going to mount the tire since it could be a pain in the rear at times even with the equipment we use at the shop. Still, you managed to mount that tire back on without too much of a struggle! lol

A couple of things to keep in mind using this tool. Always turn the bar clockwise this will prevent the hold down from coming loose. When reinstalling clamp a pair of vise grips use it as a handle on the bar to keep it from rotating and coming out of the bead.

Next daughter is going to come and say, "Dad, there's a flat tire warning light that won't go off."

TIP!: For anyone coming here looking for tips when you can not get a tire back on. When you are trying to get the top bead over the rim and that bar keeps trying to roll on you, Grab you a pipe wrench and lock it on the end. This will prevent it from rolling and depending on the size of your pipe wrench it will give you some more leverage as you walk it on. The rolling on these bars is the hardest part to overcome especially when you lube the tire up really well and end up getting it on the bar as well. Hopefully this helps someone. Cheers!

Brought back memories of my youth. I worked in a tire shop that used a more robust but very similar machine. We had a Coates 20/20 in the shop as well and the manual machine is actually faster because there is no reset time. Good video.

I love the irony of making a tire repair tool out of a nail.

If you're only changing the sensor, even if replacing with a rubber valve, just break the top bead and hold it open while you remove and replace the valve. No need to remove the tire or break other bead. This will keep the wheel balanced once you refill with air. There is also a valve set tool you thread onto the end of it and pry over the rim to set the valve into place

Thank you for this! I used a tool similar to this as a kid and forgot all about it and haven't been able to change a tire for years without help. So glad I stumbled on this tool and glad you made a video on it!!

I've had mine for about 4yrs and I'm happy with it. I've changed a lot of tires with it and gonna change a lot more for sure. Once you get the hang of it, it's easier and faster to use. Great video by the way

I've had one of these for about 20 years. Still works great and I have changed many tires doing restoration work on cars and trucks... I grew up in the 60s working at service stations and these are the changers we had. I am right at home with them. One suggestion would be to make an index for the tire at the valve stem and mark the weights so that balance can be somewhat close when reinstalling tire. of coarse removing the TPM sensor was a lot of weight so it will need balancing but if a repair is all that is being done, it helps to keep things from getting out of control at higher speeds.

Great video. Self-reliance is everything in this day and age. In a rural area having a machine and knowing how to change a valve stem can be the difference between having a working car or an expensive tow bill. Getting a balance or ordering a sensor on ebay can happen later or at a more convenient time. Re: Balancing. If you had intended to replace the sensor, you could also have marked the exact position of the tire on the rim with an alignment line using chalk, etc.. Then when you remounted the tire you'd just need to line up against your mark before re-seating the bead. As long as the sensor was the same, the balancing wouldn't change. I never measured the weight of a sensor, but I see in the video the counterweight was directly opposite the valve stem hole indicating that the balancing was taking into account the weight of the sensor. Pulling the counterweight off would probably had resulted in a better quick and dirty balance too.

I’ve had one for 20 yrs now. I use it A Lot . I mount my own and then get balanced at Walmart . I did have to weld the top stem back on once changing 33” tires but it works great and I highly recommend

Thanks for the review ! As an actual former tire shop mechanic I was skeptical manual tire machines were really difficult to use. As Im used to using real automatic tire machines this doesn't seem too bad at all. I will have to invest in one now thanks for the video .

A tip from a man who does tires every day he works. Mark the valve stem on the tire! That way you know where the tire was balanced and the way it was rotating so no drivability concerns arise. But I'd love to see a video on a manual balancer as well! Great job on the video!

I've used this exact tool at home to change between 6-8 tyres in the last year. It's totally worth the money and once you get used to it, it takes all of 5 mins to change a tyre. Use the rounded nub like you initially did when putting the final bead back on the rim. when you first place the tyre on the rim to go back on you should be able to push the first bead on by hand.

I changed many tires using this tool. When installing tires especially older tires that I use just to keep older vehicles mobile I have the same issue using the bar to install. Usually have to pry the the tire on. What I found along the way is to make sure the opposite side of the tire that you are working on is in the deep part of the rim & using a vice grip or a clamp on the rim make the install a lot easier. I now have to make a small repair on the bead buster part of this tool. It now bends when using it. Stay safe, Joe Z

This tool is priceless! I've changed countless tires with it and made a lot of money from doing so. Although, one recommendation I would like to state is.. to weld a larger brace onto the bead breaker arm. After prolonged use, it'll begin to bend and ultimately break, leaving you at square one. Those thin weak attachments aren't very sturdy at all. Then again.. I'm use to mounting/unmounting 31's and larger with ease.

Thanks for the no nonsense reviews on products for real life. Life on the cheap when it's so needed right now.

Amazing video. Somehow, the reflection in the end is even more valuable than the review itself. Sometimes we have to put on a 20th century mindset for our troubles!!

Having busted tires for a living when I was a young man...I am impressed. Getting air into tire and getting the bead to grab is the real challenge. Great video.

Thanks for the video, it was a big help. I told my son and a friend I needed a couple of wheels & tires to roll some street rod projects around. Mysteriously I found about a dozen tires & wheels in the barn, different lug & tire sizes. Pick out what I need/wanted. So I bought a Harbor Freight tire changer like this one, removed the tires. Some of the rims will be scrap, other will have used tires put on and the old tires will go to the counties tire recycle program. Like you said why spend hours & money at a tire place when you can do it it your self with this tire changer. Just like your video, this tire changer works great and is a time & money saver.

Great Video. Years ago I bought the same device but put this on a 3.4 inch of 4 x 4 plywood because I did not want to drill into the floor. This was great for changing motorcycle tires as well. The local shop wants $50 to mount a tire. Not for me. This is a great tool an you definitely need to get one. Money well spent.

Good vid Dave. I've had one for about 10 years now. Never regretted getting it!

I've had one for a few years. Works great when it is adjusted to the size of tire being worked. I'm limited on space so I've bolted mine to a 4'X6' sheet of 3/4" plywood. Then standing on the plywood while working the tire works fine. then the whole thing can be moved out of the way or disassembled if need be for more space. Too bad about your bead breaker, mine fits perfectly. Using the air gun to set the bead as demonstrated here works for me. Thanks for the tip. 🙂

Loved the video, I am a pro mechanic and do plenty of tires. Obviously, in a professional shop we have a nice hydraulic version of this. I have never seen one of these in use, and I would say you did great! I will say that if you were mounting new tires or low profile tires you would have ALOT harder time getting the tires on and off the rim. If you have truck tires, that have a large sidewall like truck and off road tires, it will be a lot harder to set the bead when you go to fill the tire. Just a PSA for anyone looking to get one of these!

This definitely helped me make a decision on purchasing one. I’ve been wanting to get one for quite some time now. Thanks 👍🏾

4:32 I use a cut up tire tread to cushion the breaker arm stop at the base to help keep it from gouging out the rim. Also works to cushion the rim from the star retainer when putting the wheel on the changer- Any old tires I have, I cut up and make jack pads which are very useful-

I bought one of these and bolted it to a heavy duty (heavy) wooden pallet (offset from the centre of the pallet) to allow the wheel to sit level instead of bolting into the floor as i didn't have a floor to fix it to and it worked just fine if you are like me and can;t bolt it down. I love it i can now fix my own tire problems without paying hefty shop prices. Loved your video and thanks for sharing your experience. Like you i still have to sus out how to use the other end of the bar properly to get the tire back on.

Great video, thank you. I've taken tires off the "hard" way, on the ground using boards and C-clamps, I'm definitely going to give this a try. We have many vehicles too here and tire changes can add up super quick.

I've noticed that the flat steel arms of the bead breaker are somewhat weak. I have beefed mine up by welding on some angle iron to give more support. Good video, thanks.

Used this in the Army for 20 years,,it's a great machine..TKS for the vid!!

Right at $50 locally at my harbor freight around a year after this video was made. Still a great buy! Nice review bud! Love all your videos btw

Who remembers split rims. They took on a lot of the issues and worked well back in the day. just needed a cage otherwise, all manual and no fancy tools. And if you do not have enough pressure via your compressor to set the bead, there is always the roap and a spinner like a tourniquet around the tread of the tire to get the beads closer to their setting point or hairspray and a lighter, for quick volume expansion beyond a small compressor. Once it is set, you can use the compressor you have to get it to the needed pressure. Great video and I see one in my future.

I have had one for 10-15 years, changed tons of tires with it. Well worth the 30 bucks I payed for it.

Love the fact that you work in your garage in your slippers !! My kinda garage work ! The trick when taking a tire off a rim or putting one on a rim , you need to push the opposite side down so it is in the deepest part of the rim giving you more tire to move over the rim if that makes any sense . Had a much older version on the farm growing up, always seem rewarding to change / fix a tire as a kid .

6:25 It also may help to put the breaker arm pivot on one of the holes further out, so the breaker arm is more vertical, and less likely to slip sideways on the tire. Pushing the wheel further towards the post also helps toward that end-

Hi, That was wonderful! Like your simple steps and was actually laughing as you mounted the tire with the bar! You seemed to figure it out. Just got a similar machine and will use your ideas! Testing for leaks on the bead, wiping the rims well, inserting rubber stem - good steps to follow! ❤

You always do the best no bs average Joe reviews, and thanks for that dave.

Good video, thanks for review, fyi I've changed several TPMS, you don't need to remove the tire from the rim, you really only need to unbead the front of the tire, put a 1x4 or 2x4 to between the tire and rim so you can remove the TPMS and replace it, or install a new stem if that's what you want to do. You can also fish out a TPMS if you drop it in the tire or it falls in with out removing the tire from the rim...been there done it lol

9:49 You had the right setup for mounting there, it has to be done in clockwise fashion with the mounting tip, but the key is to keep the mounting bar braced up high on the center post, which keeps it from slipping off the bead. The mounting tip has a ramp profile that will guide it down under the rim edge, and the important thing is to keep the opposite bead in the drop center of the rim, which gives sufficient slack to get it over the edge. And using a good tire lubricant like Ru-Glyde makes a big difference in the effort required.

I have had one many years. I have not been to a tire store since. I found a real manual tire bar at a flea market. That item was a game changer. I have over 200 tires on the ground right now. I have a separate bead breaker. I have a gallon of paste tire soap that can be mixed with water or used thick. It is a little thicker than grease. You need to get some to put on tire bead and I dip my spoons in to protect beads, each time I use it on tire, several times mounting one tire. I have broken that big pipe bar in two a few times and welded back together. But I was doing some rough old tires. Breaking beads I sometimes use a hi lift jack under a truck bumper with tire under base of Jack. Then I'd leave it an hour till it finally gave. Them old car bumper jacks work good also to break beads on old tires. I use them too. But I have a one ton mechanic tool truck with a crane, welder, air compressor, which means HEAVY. On newer tires you don't need that. But I commonly get old junk that hasn't had tires off in 50 years, they can be tough. If you have a collapsed tire where the beads are almost touching, hard to mount that. Put an old tube inside tire and air up tube and leave in the sun all day. Then remove tube and put tire on rim. The manual tire changer, bead breaker, and bumper jack have saved me multiplied thousands of dollars. On the bead breaker you need to make it a little longer on the base to do modern tires with rims over 15 inches. Let's face it, lot of tires over 15 inches now days. I have never used the bead breaker on the tire changer. I got mine second hand and didn't get that part. I already had just a bead breaker and plenty of pawn shop tire spoons. I had went a long time thinking my life was complete...then, I got the manual tire changer pedestal thing. Now, I may see the tire man at the grocery store, I just say hello and move on. He still remembers me from days gone by. Do not use hand cleaner for bead lube. It makes your patches come loose. Get one of those wax crayons at the auto parts store to mark valve stems and leaks. Save old spray bottles for soapy water leak finders. They also sell some black sticky stuff with a brush in lid to paint troublesome beads with. It is in a can like pvc glue comes in. I rarely use but it's nice to keep handy.

"i know a guy that can change tires" That Guy:

I welded mine to a 2x2" pipe and use the receiver on my truck as an anchor , works great for camping when the guys blow out a bead on their 4x4s and atvs .

I've got mine set up outside. Use it for everything from lawnmower, four wheeler, motorcycle, auto and truck tires. It was a little bit of a learning experience to start with but the more you use it the easier it will get. Great honest video.

I would find 4 plugs to plug your anchor holes so they don't fill up with dirt and elements. great video by the way. I was on the fence getting one but watching you, I can do that. I'm ordering mine today. Thanks for all your informational video's very inspirational.

Two things for the future. 1, when mounting the new tire on the rim, make sure the near side of the tire sits under the big bump near the bear then talk the tire tool around. 2, if the tire is touching the top and bottom of the rim like this one was, getting air in the tire fast isn't really necessary; that's only required with floppy sidewall tires that are too narrow and don't touch the top and bottom sides of the rim.

I'm an old fart and I have changed literally hundreds of tires on a similar machine as this. It really is not rocket science if you don't mind doing a little manual labor and getting your hands dirty. Thanks for the review on this. As soon as I get some concrete in my own garage I will be getting one.

Wanted to see it in action as I used to change tires in my brothers store when I was younger and it worked great and you proved it again. The prices for tire changing at a store or balancing is crazy and you have to schedule a visit. Im buying one of the old manual machine and some balancing beads. thanks for your utube.

Awesome video man! Thanks a ton for taking time out to do this and post it for everyone to watch before buying. Very much appreciated

Yep that is a good tool to have in your garage for sure.. love it.

You guys are the best! Love you guys! Over here watching from Colorado! Stay healthy!

When I started changing tires on small wheels 15 & 16 we had a bead breaker and tire tools, no changer, when we got a manual changer it was a great thing. But we still had to do the truck wheel all by hand tools.

Excellent tool used one a little more industrial meaning place for the soapy water with a soft brush and had a way to balance your tire as well all manually. The only thing that I would have done was mark on the tire where the valve stem would have gone back and or any of the balance weights. You did a great job and I am sold on this machine and Harbor Frieght. It was in the 60's I had the chance to use them. Great video.

Next time mark the tire and rim so you can spin the tire so it’s in the same location on the rim so if it was balanced it should still be at least close . Great video and channel .

You should mark the tire orientation before removal, especially if not rebalancing.

Thanks for the demo , bought one of those a couple weeks ago finally mounted it to a stable base , I got my tire off but was unsure on how to get the fresh tire mounted thanks for the help

I just drove 20 miles to get 2 tires changed and took over a hour and 30 bucks a tire , no more im getting one of these and mounting it outside and getting the balancer also. Thanks for the vid

Thanks for demonstrating that tool. There's no need to completely remove the tire for just a valve replacement; just break the bead on the one side, pry away the tire, replace the valve then reseat the bead in the same way you did it - lots of air all at once. This way you won't lose the balance because you left the bead seated on one side and didn't rotate the tire relative to the rim. Suggest your next video demonstrate a Harbourfreight bubble balancer. That would be great!

I had an Uncle who was Mechanical Engineer. He used to say " If all else Fails, Read the Directions. "

I got mine from Northern Tool 20 years ago. It’s still changing tires, and even works on compact tractor tires.

I work for a truck driver and change his tires quite often. We just use two tire bars to get them off and on. Usually a dead blow sludge hammer too. It works really well

changed quite a few tires with just pry bars and a sledge or hi lift jack. where theres a will, theres a way

Well for average sized tires on minivans and regular cars, I'd say this works fairly well if a little inefficient compared to a pneumatic changer. However for me and many newer cars with low profile tires? No thank you, this would be a nightmare.

Excellent vid!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼👏🏼 Showed my son this video and he used it to help guide him through changing all 4 tires, while I worked on installing coilovers! 👍🏆 Win-win! Thanks a million!

I’ve had one of these for several years and it takes a lot of back strength to break the bead. Also when you go to remount the tire on the rim, it takes quite a wrestling match to get it back on. Use plenty of lube and make sure and follow the included instructions. Good luck.

This is a great video. I learned how to change car tires in my front yard with homemade tire spoons in the late 1980's. To all the whiney TPS and shop only commenters out there, we survived the 20th Century just fine.

Modern tubless tires use " drop center " rims / wheels. Make sure the bead goes into " valley" in the rim while dismounting and mounting the tire. With lube should be relatively easy. A bit of soap is necessary. Really old hard tires (aged ) are another story.

If you toss the TPMS (25th century technology, as you called it), the tire pressure indicator light is going to be on constantly in that vehicle, and will likely blink/beep at you every time you start the vehicle until you replace that sensor.

The first tire I EVER changed was a commercial tire. No power tools involved with that. Tires, Wheels, and tire bars. We didnt even have a stand like that one you used. We did have a balance machine that we used to balance the tires that went on the cab, usually didnt balance the trailer tires. I even got the opportunity to change a tractor tire. Got laid off from work after a couple of years doing that job, but loved the time I spent there. Met some really interesting people while there. I changed State Trooper tires, County Sheriff tires, even tires of the parents of a classmate of mine. Hadn't seen them for 30 years! Good times that place.

To break the bead easier, try moving the setting to the middle hole. Once I did that, the beads broke with ease!

to seat the bead ,remove valve core and use the air hose on the valve stem .

great tip on the hole sleeves with bottom expander on them. I think I'd get some plastic bolts to put into them when tool is removed, just to protect the holes from dirt and water.

Bought one of these years ago and finally needed it and of course no manual lol. Totally forgot the top spun off. Saved me a bunch of time lol. Thanks

You should mark the tire and rim with chalk so you get the tire back on exactly the same place so you don't need to balance the wheel again. Most use the valve stem as the marking location on the rim so you only need to put a mark on the tire to line up with the valve stem.

You did good job to explain this tool, for use steal wheels is okay but Aluminium wheels isn’t especially on end part to reinstall the tire a lot scratches and damages

Dad, "Why does it feel like my tire is wobbly? I don't think you balanced it."

I like this tool, because my dad showed me how to do it even without it....back breaking but he did it. The tool does it well, but need better materials for the the bead breaker portion. A holder, hook or something would give you hands free to make things easier. Also, the long pry tool, is a bit confusing to reinstallation of the tire. I found that the same store sells a set of pry bars, using the longest along side of the tire changer tool helps a lot. Thanks for the tutorial.

I've got one of them they do work.. Wide tire's can be a problem. You will get better just add practice

You should have tape the TPS to the inside of the rim that way it still reads also mark the tire position at the valve stem that way it's right back where it was balanced at

Thanks for the heads up on those Red Head anchors, wow really makes it convenient to bolt onto concrete and remove the stand.

I have the same unit and used it to mount 33 inch tires on my second gen xterra.. Don't forget to buy some cheap tire spoons while your at harbor freight buying it....the thing works great! Im glad you finally used some slip soap...ya had me wondering for a minute. Plus you can use a valve cap style tire pressure monitoring system..its like 40. Bucks on amazon. Big tires? Mount the beads with starting fluid and 🔥.

A ratchet strap around the tire will help when re-seating the bead.

Always enjoyable Dave, thx. Just the 3 other tires before their stems go!😂 Get some of that black bead seal on before you remount and you'll make your life much easier. From about 200 miles due East of you, may you and yours be healthy and safe!

Great review, I just went to 3 different tire shops to price changing 2 utility trailer tires. Each place wants 20$ each to swap them, just swapping no balancing ( which they don’t need anyway). Between every vehicle, tractor, trailer, atv, utv, lawn mower I own about 75 tires. I have more time than money when it comes to changing tires. I’m going right now to buy this changer.

From a design standpoint, if you are able to mount a link to the main vertical shaft, lower than where the bead breaker is, then mount the other end to the bead breaker, as you press down on the lever, and the bead breaker goes down, the link will push the bead breaker out and keep it from sliding down the tire. This might help with breaking the bead easier.

Great demonstration/review, Dave! This is one of those "must-haves" for the homestead workshop. Hope the tire balances well for you :) Later, my friend! Stay safe and God Bless

Thanks, good video, very helpful.

Good thinkn' on taking the valve out of the stem and using your air sprayer to reset the bead. I never would have thought of that.

i got to say, your the man.... i go and shop at harbor f, ive seen this a hundred times and wondered if i could do it, you made it look easy, now im kicking myself in the ass for not buying it sooner.....thanks Dude!.

Thanks man! I was thinking about buying one of these units to change my own motorcycle tires. It’s ridiculous how much shops charge to replace tires. Before I run over to HF, I wanted to see one in action. Great video. I subbed

Mark tire where valve, weights are on the rim if reusing the same tire!

You can mount it on a piece of plywood about 4' and when stood on keeps from moving and is totally portable. Also a bicycle tube inflated can fill the gap when inflating if the gap is too wide. Get the tube a little bigger than size your doing. Inflation will make up for the difference.

Husband bought one. He showed me how to use it. He also bought "tire spoons" --about an inch wide and maybe 14 inches long. It has never been bolted down to the floor. When you use enough dish soap around the bead--the tire practically falls off by itself. The spoons work great for ANY tire--big tractor tires, motorcycle tires and anything else that won't fit on the machine. Put on your own new tires. Just buy the tires==whether for a daily driver, trailer or even a newer vehicle...Yeah--if you get flat tires, even if you don't get this on a super sale, buy one. Get the spoons (mix dish soap with water). As far as plugging a hole--pour straight dish soap in an empty vitamin bottle, 'thread' the plug thing thru the plugger handle thingee, dip it in the vitamin bottle THEN shove it in the hole. You are welcome. Good video!