tyre changing machine

[midden]

Any of you who fit their own tyres use one of these.  Any good  do bike wheels actually fit on these


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Manual-Portab...ect=mobile

[Fazerider]

I can’t quite see how that grips the wheel, but I guess it must work if they say it does bikes tyres.
It’s more compact than the one I bought.
(I paid about half the price this seller is asking.)
The hardest part was drilling the garage floor for the expanding bolts to secure it firmly. Ideally I'd have embedded studs in concrete, but didn't want to be tripping over them for the 99.999% of the time I'm not using it.

[midden]

This one has a pin which goes through one of the wheel nut holes (car)  which obviously bike wheels don't have. Doesn't mention if this pin is adjustable  but as you say it claims to be both bike and car tyres

[darrsi]

As said, for the amount of times the average person would use it i think it makes more sense to get them fitted properly at a tyre shop or mechanics.
They had a nightmare fitting my last rear one, as they reckon it had been flattened by being at the bottom of a pile in a warehouse. I even gave a hand trying to manipulate it to get some air into it, until he then suggested it would need warming up for a while to try and expand it back into shape, but eventually he decided to give me someone else's tyre as a direct replacement instead, even though i'd bought my tyre elsewhere and just wanted them to fit it.
That sort of grief is really not needed for me, i just want the thing fitted and balanced asap so my bike's up and running with minimal fuss as it's my only form of transport.
Obviously if you do have time on your hands, or you do track days with tyres coming on and off regularly then this would then become a bargain must have bit of kit.
Ironically, many years ago, both of my brothers left school to go and work with my dad as tyre fitters, but i never did it myself.  :lol

[BBROWN1664]

As said, for the amount of times the average person would use it i think it makes more sense to get them fitted properly at a tyre shop or mechanics.

:agree

[Jamieg285]

That one won't work with bike wheels.  The centre spigot is about 2 inches and won't fit through the wheel centre.

You can get a bike adapter that bolts onto the top of these - but beware that the threads can vary between models on the lower part, so I'd recommend buying the base unit from the same supplier as the the adapter.

Also note, when I bought the center spigot on the bike adapter was still too large for the fazer wheel and I had to purchase another thinner bit of rod to make it work. 

As for bolting it to the floor, I put some heavy duty rawl bolts in, and when not in use I put some button head bolts in to keep the profile low.

[midden]

That one won't work with bike wheels.  The centre spigot is about 2 inches and won't fit through the wheel centre.

I did wonder about that  as it looks like the whole visible top rod unscrews to them be screwed down on to the wheel  but they aren't showing the threaded part in any pics.   
So you have one,  now it's adapted do you find tyre fitting a lot easier than the standard on the floor job?

[Jamieg285]

The center post is a strange arrangement.  The lower piece is internally threaded and the upper piece is like a bolt with a shroud around it.  On the MC adapter the center post has a threaded end that screws into the lower section.  The replacement piece I bought isn't threaded and just sits in the hole.

When fitted the MC adapter is very high, so as one of the many modifications I've made to it, I chopped a removable section out of the base pillar to lower the top when using the MC part.

I also bought a decent tyre lever, as the one provided will mess up the wheel, so budget an extra £60 for that.

I only tried changing one tyre with levers on the floor and that put me off for life.  Using this tool makes it really easy.  First one took about 2 hours, but most of that was about learning the tricks(and mistakes).  I can now change a tyre in under 30 mins without raising a sweat.

Blowing up the rear can be a pain, as Darrsi pointed out, but you can get around this if you have a decent workshop compressor, firing an unrestricted blast in from the side rather than through the valve.  Fitters do a similar thing, but have a dedicated small tank and nozzle to do it, but I achieved the same with a bit of hose pipe direct from the drain outlet.

[midden]

firing an unrestricted blast in from the side rather than through the valve??

Have you done a youtube vid of this.  I've seen the ones where they use lighter fluid or similar

It's the bar I was more after, figured it would give a better job than levers

[Jamieg285]

Not got a video of my setup, but search for 'bead seater' to see how the proper kit works.

My bar is similar to Sealey TC963.  There's a similar one available on ebay and he sells spares for it too.

[midden]

that's quite a neat toy,  I take it you have a queue of people wanting their tyres done 

[His Dudeness]

You'd need a balancer too. Something like that

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Motorcycle-Wh...Sw02Fce8ac

[Fazerider]

You'd need a balancer too...

Or save on storage space by using the swingarm and spindle you already have. 

[His Dudeness]

Yeah you could do that. The balancer has less friction so it'd be more accurate and repeatable

[celticbiker]

While some say there's no point in this set up I've got to say it's saved me a fortune and paid for itself (new compressor too) in just six months.
I will agree that my situation is somewhat unique but I think the point is still valid.
I ride around 500 mile/week just for work 48 week/ year and around 300/ week extra in the summer( around 15 weeks). This sees me using 4-5 rears and 3-4 fronts then there's a set on the car every year too.
That's £165 in fitting costs alone. If I buy my tyres from the dealers they will set me back £240/ pair fitted I can get the same tyres for £130 to £160/ pair on line so I'm saving £120 every time I change tyres.
All that means I'm changing a tyre one way or another every 12 weeks ( about the same time scale as oil changes).



So I've got this changer





https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Manual-Mini-T...15bb2fc4fe


But the bar that comes with it can damage paint so I got this bar instead.





https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tyre-bar-leve...XQxVZRCRuq


And this balancer





https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Motorcycle-Mo...3ZgPtN48RQ

Downside is , Iv'e got a shed load of tyres to get rid of now.


The only downside is that I have a shed load of tyres to get rid of now

[midden]

You'd need a balancer too. Something like that

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Motorcycle-Wh...Sw02Fce8ac

Already got the bar  and made the supports using wood and a couple of repurposed bearings,  works well

Jamie/Celtic  Did you ever try the supplied bar, perhaps lubed up (oo er)?

Tyres local tip  cut in half hidden in waste bags

[mtread]

Celtic - 2nd picture. She lets you do it in the kitchen!  :eek

[midden]

Celtic - 2nd picture. She lets you do it in the kitchen!  :eek

OCD or what, that's his garage 

[mtread]

OK his previous kitchen 

[celticbiker]

She let's me do it anywhere I like but she draws the line at driving the wrong way up a one way street if you know what I mean.
That's not my kitchen though, it's the sellers picture from eBay.
I used the original bar for a year and it works really well but it does scuff up the rims, I have a fix but haven't done it yet..