How to Use a Manual Tire Changer - Harbor Freight 

30+ years ago my dad made one by sticking the main post in a cement filled hole in the ground. Still works as well as the day it was made.

Wow that things pretty flimsy but could be remedied with minimal welding. I changed tires for a living when I was a kid. You can use old rags on the tire removal tool surfaces to prevent scratching fancy rims. Good and honest demo.

I have 8 tires to change today using this. See you next year.

I have changed many tires with that very same changer. It works, but has several problems, with scratching. Thanks for sharing the video. Good Job.

Thanks. After looking at yours i was able to modify mine to work properly. To those who have just bought one of these make sure you grind and sand the ends smooth so they do not damage rims or tires.

I really commend you for having a lot of patience on this project. Thanks for the time taken in making this video. Good job...

Great video, thanks for posting. My local auto store sells a product exactly the same as this and this video was much better than the instructions that came with it. One tip I would give is that if you are removing tyres that are old, leave them out in the sun for a while before removing - they come off much easier if the rubber is warm and soft.

Very good tutorial. That machine pays by itself with the first set of tires.

Yeah good tutorial, but they should have named that tool the "wheel destroyer 3000"

I have one of these, they are not as bad as everyone here seems to think. I have installed either split rubber hose or split plastic tubing on the part that can scratch up your rim. For example install rubber hose on the bead breaker edge, the four tines of the hold down collar, and plastic on the shaft of the tire iron so that it doesn't gouge the edge of the rim. Professional pneumatic unit also damage your rims when they clamp the rim in place. I installed quite a few tires with this unit. These were the type of tire change machines they used in the 50's and 60's at your local filling stations.

I used this video to to do about 20 various tires I had in the shop about 2 years ago.... used it for a refresher again today. thanks for a very detailed and thoughtful video. StaggerLee

Little late comment now but amazing tutorial, thank you so much for making this, it helped me a lot.

Thanks so much for the thorough explanation. I'm going to go out and get one of those tools from Harbor Freight. I was told me TPMS sensor on the back of the valve needs replacing at $200. I can buy this tool & new TMPS for $80. BONUS: I can also replace my own tires. Thanks again. God bless.

Great video. I was thinking of buying a cheap one of these a few years ago, but I figured I'd probably only use it once every few years :)

Thank you for the great video. Good to see both processes of removal and installation.

I bought one of those. I don't have anything but garages at the houses where I rent, so the landlord(s) refuses to allow me to drill holes in their garage floors to mount the tire changer to the floor. So, as an alternative method, I had to round up scrap metal and use my arc welder to build a wide external frame onto it on the bottom so that it would not tilt and fall over side ways. Plus, I discovered that the tire has a tendency to slide off sideways away from the bead breaking mechanism, when you try to use it to break the bead. I cured that problem by welding the head of an upright 1/2 inch diameter bolt which is long enough to protrude approximately 3 inches above any standard car or pickup wheel and tire even in the upside-down position (most vehicle wheels, have a higher depth when turned upside-down) to the new framework, and then I use a flat plate with a hole in it (which completely covers the wheel center hole) along with a nut to tighten and hold down the tire and wheel so that it will not slide away from the bead breaker mechanism. The only other thing that went wrong is that the round 4 armed spider assembly which you set into place and then tighten the locking pipe down on which is used to hold the tire and wheel in place, as you remove the tire from the wheel is very flimsily made, and the side of it will crack and then break vertically on the round pipe that holds the 4 arms of the spider assembly. Just welding it again will not permanently cure this problem, as it will just crack and break in another spot. So, the only permanent cure was to find another piece of pipe with the same hole diameter which contains thicker side walls (such as an old well casing pipe), and weld new arms onto to it to replace the original spider with. With those simple modifications, it works great now, and I've had no further problems. Yes it is cheaply made, and has it's problems. As they always say, "You get what you pay for". But as usual, most of those problems can be cured with a little Redneck ingenuity, and MacGyverism, if you just want to take the time and effort to do so. But, in Reality, there are so many people out there now here in these modern times, that would rather moan, groan, bitch, and complain, about a problem and/or cheaply made products, than spend the time (in their words.... "wasting brain power" (which they obviously don't have (as our ancestors, and fore-fathers had, and used))), to figure out a way to cure the problem. I personally would rather take the time, and effort, to use my brain to figure out how to over-come those problems than to lower myself down to their level, and sit around moaning, groaning, bitching, and complaining about it. After all, that's what God gave it to me for. It's a shame that others either can't (or refuses, to), use it to do the same with. They obviously have more money to blow in buying and/or replacing it with higher priced products than I do. Oh Well, to each his own I guess.

I don't have a concrete floor, so I used 3 2"x12" planks fastened together, used lag bolts to fasten it on there. Nice and sturdy. It doesn't move because you are standing on there too. When breaking the bead, stand on the tire which will collapse it quicker.

IDK if I'm going to buy this to install my tires but this is a great video!

Thanks for the video. I bought one of these about six months ago but I haven't used it yet. Just finished up a new pole building and I'll be mounting it in there.

Thanks Jim... I had looked at a number of videos and found yours to be the clearest and most instructional... I had a tire that kept losing air, I took it in for a patch and the technician called me over and showed me that the inside of the tire had a spider web of cracks. He told me that the tire was too old and had rotted and I needed new tires. For a year I wasn't convinced and the tire kept going down and the tread was like new. So, I began my search of the receipt and of knowing about tires and yes... it's time for new tires. My tires were made in 2005 and I bought them in 2008.

Put some washers on the bolts to take out the slack good job

Thank you for clarifying the tire pressure should be what the VEHICLE calls for, not what the sidewall says. Some people think the sidewall PSI rules what the tire pressure should always be. I tell my customers to always go by the door placard, and only to put the higher psi in the tire if the vehicle is hauling at or near it's max load carrying capacity, and then to reduce pressure as soon as the load hauling chore is completed. Running higher PSI will degrade ride quality and cause faster wear on the suspension system, since the tires are also part of the suspension system, being the part that makes contact with the road surface. The less flex the tire has when it makes contact with a pothole or other object in the road, i.e. the more pressure inside the tire, the more shock is transferred to the rest of the vehicles suspension system, and the more of the jarrs the occupants inside the vehicle will feel. Keep your tire psi at the correct PSI, and remember to check your tire pressures regularly.

9:14 you made that look so easy. I spent a good 30 minutes or so wrestling with one today and never got it to mount so I'm back watching you do it.

I use one of these, with a motorcycle wheel add-on accessory also sold by Harbor Freight. The first thing I did was buy a kit from another guy that provides a replacement bar with a better tip, with hard plastic (teflon) inserts, so NO scratching and a stronger bar. If you are a having trouble with wide, stiff tires fighting you,, push the tire farther down into the "well" where the bead goes to create more slack at the rim. Sometimes you have to jam a wedge of wood or plastic down at the edge to hold the tire into the bead seating area. Obviously, tighten the bots holding the whole mess to the ground so it doesn't wobble and jump around so much. Finally, lay a tick towel over the bead breaker metal bump to keep fro scratching. People need to exercise a little more care and they can do even fancy wheels. Thanks for making the video.

Harbor Freight in action!!! The Bear would be proud! 🐻

You needed to moved the part you were pushing on the tire with further up the handle. In doing that you would be changing the push angle and eliminating slip off. If you'll notice there are three choices to adjust for different size tires.

Thanks for making the video, really wanted to see how long this would take. Nice quality video though

Damm dude about 1.5 million views!? Your the man!! Been whatching your clips for years man!! Its good to see good people have goodpositive paths in life ! Even if some of us have alot worse choices or shittier paths god gives us! Cool

thanks for the great video. So clear and to the point. good job.

Dude I give you credit for actually getting tire off and on the rim with that "changer." Truly when I buy car tires I can usually get a deal on installation. This thing will just murder any nice wheels, but still, the fact that you can actually do it with such a low priced thing is a great accomplishment.

some notes that may be useful : To make protective pads, just take an old tire and cut it up in sections that can cover the bead breaking foot to minimize the scratching. smaller pieces from the side wall of the tire can be used to fully cushion the rim from the clamping ring before socking down on it. The way I found to cut these up easily is a reciprocating saw, with the tire supported across a pair of car ramps. Makes great jacking pads to protect your chassis also, and last forever for all types of heavy duty cushioning applications. When mounting the replacement tire, you don't need to use the mounting bar for the first bead, with enough lube, you should be able to push it on by hand, as it can go oval in shape. Angle it at 45 degrees to push it over the rim lip. When mounting the last bead, hold the mounting bar at a *high* angle and just use your body weight to push with bar, walking around the rim. Note the mounting bar tip is angled so it should be mounted going in that direction. This is a tool for rims that you don't particularly care about the cosmetics, because it isn't designed to prevent scratching. perhaps if the ends were coated with nylon or some similar substance it would work without scratching as much.

Good job sir. Might buy one of these cheapies now and mount it upstairs in my garage. Would be handy for trailer tires from time to time....

This tire machine is awesome for us DIY guys. Obviously anyone who buys one of these is not going to be using it on 5000 Dollar Low Pro Shitty Rims.

When I was in High School guys used to drive up on the tire to break the bead loose.

Nice job, that was a good demo of the tire balancer.

Thanks for showing taking off and back on. You did the job and warned me about scratching nice rims. I will admit I scratched a little but no problem. Also, the reason I had to remove tire was to sponge out liquid slime from inside(tire sealant) that was used to correct leak, but in the process cause imbalanced tire when driving over 60 mph...

Did`nt scratch my rims anymore than a shop does.

Guaranteed to wreck your alloys. I have filed off all sharp edges on the base location and whilst bead braking, support the wheel on a thick rubber mat. For tyre removal the supplied bar is lethal, don't use it. Buy an Alloy Mate from UK also to be found on RU-vid. For the spider clamp you need to protect also with rubber or polymer pads

nice video. couldnt remember how to use this tire changer and this got me back on track.

Thanks for taking the time to do this! I learned a lot.. I always pay $200 for the tire shop to swap. I think I’ll try this myself and pay the $50 for balancing

steel rim only budget setup... i like it

2:59 was that chuck of rim that came off while using the tool?

Thanks for taking the time to show close up of how to put the tyre back on using the bar that comes with it,,i always struggle with that bit,,its as tho the bar isn't manufactured right,but you rocked it ,,big thumbs up

one of the better explanations of each step of the process.

Thank you for taking one for the team and showing us this tool. I love Harbor Freight but there are some things sold there that it is best to stay away from. That wheel mangler is one of them!

That's a rather flimsy tool but you get what you pay for. You did an Excellent job on this video, obviously you know what you're doing, thanks for posting.

I have one of those tire changers. Their pretty sweet. Mine is pretty old and I haven't used it in many years but it's still in perfect shape. It was gifted to me about 20 years ago and it does make tire changing easy. Mine is black and not sure where it came from. I don't use it anymore and would only use it if in a pinch but good to have. Seeing how they still need to be balanced and it's only $10 mounted and balanced I just take it up the road to the tire shop anymore

Quick and to the point. I like that.

Now if they just made a $50 wheel balancer...

USE PVC PIPE ON THE BAR TOOL.

Like the videos. Gonna get one of these and a balancer. No more tire shops!

Great video. I use this on winter wheels only. No problems. Also. My father is a welder and he beefed the beed breaker big time

If you balance the tire before you pump it up . so you can spin the tire on the rim . Most of the time you dont need no weights . just mark it so it dont move when its balanced . then pump it up. Using a balancing stand .

"stick this in here" thats what she said haha

Thank you. Your videos are always very educative regards

THANKS - this video is invaluable! I was considering buying this economical unit but now see I need to spend a bit more to protect my forged alloy wheels! I'll keep looking...

Nice demo, I've never seen that done by hand before. For $32 I don't know how they can afford to make those, let alone send them all the way across the planet. I notice that when the good side of the rim is up, most of the abrasion against the rim is on the top. Would it be possible to mount the wheel upside down, so most of the cosmetic damage to the rim is on the inside?

I change tires for a living. Couldnt help but laugh at this. lol

Good job bro. Very helpful along with many tips from the comment squad.

I have one & I've changed many tires, on my own steel & alloy wheels with it. I DON'T change other people's tires because of the chance of scratching their wheels! Some manufacturers make tire tools you can use with manual tire changers that are for use with fancy steel or alloy wheels, but I don't need 'em for my use. I will let my family & friends use it to change their tires too, if they want. Over time, that $36, Harbor Freight, manual tire changer has saved me & others a heckuv a lot of money!

Why not remove the tire in the other direction so you don't scratch the front of the rim?

So glad I work at a tire store. This would destroy my enkei wheels

Man, this will help us poor people save a lot of money, thank you.

I have one used it for the last ten years. Best thing I have bought from harbor freight.

I could use this because every time I get a flat the tire store is closed.

Remember when Tom Hanks removes a tooth with that ice skate? Same cringe.

Excellent demo - got tired of paying out that ass for tires and all that comes with that little scam - I gave this and the HF wheel balancer a try - both worked fantastic...make sure you set it up on a solid platform - bumped it up against the curb - and got 4 tires done in about an hour and a half...from removal to installation to balance back on the car...

Excellent DIY demo. I like to see things as they really are :-)

I wish I had a full head of hair like this guy!

I just use prybars and WD40 when reinstalling the tire when I use my wheelfuckerupper 3000

Great video as always.

Excellent video man. Thank you very much.

Always "the soapy water" >

I bought this probably more than a year ago and it is crap. Only use it on steel rims that you do not care about. This tire changer will scratch everything. The bead breaker is almost useless and if you have a tire that has a lower aspect ratio than 65, you can forget trying to remove the tire from the rim. Thumbs down on this Harbor Freight Item.

Good video thanks for reviewing this tool

Very helpful video. I have one of those tire changers but I was doing it ALL wrong. Anyway, with your video I will definitely be able to repair a tire that I had to plug. Walmart would not repair the tire because it was plugged. !? ! But I will do it. Thanks and A+

Very good review for a crappy tool. I'd only use that on steel rims..

It’s almost worth just spending the money for a shop to do it after seeing all the effort and scratching to the rims

Thanks for the demonstration.

awesome video. Learnt a lot

Good way to totaly destroy my rims..

sure makes me appreciate my Hunter tire remover in garage...

I appreciate this video, Good job!

Thanks man, great video.

this looks painful. just imagine scratching the s**t out of your nice wheels.

RIP wheel

Great video!

OMG...This is a perfect video for Halloween, I could hear the agonizing screams of that wheel. R.I.P. wheel

reminds me of the movie cast away. where tom hanks tries to light a fire in the island. lol

I want to cry, poor rims :'(

Hey man. Thanks. This really helped out a lot. Thanks again Playa.

Very nice, I plan on getting one tomorrow, Hopefully it will work out for me. I plan on installing it in my driveway, then unbolting it when not in use.

great for farm equipment but nothing else. I might as well use a Sledge Hammer and a crow bar

use soapy water to break the bead and apply repetively the force to permit the soapy water to penetrate the bead, the job is much easyer this way

Good information, thanks, definite considering having this equipment.

If I may add a couple of things that may help not to take away from the video it was spot on but I have found when I'm using the bead breaker I try not to place the tire to close the center pole. I place the tire so the bead breaker comes down at an outward angle and not straight up and down, this will drive the tool between the bead on the tire and the rim preventing the bead breaker from popping out on to the sidewall of the tire. Also when you removed the back side of the tire you rotated the breaker bar counter clockwise this put you at risk of loosening the wheel hold down. Always work in the clockwise direction. I don't mean to impose I hope this helps. Good video thank you.

OMGosh! This was painful to watch. Put the outside of the rim FACE DOWN!! This way the scratches & abuse will never be seen!!

That poor rim. Good demo though, thanks.

#Ok? Great review @Ratchets And Wrenches! Thumbs up!!

Great job on the video, thanks.