DIY tire changes- changers, balancers

[sd455dan]

Got "Tired" of paying someone else to install fix or change my families tires.

Burned out on sitting for hours in a tire shop waiting, and paying a major mark up on tires.

The final straws were when they lifted my 3500 RAM on the Body mounts, and not the frame.
8700lb lifted through the body mounts because they were to lazy to place the lift points under the correct frame positions instead of lifting 0n the running boards.
Then also denting the trim rings on 2 of our muscle cars by banging away with oversized hammers and finally using an air impact to do the torqueing sequence.

I must be nuts but have finally updated my old air assisted Coats tireman tire changing machine and also added an electronic tire balancer. I even bought a stud gun and studs for winter tires.

If it isn't done right I will only have myself to blame.

 

[bmaverick]

When any muscle cars roll in to the Jainsville-WI Discount Tire, the manager personally oversees the work and extra care is taken thru the entire job. Too many of these millennial kids don't give a care (crap) due to up bringing or busy on their smarty phones.

When I was young, my Pa took us to the Standard Oil gas and service station. In and out with a fixed tire in a record of 10mins or less. Today, a bank sits there. Sad to see that quality of detail, speed and low price gone these days. Fixing a flat was a mere $1.25 back then. And they didn't care where the hole was, side walls or on the bulge of the tire. Ah, those were the real days.

 

[sd455dan]

When any muscle cars roll in to the Jainsville-WI Discount Tire, the manager personally oversees the work and extra care is taken thru the entire job. Too many of these millennial kids don't give a care (crap) due to up bringing or busy on their smarty phones.

When I was young, my Pa took us to the Standard Oil gas and service station. In and out with a fixed tire in a record of 10mins or less. Today, a bank sits there. Sad to see that quality of detail, speed and low price gone these days. Fixing a flat was a mere $1.25 back then. And they didn't care where the hole was, side walls or on the bulge of the tire. Ah, those were the real days.

Yeah I really don't want to say this,
but it was Les Schwab (“if we can't guarantee it, we won't sell it!” ) that did All of the things that I complained about.

they were the reason I originally bought my own equipment.

They have a policy of workers running to the vehicle and being in a hurry.

They lifted my 1 ton on the running boards
They dented my trim rings
They spun on the lug nuts with an air impact past fully torqued.

Putting a torque wrench on a lug and then having it not advance the turn is not torqueing the lug nut.

It is already past the torque spec.

Maybe their policies have changed since then. I have heard they quit lifting RAM HD trucks that way.

 

[Tinhack]

I still have a Snap-on portable wheel balancer. I haven't used it in years but it worked great. It's in a storage shed now so the battery is most likely toast. It has an AC adapter you can use to run it and/or charge the battery. Turning was done with a hand crank but it only took a few revolutions to get the tire going. It was automatic after that.

 

[George2615]

I bought my own Coats computer balancer and Sice tire machine about 10 yeas ago. No longer wanted to make an appt. wait, or risk damage to my wheels or worry if they were balanced correctly or over torqued. I bought my machines used. There's a local warehouse nearby that buys up equipment from garages that close down and prices are very reasonable. A lot of friends told me I was nuts to spend the money and they were probably right but I have 5 vehicles, my tractor (front tires only) and 4 trailers that will all need tires at some point and do 90% of my own car work so I have most of the tools I'll need. Also have a twin post 9K lift. I have mounted and balanced tires for friends classic cars as they don't trust many garages.

 

[sd455dan]

I bought my own Coats computer balancer and Sice tire machine about 10 yeas ago. No longer wanted to make an appt. wait, or risk damage to my wheels or worry if they were balanced correctly or over torqued. I bought my machines used. There's a local warehouse nearby that buys up equipment from garages that close down and prices are very reasonable. A lot of friends told me I was nuts to spend the money and they were probably right but I have 5 vehicles, my tractor (front tires only) and 4 trailers that will all need tires at some point and do 90% of my own car work so I have most of the tools I'll need. Also have a twin post 9K lift. I have mounted and balanced tires for friends classic cars as they don't trust many garages.

Wow our stories sound similar. I have a 10k 2 post lift, 8 vehicles 2 trailers 2 rider mowers, 55hp tractor and lots of family and friends that I am "usually" happy to help.

Used the manual machine with air bead breaker assist for about 10 years.

I promised myself when I could justify 1/2 of the cost by what I had already saved doing my own tires I would spring for new - if there wasn't used equipment reasonable and close to me.
Never found any used deals locally and looked hard for a couple years now.
Finally ordered what is called a 988 rim clamp tire machine with 2 assist arms and the 680 electronic balancer, It is china equipment, but actually has good reviews and is decently made.

What has surprised me is just in a few months since buying, the price has gone up three times to buy the same machines.
If I had bought in 2018 I could have had them for $1850
I bought 2 months ago at $2050 delivered. Thought I overpaid.

Today the price is $2700, same exact machines, from the same seller.

I have been really happy with how well the dynamic balancer works . haven't had a shaker yet after balancing.

Just bought, mounted, studded, and balanced new Cooper Evolution snow tires for the wife's Grand Cherokee, new tires for the grand kids travel trailer Waiting on tires to arrive for my converted boat to utility trailer. Still need to replace tires on my 10k load rated trailer, it is weird get to re"tire"ment age and kind of enjoy what I did as a high school and college student to make bills.
Reminds me of a story my dad told me about a retired exec from an aerospace firm, He bought a diesel powered high end cabbed finish lawn mower and his favorite way to pass time was to mow his large yards and even the neighbors yards who didn't care who mowed them as long as they didn't have to.

 

[repete]

Still getting use out of my Coats 10-10 Powerman. Like other here I have three trailers and five cars and I can do the unloaded fronts on the little Kubota.

I still have good success with the old bubble balancer if I really take my time.

 

[sd455dan]

Still getting use out of my Coats 10-10 Powerman. Like other here I have three trailers and five cars and I can do the unloaded fronts on the little Kubota.

I still have good success with the old bubble balancer if I really take my time.

Wow the 10-10 Coats ... Great tire changer and what I looked for

That is the machine I did 90+ % of all the tire work when I was younger.

In honor of the 10-10 days ordered up some Ru-Glyde for the new machine

 

[repete]

Ru-Glyde. I still use it.

 

[sd455dan]

Ru-Glyde. I still use it.

Yes Good stuff, works on squeaky rubber bushings /suspension parts to.