Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by Cav47 »

wheatonFJR wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 10:03 am
Hppants wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 8:27 am Somehow I don't think that is the same H/F model that they used to have. A lot looks different, including the price. IIRC, the tire machine of choice used to be $200.00. I'm gonna research it.

Would need to get No-mar leverage bar too.
If yer gonna invest in a tire changer anyway that you are going to use for years...why not get the lowest priced nomar?

Best tool for the job...you won't regret it. Smitty approved.

Can you provide a link with prices? Thanks. I been thinking about this for a long time now.
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by wheatonFJR »

Cav47 wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 10:13 am
wheatonFJR wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 10:03 am
Hppants wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 8:27 am Somehow I don't think that is the same H/F model that they used to have. A lot looks different, including the price. IIRC, the tire machine of choice used to be $200.00. I'm gonna research it.

Would need to get No-mar leverage bar too.
If yer gonna invest in a tire changer anyway that you are going to use for years...why not get the lowest priced nomar?

Best tool for the job...you won't regret it. Smitty approved.

Can you provide a link with prices? Thanks. I been thinking about this for a long time now.
google Nomar...should get you to what you want.
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by raYzerman »

The Cycle Hill (by Nomar) is a somewhat better choice IMHO, cheaper, but has the optional adjustable clamps. The bead breaker is at floor level same as HF, perhaps not ideal, but you can always make a bead breaker. I got the Dave mounting bar and I also made a platform to raise the Cycle Hill so it is not so low. It remains convertible to a hitch mount as well with a length of 2" square tubing. Sometimes the Cycle Hill comes on sale, I picked mine up a coupla years ago for around U$300. There is a pic in another thread I'll look for.
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by bungie4 »

raYzerman wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 10:53 am The Cycle Hill (by Nomar) is a somewhat better choice IMHO, cheaper, but has the optional adjustable clamps. The bead breaker is at floor level same as HF, perhaps not ideal, but you can always make a bead breaker. I got the Dave mounting bar and I also made a platform to raise the Cycle Hill so it is not so low. It remains convertible to a hitch mount as well with a length of 2" square tubing. Sometimes the Cycle Hill comes on sale, I picked mine up a coupla years ago for around U$300. There is a pic in another thread I'll look for.
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by wheatonFJR »

I have the nomar classic.

Worth every penny spent. Great bead breaker...no shoddy workmanship..nothing half done.

I have nothing against what John D has done...I admire it in fact. But putting on new tires, I want the cursing to be at a minimum. I know Cycle Hill is a bargain...but I REALLY like my Nomar Classic.
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by John d »

I think we've gone from showcasing my finest redneck engineering aboard raYzerman's old re-engineered to no scratch HF changer, to debating about almost state of the art tire changing and balancing equipment. For me, this setup beats my old tried and true on the floor with tire lever method. I can now mount a Bridgestone T-30 or Dunlop RS3 easily without levers. A No-Mar bar and two Irwin Quick-Grip 600 lb clamps makes it easy.

It certainly helps to have the changer bolted to the floor. Thanks for the anchors Ray! BTW two anchors is all you need.
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by raYzerman »

That's my old HF at John's place, nothing wrong with it, to me, just needs to be 6" shorter. NoMar is great, I prefer the smaller optional clamps that come standard on the Cycle Hill. There are advantages to both, it would be nice to have both. The newer HF is not as precise with the sliding brackets, a gent I know shimmed them to take out some play, and of course there are other mods required... all in all you might have to invest an extra $50 and some time to make it what you want. All have their little quirks... would love an automated one, I have seen a couple that one can get for reasonable dollars, perhaps same $$ as No Mar.....

My Cycle Hill, mounted on plywood with a box base. For balancing I use the FJReady cat's meow balancer, without the bearings, sitting on my HF balancer base... it works.
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by raYzerman »

My next investment might be a set of plug-in tar warmers...... they are getting cheaper.
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by wheatonFJR »

raYzerman wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 2:37 pm My next investment might be a set of plug-in tar warmers...... they are getting cheaper.
Griff can show you his.
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by bungie4 »

John d wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 2:12 pm I can now mount a Bridgestone T-30 or Dunlop RS3 easily without levers. A No-Mar bar and two Irwin Quick-Grip 600 lb clamps makes it easy.
I was gonna call bullshit until you mentioned the 600lb clamps. Nothing short of industrial tire machine is gonna get a T-30 mounted without a serious amount of intervention. The T-30's I put on last spring (2017) are done at about 10K miles. I'll be taking them off for some RS3's.

Give the amount of swearing and rim damage I caused, I may just take them off the bike and spend the $100 I saved on the plastic windshield dealie and save the sweat and further damage of mounting them myself.
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by John d »

bungie4 wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 3:41 pm
John d wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 2:12 pm I can now mount a Bridgestone T-30 or Dunlop RS3 easily without levers. A No-Mar bar and two Irwin Quick-Grip 600 lb clamps makes it easy.
I was gonna call bullshit until you mentioned the 600lb clamps. Nothing short of industrial tire machine is gonna get a T-30 mounted without a serious amount of intervention. The T-30's I put on last spring (2017) are done at about 10K miles. I'll be taking them off for some RS3's.

Give the amount of swearing and rim damage I caused, I may just take them off the bike and spend the $100 I saved on the plastic windshield dealie and save the sweat and further damage of mounting them myself.
BTW, that is a T-30 in the first post pic.
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by HotRodZilla »

No idea how you guys mount tires on the floor of your garage with a set of spoons. You're all studs!! I can barely do it, with my Nomar. I did a set of dirt bike tires on the floor once, and it was a pain. I can't imagine trying to do an FJR tire. Especially a T30. I have a set of those in storage, and when it comes time, I'm taking them to my Yamaha guy. They're a PITA!!
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by escapefjrtist »

Hppants wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 8:27 am <snip> Would need to get No-mar leverage bar too.
Forget the NoMar lever 'pants. If you take the plunge, outfit the changer with Mojo blocks and buy a Mojo lever. Makes for simple tire changes, even for the latest RSIII's and nasty stiff 'stones.

~G
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by John d »

HotRodZilla wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 9:41 pm No idea how you guys mount tires on the floor of your garage with a set of spoons. You're all studs!! I can barely do it, with my Nomar. I did a set of dirt bike tires on the floor once, and it was a pain. I can't imagine trying to do an FJR tire. Especially a T30. I have a set of those in storage, and when it comes time, I'm taking them to my Yamaha guy. They're a PITA!!
You ain't seen sweat till you seen me mount a T-30 on the floor. I've mounted tires on the floor all my life till I bought raYzerman's HF last year. The first T-30 brought about my first slight scratch doing it on the floor, and actually, I had the wife hold one of the levers for a few seconds.

Now when I say on the floor, I mean with the old fashioned 2x4 wood frame box on the floor to protect the rotors.
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by El Toro Joe »

John d wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 10:52 pm
HotRodZilla wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 9:41 pm No idea how you guys mount tires on the floor of your garage with a set of spoons. You're all studs!! I can barely do it, with my Nomar. I did a set of dirt bike tires on the floor once, and it was a pain. I can't imagine trying to do an FJR tire. Especially a T30. I have a set of those in storage, and when it comes time, I'm taking them to my Yamaha guy. They're a PITA!!
You ain't seen sweat till you seen me mount a T-30 on the floor. I've mounted tires on the floor all my life till I bought raYzerman's HF last year. The first T-30 brought about my first slight scratch doing it on the floor, and actually, I had the wife hold one of the levers for a few seconds.

Now when I say on the floor, I mean with the old fashioned 2x4 wood frame box on the floor to protect the rotors.
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by Hppants »

Well - I've certainly jacked up this thread proper. I tend to do that for some reason.

Guess I need to start researching tire machines. I'm getting it done for free at Cycle Gear now, and they are meeting (within a few bucks) online prices. But it's a little bit of a PITA to get the rims over to the store and his tire balancer is off. He doesn't believe it, but it is. His machine guesses the correct amount of weight, but it locates it about 30 degrees of circumference off. Got a buddy with a static balancer that is spot on - road tested to well beyond "going to jail" speed.

Perhaps we should start another thread - "DIY tire machines, gadgets, and apparatus - show us what you have, what you did, and what you know."
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by Auburn »

moved my post to the split topic...Tire Changing: DIY tire machines, gadgets, and apparatus
Last edited by Auburn on Tue Jul 10, 2018 4:02 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by ionbeam »

Hppants wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 8:19 am ...Perhaps we should start another thread - "DIY tire machines, gadgets, and apparatus - show us what you have, what you did, and what you know."
Done. See: Tire Changing: DIY tire machines, gadgets, and apparatus
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Re: RE: Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by silverback »

raYzerman wrote:That's my old HF at John's place, nothing wrong with it, to me, just needs to be 6" shorter. NoMar is great, I prefer the smaller optional clamps that come standard on the Cycle Hill. There are advantages to both, it would be nice to have both. The newer HF is not as precise with the sliding brackets, a gent I know shimmed them to take out some play, and of course there are other mods required... all in all you might have to invest an extra $50 and some time to make it what you want. All have their little quirks... would love an automated one, I have seen a couple that one can get for reasonable dollars, perhaps same $$ as No Mar.....

My Cycle Hill, mounted on plywood with a box base. For balancing I use the FJReady cat's meow balancer, without the bearings, sitting on my HF balancer base... it works.
Image
I have that but mine is the more aloof orange color.

I made a piece of U channel that is welded to 2" square tubing which fits in a reciever hitch. The U channel has two bolts that clamp over the changer trunk. Works a treat. I use a base made from 1x4 lumber to make the bead breaker work similar to that.
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Re: RE: Re: Harbor Freight tire changer & balancer

Post by silverback »

HotRodZilla wrote:No idea how you guys mount tires on the floor of your garage with a set of spoons. You're all studs!! I can barely do it, with my Nomar. I did a set of dirt bike tires on the floor once, and it was a pain. I can't imagine trying to do an FJR tire. Especially a T30. I have a set of those in storage, and when it comes time, I'm taking them to my Yamaha guy. They're a PITA!!
Well, you need to be fluent is cursing in at least 5 different languages. Lots of beer and good tire lube. Kind of like riding a porcupine bare back, possibe, but not at all comfortable.
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