Has anyone actually got any use out of the garage floor tool tire changers fro Harbour Freight?

[SteveSS]

I called to get 4 tires mounted on bare rims. $150! The HF unit cost $60.

 

[Purepony]

I’ve seen a couple of videos on YouTube with reviews and honestly it looks like a deal but I don’t think it’s 60 I think it’s 90 either way it really sounds like a deal

 

[Big Bad Dad]

I had one of those manual changers for a while. I bolted it to a sturdy pallet instead of drilling into my concrete driveway. It worked OK as long as you could keep the pallet still. We used it a few times over about 10 years until the pallet got rotten and broke. I sold it last year. If using it to mount tires for road use, you still need to have them balanced, so I figured just let the tire shop take care of it from now on.

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

Sounds a little high, but the cost of professional tire service equipment is also high. If you tear a bead with a manual tire changer that would cost you the price of a tire, then you still have to get them balanced. Just my opinion.

 

[YY1]

My $100 scrap yard pneumatic Atlas 10-10 paid for it's self in a year.

...and kept on giving.

So much so, that I invested in a low speed computer balancer and then a rim clamp tire machine.

The balancer is well on it's way to paying for it's self and the rim clamp is going to pay for it's self as soon as I mount and balance the 2 new tires I just bought for my Renegade.

At $50 savings to mount and balance a single tire, it adds up pretty quick.

Especially when you have 4 drivers, 2 trailers and 4 rolling projects.

 

[69a100]

I called to get 4 tires mounted on bare rims. $150! The HF unit cost $60.

Let me guess? You only called one place? You really need to quit bitchin about the price of things, people have to make a living you know, this isn't 1970 either!

 

[YY1]

$150 would be a good price here.

Did that include balancing?

Last price I got was in 2017- $48 each without balancing and with me taking the bad tires back, and this was carry in. Not even removing from the car.

Um, NO.

BTW- now that I'm buying tires direct I have found shopping can be crucial.

Last year I put 2x 215 65 16 on my renegade and paid $175, shipped to my door.

I went to reorder the same tires from the same place and they were $252.

I shopped around and found the same tires for $207.

I'll pocket that $45, thank you.

 

[SteveSS]

I called several places thank you.

 

[Don selleck]

I'm getting 4 swapped out tomorrow at my local grass lake shop didn't ask a price just happy they can do it, and the guy was in his fifties. I'll find out tomorrow afternoon.

 

[Outsider]

I got one of the HF units for a few reasons. The ability to change a tire any day, any hour. I have had my Drag Radials move some on the rims and have had to put the back on the balance marks. And it doesn't take up much room to store as I C-clamp it to the frame of my engine puller. I will say that when I was breaking down my knarley old trailer tires it bent, and I had to weld some reinforcement straps on it, but overall it's paid for itself several times over.

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[Beep!Beep!]

I bought a used tire changer that my compressor runs $300 , love it

 

[1967coronet]

I have used the same shop for tires over the years.
I buy my tires from them.
They treat me right on prices for service.
The internet tire business has pissed off alot of tire shops.

 

[33 IMP]

maybe it's just my perception, but it seems tire service prices have skyrocketed, just like everything else.
Paid $40 to get two new tires mounted on new rims. Mount and balance, well under ten minute's of actual shop time. So, $240/hr ? (The tire machines have been paid for for a couple decades, don't try to give me that).

 

[YY1]

$40 for two with balance is a GREAT price.

How long ago was that?

That's what I was expecting when I got quoted $48 for ONE without balance.

 

[Cranky]

Used to have a OLD manual tire machine that worked pretty good except it wasn't made for rims with a lot of positive offset. Thing is, I can easily mount most tires without having a tire machine and especially so if the rim is alloy. My problem was busting the beads loose and that's where the old manual machine came in handy. Gonna have to take a look at the HF unit because stooopid arse me sold the old machine when my divorce started thinking I wasn't going to be staying at my place for long. Also have a old bubble balancer that I hung onto for some reason. It's not so good with the wider tires but works pretty decent for the narrower ones.

And....if you can change a motorcycle tire by hand, you can change a automotive tire because tires for cars are usually much easier. Used to have a 71 Honda 350 SL and that thing had rim locks on the rear and those dang things made it even harder! Had a flat with it once and wasn't too far from a full service Honda dealer so 'walked' it on down to the place and it took the tech awhile to do it and he wasn't happy about it at all by the time he got done lol. When I went to street tires on that bike I removed those rim/bead locks!

 

[33 IMP]

$40 for two with balance is a GREAT price.

How long ago was that?

That's what I was expecting when I got quoted $48 for ONE without balance.

If that's a great price where you are, ...... I'd move away from wherever you are!
I recently had four tires busted off rims I wanted to save, for nothing. I did tip the guys $20.

 

[Tony Tee]

I've had a harbor freight tire changer for at least 15 years. Saved me tons of $$$
Make sure you bolt it down with at least 8- 3/8" anchor bolts. Because 4 bolts in cheap concrete just won't hold up.

 

[YY1]

If that's a great price where you are, ...... I'd move away from wherever you are!
I recently had four tires busted off rims I wanted to save, for nothing. I did tip the guys $20.

Instead I bought a tire machine and a balancer.

The mounting machine pays for it's self with the next two I do- and I have them almost ready to go.

The balancer has a bout six to go before it pays for it's self.

...then all those $48 savings go right in my pocket.


If you are getting that done for free.....that's not normal or realistic for the rest of us.....but more power to ya.

 

[Triplegreen500]

We mount and balance 4 tires for $100 here at work. Not hateful IMO. Especially considering the pain-in-the-*** savings for the customer. Walk in, sit down, have a cup of coffee, watch some tv or browse with the wifi...and your car's ready in about 45 minutes.

 

[MoparJW]

I have one, decided to change my own tires also because of insane prices.
The one I use is a little different than the harbour freight one, as it holds the wheel on the outside instead of the inside.

15 inch tires are easy enough to do by hand.
If your wheels are painted, take your time, use rim protectors and don't use the bar that comes with the tool to dismount the tire but use tire levers... that's how I did it anyway.

I also use dynabeads in the rear, so I only had to get the fronts balanced at a shop.