Largest bolt for tire DIY changer?

[BillyDoc]

It's coming up on my first tire change, and I'd like to build myself a tire changer. Does anyone happen to know the largest diameter grade bolt that I can put through either wheel's axle hole to lever against? I have enough thread on the rear axle to guess that would be 5/8" for that one but can't determine the front without taking it apart, and I was hoping someone here has already been down this road.

Thanks!

Bill

 

[Woodaddict]

I had to check a bushing that I made for my tire changer to be sure. You can use a 3/4 bolt if needed. The hole thru bearing is .785, that gives you some clearance.

 

[BillyDoc]

Thanks Woodaddict, that's exactly what I needed to know!

Bill

 

[DirtFlier]

I used a 5/8" (or 1/2"?) all-thread rod when I made my tire changer. A tight fit isn't really necessary. In most cases, you can't find a bolt with enough length to do what you need so using the all-thread rod is the best choice.

 

[Herb]

Can I see some pictures of your "tire changer" I'm assuming that it a gizmo to keep the tire in place while you put the tire irons to it and not a Harbor Freight type thing. Am I right. Picture would be nice. I change my own tires but just wrestle them on the floor with blocks under the rims. Works fine enough but I'm always open to new ideas.

 

[bicyclist]

Herb, the Harbor Freight tire changer shows on sale in the November flyer for $40. That's cheap enough that it's hardly worth the effort to home brew one.

Like you, I used to wrestle with changing tires on the floor and finally got tired (too old) of it and bought the HF changer. It gets you up at a nice working height and makes the job easier.

 

[DirtFlier]

Herb,

My "tire machine" is actually a shallow plywood box that sits atop a Black & Decker Workmate. For security, the box has hefty metal brackets that allow me to bolt it to my 12-ft long workbench. The top of the box has a round cutout to allow the brake disc to fit inside and in the center is the 5/8" all-thread rod. My main concern in not buying a No-Mar or HF tire machine was the loss of floor space - I wanted something that broke down easily and could be stored under a bench or along a wall.

I've had the homemade machine for several years but recently bought a No-Mar Mount/Demount bar and to make it work I needed a center post so I created an inverted L that uses the jack handle of my HF floor jack as the post. The upright also holds the bead breaker. The long beam of the bead breaker was actually part of a bike lifter I'd made during my desert racing days when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. Previously I was using a clamshell type of bead breaker and it worked well but it was a tedious process - now I can break the bead in about 20 seconds! Another criteria I had was a good working height as all of the tire changes that I've seen would required that I stoop over so my back would be screaming bloody murder after about 30-minutes - this determined the height of the box that sits atop the Workmate.

I've added a few photos to My Album so you can see my homemade tire machine.

 

[ARKNT]

I use a platform/box with a cutout for the brake disk.
I used to wrestle with the tires on blocks on the floor but the risk of coming off a block and maybe bending an expensive brake disk makes me glad I have the new rig.
Mine is not storable but I have the room in the shed. I have pics in my gallery under maint platforms.

Brad

 

[Herb]

Herb,

My "tire machine" is actually a shallow plywood box that sits atop a Black & Decker Workmate. For security, the box has hefty metal brackets that allow me to bolt it to my 12-ft long workbench. The top of the box has a round cutout to allow the brake disc to fit inside and in the center is the 5/8" all-thread rod. My main concern in not buying a No-Mar or HF tire machine was the loss of floor space - I wanted something that broke down easily and could be stored under a bench or along a wall.

I've had the homemade machine for several years but recently bought a No-Mar Mount/Demount bar and to make it work I needed a center post so I created an inverted L that uses the jack handle of my HF floor jack as the post. The upright also holds the bead breaker. The long beam of the bead breaker was actually part of a bike lifter I'd made during my desert racing days when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. Previously I was using a clamshell type of bead breaker and it worked well but it was a tedious process - now I can break the bead in about 20 seconds! Another criteria I had was a good working height as all of the tire changes that I've seen would required that I stoop over so my back would be screaming bloody murder after about 30-minutes - this determined the height of the box that sits atop the Workmate.

I've added a few photos to My Album so you can see my homemade tire machine.

I've added a few photos to My Album so you can see my homemade tire machine.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the pictures. Quite a set up. Actually seeing the whole garage made me jealous and aware of my own character flaws. So neat and orderly as well as complete.

But some good ideas there. I'm thinking that my days of wrestling tires onto the rims with my hands and kness might be numbered.... at 63.

 

[bicyclist]

Take a look at this site for some ideas.

http://no-scufftiretool.com/index.html

I have this guy's bar and it makes the job much easier. The bar that comes with the HF changer is unsatisfactory.