Bead breaker recommendation -- report on mini tire-changer

[mathias]

I'm going to buy a bead breaker, and want to know which is my best bet. I am primarily working on 8" two piece rims right now, but I'd like to be able to handle all of my lawnmower tires, too.

Which bead breaker do you guys recommend from Harbor Freight?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=34542
or
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=34552

If it is the smaller one, is this one from Northern just as good?
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_13610_13610

Or would I be better off with the slide hammer style?
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200329615_200329615

Of course, thinking about the slide hammer, I think it would work best if the rim was already held down on a tire changer...

[mathias]

I didn't get any recommendations, so I went the cheap way out, and got the mini-changer from Northern. Online price was $42, and they honored that in the store. (Take a printout of the price with you.)

I just got done dismounting two tires (22x11x8), and it got the job done. The center post is just a threaded rod, so it will bend rather easily. I found that I had to use counter pressure with the upper handle to keep from bending the post. It would be beneficial to lengthen the upper handle for leverage.

Second issue is the lower plate isn't really a plate, so a wheel without a hub on it will slide all the way to the floor. I want to cut a steel plate that will fit inside the rim and sit on top of the post. Then I could either sit the wheel on top the way it was originally designed. Or, I can slide wheel over first so that it sits on the pallet. Put a short length of pvc pipe on the rim, and then the steel plate will clamp the pipe to the rim to floor. This would probably put less stress on the threaded rod as well.

Third, after only two tires, that piece of rubber on the top was destroyed. Of course, with the hubs on the rims, the edge of the hubs and the bolts were actually hitting the rubber instead of the rim, so I'm not the least bit surprised. If my rims were in nicer shape, I'd have to do something different to protect them. Maybe an old piece of carpet...

[mathias]

Final update...

I went out to get another tire, and spotted an old balancer. It is off a Dodge diesel -- maybe an '80 model. Fits perfectly inside the 8" rim. Clamping to the floor made a much more stable mount, so it was much easier to deal with, and very little flex from the threaded rod -- even without counter pressure on the upper handle. I'm happy with this setup...

[azspeedbuggy]

I have the first one you mention from Harbor Freight... it worked OK to break the bead on my Yamaha 8 inch one piece wheel. I didn't attemp to remove the tire, I was inserting a inner tube inside the tire.
My HF manual tire changer has worked on tires up to 31x10.50x15...so far.