Who, if any mounts thier own tires?

[motordude]

I have yet to attemp an ATC tire mounting. Am I swimming out to far or is it fairly simple. I have mounted dirtbike and motorcycle tires in the past with no problems. I have the tire irons, rim savers etc. Is it a pain and worth trying to find a shop that will mount a tire I did not buy from them or should I save the money and do it myself?

Its just the front tire on my 84 200x. Its an original so it has been on there for quite some time.

[f4istunna]

i have one of those harbor frieght manual tire changers and usually dont have too much of a problem breaking them down and installing new ones.

[Yamaha_Rules69]

You wont be able to get the tire off with tire irons alone, you need to break the bead on both sides first. I have a very old fashoned bead breaker, its just a lever with a platform that the tire/rim sits on. It works pretty good once you get the hang of it. I have changed a bunch of atv tires, but there are times that it is just not possible for me to do, and just end up having to bring the tire to a shop and have them use their pneumatic breaker, which is effortless. There are a lot of threads on here about this topic if the search function will work for you for more help. Good luck!

[350XJEDI]

I HAVE DONE A BUNCH they can be a pain but,not impossibly hard , the hardest part is getting the old ones off ,then its downhill from there saves$$ some shops will rake you over.. but if lucky you can find a cheaper ,cash ,of the books guy , the atv tire machine at et harbor fraight is handy , good luck ,

[nstyle73]

Personal experience has taught me that if you have an excuse to be near a shop, possibly two days in a row for dropping off and picking up, its probably worth the $8-$12 they charge around here. Unless you have a bead breaker, its not coming off, and depending on rim width vs. tire width, it can be a bear to get on. Larger diameter rims and narrower tires are easier, so you might get away with doing a front tire like you have. Just my opinion from some frustrating past experiences.

[jrwebb8324]

An easy way to break the beads is too run the edge of the tire over with your pickup, but you have to be real careful not to hit the rim. I have done this a few times. Always works and doesn't hurt the rim if its done right. Pops the bead right off.

[motordude]

Thanks for the input everyone, I am going to try it myslef and if I fail, just like my first marriage, I will get back on my donkey and bring it to a shop!

[200xranger]

the harbor freight bead breaker is awesome, a good way to spend 40 bucks, will pay for itself in no time. i have one and it works great. some rear tires have to be taken off a certain way. push tire down and look at the inside of the wheel. there is usually a big lip and a little lip. take the side with the little lip off first. the fronts it usually dont matter

[pjschulze30]

It's a pain in the a** I've done dozens over the years, and while I was having tires on my car put on at Tire Kingdom last year I asked them if they did that. He said no problem and charged me $5.00 per tire including new valves. I WILL NEVER CHANGE A TIRE AGAIN. I suggest you go to your local TK....for $15.00 it's well worth avoid the aggro & skinned knuckles.

[cr480r]

I worked at a tire shop for a year.. I saw idiot co-workers ruin many beads and bend many wheels.. it happens, but the guys that did sloppy work would seldom admit to it if they didnt have to.. About a year ago i took some wheels in to have some tires swapped around.. took my cherry rear ohtsus in for some aluminum wheels.. When i went back the next day with 2 flats they blamed it on the tires being old... BS... beads ripped on both of them... I also took my best of 3 wheels in for new front max and they bent it to all hell.. the kid tried to tell me it was already like that... and even lied in front of his manager.. I do all my own tires now... if i cant break the beads with my breaker, i'll let a known experienced tireman break the beads.. I do all the dismount and mounting.. Ya some can be stubborn, but all sucessful tire swaps are rewarding in my opinion... I dont ever wanna drive 2 hours to the dunes just to find out my paddles dont hold air and have been ruined by a tireman that played stupid as he helped me load them up...

[350XJEDI]

thats the same reason i do almost all my tires , the guys at most tire shops are idiots , i found one older guy that will break the beads on those stubborn ones for 5$ cash then i dismount and mount on my own . paying for bent wheels or messed up tires got old fast . the bead breaker works good for me only the oldest most stubborn ones need to go to tire store. the atv shop charges $25 to mount tires they didnt sell ,but they do know how at least !! the more you do yourself the easyer , plus satifaction of job done right

[swifty]

this is what i just cobbed up, its and old rear axle welded to a rim, then i can interchange any of my hubs 3 or 4 bolt and bolt the rim to it makes mounting a lot easier, also it clamps into my atlas automotive tire machine wich has a strong air power bead breaker, before this i had a cheap harbor freight red manual tire changer worked on some tires, they aslo atlas want $260 for the atv adapters for my tire machine it only goes down to 12in rite now i dont do enough small stuff to justify that

[HONDA_ATC_FREAK]

If the old tires junk I find it easier to just cut it off with a sawsall and then mount the new tire saves a lot of time and hassle. I take mine to the shop in town mostly the only charge a couple of buck and they're a mom and pop knda place. Theres only three people that work there. The old man and his wife and his grandson. They've been there 50years so I like to support my local buisness rather then see them go under to some other big chain shop. But then again It' a small town around here 400 people everyone knows everyone and we know who to trust so it's not hard to tell whos a moron and not to let them touch my stuff.

[Dirtcrasher]

I have never had 100% luck with the board and truck tire method.

I've been mounting and unmounting all my tires with the Harbor Freight changer and the ATV bead breaker (4.99 extra and wider) I bolt it to the floor with inserts in my concrete so there flush when I'm done and I've modified other parts of it for certain rims. Many tires I can put on with dishsoap bubbles and a pair of workboots. If not, off to tire irons I go...........

[Xpress]

Usually if I want to save the tire, I will take it to a tire shop. If the tire is of no use to me anymore (I.E. has a hole), then I will just cut the beads. Little dish soap, and some TLC will get the new tire on