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The Secret of Wikco's Tire Changing Bar


Joe Frickin' Friday

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Joe Frickin' Friday

Man... eek.gif

 

So much for the idea of a "small" production run. Currently have call for approximately 45 of these things from here and elsewhere (a friend put a note up on a VFR mailing list). Just finished polishing the CAD drawings; will check with local fabrication shops soon, possibly later this week.

 

If anyone else wants one, step right up!

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Hope I'm not too late to the party. I'd feel left out if I didn't get one, so put me done for one, preferably Marakesh Red with silver accents ( Fastest Color grin.gif).

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Just ordered a HF changing stand and Marc Parnes balancer so that the bar won't feel lonely whenever it arrives... should make for an interesting weekend sometime off in the future...

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Is the square bar something folks can find locally. That would make shipping a lot easier. I'd love to get a set of the end pieces.

 

(really, I'd love to get the lathe, welder, etc, but that'll have to wait)

 

 

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Cool stuff Mr. Friday,

 

Is the square bar (the long handle) nominal 3/4 x 3/4? How long did you make yours?

 

I think it'd be cool if folks can find that locally to make the shipping easier. I'm gonna check at the local Lowes and Home Depot when I get a chance.

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If there are really shipping problems caused by making the bar as a single unit then that would of course be Mitch's call to ship just the end pieces, but if not I think the tool would be better and more professional looking if it were made as a single unit. I would have no objection to paying a shipping premium to support this.

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Great tool Mitch, count me in!

 

Having started my work life pumping gas and changing tires, back when someone still pumped your gas for you. I recall the tire mounting tool had a concave end for the mounting end. This made getting the bead over the rim a one handed affair, same as the demounting is. Making a groove on the mounting tool end will prevent the bead from jumping over the guiding portion of the tool. Just my humble 2¢ worth.

1964482153_408509-mounttool2.jpg.516dddb0c6211479008d19667b1dc5c7.jpg

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Joe Frickin' Friday

Wow. The response has been incredible. Between this thread and a notice posted by a friend of mine to the VFR mailing list, there are over 75 people interested in having one of these bars. This has far exceeded my initial expectations (I had thought to have a batch of 20 made, and hoped to sell most of them). Here's a heads-up on where we're at.

 

To those of you who haven't yet bought the Harbor Freight stand:

FWIW, the HF tire changing stand works, but it ain't perfect. Having personally observed some of its shortcomings, my brother and I are now working together to develop a tire-changing stand that many might find preferable to the HF stand. This would include the tire-changing tool described at the start of this thread.

 

To those who already own a HF stand:

Don't worry - the tire-changing bar will be made available separately. smile.gif

 

Thanks much for your interest, and I will let all y'all know when the bars and changing stands become available. thumbsup.gif

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WOW! Now that is too incredible. Go international and market these, seriously! Why stop here and on a few other lists.

 

Sign me up for both, I don't have the changing stand either.

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To those who already own a HF stand:

Don't worry - the tire-changing bar will be made available separately. smile.gif

You mean you won't require us to first own one of your changing stands in order to sell us the bar? grin.gif What a concept!
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I have the H-F stand and I do want your tire bar.

I suspect I’ll soon want your version of the stand wheel clamps or clamp protectors then perhaps some JFF lube....

I hope you are having some fun with this.

thumbsup.gif

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Joe Frickin' Friday
Mark me down for a stand and bar!!! Any expectations on when these might be available???

 

Thanks!

 

No promises, but I'm anticipating something within a couple of months or so. I'll make a formal product announcement here at that point.

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DailyCommuter

I stopped reading this thread when I read:

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Anyway, yeah, I don't mind fabricating my own tool and sharing knowledge with others, but the prospect of large-scale for-profit production would indeed require a patent search.

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I definately...definetely...definitely...

...I WANT ONE TOO!!!

Depending on the price, I may want two too!

(Anyway around PAYPAL?? PayPal & I don't see eye to I)

 

Thanks Joe Frickin' (DA MAN) Friday!

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I'd like to be the first one in central Vermont to own a genuine Joe Frickin Friday tire changing tool. Please put me down for one. BTW, have you used the mounting end by now? If so, did it work as expected? Being in the business of product development and well aware of the pressures to get into production before the product design is "mature", I would just like to encourage you to use both ends on several sets of tires and make any design changes you see fit, BEFORE ordering dozens of parts from the machine shop.

blush.gif

 

Joe, thanks for investing the time and energy to design this tool and for helping out all of us backyard mechanics.

clap.gif

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Joe Frickin' Friday
BTW, have you used the mounting end by now? If so, did it work as expected?

 

Worked perfectly - click here for videos - but we are investigating further refinements.

 

I've procured a junk rim and tire on which to test our designs, so no worries - whatever we build, we'll be doing lots of testing. thumbsup.gif

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Worked perfectly - click here for videos - but we are investigating further refinements.

 

Looks like you're gonna have to find yourself a new star for your video's when you start taping the commercials..Unless you plan filming in Virginia when you are ready for serious marketing. grin.gif

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No promises, but I'm anticipating something within a couple of months or so. I'll make a formal product announcement here at that point.

 

I think for allot of us, "IT'S BEGINNING TO FEEL ALLOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!" grin.gifclap.gifWOO-HOO!

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Mitch,

 

I have the HF tire changer and would like one of the new bars.

 

It is exactly what I need on the Anodized GS Adventure rims.

 

Just say what, when and where so I can send payment.

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Mitch,

 

Please add me to your list for a bar at whatever price you feel is appropriate. Tire levers are the only part of changing my tires that brings bad words out of my mouth and blood from my knuckles. The rest is easy.

 

TIA!

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  • 1 month later...

I was hoping to use this new tool in the spring when my rear tire finally wears out. It has over 14K miles on it and still has plenty of rubber left on it but now I have picked up a piece of metal in it and have a slow leak. So now it must be changed this week so I can get a few more weeks of riding in before the ice comes here in the east. So PLEEEEEEASE tell me that you have one ready to ship today. I've already changed my front tire, so once the rear is done, I should be good to go for another year. I NEED IT TODAY dopeslap.gif what are my chances?

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Joe Frickin' Friday
any word on this tool yet?

 

can we order jus in time for christmas? thumbsup.gif

 

Unfortunately, no. frown.gif But rest assured, it'll be here eventually. thumbsup.gif

 

I've never dealt with something like this before, so initial time estimates were little more than a guess, and it's taking considerably longer than expected to get things rolling. Sorry 'bout that. blush.gif I've developed a basic working prototype of the tire-changing stand I mentioned, though I haven't yet installed/tested all of the features I wanted to. And the mount/demount bar itself is pretty much already designed, so that's a no-brainer. I've spent a lot of time recently upgrading my own little shop of horrors, including (among other things) the recent acquisition of that Econotig welder, installation of 240AC for it, and finally last night the installation of an aluminum top on my garage workbench as a welding surface.

 

So my own manufacturing capabilities are now up to what I wanted, and I can get back to prototype testing. Which is good, cuz I have some ideas for improvements on the Wikco Bar... cool.gif

 

Anyway, sorry, it won't be ready for X-mas. In fact, X-mas itself will slow things down, but hopefully I can be ready to start cranking these things out by mid-January.

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