ELP_JC Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 Hey Joe, would I need any other tool(s) to change my tires with your stand and tool setup? Can I change my tires with ZERO damage with your setup? If the price is right, and available not too late, I'd buy a set. My new tires arrive at any time, and will need to be replaced soon. Oh, and if you need a 5" KRS wheel in excellent shape but with paint damage (it's my original 5" wheel), send me a prepaid UPS box and it's yours. Just 'bump' my priority Naaah...just kidding. JC Link to comment
10Ring Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 Hey Mitch, I too already own the HF stand, but would love one of the new bars. Add me to your growing list! Link to comment
Motonut Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 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. Mitch, Please add me to the list. I would be interested in the "outfit" as I find the Harbor Freight rig lacking in substance but the buy-in to the Coats 220 is inhibiting. Link to comment
bmwmick Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 OK Mitch, Add one more to the order list. I have no idea how I missed this project. I've had my HF changer for about two years now and love it, except for the mount/demount bar. Since Wikco is just up the road a piece, I called them about ordering their bar but met with their policy of ONLY selling to foks who spent the big bucks on their copy of the HF tool. Mick Link to comment
philbytx Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Count me in as "extremely frickin' interested" in the whole "kit and caboodle" (stand and bar). Especially if the bar comes with a supply of English Beer ! Link to comment
270 Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 And I..or me...or whatever. Just the bar...if you do it that means I won't have to rig up my own POS to make it work.... AD Link to comment
hindsight Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 I called and got my tire bar no questions asked. I simply called the number provided on thier web page, - - - - Order by phone by calling us toll free at 866-464-8893 in the U.S. and Canada (Order Line Only) - - - - asked for the part number, gave my credit card and it was on my door in a few days. I don't know if they sent it because I acted like I knew what I was doing and didn't ask any questions about being an owner of their system. Looking forward to trying it this Saturday to reskin a rear Tourance on my GS. Later, Link to comment
jfremder Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 I just tried calling - no dice, wanted to look me up in their database, which stretches back 12 yrs. No prior sale, no bar... Link to comment
ELP_JC Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 Just wanted to post my wheel is gone; guess you didn't want it. Good evening people. Link to comment
JATO Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 Count me in for the bar ends also--I've got the HF setup & red striped rims--Jay Link to comment
skinny_tom (aka boney) Posted December 25, 2004 Share Posted December 25, 2004 I'd be interested in a bar when they're available. Link to comment
jfremder Posted January 9, 2005 Share Posted January 9, 2005 In anticipation of eventual melting of the snow, and cleansing of the salt here in Wisconsin, any update on the ETA of the Bars? Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted January 9, 2005 Author Share Posted January 9, 2005 In anticipation of eventual melting of the snow, and cleansing of the salt here in Wisconsin, any update on the ETA of the Bars? It's slow, but they're coming. I have to apologize for my initial estimate of eight weeks (from start of October). It's challenging to do all this between a full-time job and shoveling the driveway. Right now I expect to have them ready to go before the riding season gets going. Thanks to everyone for being so patient. Link to comment
Jim VonBaden Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 I just used the Harbor Freight one, and I can attest to its being a total pain in the @SS! Granted it was my first time with the Harbor Freight tires changer, and I actually like it, but the bar sucked. Took 3 hours to change my tires. Sign me up when you get them made! Thanks, Jim Link to comment
Green RT Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 Add my name to the list for both the bar and the stand. I don't want to be the only one on this list without one. And I have changed enough tires the old fashioned way to last a lifetime. Link to comment
Global_Rider Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 2 tire irons, several strips of windshield washer bottle material: 30 years of tire changing with zero nicks and scratches. Bonus: portable. I don't want to slide anything across my anodized rims, Delrin/nylon insert or not. Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted January 14, 2005 Author Share Posted January 14, 2005 I called and got my tire bar no questions asked. I simply called the number provided on thier web page, ... I don't know if they sent it because I acted like I knew what I was doing and didn't ask any questions about being an owner of their system. Andy, did the bar ever arrive? Link to comment
Satguy Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Hey Mitch, what is the status of the bars you are making/having made?? Ready soon? Also, I just got hold of the Harbor Freight tire machine. What are others using to protect your wheel from the jaws of the wheel holder? I was thinking about some rubber hose cut down the side and slipped over the wheel where the jaws contact. Maybe this will let the wheel slip and cause even greater damage?? Link to comment
Jim VonBaden Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Hey Mitch, what is the status of the bars you are making/having made?? Ready soon? Also, I just got hold of the Harbor Freight tire machine. What are others using to protect your wheel from the jaws of the wheel holder? I was thinking about some rubber hose cut down the side and slipped over the wheel where the jaws contact. Maybe this will let the wheel slip and cause even greater damage?? Milk jug plastic, and IMHO you should open up the clamps a bit, they barely fit the thickness of the wheel. Jim Link to comment
russell_bynum Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 What are others using to protect your wheel from the jaws of the wheel holder? I wrapped mine with electrical tape. Link to comment
bmwmick Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Bruce, I opened my clamps up just a hair and I slip 4" sections of bicycle inner tubes over the whole clamp. They just fold out of the way when you put the wheel on the MC attachment. Mick Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted February 20, 2005 Author Share Posted February 20, 2005 Hey Mitch, what is the status of the bars you are making/having made?? Ready soon? I'm almost done tooling up; still waiting for the powdercoat gun/charge system to arrive, and still busy modifying a used oven to fit 3' tire bars in there for powdercoat curing! A couple of weeks ago I submitted a request-for-quote to a couple of local machine shops for the CNC lathe work that I can't economically do myself. The quotes came back at about what I expected. A week ago Friday (2/11) I gave one shop the go-ahead for 100 bars and 100 nylon tips. Their estimated delivery time is two weeks, but that could vary considerably. Once I have bars in hand, I'll still have a bit of work to do on them myself (welding a piece on, drilling a hole or two, powdercoating, packaging). Plus I still have to set up a web page to accept payments. It's starting to look like mid-March for availability. They've been a long time coming, but they're almost here! Link to comment
smiller Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 and still busy modifying a used oven to fit 3' tire bars in there for powdercoat curing!What? You don't have a kitchen..? Thanks for the update Mitch. I hope you make some money on this (although considering how these things usually go I know you'd probably just be happy to not lose your shirt..!) Link to comment
Ron_B Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Mitch, if it's not too late, could you add me to the list? Many thanks! Link to comment
Bob Palin Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Mid March eh, so it's time to order the changer to go with your bar. Link to comment
flyingreg Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 It's starting to look like mid-March for availability. They've been a long time coming, but they're almost here! Mitch, thanks for the progress report. How is the redesign of the tire machine coming along? These will be great additions to the garage shop. You're the bestest! Link to comment
Larsen Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Mitch, I've been following this thread since you started it. Initially you were using HDPE for the tips but it appears you've now switched to Nylon. Why the switch? Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted February 23, 2005 Author Share Posted February 23, 2005 How is the redesign of the tire machine coming along? "Machine" belies the simplicity of it, but for lack of a better word, "machine" it is! I had set development of that aside for the past few weeks while I went nuts working on the powdercoat oven. The oven is just about done: It remains to be seen whether the oven can get hot enough now that I've added all this extra surface area! If not, I'll have to find a way to add the broiling element to the circuit, or add even more insulation, or both. So yes, soon I can get back to working on the tire machine. There's one last detail to work on - to decide which of two ways to go for a particular joint on the bead breaker mechanism - and then the design is finalized. But most of the other aspects of it are set: I've already made welding and drilling jigs for various parts of it. Jim, re: nylon vs. HDPE: HDPE was just a bit too soft. Not only did it not machine well, but it gets squished and gouged pretty easily during use. Nylon is still soft enough to not scratch paint (unless you load it with grit), but it's a little firmer so that it stands up better to normal use. Link to comment
Ron_B Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Jim, re: nylon vs. HDPE: HDPE was just a bit too soft. Not only did it not machine well, but it gets squished and gouged pretty easily during use. Nylon is still soft enough to not scratch paint (unless you load it with grit), but it's a little firmer so that it stands up better to normal use. Mitch, have you considered Delrin? I've made lots of stuff out of it, including bearings and other stuff that requires low friction. I have always found it easy to machine. I don't know how the numbers compare with Nylon, but I think that it has very good tensile strength. Although I've no experience with it, it's also available in a grade that contains about 10 or 15 percent Teflon, if I remember correctly. Link to comment
Larsen Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Jim, re: nylon vs. HDPE: HDPE was just a bit too soft. Not only did it not machine well, but it gets squished and gouged pretty easily during use. Nylon is still soft enough to not scratch paint (unless you load it with grit), but it's a little firmer so that it stands up better to normal use. Mitch, I agree with your decision. I'm machining my own and I had made up my mind a while back to use Nylon. I might even try some Teflon that I have in stock. Mitch, have you considered Delrin? I've made lots of stuff out of it, including bearings and other stuff that requires low friction. I have always found it easy to machine. I don't know how the numbers compare with Nylon, but I think that it has very good tensile strength. Ron, I've machined a lot of Black Delrin and use it for drag bearings, handles, etc but in my experience it can crack under stress. I've never machined or worked with the Delrin AF that you mentioned that contains 14 percent of Teflon fibers. Give it a try! What are others using to protect your wheel from the jaws of the wheel holder? Russell, I used 1/8" leather on the bottom contact area of the wheel holder and 1/16" thin leather on the inside top of the hook. It seems to work well. Mitch, You've revelutionized the world of affordable Manual Motorcycle Tire Changers!!! Keep it going! Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted February 24, 2005 Author Share Posted February 24, 2005 Mitch, have you considered Delrin? I've made lots of stuff out of it, including bearings and other stuff that requires low friction. I have always found it easy to machine. I don't know how the numbers compare with Nylon, but I think that it has very good tensile strength. Although I've no experience with it, it's also available in a grade that contains about 10 or 15 percent Teflon, if I remember correctly. The trick is to choose a material that's hard enough to be durable, but soft enough so that it gives just a little bit, in order to avoid squashing/gouging/scuffing the paint on the wheel. I'm not sure whether Delrin meets that second criteria. Plus, as Jim pointed out, I'd be worried that it might be a little too brittle. Wikco's manufacturer (I'm sure Wikco doesn't actually make these bars) has also set a precedent by choosing nylon for their tire bar. Why mess with a good thing? Link to comment
mutineer Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 The timing is great - I was just about to order soem TKC-80's for my F650. Can't wait to pay for my bar Link to comment
Ron_B Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 The trick is to choose a material that's hard enough to be durable, but soft enough so that it gives just a little bit, in order to avoid squashing/gouging/scuffing the paint on the wheel. I'm not sure whether Delrin meets that second criteria. Plus, as Jim pointed out, I'd be worried that it might be a little too brittle. Wikco's manufacturer (I'm sure Wikco doesn't actually make these bars) has also set a precedent by choosing nylon for their tire bar. Why mess with a good thing? It was just a thought. Given Jim's observation about stress cracks, nylon seems like the stuff to use. Link to comment
flyingreg Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Thanks Mitch for the news on the "tire machine" as I coined it. Quite an impressive oven you got there. That should hold a bit of material for coating, or a whole bunch of cookies if you can't get it warm enough. No doubt you'll get the oven to work perfectly. Very impressive work and what you're doing here for this group. You rock! Link to comment
marty mayer Posted March 12, 2005 Share Posted March 12, 2005 Mitch, I realize i'm awful late to try to get in on this. But after you fill all your earlier orders, if you have any more available i would like one also. Thanks Marty Link to comment
Deans BMW Posted March 12, 2005 Share Posted March 12, 2005 Mitch, I am impressed with your work. I would love to buy one of your bars when completed. Thanks Link to comment
Bob Palin Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Mid March eh, so it's time to order the changer to go with your bar. Mitch, hurry up! I just spent an hour trying to get the second side of my rear tyre off the rim. It was quite flexible and just bent and folded instead of coming off. The new tyre went on in maybe 10 minutes (!) and the whole thing only took about 2.5 hours actual work from going to the garage to take the wheel off to coming back inside. New and old were ME880s, I now have 2 new tyres for the Hill Country ride. I may have to replace my rear pads at the next tyre change, they have 72K on them as of now. btw I will need a tyre change again fairly soon, I expect to cover 5000 miles in the next month alone. Hill Country, CO tech day, San Diego. All round trips from Torrey. Link to comment
Mike O Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Hey Bob... Once you succeed in changing the tire, how do you go about balancing it? Mike O Link to comment
Bob Palin Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Hey Bob... Once you succeed in changing the tire, how do you go about balancing it? Mike O I have a balancer! Sorry, I don't remember where I got it or what brand it is but it's a steel rod with cones to hold the wheel in place and rests on two sets of wheels on legs, seems to run very freely for a good balance. It's red! As it happens I have no idea where my wheel weights are at the moment so I didn't balance the wheels, they were pretty close anyway. Ker thump, ker thump, ker thump... Link to comment
steve404 Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Once you succeed in changing the tire, how do you go about balancing it? Mike O You first go to another board member's web site: www.marcparnes.com Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted March 13, 2005 Author Share Posted March 13, 2005 You first go to another board member's web site: www.marcparnes.com I'll second that. Several years ago I built myself a bearing cradle, and also had to build an adapter+shaft to be able to balance the back wheel. It works fine, but I've since seen Marc Parne's balancer in action; if I'd known about it way back when, I'd have bought one instead of building my cradle/adapter ensemble. Link to comment
Joe Frickin' Friday Posted March 19, 2005 Author Share Posted March 19, 2005 It's starting to look like mid-March for availability. WELL, if you've been following this whole thing from the beginning, then you must realize by now how astonishingly bad I am at estimating the time requirements, starting with my first estimate of eight weeks (after end of September). This has been a massive learning experience for me. Apart from setting up the tools and workspace to do all this, I've discovered how different mass production is from one-of-a-kind crafting. Dealing with 100 units is far different from dealing with one unit: you can't afford to put hours of craftsmanship into each piece, thinking/tweaking as you go. Instead, you have to put effort/thought in up front in order to make processes efficient and produce consistent results over a large number of units. And it's important to test everything, through to the finished product, to make sure the whole operation will get you the final product you want. With all the time that's gone by, I've been extremely anxious to get these things out the door, and so I've been rushing on those last two points. As a result of that rushing, I wasted several hours and about $40 last week because I didn't take the time to put hardened bushings in a drill jig for the hook on the "mount" end of the bar (see pics in first post of this thread); the guide hole got egged out, resulting in a lot of variability in placement of the bolt hole. In another case, I estimated the thickness of the final powdercoat when I spec'd a dimension on the bars for the "demount" end of the bar, but the truth is I don't know what the real thickness will be; that thickness also impacts the required location for the bolt hole in the nylon protector at the "mount" end. Fact is, I haven't definitively tested how thick the PC will be laid on. On top of all the planning and setup is the fact that 100 units means just plain a lot of work: if I allow two hours of labor on each bar (never mind the months of setup), that's 200 hours, which is a lot of time; at three hours per day, that's two months. Anyway, I need to slow down a bit, do a little more testing before I cut any more metal or plastic, and get these things right. The bottom line is that, given my track record, I am now hesitant to offer a completion date. I humbly apologize for getting your hopes up and making you all wait so long. For now, all I can offer is this. If you've seen the other thread about this, then you know that I'm currently sitting on about $2000 worth of steel and plastic, so I'm highly motivated; the tools absolutely will be made[/i]. Thanks for being so patient. Link to comment
Burt Posted March 19, 2005 Share Posted March 19, 2005 It's starting to look like mid-March for availability. I humbly apologize for getting your hopes up and making you all wait so long. Apologize for what. No one is out anything, and no one else tried to undertake such a project. I know I wouldn't be able to make them. I want one when ever they get done. I'll just be happy to be able to stop using the old tire irons. Link to comment
Stan Walker Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 it's starting to look like mid-March for availability. That fits right in with my plans, I'll be ready to replace my tires not long after that. it's starting to look like mid-April for availability. That's OK my tires should last that long. it's starting to look like mid-May for availability. I'll be desparate by then, probably pulling a Patience... it's starting to look like mid-June for availability. I wonder if a band-aid will keep the air in? it's starting to look like mid-July for availability. I've upped my insurance...... it's starting to look like mid-August for availability. I'm sorry, I regret to inform you that Mr Walker had his motorcycle endorsement revoked for riding on duct-taped tires and won't be riding for awhile. Stan Link to comment
Dex Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 Absolutely do not even begin to think that you owe an apology to anyone. I can't imagine the amount of thought and work that you've put into these. We'll all be happy when they're done, but you shouldn't at all feel like you owe us anything. Thanks for the update and for all of your hard work. Dex Link to comment
steve404 Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 No apologies. Slow down and feel good about it. We all want the product, but this should be a good thing for all. $... I don't mind sending a deposit to help and I'm sure others are of like mind. Thanks for keeping us informed. Link to comment
SageRider Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 No apologies. Slow down and feel good about it. We all want the product, but this should be a good thing for all. $... I don't mind sending a deposit to help and I'm sure others are of like mind. Thanks for keeping us informed. Ditto! I'm sorry to say when I PMed Mitch that I didn't think to offer a deposit. Mitch, I would even be willing to pre-pay the estimated cost if it will help you out. Link to comment
smiller Posted March 20, 2005 Share Posted March 20, 2005 I don't mind sending a deposit to help and I'm sure others are of like mind.Indeed. If you find that you are into this more than anticipated dollar-wise and that is causing a crunch I think you are more than entitled to ask for deposits if that would help out. Ooops... sorry... didn't mean to start a cascade of eight more pages of 'I'm willing to send a deposit too!' posts... Link to comment
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