Swapping tires the hard way

New tires, new tools.

With four new tires staring at me, and tire changing companies claiming they're not able to handle my 33x12.5's, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Besides, it was an excuse to buy a new tool. After reading many favourable reviews, and watching many videos with the machine in use, I went for a Power Fist manual tire changer. This is practically the same as the Harbor Freight manual tire changer.

The first thing to note, you REALLY need to make sure this thing is fastened down. My Home Depot grade concrete anchors were not up to the task, and after ripping two different types out, and nearly setting a drill on fire, I called for help. My brother in law (a plumber at that) showed up with an awesome cordless Makita hammer drill and one of the coolest concrete bits I've ever seen. He proceeded to drill my garage floor like it was balsa wood, and dropped in these little expanding anchors. Well, they held, held so well that I need to stiffen up the tire changer, 'cause it flexes too much now. Anyhow, that solved a big problem.

On to the tires... The first tire took about an hour. Figuring out the machine, how to pry, leverage, etc. Second tire, was a little faster, and I realized that more lube was better. Third tire I had done in 20 minutes, and the last tire, which I recorded, was done in 17 minutes.

First tire done. Only took an hour and a lot of sweat

I balanced the tires with 8oz of copper BB's per tire, and after a couple of drives, I'm happy to report they are smooth as glass on road. 

Next up is a small alignment. My Toe is out quite a bit and needs to be sorted out before any long trips. After that, onto planning a day out on the trails to see how these new tires perform in the dirt and rocks