LMS: tire mounting/balancing machines
 

LMS = "Learn me some"

Has anyone purchased a low-ish price tire mounting/balancing combo? I'm looking to get a setup for myself under $2k. Myself a some local racers are tired paying $$$ to mount/balance tires when we do it 4-5 times a year.

I see these mounting/balancing combos on Ebay and elsewhere in the ~$2k range by MayFlower, Phoenix, Triumph and others and they all sort of look like the same Chinese machines with their own branding on them.

Has anyone purchased a setup like this or has any insight?

I'm looking at something like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Phoenix-bran..._Tools&vxp=mtr

http://phoenixautoequipment.com/changers.shtml

Danny Kao bought one to try and save some money. I honestly forget if he still has it. Then I found $5. The cheap ones aren't strong enough to squeeze tight tires on there.

I bet if you spent some money, you could get a good one. I would be concerned about doing something dumb and messing up wheels or tires.

Also, check Walmart for mounting balancing. They used to do it for $10 / tire or something.

I'm over having others do it. I do it so much I need to be doing it myself.

Machines will be purchased, just looking for feedback on machines. Taking into the account the extra stiffness and lower profile of racing tires is a good point.

A buddy of mine was able to find some from a tire shop that was closing down. I know it is a long shot, but it is another place to look. The big restriction (and maybe why the shop was closing), it was an older machine only able to work on 16" and smaller wheels.


If there's a shop upgrading from one of these old ones to be able to swap out 24" wheels or something like that, you might have some luck there.

http://www.nomartirechanger.com/Prof...p/tc-proii.htm

I recently picked up one of these off craigslist for $600, its the "pro" model, but the other ones also advertise auto tire capability, and more portability to boot (hitch mount option).

Worst case i can get back what I have in it pretty easily, it also isn't a 500+ lb unit to move around.

I haven't had a need to change any of my 17" since purchasing, but i've pulled and mounted 16" snow tires I had laying around with no issues whatsoever, granted theres a big difference there.

I haven't had the best experience with local shops in terms of price or service. *I'll gladly sweat a bit to do it at home.


They are motorcycle oriented but the manufacturer faq states it can be used on high performance auto tires.

I've looked at those too but I figured that while I want to be doing it myself, I'm also not a masochist. :D

I'd like to be able to get the job done quickly without too much sweat-equity.

luckily i'm fat enough that it may not be too bad,

by my 3rd attempt i had a 16" demount, mount down to 10 minutes.

if i can keep a set around an hour its still under the driving and waiting time locally.

I don't know specifics of models, but I do know that there are definite differences in what size of tires the mounter can handle. I also know that there is a huge difference in balancing between units. You probably want them road-force balanced. Mullah.

I've probably driven a million miles in my lifetime and haven't needed "road force" balancing yet. I think I'll pass on that expense.

The Atlas brand from Greg Smith Equipment looks very good and you can add functionality to the mounting machine later on, like a helper arm for example. Plus their local-ish to me and provide parts, extras and technical help. If I'm going cheap, I may as well go cheap with great support eh?

It'll be nice to re-balance race tires between weekends like if a tire moves on a rim (Hoosiers have been known to do this).

I've looked into this for myself and some friends in the past, and if/when I finally take the jump to buying my own equipment, I'll likely go with an Atlas mounter and balancer from Greg Smith Equipment. Seems to be one of the better new brands for a good price, with stores all over the country for parts & service, the closest one to me is 3 hours away.

I wish I had it done that infrequently. If I did my own work, this equipment would be on my short list.

Are you on RRAX? There are threads on there covering this topic in depth. Danny Kao and a number of other people on there have their own machines at their house.

Yup, same name @ the sandbox. Started the same type of thread there too. They turned me on to Greg Smith Equipment and Atlas. Never heard of them until now.

If you've ever changed tires that are stubborn in hot weather, you'll wish you just paid someone isntead...