Harbor Freight M/c tire changer question ?

v8-7 · Apr 18, 2013

I'm having trouble getting the tire clamped in as the trolley clamp doesn't seem to be set up correctly .

By trolley, I'm referring to adjustable clamp that screws in to tighten the wheel down.

Can someone send me a picture of how the trolley is supposed to be set up ?

Thanks, Stan

sennister · Apr 18, 2013

I can send one when I get home. Are you sure you have the other two arms set right. I have been meaning to grab a Sharpie and mark where they need to be pinned for the 18 vs 17" rims. I am not sure that the trolley comes apart to hook it up wrong but I could be wrong.

sennister · Apr 18, 2013

In the mean time I did a quick google search and saw this pic of the trolley.

It has a non maring modification done to it but you can see that there isn't much to it. It just rides on that arm and is moved by the threaded rod.

sandman · Apr 18, 2013

Set the wheel in place and pin the two locked clamps in place against the wheel (keeping it centered). Once the pinned clamps are placed the trolley clamp should fit properly. It's a little cumbersome until you get the locations marked.

Nuttin' to it Stan!

sennister · Apr 18, 2013

Another tip is that I toss a tie down through one of the spokes on the wheels and one of the arms of the changer. The other hook goes on be bead breaker. This way the wheel doesn't spin on me. I have some of the no-mar blocks that Mojo sells on mine. The good is that it doesn't mar the rims but the bad is that it can't clamp down on the rim as hard and it can spin when you are trying to work on a stubborn tire.

v8-7 · Apr 18, 2013

Thanks guys, I think I have it .

The cylindrical nut was in the wrong place ...

sennister · Apr 18, 2013

Ahh, I think I see where that might be a problem.

v8-7 · Apr 24, 2013

I changed the front tire over the weekend and I gotta say , now that the cylindrical nut is set up correctly, it worked like it was supposed to .

I had the tough battle axe tire off and the new pr-3 on in record time. (my record ,anyway).

I wedged some rubber pieces from an old inner tube in-between the wheel and the wheel clamps and it didn't budge .
I'm not sure if it is as good as the no-mar blocks, but it worked fine.

I still spend more time spooning the new tire on, then rotating it off with the long lever so maybe I will upgrade to the mojo lever.

In case anyone isn't aware , you can get all the old inner tubes you want at most motorcycle places that change tires .

sennister · Apr 24, 2013

v8-7 said:
I changed the front tire over the weekend and I gotta say , now that the cylindrical nut is set up correctly, it worked like it was supposed to .

I had the tough battle axe tire off and the new pr-3 on in record time. (my record ,anyway).

I wedged some rubber pieces from an old inner tube in-between the wheel and the wheel clamps and it didn't budge .
I'm not sure if it is as good as the no-mar blocks, but it worked fine.

I still spend more time spooning the new tire on, then rotating it off with the long lever so maybe I will upgrade to the mojo lever.

In case anyone isn't aware , you can get all the old inner tubes you want at most motorcycle places that change tires .

If you think you will upgrade to the mojo lever might want to look at his mojo blocks at the same time. That is the setup I have and it works well for me.

The Battle Axe tires are more of a PITA compared to PRs

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