Harbor Freight / No-Mar Conundrum

I am toying with the idea of purchasing a manual tire changer. The reason is not high volume- I typically will change tires maybe two times per riding season. Nor is it the actual cost of having the tires changed- I have a shop close enough to me who does it with a professional touch less machine and a fancy do-dah electronic balancer for $15.00 per wheel if removed from the bike. Push comes to shove I could easily do without one but what would be the fun in that?
The main reasons for a tire changer are;
- for my convenience.
- the fact that I typically throw away as much as 25% of my tires because the timing of the next trip never works out with the requirement for new tires. I need new tires to be able to go on the trip even though the current ones aren?t finished yet. If I had my own machine I could much more easily reinstall the old ones later on and finish them off.
- and most importantly I found 10 square feet in the garage with nothing in it and we all know that there needs to be something there that I can admire when it is winter.

I can afford the price of a No-Mar if I had to but I am really struggling to justify it.
Given that at the current price I pay for changing tires it would take me 50 tire changes to recoup the cost of a No-Mar I am finding it hard to justify their price- I won?t live that long.
In view of the above what I really want to know is if the Harbor Freight is really a viable solution or is it a total piece of crap? Bear in mind that I have never seen one in person.
I ask this because I have researched it and have read everything from;
- they work great.
- they work great if you modify them a little.
- they work great if you modify them a lot.
- they work O.K. if you modify them a lot.
- parts on them bend (bead breaker) and have to have reinforcement steel welded to them.
- they crack/break at the joints and have to be welded and reinforced.
- don?t buy one if you don?t have a welder due to the above.
- they are a waste of money- save your money and put it towards a better machine.
- people buy them to save money and end up getting rid of them because they are junk only to buy a No-Mar in the end anyway.
- the tire Gods will curse me with perpetual slow leaks for the rest of my natural life and in to eternity if I don?t go No-Mar.

The more I read (including here) the more contradictory it becomes. So I would appreciate hearing what the real deal is.
- how much would I need to spend in addition to the purchase price to make this a viable tire changer that won?t scratch my wheels and won?t break my knuckles?
- are they worth that money or will I spend enough extra to modify/enhance them to the point where I am near the price of a No-Mar anyway?
- or, are they a piece of crap and I should put this money towards a No-Mar at the outset? (or rum-punch!)

I would appreciate hearing from people who have and use them.

Thanks.

I've used a Harbor Changer for years and many tire changes. I did add the MOJO blocks and the MOJO bar to protect the rims. The only reason I am considering a NOMAR at this point is the bead breaker on the Harbor Freight is 'on the floor' and I am getting tired of bending over. With three ST1100s and doing friend's tires, I've got a lot of use out of mine (It is bolted to the floor). I figured I paid for mine with the first two tire changes. But be sure to get the motorcycle adapter when you get it. The reality is if you have a method for breaking the bead, you could just 'spoon' them on and off yourself with a good set of tire irons and without a tire changer.

I have the same setup as Phil, it works great for me. I change about 12 tires a year on mine.

I have already decided that if I change my own tires it won't be with spoons. Sounds like you change a lot of tires and are saying that with only adding Mojoblocks and a different bar to the Harbor Freight it is worth the money spent. Also sounds like you have not experienced the deficiencies/failures that I have read about. Maybe if you go No-Mar you can sell me your set up. (LOL)
Thanks for the feedback.

I to have the HF bolted to the floor. I modified mine to the use nylon spools to grip the rim, like the MOJO set up. Have the NOMAR bar and would not use the one from HF, except to operate the bead breaker. This past spring NOMAR had a really good sale one thier units. My brother and Mondo both bought the base model for not much more than the HF + NOMAR bar + the MOJO blocks. No doubt my HF will last me the rest of my life and then some. The NOMAR is higher quality and you do not have to place the tire on the floor to break the bead.

One "trick" I use and have read those with the NOMAR also take a strap/rope and wrap it around a wheel spoke and one of the arms to prevent the rim from turning while dismounting and mounting the tire. With some of the more stubborn tires (Bridgestones) it is next to impossible to get the rim clamped tight enough. The strap saves a lot of frustration.

If I were to buy new and could wait hoping NOMAR has a spring sale, I would get the NOMAR.

Kevin_56 said:

One "trick" I use and have read those with the NOMAR also take a strap/rope and wrap it around a wheel spoke and one of the arms to prevent the rim from turning while dismounting and mounting the tire. With some of the more stubborn tires (Bridgestones) it is next to impossible to get the rim clamped tight enough. The strap saves a lot of frustration.

Click to expand...

I bungy strapped an old broom stick to the vertical arm and just let it hang down between a 'spoke' on the rim and the changer. I also removed the bolt on the vertical arm so I can loosen the center rod turn bolt and remove the arm to get the old tire off and the new tire on without removing the center rod.

Another low volume harbor freight user here.

Makes it easy to get the old tire off.

Kevin_56 said:

One "trick" I use and have read those with the NOMAR also take a strap/rope and wrap it around a wheel spoke and one of the arms to prevent the rim from turning while dismounting and mounting the tire.

Click to expand...

I do this as well and therefore don't feel the need for the nomar blocks .

I end up spooning the tire on most of the time and the "changer only holds the wheel up off the ground.

I am considering the nomar or other bar as they may actually work and the to the harbor freight bar
is likely to scratch the rim.

For me , the benefit is the 2 hours to go to / return from and wait at the shop and the $25/ tire cost off the bike .

I have the classic nomar and balancer setup ( it runs about $750 )...

I orig wondered if I'd get my moneys worth since I change 1-2 tires a yr. But, after getting it , my friends now come over too. With 3+ of us changing tires it prob more like 8 per yr. If you fiq $50 per change, it adds quickly. But, it's also MORE THAN MONEY !

1) it's the knowledge its done right , see other thread; https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?139547-Mounting-my-own-tires&p=1780170&viewfull=1#post1780170
Its amazing people pay good money to have a tire scewed up
2) my friends pay with BEER... yea, it's not cash but has more value... good times with friends.
3) you learn alot more about yr bike when you do the work yrself.

As to the quality of nomar vs HF... I like the bead breaker high up, like the long bar for tire removal ( never got the hang of using it to go on ), love the plastic covered irons which are the only way to get Bstones on the rims.

If nothing else due to money , I'd at least buy the bar, irons, and balancer....

Andrew Shadow said:

I have already decided that if I change my own tires it won't be with spoons. Sounds like you change a lot of tires and are saying that with only adding Mojoblocks and a different bar to the Harbor Freight it is worth the money spent. Also sounds like you have not experienced the deficiencies/failures that I have read about. Maybe if you go No-Mar you can sell me your set up. (LOL)
Thanks for the feedback.

Click to expand...

I have a HF changer for sale all setup. Its in the classifieds.

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?138436-HF-Tire-Changer-with-Nomar-accessories&highlight=

I always strive to avoid "over-complicating" things.
I also like to make tools, both for the satisfaction and in most cases, I save significant $$$.

Let's take the tire-changing thing. Why bother with the expense and exerted effort of a tire changing station?
I've been replacing my tires for years, with my "lazy" methods.

So let's go through it, one at a time ... let's assume the wheel(s) are off the bike ...

a) Break the bead - Harbor Freight bead breaker. (I've read where folks don't like "being bent over" using it).
a, 1) Lay wheel on HF bead breaker, lube tire, position breaker foot on bead, grab a cheater bar (I use the two-piece handle from my 3-ton floor jack) and slide it onto the breaker arm, then break the bead (versus using the wimpy leverage bar built into the HF bead breaker). Guess what? I'm standing upright while doing this ... and with the incredible leverage, breaking the bead is child's play.

b) Remove tire from rim. Wow, how easy is this? No $50, $100, $350, $500, $700+ tire removing tool\station required. Punch a hole in the sidewall of the tire about 2 inches away from the bead. Grab a pair of wire cutters (ya know, the heavy-duty kind) and cut towards the bead, then cut the bead.

c) Slide tire off rim. I'll bet I've got the tire off before most folks have mounted the tire securely on their tire machine.

Mount tire - "stiff" tires.
a) Lube up first bead, slide onto rim (yep - by hand - easily done).
b) Lube remaining bead, use a "no pinch" style tool (DIY or purchase) to push bead on.
c) Air up tire.

Mount tire - "soft" tires.
a) Use 5-6 [wide] cable ties, evenly distributed, around tire and tighten so beads are kissing each other.
b) Lube up beads, slide [both beads] around onto rim.
c) Cut cable ties
d) Air up tire.

Have HF. change around 2 dozen tire a year.
With that said=buy the no-mar.

caldercay said:

b) Remove tire from rim. Wow, how easy is this? No $50, $100, $350, $500, $700+ tire removing tool\station required. Punch a hole in the sidewall of the tire about 2 inches away from the bead. Grab a pair of wire cutters (ya know, the heavy-duty kind) and cut towards the bead, then cut the bead.

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Umm...how does that work for putting the tire back on later??? The OP stated he wants a changer so he can put tires with 25% life left on them back on at a later date.

I have an HF. It has more than paid for itself. I use the dismount bar from HF and usually spoon the new tires; but, sometimes I use a no-mar knock-off.
I scratch my own rims so I don't get mad at anyone for paying them to scratch them...

Landon said:

Umm...how does that work for putting the tire back on later??? The OP stated he wants a changer so he can put tires with 25% life left on them back on at a later date.

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Nicely put. Plus, how the devil do you hold the rim while you wrestle those stiff tires back on. Been there, done that. Like the fact that I have both hands to work the new tire on using one of those fancy tire machines, even if mine is red and cheap.

acedantinne said:

buy the no-mar

Click to expand...

Why? Can you expand?

Landon said:

I have a HF changer for sale all setup. Its in the classifieds.

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I saw your add several weeks ago and would have bought it right off if everything in the picture is included except that you listed "Pick up only.". A bit of a drive for me!

v8-7 said:

I end up spooning the tire on most of the time and the "changer only holds the wheel up off the ground.

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I have read this statement often in regards to the HF tire changer. Why do so many people write this? Why are you only using it as a holder and using spoons? Is not practical for doing the complete tire change? This is the type of information I am trying to nail down but there are so many opposing testimonies both in favour and against.

My input because I have the HF. Their mount/dismount bar is all steel. It WILL remove the paint from the rim and mark it up if you use it. I did ONCE. I then watched the NOMAR video and bought the bar. Glad I did. On the really stiff tires - Bridgestones and the Shinko's I just mounted, I had to use my tire irons at the very end to get the bead over the rim. Next time I will leave the tire in the sun to maybe soften it up a little. The HF works. But I said it in an earlier post. Price out what you need to NOT mark your rims if you are one that cares what they look like and you will not pay that much more for a beefier unit that NOMAR sells. You do get a better quality unit and a bead breaker that is higher off the ground. Both get the job done, but one does it right out of the box. The HF has to be modified.

I just changed 3 tires using this old method shown in the pictures, The tools that work best are the round bar spoon and the rubber hammer. The hammer works good to pound on the tire at the very last. Remember that the oposite side of the tire must be in the middle of the rim for the tire to go on. I just put my knees on the tire when installing to help push it on. You get real good at it with a little repitition!

Andrew Shadow said:

I saw your add several weeks ago and would have bought it right off if everything in the picture is included except that you listed "Pick up only.". A bit of a drive for me!

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Figured so, and I certainly understand. I don't think its practical to ship as it would probably cost more than its worth.