Yes, Harbor Freight Does Sell A Mini-Tire Changer (And Here's How It Works)

Replacing a tire — as in, removing the tire from the wheel and replacing it with a new one — is a fairly labor-intensive task. Even in a professional shop with tire machines, the process requires an experienced and delicate touch to avoid damaging the wheel and tire and to prevent personal injury. Replacing a tire without a machine, on the other hand, frequently requires brute force and, depending on the type of tire/wheel setup and whether you have access to compressed air, creating a small explosion to set the bead or reseal the tire against the wheel.

Fortunately, though, there are some other options. Harbor Freight, the tool store known for its affordably priced, yet surprisingly high-quality products, sells a mini-tire changer that you may want to check out. The Pittsburgh Mini-Tire Changer is designed to help you remove and replace small tires for wheels between 4 and 10 inches in diameter. That means it's too small to handle car wheels but is ideal for things like smaller trailer tires, ATVs, golf carts, lawn and garden tools, and other smaller off-road vehicles. The device costs $59.99 and is generally well-rated by customers, boasting 4.4 out of 5 stars based on 39 reviews.

The Pittsburgh mini-tire changer is described as easy to use and composed of only a few essential parts. However, the instructions included in the user manual may be imposing to first time DIYers. If you're curious how Harbor Freight's mini-tire changer works, we'll break it down in simplified terms. Let's get started.

Harbor Freight's Pittsburgh mini-tire changer works using a combination of force and leverage. To remove any type of standard tire from a wheel, you first have to let the air out and then break the bead or seal between the wheel and tire. Doing this requires a substantial amount of force, which the Pittsburgh mini-tire changer accomplishes using a base and mounting hardware to hold the wheel and tire in place and a bead breaker bar to apply force to the seal. To use the tool, you must mount the wheel and tire to the base, position the bead breaker's flat plate against the edge of the tire where it seals with the wheel, and apply force using the two lever-style handles.

After breaking the bead, you can then use the tire mounting/dismounting tool to remove the tire from the wheel. This process involves sliding the tool underneath the bead and rotating it clockwise, allowing the tire to spin off the wheel. Note that you will need to use a lubricant for this step to avoid damaging the tire. However, the kit does not include said lubricant.

To install a tire using the mini-tire changer, you have to use the installation end of the mounting/dismounting tool. First, lubricate the tire's beads and then push it onto the rim. In most cases, the bottom bead will slip onto the wheel, but if it doesn't, you'll need to use the mounting/dismounting tool to work it on. To use the tool, place the hooked end under the bead against the wheel and pull it snug. Then, push the tool down onto the tire so that it's parallel with the ground and rotate it clockwise to install the tire.

As mentioned, the Pittsburgh mini-tire changer is designed for small tires and wheels between 4 and 10 inches in diameter. Since most passenger car wheels are 14 inches in diameter or larger, you can't replace the tires on your daily driver with this device. However, the Pittsburgh mini-tire changer isn't the only tire changer that Harbor Freight sells. If you're interested in picking up a tire changer for DIY car work, you may want to consider some of the other tools that the budget store offers.

The Pittsburgh Manual Tire Changer is designed for standard passenger car wheels and tires. The product description says that the tool can handle wheels from as small as 8 inches in diameter all the way to some light truck sizes. However, the product manual warns against using tires larger than 16 inches to prevent damage. It works similarly to the mini-tire changer described above, relying on leverage and force to break the tire's bead. The Pittsburgh Manual Tire Changer costs $59.99, but Inside Track Club members can currently snag it for $49.99. It's well-rated by customers and features 4.3 out of 5 stars based on more than 500 reviews.

The third tire changer that Harbor Freight sells is the Maddox Manual Truck Tire Changer. It's designed for use on tubeless truck tires with wheel sizes up to 24-½ inches in diameter. Unlike the previous devices covered, the Maddox truck tire changer does not have a bead-breaking feature and consists of only three pieces in total: a bead keeper designed to prevent tire damage, a removal bar, and an installation bar. The Maddox product costs $119.99 and features 3.9 out of 5 stars based on reviews.