Today I saw a new tool/adaptor (for me that is) which turns a hi-lift into a decent roadside tyre bead breaker.

website: The home of Bead-Breaker

I don't know if it is as useful as it looks, most of you will carry a hi-lift, if only for the looks, this little tool don't take much space. I imagine you can use it with a other types of jacks too (exept an airjack).
I think having a fixed jack-points for the hi-lift would make this even more practical.

There is a very useful/informative tyre repair manual/instruction on their site too, which is worth printing out and taking with you, stored with your tyrerepair-stuff as a reminder for this propably/hopefully once in a lifetime opportunity/experience .

After trying to remove tyres with all the known methods from old rusty splitrims years ago, I obtained a tyreplier which did the job perfectly (and showed me painfully, standard rims with tubeless BFG-A/T's where the way to go). Never had to take the tool out of it's bag again (tough wood) which make me think this adaptor can be as practical too and less bulky.
BTW they have great instructions on repairs too.

cheers

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bart & sophie

well found.
Chris

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Chris
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"Never have a stupid argument with an idiot - he gets a lot more practice than you"
there I go again
not too hard really

Bart,

As you probably found out too, the foot of the high lift works well enough as a bead breaker. To my opinion no need for more tools and weight.

cheers,
Noel

Noel

What I found back then, trying to seperate rusty split-rims and wornout tyres, that using only the highlift to break the bead made a highly instable situation with no luck on breaking the bead. Imagine a toyota, nose high in the air, balancing on two backwheels and a swaying highlift. Also the driving-over-the-wheel-trick only resulted in wheels popping away through the street and again very worried looking neighbours. It was then that I went out to get a tyreplier (luckely on a wholesale somewhere in the neighbourhood) to succeed the next day, well to be honest I succeeded with five of the six wheels I was planning to sandblast, paint and take on our trip. Even with the tyreplier it took a lot blood, sweat and tears but 5 out of 6 is a lot beter than zero. That's why I went for steel rims and tubeless.

I agree with you, as we both found out, 'less is more' and KISS (as I wrote, never needed to use the tyreplier again).
That's why I wondered if this small adaptor could be a good alternative or adition to one's toolbox. Is it a gadget or a tool ?

I'm not looking for a replacement but maybe it's of use for someone who is in the process of outfitting his future transportation. Maybe the price is a bit steep (can't remember how much I paid for the tyreplier) but I can imagine someone making one for himself.

BTW the instructions/manuals on both sites are still usefull for anybody preparing for long distance or remote travels.

cheers,

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bart & sophie

I Made A Bead Breaker , It Only Took 1hr Made It Out Of 1/4 X4inch Mild Steel Flat Bar. Works Atreet. Chris You Should Be Making These Very Simple

IMO, buying a special bead breaker tool is foolish.
Do you need an automatic ash tray and floor board cleaner? Well, of course not.

You can drive over the tire to break its bead.
This type of gear is marketed towards people who have no clue; there are way too many of those people.

Lone Rider,

Well, yes, provided you still have four good tyres to drive on, in which case you can just as well take the damaged tyre to the nearest town for repairs.

You'd be surprised how many people have a clue in theory, less so in practice.

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Roman (UK)

Haven't tried this new SA bead breaker but I have used the Ozzie one and it was bloody useful and took alot of pain out of tyre repairs. Driving over a tyre is an inexact science alone and it has always worried me that I'd damage my tyre - tried it once but really would consign it to the bin of "last resort".

A bead breaker is pretty essential if you are doing your own tube changes etc on a 750/16 12 ply tyre, especially if you've ever watched how your friendly african tyre and tube shop does it! Once you've spent alot of money on tyres and alot of hard work re-assembling everything in a clean environment watching a jua-kali do it amidst the dirt and sand is a bit of an experience so you'll end up doing it yourself.

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Enzo

I know I should Steve but with 2 cars in various states of repair (trip in february), a house with no heating or kitchen and up to the eyeballs in real work I just fancied spending a tenner on an easy solution.
I've tried using the base of the jack - opportunity to tear the side wall.
driving over - damage steel plys in wall and tread.

This type of gear is marketed towards people who have no clue; there are way too many of those people.

btw.I'm a blacksmithfor those of you who don't know.
cheers
Chris

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Chris
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"Never have a stupid argument with an idiot - he gets a lot more practice than you"
there I go again
not too hard really

I don't understand what all the problems are with breaking a bead. You don't need to drive over it, so you don't need 4 good wheels. In a worst case you have 2 flats (one on the car and one in your hands) and you still can put the high lift under the rear bumper and use the foot to break the bead. The car is not jacket up or anything. Nothing more stable than a car on all 4's. When I had to do it, I didn't even come close to an instable car or tearing my side wall. Just a bit of jacking and it popped off, easy as that!! No worries what so ever.

oh jeah, stay away from those bloody split rims. They are from another era.

Cheers,

Noel

Oi, I like my split rims! Make tyre changing a doddle!

Admitedly though they can be a problem if they've rusted up abit.

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Enzo

They equate to £13 UKP (plus shipping)..



crikey! i can buy heaps of 5 or 6mm plate form my local steel stockholder for that!

think i'll dust off the MIG welder and make one this weekend, should be a giggle.

Add this tool to the list of unnecessary...unless you've got a MAN/Kamaz lorry/Unimog...and weight isn't really a concern.

If you're carrying a 2nd spare tire on a rim, use that.

If you're carrying a 2nd spare tire without a rim...why?
The extra weight of the rim is comparable to the weight of the bead breaker, and tire irons...no?

If you carry too much stuff for those rare situations, you will create problems for yourself due to the weight...like busted mother springs, or wheel bearing failures, etc...now that would be a bugger...carry a spare set of wheel bearings...much better investment on weight.

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edde
93 BMW K75s
www.motoedde.com

Looks like the thingy would work really well. But... do have to agree with the rarely-used tool argument. Better to spend a little time improvising than a lot of time carrying dead weight.

Still... Looking at the design, it strikes me it could be half the size and just as effective, hmmm? Sub-500gms and I'd be tempted...

Jamie, if you get into a swing with the welding perhaps we could chip in for a spare ? ;-))

Always surprised me that no one has come up with a 'hydraulic-press'-style attachment for a hi-lift. Maybe it could be combined with a bead-breaker? Does anyone know a patent lawyer?

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Pictures, Mauritania 2011

I am on holiday in Germany at the mo, and was in the Daerrs shop a couple of days ago - a veritable mine of overlanding stuff... You name it it is there! I was there with my credit card at the ready and salivating, but finally walked out with a bag of ratchet straps which always for some reason disapear! Of course I must admit I am a bit of a kit fanatic, and get almost (maybe even more, when you are restricted by time to how much travelling you can do) as much fun from tinkering with my vehicle and getting it how I want as I do from travelling. To be honest maybe most of us have this tendency or are in this position? But this tool I reckon could be genuinely usefull... Of course it could be easily made (maybe even just make one which replaces the whole 'foot' from a hi-lift to minimise weight issues) and an improvisation can almost always be made, but there is a certain satisfaction from using a well designed tool to do a job - otherwise we would all use chinese spanners and drive 1985 Ladas and just buy new ones when the old ones break. Of course there is also the opposite to this where we get a kick from making do with the bare minimum and shrugging off 'materialistic entrapments' and paring everything down to the minimum. I reckon this is a well thought out and usefull piece of kit (like the tyre plier) but is not 100% required for everyone. I wont buy one but I certainly wont knock it, and if I was really that weight concerned then the fridge and the /fresh cheese would also get slung out, but they wont. Neither will the GPS, Stereo, Hiking boots, Books, folding chair and toilet paper

Sorry guys, just feeling a little bit philosophical on the last day of my hols...
Gil
This evening enjoying a few fine German Beers - super!