Upgraded Manual Tire Changer Duck Head Kit, Silver Cone, Bearings & Welded

AlinaSeevers14 says:

Good value product with some minor shortcomings
TL;DR: In general, very satisfied. Successfully changed four old-for-new (235/50) on 15inch alloy wheels, also renewing the pressure sensors (when mounting, these are a nuisance and vulnerable to damage but they are all working and talking to the car so—win!). Aside from worry over the sensors, mounting is easier than demounting. Learning curve is steep; the first one attempted is the hardest for sure. Paid slightly less than 50 for this product, which I consider good value; quality met expectations with only a few, relatively minor, shortcomings.

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Refer to the images for definition of *terms* used.

Pros: * Welds look good (I’m no expert). * Photos on Amazon fairly represent the product. * The flange plate that connects to the duck head was a nice snug fit in the corresponding recess, so the force needed to move the duck head is not transmitted through the fixing screws. * Clamp handles provide adequate leverage for tightening and can be indexed on the clamp screw to position them at any convenient orientation before/after tightening. * I like the way the duck head attaches to its *post* — some similar products have duck heads with a metal ‘adapter’ fitting with a hole that is meant to directly accept a post of corresponding size but is instead bodged up with a pair of screws, by-passing the adapter fitting altogether — my images show such a typical arrangement, which is pretty sketchy IMO. * In use, all parts were adequately rigid and strong (there are more robustly constructed products available but typically at considerably greater cost).

Cons: * Would prefer less slop in the bracket that connects the duck head *post* to the *radius arm* — because of the rather loose fit, the clamp screws not only resist sliding of the bracket but are crucial to preventing any potential rocking motion and hence one feels obliged to be a bit brutal when tightening them. * The screws fixing the duck head to the post must not be over-tightened or they might split the plastic but this means they tend to loosen — nyloc nuts would be a better idea. * The ‘fit’ of the *pivot tube* over the tyre changer’s *clamp tube* is important but the internal diameter of the pivot tube is not stated in the specs; there are accounts of users having to grind down the clamp tube on their tyre changer to allow the pivot tube to fit over — highly unsatisfactory. * In the product images, the screws that connect the duck head to the post are shown with the head of the screw ‘up’ in one picture but with the head ‘down’ in another, which is confusing; I prefer having the screw head ‘down’ since the screw head was larger than the nut, thus exerting less pressure on the plastic; to avoid possible obstruction of the tyre lever when first pulling the bead over the duck head, I cut the screws shorter such that they only just project from the nut. * Product is characterized as ‘upgraded’ but there is no explanation of what features have been altered/improved.

Typically, this and similar products are not coded with model numbers, version numbers, or even meaningful manufacturer identity, so when looking at reviews like this one it is uncertain that you will receive goods that correspond: not a good position to be in.

Others have said that the pivot tube for ‘this’ product was a good fit on their manual tyre changer having a clamp tube OD of 2 1/16 inches (52.4mm); the ID of my pivot tube was 51.8mm, which definitely would NOT have fit over a clamp tube of that size; fortunately, the clamp tube of MY tyre changer has an OD of 48.3mm. This resulted in quite a lot of slop but I achieved a closer fit using plastic bushes made from pieces cut off a standard sealant cartridge (softened in boiling water to help get them onto the clamp tube).

For information, the screws that fix the duck head are M8x1.25; the hexagon head of the screw is 14mm across flats; the nut is 12mm AF. Use an open-ended wrench at for the underside of the duck head, since there are raised ribs there that prevent a ring spanner or socket getting fully seated.

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Although not strictly relevant, the following information is included in case it is helpful. The *upper post* (the fixed one that rises up from the plate on which the wheel sits) of my tyre changer had OD 38.25mm. The clamp tube had ID 43.9mm. ABS waste pipe, nominal bore 40mm, had actual dimensions OD 43mm, ID 38.5mm (wall thickness approx. 2.2mm) and was a snug fit over the upper post AND a snug fit inside both the clamp tube AND the centring cone, whose bore matches the ID of the clamp tube. I don’t think I could have done any better short of machining bushings from scratch (which I don’t have the equipment to do). From this pipe, a sleeve was cut somewhat longer than the clamp tube so that, once assembled, the upper post, clamp tube, and centring cone (and hence also the wheel) are concentric. Provided the pivot tube is a reasonably close fit over the clamp tube (which I improved with bushings as described) then you can be sure that the duck head describes a true circle concentric with the rim, with no tendency to shift horizontally away from — or into — the rim.

When sourcing products from which to make bushings/sleeves, the important parameter is their wall thickness — with a suitable helical cut the diameter of a bush can be reduced or enlarged but its thickness needs to be the best match you can find for the ‘gap’ it is filling.

Note 1: within achievable limits: we aren’t working to thousandths of an inch here