It doesn’t make levering the tire on and off the rim any easier, but it sure makes breaking the bead a piece of cake. In any case, this is the fastest, simplest and most effective method of bead breaking I’ve ever tried. Place one foot over the opposite side of the rim, and lever away! Most tires will pop right off the rim with a bit o’ pressure, but you may find that some tires need a sharp push to get the bead to break.
You can get fancy if you’d like and put a hinge on the longer piece so that the shorter piece hangs down, but I find it more challenging (and easier) to simply hold the shorter piece and put a bit of pressure on it to keep it in place. Slip the long 2×4 under the door sill of the car, and place the shorter piece on the edge of the tire, right up next to the rim. Make sure you lay a couple of pieces of 2×4 (or 2×3, as shown in photo left) under the rim to protect the brake disk rotor and rim from damage. Place the wheel on the ground about 1 meter from a parked car. The only materials that are needed for this device are a couple of pieces of 2×4 lumber: One 2×4 (or 2×3), about 7 or 8 feet long, and a smaller piece, maybe a foot long or so.
This method has not failed me yet it works on bias or radial ply tires, old or new style rims, spoke or cast wheels. Here it is: the world’s cheapest (and most effective) motorcycle tire bead breaker! The “Poor Man’s” motorcycle tire bead breaker works like a charm!