Hofmann MONTY 8700 Superior Leverless Tire Changer

Hofmann monty 8700: built around the tires that punish a careless machine

Run-flat and ultra-high-performance tires are where tire changing stops being routine. The sidewalls are stiff enough to resist the tool rather than yield to it, the rims underneath them are expensive, and the margin between a clean demount and a torn bead is measured in fractions of a rotation. The monty 8700 was developed for shops whose work is full of those tires, and its design decisions only make sense when read in that light.

Start with the centre post. It is a traditional clamping arrangement, deliberately, because it grips at the centre rather than at the rim edge — which is what keeps the tool away from the flange on a wheel where a scratch is a claim. It also accommodates a wide spread of wheel sizes without a drawer of adapters, and the published rim diameter envelope of 12-30" (305-762mm) is unusually broad for a machine of this footprint.

Will it fit? Three site requirements, checked before you order

A leverless changer of this class asks for space, a supply and an air line, and it is worth confirming all three now rather than on delivery day.

• Footprint (W x D x H): 58" x 73" x 74" (1481 x 1863 x 1880mm).
• Shipping weight: 1047 lbs. (475 kg).
• Power supply: 230V 1Ph 50/60 Hz.
• Air pressure required: 116-174 PSI.

The air requirement is the one that catches buyers out. It is a working pressure, not a peak figure, and a compressor that cannot hold it under repeated demand produces a machine that feels sluggish and inconsistent without ever announcing a fault. Measure what your system delivers at the outlet while something else is running, and size accordingly.

Allow working space around the published footprint as well: a technician has to move an assembly around the machine, not just present it to the table. Check the delivery route too, since this arrives crated and upright.

What the machine will take

smartSpeed, and what it is protecting

The patented smartSpeed system reads the conditions at the bead throughout the mount and demount cycle and picks the torque and rotational speed to suit them, working up to 20 RPM. Its stated purpose is specific: it slows the machine so that tension on the tire never becomes excessive.

That is the entire argument for buying this class of changer. On a stiff sidewall the failure is not gradual — the tire is fine, and then it is not, and no human reaction time closes that gap. Handing the decision to the machine means the result does not depend on which technician is on shift, or on how many wheels they have already done that day. For a shop whose customers arrive in cars with expensive wheels and a reasonable expectation of care, that consistency is the product.

powerMONT: the tool and the breaker working as one

The powerMONT mechanism ties the mount and demount tool to the dynamic bead breaker position, so the two are coordinated rather than set independently by an operator judging by eye. The breaker runs synchronised dual discs on the upper and lower beads at once, and the disc tilt is adjustable for hard sidewalls, which is exactly the case this machine exists for. The practical effect is fewer passes, less time spent persuading a stubborn bead, and a tool path that stays predictable instead of depending on the operator's feel.

A top-side bead seater is included in the sequence: an ergonomic nozzle delivers a high-speed blast of air into the tire to lift the bead onto the rim seat. On low-profile fitments that step is often the one that decides whether a job takes two minutes or twenty.

The details that make it liveable

The control panel is colour-coded to match the machine's operating sequence, so the layout teaches the process rather than requiring the process to be memorised — useful with new staff and useful at the end of a long day. The integrated bead pusher assists in getting the upper bead over the rim during mounting, and the pedal-operated wheel lift, rated at 154 lbs. (70kg), takes the assembly from floor to table without the technician doing it by hand. Repetitive heavy lifting is how tire technicians end up injured, and a lift that is operated by foot leaves both hands where they should be.

Perfect For

• Performance and specialist tire shops where run-flat and low-profile work is routine rather than occasional.
• Dealership service departments handling late-model wheels that must come back unmarked.
• Busy independents wanting the tension control to be the machine's job rather than the technician's.
• Shops with a mixed wheel range, given the broad published rim diameter envelope.

What is included

The features described above — the bead pusher, the centre post clamp, the powerMONT system, the dynamic bead breaker, the top-side bead seater and the integrated wheel lift — are described in the current product information as part of the machine. Our data does not carry an itemised accessory or collet list for this configuration, so ask us to confirm exactly what is in the crate before you order, particularly if you need a specific adaptor for the wheels you handle.

Certification and compliance, stated honestly

We hold no record of a third-party safety certification for this changer, and we would rather say so plainly than let a description imply one. The document a manufacturer issues about its own product is not the same as an independent listing from a testing body, and when an insurer, a franchise programme or a safety inspector asks about shop equipment it is normally the independent listing they mean.

If that documentation is a condition of your cover or of a contract you work under, tell us before ordering and we will ask the manufacturer for it rather than assume. Connecting the machine to your supply is separate again: that is your local electrical code and your electrician.

Delivery, installation and site access

This machine ships as freight, not as a parcel, and it travels crated on a pallet. Delivery, setup and instruction arrangements for Hofmann equipment are set out in the Pick Up and Delivery section further down this page, and warehouse collection is offered on much of this range — tell us at the time of order which you want, because the two are booked differently. Shipping is to addresses in the contiguous United States.

Three things are the buyer's responsibility whichever route you choose. Measure the path from the delivery point to the working position, including door widths and any turn a crated machine has to make. If the delivery address is a home rather than a commercial address, say so before you order — residential delivery is arranged differently and a residential fee applies. And inspect the crate before you sign: note any damage, crushed corner or shifted strapping on the delivery receipt at the moment of delivery, and photograph it. A signed clean receipt makes a damage claim very difficult to pursue afterwards, and that is the single most common way a buyer ends up out of pocket on freight equipment.

Warranty

Warranty terms for this machine are published on our warranty claims page rather than quoted here, so that what you read is the current policy rather than a figure copied into a description and left to go stale. One practical warning that applies to every powered machine we sell: if something fails, contact us before disassembling the unit or attempting an internal repair. Stripping an assembly down before the claim is raised routinely voids the cover, and it also destroys the evidence the manufacturer needs to see.