Katool KT-T855: a tire changer with a press built into it

Most changers break a bead by squeezing it from the side. The KT-T855 adds something a conventional machine does not have: a vertical press shovel that comes down on the tire from directly above with 2,500 kg (5,511 lbs) of force. That single mechanism is why this machine exists. A stiff sidewall, a run-flat, a hardened old cover or a wide low-profile tire on a tight rim resists sideways pressure and gives up to downward pressure, and the press applies that pressure straight through the centre of the wheel where the machine and the rim can both take it.

The practical result is less fighting. The operator positions the wheel, drops the shovel and lets the machine do the work, rather than levering, re-setting and levering again on a tire that has already refused once. Force applied vertically and centrally also puts less twisting load into the clamp arms, which is the part of a changer that wears out or bends when it is asked to do bead-breaking work it was not designed for.

Two tire size figures to confirm before you order

Published figures for the KT-T855's maximum tire size differ, and both readings are printed on this page beside the source that gives them. The product overview and the spec metafield list the maximum tire diameter as 43.3 in (1,100 mm); the specification table on this page lists 38 in (980 mm). Maximum tire width is listed as 12.8 in in one place and as 12 in in the other, both against the same 325 mm figure. If your largest regular tire sits anywhere near either limit, confirm the current figures with us in writing before you order — we will get them straight from Katool.

The clamping ranges are not affected: 12 in to 24 in gripping from the outside, and 14 in to 28 in supported from the inside. Those two ranges are what actually decide day-to-day whether a wheel goes on the machine.

What your shop needs to run it

This machine needs two services, not one, and both are the buyer's responsibility to have in place before it arrives.

• Electrical. 110V at 60 Hz. That is an ordinary single-phase supply rather than the heavier circuit a lot of shop equipment of this force demands, which makes the KT-T855 unusually easy to site.
• Compressed air. The vertical press and the pneumatic assist functions need a supply between 0.8 and 1.0 MPa, which is 116 to 145 psi. Check that against your compressor's regulated output, not its maximum tank pressure. A compressor that cannot hold the top of that band under repeated cycling is the most common reason a machine like this feels weak in service.
• Floor and access. Sound, level concrete, and enough clear room around the turntable to swing a full-size wheel and to stand where the press controls are.

The frame, and why plate thickness is quoted at all

The body is built from welded steel plate, quoted at 3 mm. A machine that pushes several thousand pounds downwards has to react that force through its own structure — if the frame flexes, the shovel arrives off-centre and the load ends up in the clamp arms and the rim rather than in the tire. The press arm itself is quench-treated at the areas that carry the load, which is a heat treatment aimed at exactly this: the part is hardened where bending would otherwise start. Reinforced side walls and base plates carry the rest.

How the job actually runs

The wheel is set on the clamping ring, held either by the internal or the external jaws depending on the rim. The press shovel comes down onto the tire and the bead opens with very little operator effort. Once the bead is broken, the turntable rotates the wheel while the clamps hold it, and the mounting or demounting proceeds as it would on any turntable machine. The press earns its keep again at the start of mounting, when a heavy or stubborn cover has to be persuaded over the flange without the operator holding it there by hand.

Noise is quoted at less than 70 dB, which for a machine applying this much force is low, and is a consequence of hydraulic and pneumatic actuation rather than impact.

Perfect For

• Performance and tuning shops handling low-profile tires on wide rims, where a standard changer struggles and a scratched wheel is expensive.
• Busy independent tire bays that see run-flats and reinforced sidewalls every week.
• Light-truck and van specialists working at the top of the passenger range where beads are hard and covers are heavy.
• Shops with a 110V supply and no appetite for an electrical upgrade, that still need serious bead-breaking force.

Specifications

Approvals, stated plainly

The manufacturer's data for the KT-T855 carries no third-party safety listing, and we will not imply one. If your insurer, your local authority or a customer contract names a specific listing document for powered shop equipment, tell us before you order and we will put the question to Katool in writing rather than answer it with a badge on a web page.

Shipping and delivery

The KT-T855 moves as freight to addresses in the lower 48 states, free of charge. Unloading is the receiver's job. A machine of this mass needs a forklift, a dock or a booked collection from the carrier's local terminal, and the terminal route is often the least trouble because the equipment is already there. Delivery to a residential address carries a residential fee, applied at checkout when you select that option.

Inspect before signing. Check the crate for crush damage, shifted banding, bent framework and any sign the machine has moved on the pallet, and write what you see on the bill of lading while the driver is present. Photograph it then, not later. A clean signature is the carrier's proof that the shipment arrived undamaged, and it is very hard to unwind afterwards.

Warranty

Katool covers this machine with a one-year warranty on all product parts and publishes the full terms as a written document, which we will send you before purchase if the detail matters. The usual caution applies: if a fault appears, do not dismantle the press assembly, the pneumatic circuit or the motor before a claim is opened. A part that has been taken apart is normally treated as a modified part, and that is the quickest route to losing cover you would otherwise have had. Photograph the fault, note the serial number and call us first.

Contact us for more information.