Paul,
As others have said, experience is the key. I use the Harbor Freight tire changer, and the Marc Parnes balancer. First tire change was a bit of a buger as the instructions are terrible. The Tire machine came partially assembled, and it was assembled wrong. It took me a bit to figure it out, as I was grossly over complicating the machine. It's a very simple device.
You absolutely need to bolt it to the floor, or some very strong mounting surface.
Breaking the bead with the tire changer was a snap.
Lube up the tire with soapy water, then... and this is where the experience comes in... leverage the tire off the wheel. It's about 1 part knowledge and 2 parts muscle. Make no mistake... you will have to manhandle it a bit to get the tire off, but it's very doable.
The tire changing bar (the pry bar) that comes with the Harbor Freight tool, will leave a little red paint on your rims. I was able to clean this off with a little polish. You can spend about another $100 and get a tire iron that has nylon ends that will not scratch or mar the rim.
The Balancer works great. I'm really impressed with how precise this tool is. Marc has balancing instructions on his website. Have to do a search and find it.
Good Luck,
Bill B.