A tire bead breaker for breaking a tire bead between a tire and a rim or wheel to allow for easy removal of the tire from the wheel includes a main chassis, an activator unit, and an actuation arm. In one preferred embodiment, the activator unit is a pneumatic airbag. The activator unit may have a plurality of chambers. In one preferred embodiment, the actuation arm has a transfer section and an engagement section. The transfer section is for transferring movement from the activator unit to the engagement section. The actuation arm is preferably pivotably attached to the main chassis.