Anyone have a wheel balancer at home?
- Thread starter stioc
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brokenknee
Well-known member
Keep looking, they are out there. 
I would think Moorhead MN would be a little far to drive. He may ship if you issue a money order drawn on a Nigerian bank thou.
edit: I forgot you will have to make the money order for $1,000 over and let him keep an extra $500 and ship the machine and the extra $500 back to you in cash.
I would think Moorhead MN would be a little far to drive. He may ship if you issue a money order drawn on a Nigerian bank thou. edit: I forgot you will have to make the money order for $1,000 over and let him keep an extra $500 and ship the machine and the extra $500 back to you in cash.
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thirdmouse
Well-known member
krusty the clown
Member Emeritus
god.......i still have scars on my knuckles from those. i don't think it does a better job but it does also balance the drum/rotor. i wonder though will those adapters fit on many of the newer aluminum wheels?
i'd kinda like to have one though.
How do you use that?
I considered the static/bubble balancer but I'm not sure. I just don't want it to be so frustrating that I don't even want to deal with it and then it'll just take up room in the garage.
What do you guys think of these? The WB-1030 seems to be 'affordable' as far as the prices on the balancers go and they have free shipping.
http://www.asedeals.com/wheel_balancers_gen.html
or the Atlas WB-MS:
http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=CSWB301-M
I considered the static/bubble balancer but I'm not sure. I just don't want it to be so frustrating that I don't even want to deal with it and then it'll just take up room in the garage.
What do you guys think of these? The WB-1030 seems to be 'affordable' as far as the prices on the balancers go and they have free shipping.
http://www.asedeals.com/wheel_balancers_gen.html
or the Atlas WB-MS:
http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=CSWB301-M
Shadowdog500
Well-known member
We used to use one of those to do truck and bus tires, but I don't ever remember using one on a car.
I looked into getting a bubble balancer but heard that bubble balancing would be good enough on todays wider tires. If I thought it could be done with a bubble balancer, I would get one.
Chris
thirdmouse
Well-known member
I take it you mean the old Hunter? The floor machine spins the wheels right on the car. (It won't work on anything with positraction.) The adapter and balancer mount on the wheel. Of the four knobs on the end of the balancer, two of them will increase or decrease the amount of weight being added to the wheel, and the other two move that weight around on the wheel. Spin the wheel up with the floor machine until you get to an rpm range that makes the most vibration and try to hold the wheel in that range for balancing. Then play with those four knobs until the out of balance vibration stops. As you zero in on the thing, lean your head against the fender to better feel the smallest vibrations. Stop the wheel and look at the balancer, and a scale will tell you how much weight to put on the wheel and a pointer will tell you where. It's a fun thing to operate.
krusty the clown
Member Emeritus
the wheel gets spun by the motor in the base. the adaper on the wheel has 4 rings that you grab while it's spinning to either add or subtract weight or move the weight clockwise or counter clockwise. you just add or subtract weight and move it untill you find the least vibration.
a bubble balacer is very easy to use but it's static not dynamic. it isn't as accurate.
]
tatra
Well-known member
used to use an on the car balancer that used a strobe light...........the light was good for getting in the ball park and then feel by hand on the sterring wheel or fender for fine tuning..........we only used ours for problem vehicles..........cordobas with wire hubcaps..........took forever sometimes...........much prefer off the car balncers........
Talk about a blast from the past!
I haven't seen or used (or even thought about) one of those since the late 70's. I was wrenching at a Pontiac/GMC dealer at the time. I used to mark the center of one stud on each wheel with a yellow crayon and then circle the matching lug hole in the wheel.
You are right, NOTHING worked better. Nothing. Hmmm, remember the buring rubber smell?
I think that the first "computerized" balancers came out maybe around 1980 or so. The first one that I used spun the wheel ninety degrees from where the later ones do. You had to squat half under the tire to hammer the inside/lower weight on.
These slackers today don't realized how easy they have it. <just pokin' fun>
thirdmouse
Well-known member
Full sized GM convertibles from the '60s (of which I have a few) are problem cars as far as this goes. The tires have to be perfectly balanced or they will give the car serious and dangerous oscillating vibration problems. The computerized off-car balancers are not designed and calibrated sensitive enough to do the job. They literally do not work for these cars. I'll let the installer balance a new set of tires just for the sake of it, but I always redo them when I get home.
I used to let an old timer mechanic do this for me, but when he retired, I couldn't find anyone else who either owned or was willing to use this old equipment. So like everything else, I had to buy my own tools and learn to do it myself.
fordcragar
Well-known member
I've used a bubble balancer for a long time, is it as good as a spin balancer; probably not, but if you take your time you can do an adequate job. In my area, the last time I checked, they get about $12 per wheel to balance; almost enough to pay for a balancer. When I was a kid, must shops didn't have anything more than a bubble balancer; that's all my dad had in his shop, back in the 1950's.
Kestas
Well-known member
I have a static balancer I won on eBay for $11.50. It's a pre-1952 Snap-On where you mount the wheel onto a shaft, and the heavy part of the wheel rotates downward. Add weights until there is no heavy point on the wheel that rotates downward. It's quite sensitive and does the job. I've seen new models that work off this principle for sale on the internet for $100.
Charles (in GA)
Well-known member
Same unit I have. You have to be extremely careful with it, to make sure the ring is locked in the wheel solidly, and it won't spin large tires with one motor (some units had dual motors), and when the rubber on the rim adapters eventually falls apart, it will be scrap, but its an OK balancer.
I've had mine for 35+ years, complete with 13, 14, and 15 inch adapters and the lid is still on the base unit. The balancer had just come back from repairs at Hunter when I bought it and it has seem limited use since then.
Charles
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chevy302dz
Well-known member
A modern style balancer (will probably be 80's vintage) can definatily be found well within that price range. Check the usual sources local papers, ebay, etc and you should come up with something pretty quick
Mr_fixit
Well-known member
I would think you could find one in that price range with a little patience..
Thanks for the input guys. I went to HF today (to pick up some random ****) and looked at the bubble balancer...it may do the job but I have a problem BMW which almost always requires the Hunter GSP9700 and even then if it's not balanced by someone that knows what they're doing I get the shimmy at high speeds.
In fact, the whole reason I got interested in the balancers (again) is because I just got new tires at tirerack.com and got them locally mounted and balanced at the Big'O tires nearby and guess what? yep shimmy above 60mph and it's missing weights on one wheel altogether and weights on the inside of another wheel. The other two have weights on both sides. I paid $90 for this, between 4 cars, travel trailer and a motorcycle I think I spend $200-300 a year on just mounting and balancing tires.
In fact, the whole reason I got interested in the balancers (again) is because I just got new tires at tirerack.com and got them locally mounted and balanced at the Big'O tires nearby and guess what? yep shimmy above 60mph and it's missing weights on one wheel altogether and weights on the inside of another wheel. The other two have weights on both sides. I paid $90 for this, between 4 cars, travel trailer and a motorcycle I think I spend $200-300 a year on just mounting and balancing tires.
nissan_crawler
Well-known member
That snap-on one above is an absolute turd. We have one at work, and it's awful. It never shows weight at the same spot.
It will tell you to add .5 ounce, you do, then it tells you to put another 1 ounce in the same spot. Do that, then it tells you to add 1.5 ounces 180* out.
I wouldn't worry about a bubble balancer myself. In theory, new balancers will be more accurate. In practice, throw in poor calibration times, and some ******* that doesn't care one way or the other, not so much. (Don't take offense, I was a tire monkey, too. There are a few good ones, but far and wide most aren't.)
Many, many times I've bought a set of new tires with balance, had them shake like a *******, took them home, chucked them on the bubble balancer, and a static balance on one of them came out WAY better than the dynamic balance on the electronic machine. Go figure.
I've watched many shops balance my tires, have them zero balance it, then have them rotate the wheel 90* on the machine and spin them again...calls for weight 50% of the time.
Also, if it's WAY off, the correct fix (IMHO) is to try and spin the tire 180* and see if it gets better. I've gone so far as to spin the wheel, weight the wheel so it spins zero (static), put the tire back on and spin the assembly up, mark where it's calling for weight on the tire, and align that and the wheel weight 180* apart, remove the wheel weight, then balance from there. Aircraft wheels and tires are already marked for this, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why they don't do it with car wheels/tires.
Just my $.02.
It will tell you to add .5 ounce, you do, then it tells you to put another 1 ounce in the same spot. Do that, then it tells you to add 1.5 ounces 180* out.
I wouldn't worry about a bubble balancer myself. In theory, new balancers will be more accurate. In practice, throw in poor calibration times, and some ******* that doesn't care one way or the other, not so much. (Don't take offense, I was a tire monkey, too. There are a few good ones, but far and wide most aren't.)
Many, many times I've bought a set of new tires with balance, had them shake like a *******, took them home, chucked them on the bubble balancer, and a static balance on one of them came out WAY better than the dynamic balance on the electronic machine. Go figure.
I've watched many shops balance my tires, have them zero balance it, then have them rotate the wheel 90* on the machine and spin them again...calls for weight 50% of the time.
Also, if it's WAY off, the correct fix (IMHO) is to try and spin the tire 180* and see if it gets better. I've gone so far as to spin the wheel, weight the wheel so it spins zero (static), put the tire back on and spin the assembly up, mark where it's calling for weight on the tire, and align that and the wheel weight 180* apart, remove the wheel weight, then balance from there. Aircraft wheels and tires are already marked for this, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why they don't do it with car wheels/tires.
Just my $.02.
Agreed!
Car tires are marked with a red or a yellow paint dot but 9 out of 10 tire guys don't know or care. The paint dot is either the heaviest (usually) or the lightest part of the tire which is supposed to index with the wheel's lightest or heaviest point (valve stem).
As for the bubble balancer I think the problem is with the wider tires where the weights need to be balanced both the inside and outside part of the wheel but I hear the trick is to use the tape weights on the dish part of the wheel right in the middle.
Hmmm...you guys are convincing me to buy a bubble balancer when I really wanted another cool gadet of a wheel balancer in the garage
nissan_crawler
Well-known member
On wide wheels, or if it takes a fair amount of weight, I divide it up and put half on each side.
SUre on some large offroad tires you still get some vibe, but if you're worried about vibration, you aren't going to be running 40" swampers anyway.
SUre on some large offroad tires you still get some vibe, but if you're worried about vibration, you aren't going to be running 40" swampers anyway.
fordcragar
Well-known member
The guy that balanced your tires might have been selling burgers at McDonalds last week. That's why I always do you own tires and balancing. The nice expensive machines are only as good as the guy doing the work. YMMV But if you are having problems, they should balance them again.
Toolhorder
Well-known member
I just found one at the local swap meet for $250. A jim beam? unit. Seemed okay. The guy selling it is a storage auction bidder and resale type who doesn't know anything about them. I looked it over and found that the sensors for the hood are broken (smashed) but I figured I could get new ones or jumper them or use micro switches.
He says it powers up and spins.
I didn't buy it yet because I'm skeptical about it. Is the shaft bent? Is the circuitury good? Etc...
What do you guys think?
Speaking of wheel balancers I used a Hunter road force machine today. All I can say is WTF?? Talk about complex. The kid showing me how to work it called me an old man..I'm only 31. I forgot more than he'll ever know....ha ha
He says it powers up and spins.
I didn't buy it yet because I'm skeptical about it. Is the shaft bent? Is the circuitury good? Etc...
What do you guys think?
Speaking of wheel balancers I used a Hunter road force machine today. All I can say is WTF?? Talk about complex. The kid showing me how to work it called me an old man..I'm only 31. I forgot more than he'll ever know....ha ha
Toolhorder
Well-known member
Edit it's a john bean. I guess Snappy makes that brand? Come on what happened to this thread? Now I want to go buy it.
Not sure what John Bean is, the more famous ones that I know of are Coats, Hunter and Snap-On. If it looks abused I'd be careful buying anything without checking the parts availability. Some of the "computer balancers" have been around since the 80s...
I did go back and as soon as I got home another weight fell off so I went back the third time. Turned out that lead weights are now banned here and the steel weights are not as malable and hard to keep on. They used the stick on weights but the balance doesn't seem as good now, I have a slight vibration still sigh!
So do you have a bubble balancer too and you get good results with it even with wider wheels (7-8" wide)?
Toolhorder
Well-known member
Toolhorder
Well-known member
fordcragar
Well-known member
A bubble balancer is all that I have, so that is how my tires are balanced. I have done all of my own tires for a very long time. Several years ago I upgraded my tire machine to a Coats 20-20, it seems to take most of the fun out of tire changing.
We have a Jaguar S-Type and in the last 5-6 years I've put a couple sets of tires on it and balanced the tire/wheels; it has about 105k on the odometer. Most of my driving is normal speeds, but a few times while driving in Nevada we've had it to 120 MPH; with no tire problems. My daughter has a 2002 Saab 9-3 convertible, I do her tires as well.
I used to buy my tires at different places, now it just seems easiest to buy them from The Tire Rack and they are delivered in a couple of days.
Lead weights are banned now?
That's what they told me...I wouldn't be surprised. CA is becoming too extreme and yet we still have all kinds of problems with stuff here
fordcragar
Well-known member
Good info Fordcrager. How do you change the tires? do you have a nice tire changing machine or do you do that by hand (spoons) or using the HF tire changer?
I take it you don't have the Coats for sale do you?
I used to change all of my tires by hand, that is the way I learned working in my dads garage, as a kid. Then as a teenager working in gas stations using tire machines. If you have a bead breaker, a couple of tire irons and a tire hammer (the one with rubber on one head) that's all you need.
About twenty-five years ago I bought my first tire machine; which was a manual Coats. Six or seven years ago I bought the Coats 20-20 machine ($200); which is a lot easier to operate, not as much of a workout.
I don't have a tire machine for sale. A friend of mine just picked one up off of Craigslist several weeks ago. Most of the tire stores are using the new style machines, so the older ones are available.
I don't use the tire machine all that much, but when I do it is handy. Last summer we were getting ready to go on a rod run and was checking the air in tires. I had put some new polished aluminum valve caps on my daughters 36 Chev PU the year before and one of them corroded and wouldn't come off. So I jacked the truck up and pulled the wheel, then over to the tire machine and break it down, pulled out the valve stem and put another valve stem in it. The whole process took maybe 10 minutes, opposed to an hour or two going to a tire store to have it fixed; which I couldn't do at 5AM anyway.
Thanks, your input has been really helpful!
As for the beadbreaker the only one I know of that actually works is this:
http://www.tyrepliers.com.au/New/BB100.html (about $160)
As for the beadbreaker the only one I know of that actually works is this:
http://www.tyrepliers.com.au/New/BB100.html (about $160)
We just bought an old one like this...any idea where we could find replace rims?
mrbreezeet1
Banned
That snap-on one above is an absolute turd. We have one at work, and it's awful. It never shows weight at the same spot.
It will tell you to add .5 ounce, you do, then it tells you to put another 1 ounce in the same spot. Do that, then it tells you to add 1.5 ounces 180* out.
I wouldn't worry about a bubble balancer myself. In theory, new balancers will be more accurate. In practice, throw in poor calibration times, and some ******* that doesn't care one way or the other, not so much. (Don't take offense, I was a tire monkey, too. There are a few good ones, but far and wide most aren't.)
Many, many times I've bought a set of new tires with balance, had them shake like a *******, took them home, chucked them on the bubble balancer, and a static balance on one of them came out WAY better than the dynamic balance on the electronic machine. Go figure.
I've watched many shops balance my tires, have them zero balance it, then have them rotate the wheel 90* on the machine and spin them again...calls for weight 50% of the time.
Also, if it's WAY off, the correct fix (IMHO) is to try and spin the tire 180* and see if it gets better. I've gone so far as to spin the wheel, weight the wheel so it spins zero (static), put the tire back on and spin the assembly up, mark where it's calling for weight on the tire, and align that and the wheel weight 180* apart, remove the wheel weight, then balance from there. Aircraft wheels and tires are already marked for this, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why they don't do it with car wheels/tires.
Just my $.02.
that one might be, we have the snap on balancer that you rotate up to speed with a hand crank and it's great.
The motorized one we have does that, calls for a 1 OZ weight, then a 1/2 OZ weight 180 from the 1st one.
E-bay 150$ found 3 bought 2
The very best as far as I am concerned, problem is adapters and sizes.
Use caution that the rear is not positraction or you'll end up in the neighbors front room.
Next is the bubble balancer, the pyramid shaped 3 point level with floater lever. Can be found on e-bay around 150.00. It is what I have and be sure to use tape weights, on the inside of wheel near the joining point of rim and center hub. a small amt of weight used..if a large amt of weight is needed, split it at 180* apart.
The $$$big ones are only as good as the person using it..not very plus leave you with a harmonic point of imbalance, usually right at your "cruising point speed"
A bubble balancer done with patience is best and most race tires are done this way or used to be, I am old school and love the on car spin balancer but finding adapters for17, 18, 19 or 20" wheels..forget it.
Bubble balance, center the bubble b4 begin, remove rocks etc, clip wts on front or split, sticky wts on back at hub rim join point.
Looking for parts manual by the way..all models/makers basically the same find on e bay..150$ vary