snap-on wb200 wheel balancer - need transformer
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rlitman
Well-known member
I have a WB240, and I believe they were very similar.
I have the transformer for mine, and I can take a pic of the plate on it later, but in the meantime, here's a tidbit.
These balancers were designed to be portable, and to be used trackside where 120V wasn't available. They will run right off a car battery.
I have the transformer for mine, and I can take a pic of the plate on it later, but in the meantime, here's a tidbit.
These balancers were designed to be portable, and to be used trackside where 120V wasn't available. They will run right off a car battery.
Thanks for the tidbit, rlitman. Hopefully, it powers up. Btw, it looks like I'm missing the smaller pressure drum and one cone, but the large pressure drum and one of the cones fits my wheels, so I'm okay for now, though I'd like to find the missing pieces at some point. I wonder how useful the smaller drum is? Spare parts for these things look like they're hard to find.
rlitman
Well-known member
I use the smaller drum all the time on my Subaru wheels. The larger (technically the middle size) drum fits my Lincoln and Jeep. I've never needed the largest cone or the lug centric fixture. I believe you can still order all these parts (and the handle) through Snap On.
BTW, I believe that the voltage on my transformer said 8.5V. I took a cell phone picture, but had trouble getting it on to the computer. I should have it up tonight.
It may be possible that there was an adaptor that stepped down the voltage from battery voltage (13.6V) to 8.5V, so I'd hold on, before trying it with a battery.
BTW, I believe that the voltage on my transformer said 8.5V. I took a cell phone picture, but had trouble getting it on to the computer. I should have it up tonight.
It may be possible that there was an adaptor that stepped down the voltage from battery voltage (13.6V) to 8.5V, so I'd hold on, before trying it with a battery.
I'll see if snap-on will sell me the smaller drum and I'll keep an eye on eBay. I'd be interested in seeing the amperage rating of the transformer. I have my eye on an 8.5 v AC 1.35 amp adapter online which I think should work, assuming 1.35 A is enough. Btw, what if the wheels don't have a recess for the pressure drum, such as some alloy wheels? Do you think the plastic drum will scratch the wheels? Thanks again for your advice.
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rlitman
Well-known member
Ok, I finally got the pic off my phone. That took way too much work. . .
Looks like the output is AC. Ummmm, that's weird . . .
Anyway, I was thinking you were talking about the cones, not the drums.
I have three sized cones, but only use the smaller two.
Yes, I have two pressure drums. There's not much to them. You could probably make your own, starting with small aluminum frying pans, wrap a piece of slit hose around the rim, and drill the center.
I know that I've had to use both, but one of them fits most everything I deal with. I forget which.
I found this thread here, which has part numbers for the cones and drums.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78021&highlight=wb200
Looks like the output is AC. Ummmm, that's weird . . .
Anyway, I was thinking you were talking about the cones, not the drums.
I have three sized cones, but only use the smaller two.
Yes, I have two pressure drums. There's not much to them. You could probably make your own, starting with small aluminum frying pans, wrap a piece of slit hose around the rim, and drill the center.
I know that I've had to use both, but one of them fits most everything I deal with. I forget which.
I found this thread here, which has part numbers for the cones and drums.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78021&highlight=wb200
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Wow - thanks very much for the info. Fabricating a drum is a good idea I didn't think of, though it would be nice to find the original part. I'm fortunate that the drum I have fits my current wheels, but I do work on other people's cars now and then. Of course, it would be nice to find a universal wheel adapter too .
.I got an 8.5v ac transformer and it powers up fine
. Then I realized that it looks like I have the 3rd missing cone, but it's stuck in the shaft housing (see pic.) - I'm pretty sure that's a cone - maybe you can confirm that it should be hollow in there. I tried, but I cannot remove it, so I sprayed a lot of pb blaster and will let it sit for a day or two and try again.
. Then I realized that it looks like I have the 3rd missing cone, but it's stuck in the shaft housing (see pic.) - I'm pretty sure that's a cone - maybe you can confirm that it should be hollow in there. I tried, but I cannot remove it, so I sprayed a lot of pb blaster and will let it sit for a day or two and try again.Attachments
Well, I can't get that cone loose - it's really rusted in there. Does anyone have any creative ideas for how I might remove it without damaging anything? I've been spraying it with PB Blaster, and now I'm trying CRC freeze-off. Here's a picture I found of how it should look without the cone.
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Just to update this, I finally was able to get the cone loose. I am really impressed with the crc freeze-off. I put the balancer on its side so that the freeze-off could fall between the shaft and the cone by gravity. After a day, I was able to loosen it using a harbor-freight oil filter wrench like this one:
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rlitman
Well-known member
Cool. I must have missed your response about the cone.
That is indeed the cone, but you're missing the spring.
There is supposed to be a spring behind the cone, that keeps the cone from retracting fully into that hollow space. When you put the wheel on, the spring pushes the cone into the center hole of the wheel, and allows the cone to retract as you tighten the wheel on, so the hub facing surface of the wheel can sit flat on the balancer's hub, with the cone keeping the wheel centered.
I'll try to grab a picture of mine tonight if I remember, but the thread I linked before has a pretty good diagram:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=80969&d=1287107908
The cone spring goes in that space in the middle of the hub. One cone goes over that, then the wheel, then one cup, then the nut/handle.
That is indeed the cone, but you're missing the spring.
There is supposed to be a spring behind the cone, that keeps the cone from retracting fully into that hollow space. When you put the wheel on, the spring pushes the cone into the center hole of the wheel, and allows the cone to retract as you tighten the wheel on, so the hub facing surface of the wheel can sit flat on the balancer's hub, with the cone keeping the wheel centered.
I'll try to grab a picture of mine tonight if I remember, but the thread I linked before has a pretty good diagram:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=80969&d=1287107908
The cone spring goes in that space in the middle of the hub. One cone goes over that, then the wheel, then one cup, then the nut/handle.
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Oh, thanks rlitman. I actually have the spring. I think someone just stored the cone in there and it must have sat for years that way. Now that I removed it, I have 3 cones, but unfortunately only one pressure drum. I got the balancer dirt cheap, I guess because of the stuck cone and also the missing transformer and pressure drum. I took a gamble on it, but I got lucky. I just balanced 4 wheels which I mounted myself using the harbor freight tire changer and nomar bar. I just test drove the car after balancing the wheels and they feel great - really cool.
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IndyGarage
Well-known member
Good luck with the balancer. I have a WB230/240 - can't remember which.
I've found that every wheel balancer works the same way these do - even though most have digital keypads, and motor drives for the spin and automatic rim offsets and such - they still balance using the same three inputs:
- Rim diameter (diameter the weights are installed on),
- Rim width (distance between front and backside weights) and,
- Rim offset(distance from set point to inside weight).
I thought it was a liability to have the dials rather than the digital input, but find that they are much easier and quicker to use.
At first I didn't like the manual spin, thinking it wouldn't do as good a job. But I've grown to like that too - it makes the entire balancer portable, and I read somewhere that the motor drives don't spin it any different or faster than you do manually.
I've found the only trick to using it is to make sure you get the wheel centered properly on the cone and keep some weight off of it until it contacts the "hub" surface of the balancer - so the wheel centers properly in the balancer - otherwise you will waste time chasing balance.
I'm not very fast with it - it usually takes me 10 minutes or so with each tire, but I can get a set of tires so they run perfectly smooth with it.
I made a set of motorcycle shaft adapters for mine on my lathe and it does a pretty good job on them too - that was a $600 or so option from Snap-on.
I've found that every wheel balancer works the same way these do - even though most have digital keypads, and motor drives for the spin and automatic rim offsets and such - they still balance using the same three inputs:
- Rim diameter (diameter the weights are installed on),
- Rim width (distance between front and backside weights) and,
- Rim offset(distance from set point to inside weight).
I thought it was a liability to have the dials rather than the digital input, but find that they are much easier and quicker to use.
At first I didn't like the manual spin, thinking it wouldn't do as good a job. But I've grown to like that too - it makes the entire balancer portable, and I read somewhere that the motor drives don't spin it any different or faster than you do manually.
I've found the only trick to using it is to make sure you get the wheel centered properly on the cone and keep some weight off of it until it contacts the "hub" surface of the balancer - so the wheel centers properly in the balancer - otherwise you will waste time chasing balance.
I'm not very fast with it - it usually takes me 10 minutes or so with each tire, but I can get a set of tires so they run perfectly smooth with it.
I made a set of motorcycle shaft adapters for mine on my lathe and it does a pretty good job on them too - that was a $600 or so option from Snap-on.
Thanks, Indy. I agree with everything you said. It took me a little while to get the hang of it, but I understand the machine very well now.
The portability is what makes it great for me too. I can easily lift this thing and move it, unlike some of the heavy automatic spin units out there, and it's amazing how little space it takes up. I had just recently painted the rims before mounting new tires and balancing them, so it's great not having to worry about scratches from letting someone else do it, plus the cars drives nice and smooth. I can remember more than one time when someone improperly balanced my wheels even though they had the latest and greatest balancer.
The portability is what makes it great for me too. I can easily lift this thing and move it, unlike some of the heavy automatic spin units out there, and it's amazing how little space it takes up. I had just recently painted the rims before mounting new tires and balancing them, so it's great not having to worry about scratches from letting someone else do it, plus the cars drives nice and smooth. I can remember more than one time when someone improperly balanced my wheels even though they had the latest and greatest balancer.
rlitman
Well-known member
That's why I own mine.
Aside from road force balancing (which is a luxury I'm not paying for), the only features that these machines don't have, are automated settings, such as for hiding stick-on weights behind spokes.
The truth is, the only difference in dynamic balance you will get between these machines, and the best available today, is based entirely on operator skill.
IndyGarage
Well-known member
Exactly why I bought mine a couple years ago.
I had to go on a trip and as I was leaving I noticed I had a tire that was vibrating. It probably threw a weight. The tires had about 25K on them.
They were lower priced tires that the previous owner had put on, but still good tread, so I paid $35 at the Firestone place for rotate and balance (only place that I could find on short notice). They told me my tires were worn out and needed replacing and offered to sell me new tires for $600. I said thanks for the advice but I didn't have time, then immediately took off for a 500 mile away destination.
The tires vibrated worse after the balance than before. I began to think I should have just bought the new tires they wanted to sell me and be done with it.
I found the Snap-on balancer on Craigslist when I got back and proceeded to rebalance those tires. I immediately figured out two things:
1. The tire store had done static balance only on my tires. Probably to save time and effort - maybe because they thought they could sell me new ones and it didn't matter...
2. Every one of the tires was off exactly 1/4 ounce. I guess they must have calibrated their machine wrong.
Once I figured out how to use the machine, those tires were perfect for the next 20K miles or so, when the tread was gone. So I figure I saved 20/45 x $600 = $266 on the very first balance job I did. Plus my tires are now always perfectly in balance. I don't have to worry about somebody with an expensive machine that doesn't know how to use it.
After that I bought a used tire changer, and since, I do all my own tire work. I figure I save about $200-300 per set of tires doing it myself. About half of that is savings from the initial purchase, mount and balance, and the remainder is prolonging the life of my tires with proper balance. And even though I'm slow at changing and balancing tires, it really doesn't take more time, since I don't have to drive to the tire store - wait for my tires to be mounted and balanced and drive home. The only downside to doing it yourself is that it is a heavy, messy job - and it's a pain to dispose of the old tires.
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IndyGarage
Well-known member
You can do the hidden weights behind the spokes pretty easily. You simply go to the weight location and if it's in a space vs a spoke, split the weight in two and place it equidistant on either side of the desired location. If you can't get an even split to put it behind a spoke then you have to repeat the cycle, but the weight will be smaller with each step.
Eventually you get it in balance with totally hidden weights.
rlitman
Well-known member
I use the same reasoning - heck I'm even doing my own alignments now for the same reason, though that takes me more time than the balancing does. I'm willing to trade in the sweat and hard work in exchange for not driving my car to a shop and needing to take a bus back and forth, waiting around, etc. I'm lucky that my town picks up old tires on bulk garbage day, at least until the next set of budget cuts, that is.
SIPLOWGUY
New member
I'm also in need of a power supply.
rlitman
Well-known member
I just got a PM from someone else looking for a supply, so I'll bump this thread.
Take a look at page 3 of the attached manual. It says it will run off a 12V battery, and that the polarity of the connection does not matter.
BertoBuckeye
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2013
- Messages
- 66
Alright guys a bit long but maybe it'll help someone in the future. So I have a similar issue with a similar (but different) balancer. I ended up getting a Snap-on EEWB305A. It is a manual spin balancer. Tested it on site, everything seemed to work ok. Got it home and after running a few cycles the balancer would shut off as soon as the balancing measurement was complete and the brake solenoid activated. When I disconnected the solenoid and manually stopped it, it was fine.
Got to looking closer and the power source the seller gave with it was a sony power source it was 9.5VDC / 1.2A. Did some digging and found a part catalog that showed the power source was a 9VAC / 1.9A. So I got to scratching my head. 1) An AC/AC transformer isn't super common and 2) It was running off a DC power source when it should be running on AC.
Rlitman pointed me to this thread and sure enough for his particular model its a 9VAC power source, but the manual shows it can optionally be run on 12VDC. I had ordered a generic multi-tip DC transformer that had a setting for 9VDC at 2A. Note, this can provide more current than the OEM source. I ran it on that and even with the brake solenoid activating, it stayed on! The manual for this balancer does NOT show the option of running off 12VDC. But all things considered I'm tempted to move the power source to 12V and see if it still work, but worried i'll screw something up.
Snap-on is awfully proud of their power source at $279 (seriously man, the gouging is ridiculous), but I found a 9VAC 2A power source on ebay for different equipment, and i'll just adapt it for this balancer. Even though I did prove it runs on DC, its probably a good idea to get it working on the right current.
Got to looking closer and the power source the seller gave with it was a sony power source it was 9.5VDC / 1.2A. Did some digging and found a part catalog that showed the power source was a 9VAC / 1.9A. So I got to scratching my head. 1) An AC/AC transformer isn't super common and 2) It was running off a DC power source when it should be running on AC.
Rlitman pointed me to this thread and sure enough for his particular model its a 9VAC power source, but the manual shows it can optionally be run on 12VDC. I had ordered a generic multi-tip DC transformer that had a setting for 9VDC at 2A. Note, this can provide more current than the OEM source. I ran it on that and even with the brake solenoid activating, it stayed on! The manual for this balancer does NOT show the option of running off 12VDC. But all things considered I'm tempted to move the power source to 12V and see if it still work, but worried i'll screw something up.
Snap-on is awfully proud of their power source at $279 (seriously man, the gouging is ridiculous), but I found a 9VAC 2A power source on ebay for different equipment, and i'll just adapt it for this balancer. Even though I did prove it runs on DC, its probably a good idea to get it working on the right current.
rlitman
Well-known member
I'd say that if it's working, stick with what you have.