SnapOn WB260B wheel balancer

[DadsShop]

Hello, new to the forum. I reecently got an older SnapOn WB260B manual wheel balancer through local listing. I'm hoping somebody here can point me to aftermarket pressure cups that can fit the SnapOn wing nut. Also, what modern machine accessories are these compatible with?


I was also wondering if these can be mounted on base rubber isolators, I don't want to drill into my concrete floor as this is easily maneuverable around the shop.

 

[noid]

Balancers come in standard shaft sizes, I think your model is a 28mm shaft, and so all 28mm shaft accessories from any maker should work just fine on it.

 

[IndyGarage]

That's a snap on manual spin balancer. I had two of them and like them a lot. I like the fact that you put the information in with dials rather than digitally. It makes it much easier to use.

They aren't very big or very heavy so they are easy to move around the shop. They sit on three metal feet, I just picked mine up and moved them when I needed to move them. I would not mess with rubber feet, that might mess with the measurement accuracy.

You should be able to find the cups in that size on Ebay. You can find all kinds of weights on ebay and Amazon. I just used 1/4 oz stick on weights.

The manual for that machine is available in PDF for online. If you don't find it I might have one. They aren't very tricky, but there are different modes that give results, you'll want to learn about them.

 

[IndyGarage]

I found one of the universal lug centric mounting heads for mine. I also made a motorcycle balance shaft on my lathe. The threaded shaft has a split in it just outboard of the head and a bolt on the end of it that holds it in place with a slip fit counterbore.

 

[DadsShop]

Thank you guys, I've been looking for one of these to come around because of its mobility, it's super light compared to a 3phase Coats 1001.
I was able to find online the manual for the wb260a, however there is no mention of how the thing supposed to be mounted to the floor. Perhaps instead of rubber feet, some sort of solid adjustable feet, just so it can be leveled if ever.

Funny, the calipers measure 1.125" shaft diameter and nothing comes up in that size, I never tried looking up 28mm untill now. Seems there is aftermarket support for the Coats in 28mm, I hope the Coats style pressure cups will click with the SnapOn wing nut. Is it 4.5" & 6" the only two cup sizes available?

 

[DadsShop]

For now i have Toyota Tundra 18" wheels to balance, eventually I like to be able to balance MC wheels on this as well.

 

[N8sToolz]

I have the smaller brother to that one and it works well. I usually ditch the soft face cones and just use the hard metal cones into the center hole of the rim from the outside. Once I started doing it that way my balances came out more consistent. Mine also doesn't enjoy stick on weight's in the inside of the offset, so I have to play a guessing game a couple rounds until it zeros.

 

[IndyGarage]

You don't mount it to the floor. It just sits on the floor.

 

[DadsShop]

Some aloy wheels are not concentric from the face side, I also noticed that on my Tundra wheels the cone shape is machined from the back side only. Ideally I'd like to find a pressure cup that's 5.5" diameter, you would think with as many balancers out there that you could find a pressure cup of any diameter.

 

[DadsShop]

You don't mount it to the floor. It just sits on the floor.

they have notches on the bottom feet as if it made to alow bolting of non marring stands

 

[noid]

Thank you guys, I've been looking for one of these to come around because of its mobility, it's super light compared to a 3phase Coats 1001.
I was able to find online the manual for the wb260a, however there is no mention of how the thing supposed to be mounted to the floor. Perhaps instead of rubber feet, some sort of solid adjustable feet, just so it can be leveled if ever.

Funny, the calipers measure 1.125" shaft diameter and nothing comes up in that size, I never tried looking up 28mm untill now. Seems there is aftermarket support for the Coats in 28mm, I hope the Coats style pressure cups will click with the SnapOn wing nut. Is it 4.5" & 6" the only two cup sizes available?

You can just get a 28mm nut and pressure cup in one so you don't have to worry about it snaping together; the threads are also standard.

Many Toyota rims need to be lug centrically balanced. I don't use pressure cups at all anymore; everything gets pin plates.

 

[DadsShop]

You can just get a 28mm nut and pressure cup in one so you don't have to worry about it snaping together; the threads are also standard.

Many Toyota rims need to be lug centrically balanced. I don't use pressure cups at all anymore; everything gets pin plates.

Those pin plates are expensive, more than what I paid for the machine.

 

[noid]

Those pin plates are expensive, more than what I paid for the machine.

You may be able to get some second hand, or just buy the individual sizes you need.

There are rims, especially toyota rims, that just wont balance repeatedly without pin plates.

The biggest flaw in balancing is that shops never remove and remount wheel assemblies to check for repeatability in getting to 0oz; and that's the greatest benefit to having your own machine.

 

[DadsShop]

I'll try and take a photo of the Tundra rim, I thought I saw a cone mating surface.

 

[DadsShop]

Here is the back side of the Tundra wheel, appears to fit good with one of large cones.

 

[rlitman]

Looks good to me. I can see the rust and rubbing along that inside area. My understanding of the issue of Toyota lug-centric rims was that it was a problem with steel rims with punched holes. I wouldn't expect machined aluminum to be off-center.

 

[noid]

I'll try and take a photo of the Tundra rim, I thought I saw a cone mating surface.

You'll be using a cone regardless if you're using a pressure cup or pin plates.

The good news is that you can just try it, the proof is in the result, if you can mount, balance, dismount, remount and get the exact result, then you're good to go.

This is a wheel from a 2015 corolla, that has a 'normal' cone mating surface on the backside, but because the front side spokes have a convex shape to them, and with the soft nature of the pressure cone, everything starts to distort.

Long story short, I could get this assembly to balance to 0oz, but not repeatedly, until I used the pin plates.

 

[DadsShop]

What brand of pin plate do you have? Slim pickins out there with a 28mm pin plate that cover 5x150 & 5x114.3

 

[rlitman]

What brand of pin plate do you have? Slim pickins out there with a 28mm pin plate that cover 5x150 & 5x114.3

That doesn't look like a 28mm nut to me. I was thinking his is 35mm. My lug-centric adapter for my WB-540 uses lug nuts and mounts behind the rim. It's a lot more tedious to use than a pin plate though, but no cone gets used at all.

 

[noid]

What brand of pin plate do you have? Slim pickins out there with a 28mm pin plate that cover 5x150 & 5x114.3

I've got the MTRSR kit, but my balancer is a more common 40mm shaft.

By the looks of it the coats 28mm pin plates are probably your best bet.

There also seems to be a haweka kit in 28mm?

Haweka Flange Plate Set

This kit comes complete with 4 different flange plates each with letters and bolt patterns engraved, the set also includes; three sets of studs (21 studs total), and a trolley to help keep the work area orderly and mobile.

www.bline.ca

 

[crazylunker]

I have a siilar balancer from snapon It's been mounted to a piece of plywood for the past 20 years. I just drag it out of hiding when needed and never had an issue with it being inconsistent even though its not bolted solid to the ground. ( I can spin a tire on it, bump/move/twist the balancer and spin the tire again and it will give me the same readings.

 

[DadsShop]

There is one 4 lug Pin Plate from Haweka on Ebay, seems that nobody else will sell just a plate they are offering kits. It's an expensive kit to own

 

[DadsShop]

I have a siilar balancer from snapon It's been mounted to a piece of plywood for the past 20 years. I just drag it out of hiding when needed and never had an issue with it being inconsistent even though its not bolted solid to the ground. ( I can spin a tire on it, bump/move/twist the balancer and spin the tire again and it will give me the same readings.

What I'm thinking is using 3/4" hardwood stubs I have left over from a floor project, just so it doesn't scratch the floor.

 

[DadsShop]

What I noticed that the rim width knob won't adjust with the Mode Select is in certain weight combinations, it would only show 4.00 regardless of where the dial is turned. However if you push to another Mode the rim width will adjust just fine, anyone else experience this?

 

[Old_trux]

What I noticed that the rim width knob won't adjust with the Mode Select is in certain weight combinations, it would only show 4.00 regardless of where the dial is turned. However if you push to another Mode the rim width will adjust just fine, anyone else experience this?

It's in the manual, with the internal stick on weights, 4 inches is how far apart (L to R) the weights are to be installed (custom modes 3 and 4). The manual also states the wb260a is only good for 17 inch wheels (the larger diameter are motorcycle and the number are even printed in different color).

Here's the link to snap on page with manual and bid specs (some cool advertising). www.snaponequipment.com/productinfo/models.asp?category=wb&brand=Snap-on&model=WB260

 

[DadsShop]

It's in the manual, with the internal stick on weights, 4 inches is how far apart (L to R) the weights are to be installed (custom modes 3 and 4). The manual also states the wb260a is only good for 17 inch wheels (the larger diameter are motorcycle and the number are even printed in different color).

Here's the link to snap on page with manual and bid specs (some cool advertising). www.snaponequipment.com/productinfo/models.asp?category=wb&brand=Snap-on&model=WB260

Thank you sir, I was sweating I broke the board during deep cleaning of the entire machine. I have yet to balance any wheels on it. I also picked up an original Snapon motorcycle wheel adapter set.