Hunter balancer and changer combination – a ‘perfect partnership’

With some standard wheel balancers tricky vibration issues, which may lead to low level background vibration and poor ride quality, are candidates for the ‘too hard basket’. Not so with the Hunter Road Force Balancer (GSP9700); according to distributor Pro-Align, this unit is the only wheel balancer available capable of solving such difficult problems. The GSP9700’s effectiveness in tackling vibration issues begins with the start of the balance process, at which time a load roller is used to apply up to 700 kilograms to the wheel and tyre in order to locate stiff spots within the tyre wall.

“Tyres can present real vibration problems because of stiff spots in the sidewall which prevent the tyre from rolling in a uniform manner,” explains Pro-Align managing director Paul Beaurain. “However, these stiff spots can only be found under load, so a traditional wheel balancer will not be able to identify them. In fact, in the past it was luck rather than correct diagnosis that might have been used, something that is totally unacceptable and unprofessional.”

During a ten second process the Road Force Balancer GSP9700 applies the load and measures any radial force variation (RFV) in the assembly. If the wheel assembly fails dues to excessive RVF, the GSP9700 highlights the location of a stiff spot in the tyre and then separately measures the wheel rim’s accuracy. Once identified, the balancer then indicates where to match the tyre stiff spot to the wheel rim low spot. This is also known as ‘match-mounting’, cancelling out the vibration. Once match–mounted, the assembly would be balanced in the normal way.

The match-mounting process involves repositioning the tyre on the rim, ideally by demounting and re-mounting. However, Pro-Align reports that the Hunter Auto34 leverless tyre changer makes rotating the tyre an easy process, and the unit is therefore ideal for use with the Road Force Balancer when resolving vibration issues. The Auto34 can also accommodate wheels up to 34 inches in diameter and features bead rollers that allow the operator to easily spin the tyre on the rim to line up the positions of the tyre stiff spot and rim low spot.

“The Hunter Road Force Balancer and Auto 34 tyre changer make a perfect combination, particularly for workshops that service high performance or prestige vehicles where wheel vibration issues must be dealt with,” Beaurain adds. “Indeed, the Road Force Balancer has recently received global approval for use by the Aston Martin dealer workshops, as well as other leading motor manufacturers brand such as General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and the VW Group.”

Pro-Align opines that the equipment’s utility is such that workshops equipped with the Road Force Balancer can quickly establish a reputation in their local area for solving difficult balancing problems, providing a unique and business-boosting selling point.

For those looking for an alternative tyre changer, Pro-Align recommends the TCX Range. The TCX575 can cope with everything from steel wheels to difficult low-profile tyres on large diameter rims. The TCX550 has been designed to tackle low profile rims, while the TCX525 is a superior tilt back post tyre changer, built for high volume work. These and other Hunter items in the Pro-Align portfolio can be seen on the pro-align.co.uk website.