I purchased a Coats M76 bubble balancer off of Marketplace and it has this 1/4" thick steel formed plate on top? Anybody know what this "cover" (for lack of a better word) is for? It has a thick rubber perimeter. I have searched everywhere and can't find anything like it on a balancer. To remove it you have to unscrew the bubble mechanism on top then it looks like a normal balancer.
What is this on top of my bubble balancer?
- Thread starter kaptrob
- Start date
I'll bet it's an adaptor for a hubless rim. Measure the diameter at the bend near the rubber as best you can. I'll bet it's 16"
Is that for when balancing an old Pontiac 8 lug wheel?
I was using a Harbor Freight bubble balancer and I picked this up for $25 bucks. A buddy of mine that worked for his father for decades that owned a gas station told me those old balancers are just as good if not better than the high speed balancers.
Well, your buddy was wrong. Bubble balancers only balance in one plane. High speed balancers balance in 2 planes. We called that "Static" and "Dynamic" balancing.
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
Horse
. Today too many of us have been spoiled with all the new modern stuff.Some probably want one with all kind of new age apps that you can order a "latte
coffee" from
.Its a shame how so many today are very quick to want to discard anything that does not have digital read outs or all kind of apps etc....
Some likely look at it as something from the stone ages , yet I am with you. Things like that (once very good and useful) can still be today and sometimes actually work better/easier than new "modern" tools etc....
My old VW's have the bolts that hold the wheel at the edge of the drum and the Fords from the 30's also mounted their wheels this way. That is probably made for use with old style wheels. I have a cheap JC Whitney balancer and it has served me very well. I have the adapter for my VW wheels and the modern shops have no way to balance them.
I've got an old Weaver that I use for trailer tires, especially the 10'' rim ones. No more roadside blowouts in years since balancing those 10'' rim tires, I just wear them out or change for sidewall cracking.
True story! I worked the summer after my freshman year in college at an EJ Korvettes tire center. New guy came to work one day. Was balancing tires (bubble balancer). he'd put the tire+wheel on the balancer and put the leer down to activate the balancer. He's then adjust the balancer's 3 feet until the bubble was centered!
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
Took my last Chevelle in for tire rotation and balance. Did not even have 2000mi on them but wanted done before taking it on last trip around 2019.
Brand new set of TA/Radials was the tires.
Kept waiting and waiting and looking in the stall and the newer guy was throwing stuff and seemed having a fit. He saw me looking and shortly brings out my car. I looked down and he had balance weights all over my rims. When he saw my shocked look he tells me...... "Yeah, man you got a serious problem here. All your rims are warrped!" I said "ok, thanks." Drove it to the front and got the managers and told them "I come here all the time. Bought the tires here. Come on, please put someone on this who can balance!?" They took it back in. About an hour and half later , came out with maybe one weight on a couple wheels and I was off , no issues.
The outside diameter is only 9-1/4"
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Would something like an F450 wheel with an ~8.7” centre bore fit on that thing?
It would be comical if it was nothing more than a fancy protective cover.
It would be comical if it was nothing more than a fancy protective cover.
