Wheel balancer for home garage

[Bearr]

I am considering purchasing used or new balancer for my home garage. My budget is up to $2000. Perhaps some of your can share your experience having machine at home? Not sure what brand to purchase , but I would preferred something with a small footprint. Manual spin machine should work fine for me.
Please advise!

 

[TheLawnRanger]

I don't think I would ever need one enough to justify the $2000.

 

[kschachn]

How are you mounting the tires?

 

[kschachn]

I don't think I would ever need one enough to justify the $2000.

Yeah that's like what, 20 sets of four tires? Even with all my cars and the miles we put on I don't know how I would either.

 

[Bearr]

I don't think I would ever need one enough to justify the $2000.

I agree. But its all about convenience for me and quality. So I won’t have to deal with local tire shops to rebalance etc...

 

[MrHorspwer]

A couple co-workers have Derek Weaver balancers in their home shops. One has a 957 and the other has a 977. I believe they paid $1,000 and $1,500, respectively. I've never had an issue with any tire I've given them to balance.

 

[Zaedock]

I have an Atlas WB-11 . It's a computer self calibrating unit that has been nice & reliable. There are multiple cone options for steel/alloy wheels and I also have a full set of wheel weights for every wheel made. I believe it was only $1600.00 when I bought it a few years ago.

 

[Lubener]

I am considering purchasing used or new balancer for my home garage. My budget is up to $2000. Perhaps some of your can share your experience having machine at home? Not sure what brand to purchase , but I would preferred something with a small footprint. Manual spin machine should work fine for me.
Please advise!

Maybe the balancer would come with tire irons too.

 

[eljefino]

I have a snap on wb240 I got well-used for $400. Works great for me. Is the small foot print, manual crank style you think you want.

 

[Zaedock]

Not sure why the extra comments are needed for the new guy's question.
Who cares if it's 20 set's of tires for you or if it comes with irons? There's nothing here related to justifying buying the machine.

He doesn't want to deal with tire shops and neither do I. Nothing wrong with buying equipment if you have the desire and coin.

 

[RoadDukie]

Don't forget...a used balancer has likely fully depreciated by the time he purchases the machine. He should be able to use it for years and still be able to sell it for roughly what he paid for it.
I use this purchasing model all the time instead of renting machines and tools.
BTW: I use a Harbor Freight bubble balancer and have had good results if I take my time.

 

[Bearr]

I have a snap on wb240 I got well-used for $400. Works great for me. Is the small foot print, manual crank style you think you want.

What is the max wheel size can be balanced on this machine?

 

[joegreen]

If your going to get one get a used one. You can find a good deal on a balancer and possibly a mounting machine too.

 

[TheLawnRanger]

Not sure why the extra comments are needed for the new guy's question.
Who cares if it's 20 set's of tires for you or if it comes with irons? There's nothing here related to justifying buying the machine.

He doesn't want to deal with tire shops and neither do I. Nothing wrong with buying equipment if you have the desire and coin.

You have a good point. I can be too thrifty at times. Having a tire balancer would be nice.

 

[Traction]

I paid $1900 for my Hunter road force balancer 3 years ago when the GM dealerships were upgrading to the newer ones. I didn't need tire irons.

 

[Bearr]

I paid $1900 for my Hunter road force balancer 3 years ago when the GM dealerships were upgrading to the newer ones. I didn't need tire irons.

Nice setup. How did you find out that GM dealership selling their used equipment? Do you need 240V for the equipment?

 

[Smokines3]

I paid $1900 for my Hunter road force balancer 3 years ago when the GM dealerships were upgrading to the newer ones. I didn't need tire irons.

That is so sweet! What do you do for calibration? Does it require factory service intervals?

 

[Traction]

Nice setup. How did you find out that GM dealership selling their used equipment? Do you need 240V for the equipment?

It actually popped up on my local CL, and jumped on it. I sold my other nice balancer I had paid $3000 for 15 years earlier for $800, so It only cost me $1100 to upgrade. Getting a 1000 pound balancer home, and in the garage by myself was a another story. It takes a small 240v circuit and compressed air to operate. It works great, but it tells me info I don't want to know sometimes. I never had any complaints from my conventional balancer that didn't have road force, but I can check a lot of cool stuff with this one.

 

[eljefino]

What is the max wheel size can be balanced on this machine?

You can probably find a pdf of the manual online. The numbers have flaked off my adjusting knobs.

But even if it maxes out at 17 inches and you put a 19-er on there, it'll just take more time. If it calls for 2 oz of weight you might need 2.25. But if it shows zero on the re-spin, you are, in fact, balanced.

 

[Traction]

BTW, I probably have at least $2500 in all the stupid cones, pin plates, 3 jaw chuck, and other adaptors to balance all of the different combinations. And then somebody, like GM comes up with a bolt pattern never used before. Never a standard center bore either. Plus all of the different wheel weights. Endless problems that most shops can't deal with. No more, just hammer on just couple weights on a steel 15 inch wheel, and done. I have spent a lot of time shifting weights an 1/8th of an inch to dial them down to less than the weight of one rock pebble when I balance a tire. Sometimes it might take a dozen spins to get it close. Probably why my small customer base won't go anywhere else. I can't even begin how many times, what should be a simple tire install turns into a nightmare, even with the right equipment. Forget the bubble balancer, and the HF tire changer.