How do you work this wheel balancer?

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Kestas, it looks like this type.

Patent drawings make my eyes bleed so I'll let you figure it out
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Wheel balancer patent

Once you figure it out, the next question is are the posts far enough apart to fit modern tires between them?

cheers3.gif
 
Used one of those for years. They're the best non-computerized machine ever. wheel widths up to 12" would be no problem. Can't really tell if it's all there or not, but most essential parts seem to be. Tire is mounted on shaft and cones then shaft is set on 2 per side bearings atop posts. naturally heaviest area goes to bottom. weight is added to top by sliding a weight on a beam that attaches to end of centering shaft. SnapOn also furnished a pointer to mount to weight measurment assembly so that equal weight could be added at 10:00oclock and 2:00 to give 3 heavy areas instead of 2 directly across from each other.

I acould go on for several paragraphs, but if you want more info PM and I'll send a phone # for you to call me.

Bob
 
Guys, thanks for checking into this. The patent link didn't work, but I registered on freepatentsonline.com, searched the patent number (2752788) that was given and found what I needed as far as pictures go.

I think I'll go for it. Bob, if I get it I may contact you some time in the future.
 
Bob,
I'd appreciate if you made the explainations public rather than P.M.

I'd love to know how it works
 
Shannow,

Not sure I could fully explain on a keyboard, that's why I offered him a phone # by PM.

Obviously, these aren't anywhere near the precision (or speed) of a modern computer balancer, but if used by an individual who didn't mind a few trial and error on/off car attempts, good results are possible.

Bob
 
Looks alot like the ones they sell for balancing motorcycle tires. I'd like to bid on it, but I won't make it so posting on bitog will be to your disadvantage! This is a collegial place.
 
I thought about that before posting here, but this auction is for local pickup, thus severely reducing the competition from BITOG. Shipping would probably kill you. Thanks for the professional courtesy.
 
I had some miscellany leftover from buying a junkyard transmission including a strut+hub assembly. Took the brakes off and the friction of the remaining wheel bearing is very low. Have been using it as a static balancer much like this snap-on device.

70-series tires balance great and don't often care if I stick the weight on the inside, outside, or split the difference.

60-series are a different story, and work okay in the rear, but shimmy a bit up front.

Tell me more about this "3 heavy spots" theory... could I for example split the difference, put the inside weight at 2 oclock and the outside at 10 and theoretically the "heavy side" is more "spread out"? And if it doesn't work, reverse the weights and hope it's better?

It may not have been said in so many words but you stick the tire/wheel on that snapon axle, spin it, watch the valve stem. If it stops in the same spot every time the top of the wheel needs weight added. I have found that it takes more than an ounce if the tire stops and reverses direction and less than an ounce if it just stops... but that relates to the friction in my own bearing set.
 
I won the unit on eBay and picked it up. The ladies in the store couldn't figure out who would buy such a piece. It looks like it's complete and in decent condition. I'm in the process of cleaning it up. It has a few decades of shop dust on it. Once I take some photos, I'll contact Bob so he can walk me through the procedure. It's definitely not self-evident on how to properly use this unit. Until I master the use of it, I can use it as a simple static balancer like in the link Shannow provided.

One thing I've found is that the bearings are an english size - 7/8" ID (or 22.2 mm). I work for a bearing manufacturer and tried to find replacement bearings for this unit. No go, since the entire bearing industry went metric. All we have available is 22 mm or 25 mm ID.

If anybody can get a copy of the manual for Snap-On Model WBK-2, I'd certainly appreciate it.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: alreadygone
SnapOn also furnished a pointer to mount to weight measurment assembly so that equal weight could be added at 10:00oclock and 2:00 to give 3 heavy areas instead of 2 directly across from each other.

I acould go on for several paragraphs, but if you want more info PM and I'll send a phone # for you to call me.

Bob


Bob, does the 10-2 o'clock do anything for you other than letting you make a fine adjustment by sliding the weights further apart or closer together?

What I got from that decades ago was that you did that to fine tune static balance and you could accomplish the same with one weight on each side if you had the correct weights.
 
There's an on-line balancer for industrial equipment that works sort of like that.

It's got two planes of weights very close together. They start at 12 and 6.

The computer monitors the vibrations, and sends the weights around until they get the vector and amplitude correct. If the unbalance requires weight at (say) 2 o'clock, the effective "mass" at that point may be both weights at 2 o'clock, one at 1, other at 3, 1 at 12, other at 4...etc.

Neat bit of kit.
 
Kestas, have you tried to make sense of it from the patent text? It looks like the necessary clues are there, although I didn't read it too closely because reading patent gobbledegook sucks

If you can't find the bearings you need at a local bearing supply house, then http://www.mcmaster.com/ has a bunch of inch sized bearings.

I assume you know to not buy sealed bearings for that application because of seal drag.

Were the original bearings corroded or just dirty?
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
There's an on-line balancer for industrial equipment that works sort of like that.

It's got two planes of weights very close together. They start at 12 and 6.

The computer monitors the vibrations, and sends the weights around until they get the vector and amplitude correct. If the unbalance requires weight at (say) 2 o'clock, the effective "mass" at that point may be both weights at 2 o'clock, one at 1, other at 3, 1 at 12, other at 4...etc.

Neat bit of kit.


That makes sense for a dynamic balancer, not for a static one though...unless I'm missing something.
 
I wandered off on a tangent with the 10:00 and 2:00 issue for fine tuning.

I was describing a computer controlled in service (dynamic) rig that balances the machinery using the spacing to control the effective balance weight.
 
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