Used Hunter Road Force balancers will be cheap!

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Apparently GM is requiring all dealerships to upgrade to new Road Force balancers. Today I bought a 10 year old used working Hunter Road Force from a local GM dealer for $1900. New they were over $20,000. I will sell my 15 year old balancer that still looks new for hopefully $900. Seems like a good deal to me anyway. Now I just need how to move the 900 pound beast home to my shop.
 
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The good thing about buying one from an auto dealer is that it probably didn't rack up the use compared to if a tire shop had it.
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
The good thing about buying one from an auto dealer is that it probably didn't rack up the use compared to if a tire shop had it.


Thats exactly what I was thinking.
 
GM made the balancer "essential equipment". Any dealer with a gen3 or older is required to get a new one to be paid for warranty work.

$1900 is a steal...There should be plenty for sale in the coming months.
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
The good thing about buying one from an auto dealer is that it probably didn't rack up the use compared to if a tire shop had it.

Yes, it probably didn't get used a lot, but the people using it were definitely not OCD about keeping it clean and nice. It will take some detailing to make it look nice again, but that shouldn't affect it's function. I've been yearning for one since they came out, but I have done better with my standard balancer for 15 years, that most operators could not do with better using the best balancer made. Not matter what balancer, you end up with thousands in all the different fn adaptors you need to buy. Luckily I have most, and they will work on the Hunter too.
 
I wonder if the older Snap-On, the one where the user has to crank, will get even cheaper?

Not saying I enjoy tire work, but it sure would be nice to have a balancer. Once I have a place to store such a beast.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
I wonder if the older Snap-On, the one where the user has to crank, will get even cheaper?

Not saying I enjoy tire work, but it sure would be nice to have a balancer. Once I have a place to store such a beast.

Since every non-compliant GM dealer in the nation needs to upgrade, all balancers from these sites should be considered.

Keep your eyes open for tire changers too. On May 15th, GM updated its Critical Equipment Requirements and Recommendations.
 
I have never touched a Hunter machine, but when I worked at Plaza Motors we worked on one of the Hunter family cars...a late 70s Cadillac Fleetwood 75 factory limousine, black with red leather...the bumper filler panels were falling apart and we replaced then with new repro pieces. Cool old piece that was something of a family heirloom.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
I wonder if the older Snap-On, the one where the user has to crank, will get even cheaper?

Not saying I enjoy tire work, but it sure would be nice to have a balancer. Once I have a place to store such a beast.


I have one and it has a 2x3 foot footprint! You could put it in your linen closet.
wink.gif


Shown with other cultch for scale.
wink.gif
 
My problem is a different kind....I have a 30x40 pole barn I could easily put tire machines in, and boy howdy would I love to.
No money to do so though.
 
Saw a Road Force balancer somewhere in Utah on ebay for $1500. Got mine home today using a drop-deck trailer for $90. Unloaded the 850 pound balancer by myself. It's not looking too bad after cleaning off 2 layers of dirt. It has probably never wiped down since new! After a little more detailing I'll try to figure out how to make it all work.
 
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After cleaning off 10 years worth of dirt, my $1900 Road Force balancer looks pretty good. Figured out how to calibrate it, and use it fairly easily. Everything seems to work fine. Even got the printer to work. Used it on one set of autocross tires today.
 
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Originally Posted By: Traction
After cleaning off 10 years worth of dirt, my $1900 Road Force balancer looks pretty good. Figured out how to calibrate it, and use it fairly easily. Everything seems to work fine. Even got the printer to work. Used it on one set of autocross tires today.
[image deleted for clarity and space]


Traction,

See if you can find the "measure bare wheel" subroutine. You may find that useful.

BTW, did the unit come with a manual? If so, read it. You will learn a lot about runout and uniformity.

But just be aware that these units tend to over estimate the size of the road force - although it doesn't really matter as all things are relative.

Plus, you should check to see if the preset limits are still in place. If I recall correctly, it was 26 pounds for both the wheels and the assembly (mount tire on the wheel). That was one of my main complaints - that a bad wheel would pass.
 
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
Originally Posted By: Traction
After cleaning off 10 years worth of dirt, my $1900 Road Force balancer looks pretty good. Figured out how to calibrate it, and use it fairly easily. Everything seems to work fine. Even got the printer to work. Used it on one set of autocross tires today.
[image deleted for clarity and space]


Traction,

See if you can find the "measure bare wheel" subroutine. You may find that useful.

BTW, did the unit come with a manual? If so, read it. You will learn a lot about runout and uniformity.

But just be aware that these units tend to over estimate the size of the road force - although it doesn't really matter as all things are relative.

Plus, you should check to see if the preset limits are still in place. If I recall correctly, it was 26 pounds for both the wheels and the assembly (mount tire on the wheel). That was one of my main complaints - that a bad wheel would pass.

I didn't get a manual, but I found the one online that allowed me to figure out most of the features. I can already see that it sometimes tells you more than you need to know. When it comes down to balancing, it doesn't work any better than the regular balancer I've been using for 15 years. Being able to check run-out, and road force it nice and I will use my own judgment when the limits are exceeded as far as breaking the beads, and moving the tire which eats up a lot of time. Everyone thinks that just because a shop uses a road force they are getting the best balance, but I figure not many times will an operator take the time to do anything different from a normal balancer. I've never had any comebacks from my other balancer, but it will be nice having the extra info from the road force. I see a lot of bent wheels in my area which are easy to see without any measurements. The inflation station feature on this machine is pretty worthless, since I set the pressure before it goes on the balancer anyway. Tape weight placement is very awkward without the lasers the newer machines use. I'll probably use it in the clip-on weight mode like I always have so I can use top dead center for tape weight placement that has always worked well for me. I temporarily attach the tape weights with masking tape, and dial them in with a couple of check spins using the non-rounded fine ounce mode. 1/4 inch off one way or the other can make a big difference, and it's too late if you just stick them on and have to remove them. My Hunter rep hasn't been much help yet either since I didn't buy a brand new machine from them. Oh well, it will be a good learning experience using this machine to most of it's capabilities.
 
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