Balancing wheels

[Jettison]

What is the best way to balance tires/wheels? What balancer stand do you use? I saw the Moto balancer at Harbor Freight, but I don’t think it will accommodate our axle size…..

 

[jcarne]

I use this one. Works good

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PT9D8KJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[georgemohr]

Be aware that its getting harder to find stick on lead weights for balancing. Amazon for example sells a ton of steel ones, but the density of these really sucks. I wound up buying lead ones from Spruce.

 

[Roadjunkie1]

What is the best way to balance tires/wheels? What balancer stand do you use? I saw the Moto balancer at Harbor Freight, but I don’t think it will accommodate our axle size…..

Search this subject. It was just extensively discussed. I use the Harbor Freight balancer stand and it works just fine. It has beveled adaptors that hold on the bearings well. I use the steel weights from HF.

 

[pauldan181]

I recently bought one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Orion-Motor-Tech-Motorcycle-Adjustable

It made a huge difference, no more vibration or shimmy at any speed.

 

[Jettison]

Well, I bought the Harbor Freight motorcycle wheel balancer and in fact it does not accommodate the axle size on the airplane. Buyer beware.

 

[Roadjunkie1]

Well, I bought the Harbor Freight motorcycle wheel balancer and in fact it does not accommodate the axle size on the airplane. Buyer beware.

Whaaaaaaa? Send pictures! I wonder if they changed the design! Mine fits the axel holes with the cone fittings......

 

[Dan 57]

it does not accommodate the axle size on the airplane

Same here, bought the one referenced in post #2, checked today, and the stupid cones are too small in diameter and can't center on the bearings... will now have to manufacture either some cones or adapters

 

[Roadjunkie1]

Well, just when you buy something you like, they either stop selling it or change the design. I looked up the HF one and they, indeed, changed the design. The cones are half the diameter as the ones I have. Looking at the one from Post #2, the cones look like the ones I have but if Dan bought this (post #8) and they don't fit, they might have changed that design as well. Dan: do the cones look like the Amazon picture when you click the link in Post #2? I'm thinking they all come from the same manufacturer and, if one is the smaller size, they all will be the smaller size. My cones are 1.5 long, 1.5 wide tapering to 18/32. This is what mine looks like; this is from Amazon, not HF. It is SHOWN with the big cones......

https://www.amazon.com/MOTOOS-Balancer-Universal-Motorcycle-Balancing/dp/B09N1C74SR/ref=pd_ci_mcx_pspc_dp_d_2_t_1?pd_rd_w=yDRlX&content-id=amzn1.sym.568f3b6b-5aad-4bfd-98ee-d827f03151e4&pf_rd_p=568f3b6b-5aad-4bfd-98ee-d827f03151e4&pf_rd_r=8G4T7870ZT5WQW676XPB&pd_rd_wg=KnvU1&pd_rd_r=e61eba36-5a5c-40f6-a4ef-5e2b5108b7e8&pd_rd_i=B09N1C74SR

 

[Dan 57]

Effectively, the cones in your link are black... and look bigger. Not at the hangar right now, but of the ad my cones look like in the pic below. One could buy individual cones, but that would be another 15x2 = $30 + shipping...
So guys, as Jettison stated above, beware, and be sure to buy a balancer with cones large enough to accommodate your rims.

 

[Jettison]

Whaaaaaaa? Send pictures! I wonder if they changed the design! Mine fits the axel holes with the cone fittings......

I don’t have pictures and won’t be able to get them anytime soon since my airplane is in the paint shop.

 

[Roadjunkie1]

I don’t have pictures and won’t be able to get them anytime soon since my airplane is in the paint shop.

OK: I think we have come up with what the problem is. There has been a change in the design of the cones in some of the designs. You likely have the skinny cones rather than the fat ones that are the ones that work. I pulled up the picture of the one on HF and they are now the skinny ones....

 

[jrs14855]

I got weights from a motorcycle shop not too long ago. I think they ar 1/4 oz lead, stick on.

 

[RWoodard]

I’ve got a full size tire spin balancing machine. I wonder if there’s a way a could fabricate appropriate adapters to make it work. Out of curiosity, has anyone tried this?

 

[[email protected]]

I’ve got a full size tire spin balancing machine. I wonder if there’s a way a could fabricate appropriate adapters to make it work. Out of curiosity, has anyone tried this?

View attachment 60356

I also have a similar Coats changer and balancer and there is no way you can program it to work on such a small tire. Unless you are a computer programmer and can hack into the software.
I never gave it a thought past " WOW sure would be nice"
My luck varies FIXIT

 

[JonJay]

I do balance my tires, but, perhaps an expert can chime in on why. I never balanced my first set. They went 450 hours, no gear shimmy, even wear, etc…. I balanced my second set, but somewhere along the line, one of the weights fell off. Didn’t notice until my CI.
They have 450 hours and still going.

Here is why I don’t think balancing matters much but I could be convinced:

Tiny tires with little mass.
We spend very little time actually rolling at speeds that matter.
Tires wear unevenly as the landing scuff takes off rubber randomly, so, how long will they stay “balanced”. How many landings?

I think it is good practice but is there a “real” benefit? I just do t know.
In the mean time, I bought the balancer from the link in a recent discussion off of Amazon and it came with the larger black cones.

 

[Dan 57]

it is good practice but is there a “real” benefit?

I sincerely hope there is... I'm amidst a 400h inspection/ tires & brakes replacement, and though the tire wear looked pretty even, I was getting more shimmy by the landing... >90% of my landings are on concrete, 3 pointers mostly. The shimmy started about 50 landings ago and was on the increase.
Ok, don't fret, not the first time I get shimmy on that close to 2K hours RV, but the problem was usually solved by varying the tire P. Didn't work this time, so I'll now try to balance them wheels on the new set of tires.

As we know, all Wittman gear equipped RVs are prone to shimmy, and the solutions look like:

• tire pressure, not too low (sidewall puncture), nor too hi (shimmy)
• wheel balancing
• wheelpant balancing
• eventual gear leg damper install (which I have)

Did I miss another method?

 

[jrs14855]

Correct any excessive play in the lower portion of the gear socket. The best fix for this would be done during construction. A bushing at 90 degrees to the lower edge of the socket. Weld all around and then slot the socket and the bushing. AN 5 bolt. Bolt should be a loose fit in the bushing.
I fought this for 300 hours with the Wittman Tailwind. I changed the tires to the same Goodyear II and the shake is gone. I am pretty sure I had the original tires oriented wrong for the balance marks on the tire. The wheels with the original tires were static balanced. New tires did not require balance weights. I'm running 38# pressure and am going to incrementally try higher pressures just to see what happens.
Years ago I flew a Baron that had a severe nose gear shimmy. Installed a Goodyear III and the shimmy went away. The nose gear had a lot of play and was eventually rebuilt.

 

[Jettison]

I get a pronounced shimmy from 45 knots down to about 25 on the landing rollout. I have the stiffeners. Running the mains at 36 psi at the moment. Figured I would balance the wheels as a starting point.

 

[BlackhawkSP]

What is the best way to balance tires/wheels? What balancer stand do you use? I saw the Moto balancer at Harbor Freight, but I don’t think it will accommodate our axle size…..

One low tech way I have done (I have the Harbor Freight one now), is to fill a mud sink and float the tire on it's side. Simply set the weights on the rim until the water level is the same around the O.D. of the tire all around. It works fine.......