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DIY Cheap (Sort Of) Wheel Balancer

HFS

Well Known Member
I have a "fancier" wheel balancer that required a lot of machining & welding. It works great, but doesn't lend itself to the masses as a viable DIY project - if balancing the wheels is of importance to you. So I thought I would try to make something a bit simpler (from a DIY standpoint) that still performed as well as my "high priced spread".

What I came up with requires only one "precision" task - that of diameter sizing & boring (5/8" dia.) of a 1 1/4" birch/oak/maple wooden dowel - everything else is "cut & paste".

Total cost is about $55.00 - and that could be reduced by almost $20 if the base was made from scrap wood instead of purchased PVC pipe/fittings.

ACS used to sell my $$$ ones for $450.00 - no one bought them - duh! I had nothing to do with the "packaging" of the product - hence the cost went way up & the value went way down - not a good marketing strategy. With this "direct" marketing approach maybe the idea will have more acceptance.

YMMV - And probably will.

HFS

I forgot to mention that this system works on both conventional tapered roller bearings, as well as the sealed ball bearing mod that Anti Splat Aero offers.
 

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Last edited:
Wheel balancer

I've had good sucess with the HF motorcycle wheel balancer with my plane wheel/tires. It's currently a CLEARANCE item, so it may not be available for long.
https://www.harborfreight.com/motorcycle-wheel-balancing-stand-98488.html

Regards,

I bought one from Amazon that looks like HF. As my shaft wasn't straight and had to be replaced. And, the bearings felt like they had sand in them and were replaced. One cone was offset and had a machine shop fix it. In short, junk.
 
I also got one of the HF balancers and the shaft is not straight. I know of several others who have gotten these with slightly bent shafts. Easy enough to replace with a piece of 1/2" steel rod (but be sure you get a straight piece!). I ended up just fabricating my own balancer in the end.
 
Thinking out loud... If one had a straight piece of shaft or pipe that fit the white bearings, one could 3D print some collars that would fit between that shaft and the hub of the wheel. No precision machining needed!
 
The HF is a case of you get what you pay for. I personally like the wheel balancer sold BY McFarlane. it is adjustable for sensitivity and will balance a wheel/tire assembly like no one else can. The horizontal shaft type balancers are all subject to a degree of hysteresis. McFarlane also sells adapters so you can use it on fixed pitch propellers. It is more expensive than a lot of other wheel balancers but I believe it is the best out there.
 
Posting this to multiple balance threads so people don't go on the wild goose chase I just did:

Harbor Freight/Amazon cones (1 1/8") no longer fit the either with bearings (not best option) or even close to bearing races. According to another VAF'r if you purchase the "DC42 Parts" from here (http://www.marcparnes.com/Ducati_Motorcycle_Wheel_Balancer.htm#DU42) for $50 shipped you'll be able to use the $50 balancer. $100.

Another option which I wish I had seen before assembling the HF one is from Desser, $100 for a bubble balancer style desktop unit that doesn't have bearings that will rust out. (https://shop.desser.com/desser-ga-05dt-static-tire/wheel-a-ga-05/ecomm-product-detail/324692/). Another bonus is you don't have to pull out bearings to get a decent balance like you do with the HF type.

YMMV, hopefully not as many miles as I had.
 
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