Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/769491
30 | Overdrive | January 2017 W hen it comes to tire balancing, methods aren't the only vari- able. Opinions also vary as to whether balancing is worth the time and money required. Not only makers of balancing prod- ucts, but also many owner-operators and fleets believe the practice pays off in more ways than one. Others take a more limited approach as to which tires – if any – need balancing. "The main reason that tire balanc- ing isn't common in heavy trucks is the perception of time required," says Derek Forney, associate product manager for IMI Products, makers of balancing product Equal Flex. "With the added factor of recommended rebalancing every 20,000 miles, using wheel weights isn't practically feasible for balancing some or all wheel positions." Forney says spin-balancing upwards of 18 tires with wheel weights can add 10 to 15 minutes per tire during installation. Spin-balancing can cost about $25 per tire. But for owner-operators, balancing is the norm. In a survey of Overdrive readers last year, 83 percent said they get tires balanced. Owner-operator Jamie Hagan, of Aberdeen, S.D.-based Hell Bent Xpress, uses Counteract balancing beads in each tire on his Mack Pinnacle and says he has seen a notable improvement in tire life. "My tires wear perfectly, plus they just ride smooth," Hagan says. "Twenty dollars a bag, and worth every penny." Many fleet managers save time by focusing their balancing efforts on steer tires, where steering wheel vibration can wear on drivers. That's what Ken Eggen, fleet services manager for Lone Star Truck Group, does because of the intensive man-hour investment of doing all wheels. "However," Forney notes, "the greater fatigue often comes from the shaking delivered by imbalance in the drive tire positions, which directly transfers to the cab of a truck." Cal-Maine Foods Inc., the largest U.S. egg distributor, is outfitting its Lake Worth, Fla.-based fleet with Centramat- ic's line of onboard balancing systems for tires and wheels. They mount behind the wheel and are designed to operate automatically and adjust instantly for changing conditions. "The ride is a lot smoother," says Woody Weltzbarker, maintenance man- ager. The system balances all axles on the fleet's trucks and trailers. "The other major benefit of balancing is that it iden- tifies other problems on the truck and the trailer, such as U-joints going bad. The Opinions vary on cost-effective approach to tire balancing BY JASON CANNON TIRE CARE Many owners focus balancing efforts on steer tires to help reduce steering wheel vibration.