Quote:
Originally Posted by Formulajones
Doesn't touch the rim, so nice painted wheels or aluminum wheels don't get scratched.
I used to have the old school style pneumatic changer from about the 1960 era, worked good, but was a little rough on nice wheels, even when being careful.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bills Auto Works
I also have a Snap On "touchless machine" that name is a bit of a misnomer though as it does touch the rim during dismounting & mounting (not while unseating the bead though). It clamps one of two ways :
#1 is 4 little arms nuematically spread outward pushing against the inside of the rim.
#2 you can start in the outward position with those arms, hit the button & they come in to grip the rim just inside the bead area.
I have done everything from the most expensive aluminum wheel to dually wheels with never a scratch. I just took the old tires off my 64 GP 8 lug wheels so I could paint them yesterday with no problem.
I don't have a computer balancer. I have Centra-Matics on the dually & use counter-act balance beads for most everything else. I do still have an old bubble balancer left from our gas station in 1982!
God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...closed.614419/ |
Quote:
Originally Posted by mgarblik
I haven't heard my changer called "touchless" but it is almost. It's a rim grip style. A Coats 50-60E. It grips the bottom of the wheel from the inside or outside with plastic slip-over covers on the 4 clamps. So it does protect the aluminum pretty well. Every now and then with an extremely low profile tire and stiff sidewall, the plastic jaws will slip off the rim. It's a PIA when that happens, but doesn't hurt the wheel. On the top side, the "duck" as it's called, the part on the vertical column that you pry off to remove the tire and push under to mount is made of nylon. They are soft and protect the wheel but don't last very long. I have to replace mine at least once a year. Then the pry bars have plastic slip over covers that protect the wheels too. You just have to be careful. Every now and then, I will scratch a wheel. The most difficult as a class of wheels are the plastic clad chrome wheels used allot by Chrysler and Jeep. You have to be very careful because the plastic outer part is brittle and can gouge, crack or break off entirely if your not really careful. Plus they are not repairable and quite expensive. How do I know!!
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Yeah, people in the industry call them "rim clamp" machines. There is no doubt that they "touch" the rim. I thought there was some new fangled tire machine on the market that I have not heard about.
I have a Hoffman tire machine and a Snap-On spin balancer.
