Post by upfartoolate on Mar 22, 2015 17:30:33 GMT -5
Looking at the wheel bubble balancers, even the cheap ones were selling for about $60. I came up with a cheaper and more accurate means of statically balancing scooter tires.
I found a 1-1/2" chrome steel ball bearing on Amazon.com for about $10. Since my tire is too wide, I had to find a spacer to put the steel ball on, so I found a hunk of 4" round, 3" tall aluminum that I milled flat. That leaves about 1-1/2" of clearance when the wheel is balanced on the ball and the ball is resting on the hunk of aluminum.
I've got a metal table. I put the steel ball on the table and level it until the ball won't roll on its own. Then I put the center of the wheel on the ball and rest the ball on the hunk of aluminum. The tire tips to its heavy side very easily. Add weights as appropriate, taping them in place.
Once you've got the balance about right, permanently affix the wheel weights to the rim and re-balance it. Use a Dremel tool to shave a bit off the wheel weights if they're a bit too heavy. Add weights as appropriate, rinse and repeat until the wheel stays completely level.
It's so accurate you'll find that the tape you use to temporarily affix the wheel weights to the rim affects the balance.
A larger steel ball would probably work better, but they're pretty expensive.
I found a 1-1/2" chrome steel ball bearing on Amazon.com for about $10. Since my tire is too wide, I had to find a spacer to put the steel ball on, so I found a hunk of 4" round, 3" tall aluminum that I milled flat. That leaves about 1-1/2" of clearance when the wheel is balanced on the ball and the ball is resting on the hunk of aluminum.
I've got a metal table. I put the steel ball on the table and level it until the ball won't roll on its own. Then I put the center of the wheel on the ball and rest the ball on the hunk of aluminum. The tire tips to its heavy side very easily. Add weights as appropriate, taping them in place.
Once you've got the balance about right, permanently affix the wheel weights to the rim and re-balance it. Use a Dremel tool to shave a bit off the wheel weights if they're a bit too heavy. Add weights as appropriate, rinse and repeat until the wheel stays completely level.
It's so accurate you'll find that the tape you use to temporarily affix the wheel weights to the rim affects the balance.
A larger steel ball would probably work better, but they're pretty expensive.
