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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.
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Post by lain on Apr 4, 2015 13:55:09 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. Would a rubber air filled ball work as well?
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New Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 43
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Joined: Mar 21, 2015 23:22:52 GMT -5
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Post by upfartoolate on Apr 4, 2015 17:11:39 GMT -5
Would a rubber air filled ball work as well? I'm not sure. I think it'd be less sensitive, allowing the wheel to be further off-balance, given that an air-filled ball can squish down a bit, thus having higher rolling resistance. Unless you really pumped it up. I like my setup because I can level the table until the large ball bearing won't roll on its own, then set the wheel on the bearing, the bearing on the hunk of aluminum, and the hunk of aluminum on the table, and it only gives the tire about 1.5 inches of clearance from the edge of the tire to the table. So the whole thing doesn't tip so far that it all falls apart if it's off-balance. And it's extremely sensitive. I'd never be able to get the kind of balance I can get using this, if I were to use a bubble balancer.
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