Hennessy contest leads to oldest COATS balancer

Feb. 9, 2011

Hennessy Industries has announced the winners of “The Search for the Oldest Direct Drive Balancer” contest are Jim and Abe Torro, co-owners of Orange Auto Center in Orange, Calif. The Torro’s won the grand-prize, a trip to Las Vegas and a new COATS 1250-3DV balancer, after entering their 30-year-old direct drive balancer.

“Our balancer was manufactured in July of 1981. It was one of the earliest direct drive models manufactured, so I knew that we had a chance to win,” Abe Torro says. “Although it’s old enough to be an antique, it’s still very reliable, accurate and quick.”

COATS received more than 200 contest entries from across the U.S., with many of the balancers dating back to the 1980s. COATS’ direct drive technology features an integrated motor and spindle assembly that is pre-balanced at the factory, eliminating the need for pulleys and belts that can cause “noise” and interfere with balancing accuracy.

“We hoped the contest would emphasize the longevity and reliability of COATS’ direct drive balancers,” says Kevin Keefe, Hennessy Industries’ vice president of marketing. “With more than 200 balancers entered into the contest, many of which have been used on a daily basis since the early ’80s, we think it did just that.”