Hennessy Industries has introduced two models of Coats-brand tire equipment: the 9024E Tire Changer and the XR 1800 Wheel Balancer.
The 9024E Tire Changer can handle all 24-inch and smaller tires and wheels, including runflats and low profiles.
"We created the 9024E to accommodate changing needs in the marketplace," says Kevin Keefe, Coats product manager. "Tires and wheels are getting bigger, and shops need equipment that can handle these larger assemblies while
protecting expensive finishes and making the technician’s job easier."
The 9024E has robotic arm discs that provide extra holding help for heavy wheels. Precision gauges are designed for accurate inflation, and the x-shaped tabletop provides clamping pressure to hold even the most delicate
wheels.
Bead loosener socks, clamp booties and lift tool protection prevent metal-to-metal contact with wheels.
The 9024E is built with fiber-reinforced air cylinders that virtually never wear out, while extra support blocks for bead looseners add durability.
The Coats XR 1800 Wheel Balancer was created to make it possible for technicians to simply and efficiently check every wheel for conditions like runout that can make balancing difficult.
A complete diagnostics package runs with every wheel balance, adding just two to three seconds
to the process, and notifies the technician if there’s a problem that can affect balance quality.
"There’s no question that wheel balancing today is much more complicated than it was even five years ago," says Keefe. "Low profile tires, stiffer frames and tighter suspensions, closer
brake tolerances and other factors mean that there are more ways for vibration to cause customer dissatisfaction."
He says extra care was given to simplifying the interface with the machine so even a technician with minimal experience can spot and correct difficult balancing situations, or accommodate customer requests like behind the spoke weight placement.
"The XR 1800 automatically takes the A, W, and D measurements. There’s no need for an outer arm. The video screen has real-time 3-D
graphics, visual cues and help screens to guide the technician throughout the balancing process.
"We have even included modes for direct Tape A Weight location and behind the spoke weight placement. And it’s air equipped, so
you don’t have to go to a tire changer for rotate and balance jobs."
The XR 1800 has a complete suite of diagnostic functions built in. Keefe says one key benefit of the balancer is that it is fast enough to run the entire set of diagnostic functions on every balance.
"We can give the technician information so he may only have to take a tire off the rim once instead of twice to cure the trouble."
The XR 1800 comes with an accessories carousel, a removable sliding tool tray and side storage pegs. It has 12 balancing modes, and runs on a 110-volt power supply.
In addition, the XR 1800 comes with its own set of accessories. Owners can choose from one of three accessory packages, depending on the vehicles they service.
