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Good tire changer & balance machine???

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Old May 20, 2006 | 07:24 PM
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Question Good tire changer & balance machine???

Hi all
Does anybody know what kind of tire changer & balance machine are good for a tire shop?
I've heard HUNTER TC3500 is the top of the line tire changer but it cost about $9,000
Anyone has any good suggestion?

Thanx for the help
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Old May 20, 2006 | 08:26 PM
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i also heard that's one of the best out there, if you want the job done right you definitely want that

but it also take a very good technician to really do the right job as well, otherwise the machine is just a waste.

that's what a really good shop up here in norcal told me (they tune race cars)
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Old May 21, 2006 | 01:19 AM
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I've always heard to look for a tire shop that uses a Hunter 9700, or something like that. (I may have transposed some digits.)
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Old May 21, 2006 | 09:19 AM
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Originally Posted by ATSOU
Hi all
Does anybody know what kind of tire changer & balance machine are good for a tire shop?
I've heard HUNTER TC3500 is the top of the line tire changer but it cost about $9,000
Anyone has any good suggestion?

Thanx for the help
You should talk to EternityE39 (Dave), if I remember correctly, Status only uses Hunter.
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Old May 21, 2006 | 12:50 PM
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HUNTER TC3500 is the one of the top tire changers on the market, but it does cost about $9,000. I didn't get it... If you have a good, technician, I'd rather invest the money on him as he can work with just about any machine..

I picked up a Hunter GSP9700 (sub-model 9712) though since it is one of the top balancing machine on the market. The machine runs about 15K and the additional cone set will set you back anothe 2K. Nothing beats it's capabilities. I'm very pleased with the purchase...

Last edited by Eternity3G; May 21, 2006 at 12:57 PM.
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Old May 21, 2006 | 10:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Eternity3G
HUNTER TC3500 is the one of the top tire changers on the market, but it does cost about $9,000. I didn't get it... If you have a good, technician, I'd rather invest the money on him as he can work with just about any machine..

I picked up a Hunter GSP9700 (sub-model 9712) though since it is one of the top balancing machine on the market. The machine runs about 15K and the additional cone set will set you back anothe 2K. Nothing beats it's capabilities. I'm very pleased with the purchase...
dave, obviously i am not pro on this. but i am confused. so you are saying the tc3500 is better or the gsp9700? from your post it seems like the 3500 is better but it's also cheaper?! or you are trying to say that the 3500 is just a tire changer and not including the balancing machine?
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Old May 21, 2006 | 11:19 PM
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You definitely can't go wrong with Hunter equipment. It is standard issue at Lexus service depts.
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Old May 22, 2006 | 09:41 AM
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I am a nut about having my tires mounted- I'll only allow shops that have a Corghi Artiglio Master to do my stuff. It's a neat machine that holds the wheel through the lug holes & center hole- the machine does not touch any portion of the rim.

Corghi Artiglio Master

It's about $16K.


As far as tire balancing, I prefer the 'road force' balancers, which basically do just that: simulate the weight of the car on the road. Hunter has a nice machine for this.

Hunter GSP9700
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Old May 23, 2006 | 06:16 PM
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Originally Posted by rominl
dave, obviously i am not pro on this. but i am confused. so you are saying the tc3500 is better or the gsp9700? from your post it seems like the 3500 is better but it's also cheaper?! or you are trying to say that the 3500 is just a tire changer and not including the balancing machine?
sorry for the confusion... the tc3500 is the actual "mounting" machine and the GSP9700 is the "balancing" machine. 2 different animals....
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