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

 

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)

 

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.)

 

You should talk to EternityE39 (Dave), if I remember correctly, Status only uses Hunter.

 

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?

 

You definitely can't go wrong with Hunter equipment. It is standard issue at Lexus service depts.

 

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

 

sorry for the confusion... the tc3500 is the actual "mounting" machine and the GSP9700 is the "balancing" machine. 2 different animals....