So, you take the family drive car, let’s say it’s a Landcruiser or a Hilux, in for balancing the wheels, and you say, “Mate, just balance the front two wheels thanks!” It’s unthinkable, right?
And even more so when you consider the business end of your rig. Many drivers have of course begun by balancing just the steers with Atlas Balance Rings, and the difference is felt immediately, so pretty soon they work out the benefits of balancing the drives and trailers too.
Here’s what Nicholas Thompson from Thompson Transport has to say, “We started by putting a set of balance rings on just one of the Kenworth B-doubles running super singles. The driver came back two days later asking what we had done to the truck as it simply held onto the road better. Since I hadn’t driven it myself yet, I took it for a ride the next day and noticed how smoother a drive on our country roads it was, hence why we put in another order to fit out the whole fleet. A few months on and we have a flat even wear on the tyres for a change.”
Gary Faulkner, of Faulkner Carrying, Boonah had the same experience. “We currently have our fleet of UD and Volvo curtain sider trucks running Atlas Balance Company rings and we are very happy with the results. Given the condition of some of the roads we travel on, wheel balancing is an issue. Before fitting the balance rings, drivers regularly complained of steering shake or shudder. Since fitting the rings this problem has been eliminated altogether, also removing the need for our tyre fitter to remove and balance steer tyres at least two times in the life of the tyre. The added bonus is that once you purchase the balance rings you have no more balancing costs as they will outlast most trucks.”
Mick Harrold at Harrold Services also started off just doing the steers. Now every truck and trailer (as it is coming out of Graham Lusty Trailers) is fitted out completely as well.
Even the maths make sense! At $250 per tyre x 8 (or 16 or more) drive wheels – even if you save only 25 per cent tyre life, and most report up to 50 per cent longer tyre life, that’s $750 in savings on every $2000 you spend on tyres.
It was a pleasure to catch up with so many of you at the Brisbane Truck Show. Drivers like Simon Savage, Marty Murphy and more are all seeing the benefits of balancing the whole truck, for ride comfort, for diesel and tyre savings. The subject of balance beads came up of course, with most drivers well aware of the impact and wear of beads wearing the inside of the tyre as well as beads getting caught in the seals allowing air to escape. There’s no doubt that a completely encapsulated liquid system of balancing is by far the best, especially when you use recycled materials. Yes, we depend on fossil fuels to power these magnificent cargo carriers we call trucks, but where possible we reduce the load on the planet by using less fuel, less rubber, and recycled materials safely.
When aware drivers are matched with the right tyre pressures, wheels aligned and balanced, the wheels sing together, drivers are safer and less weary, and so is our Planet Earth.
For more information, please visit the website at atlasbalance.com.au or call 13002ATLAS.