Homemade wheel balancer?

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I got my summer boots put on my car today by a back yard mechanic, a real nice guy missin his left leg so he works twice as hard on stuff. He does not have a tire balancer, so now my car is shaking violently. My dad told me he once saw a homemade tire balancer once upon a time. I searched the net but nothin has really jumped out at me and gave me an idea how to make this work yet. The mechanic didnt ask me to, but If i could build one for him it would really help him out,Has anyone made their own tire balancer before? Any ideas how to make one?Nothing Ever Got Done By Quitting, Never Give Up.
Reply:I have not made a tire balancer but have seen some very simple designs that just use a circular bubble level. The tire sits on a pivot with the bubble in the center. You place weights on until level.
Reply:Harbor Freight makes a bubble balance that cheap to buy.Co-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:Awww, spend a few bucks & get em done right.  Go to your local tire store, they can spin balance them for under $20 & you are riding in style then.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:Originally Posted by Doug247...He does not have a tire balancer, so now my car is shaking violently....
Reply:Say doug I guess we can assume the car wasn't  "so now my car is shaking violently." before he changed the "Summer Boots". Were you changing over from winter tires to the normal ones? Many folks have their winter tires mounted on a spare set of wheels! I assume he changed the tires on the rims?? I have changed out winter to summer tires before by hand and its a bitch using even the best tools? Did he change them by hand or use a tire changing machine? No Matter how it was done the tires should have been balanced. I would recommend going to a tire shop and having the tires sin balanced.  Tires that are not balanced  can cause premature tire wear and even damage the wheel bearings.Co-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:Simple "static" balancing used to be good enough when tires were narrow and the hub was mounted dead centre of the rim.  Was balanced "single plane" this way.Wheels nowadays are wide and typically offset so they must be dynamically balanced at a shop and by trained personnel.  Balance is achieved "multi-plane" this way.I know because I used to balance rotating machinery as part of my trade.Last edited by Nitesky; 04-09-2009 at 10:33 AM.Reason: Balancing detailsGordie -- "I believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."
Reply:Originally Posted by Doug247I got my summer boots put on my car today by a back yard mechanic, a real nice guy missin his left leg so he works twice as hard on stuff. He does not have a tire balancer, so now my car is shaking violently. My dad told me he once saw a homemade tire balancer once upon a time. I searched the net but nothin has really jumped out at me and gave me an idea how to make this work yet. The mechanic didnt ask me to, but If i could build one for him it would really help him out,Has anyone made their own tire balancer before? Any ideas how to make one?
Reply:I wasnt trying to set myself to get attacked here. I am not an idiot, and I will be taking the car into the shop today and get them properly balanced before something goes wrong. My friend with the tire machine has been doin his best to make a good life for himself since he lost his leg. my dad saw a balancer he thought was homemade years ago, and Nitesky is likely to be right, it was was probaly for a wheel that the hub was mounted dead center of the rim, I didnt know, and came to check it out online to learn something new, not to give guys an excuse to comlain.  The only place that had any work here just laid off all of us welders, we didnt get paid much but its all we had, if i still had that maybe i wouldnt have gotten buddy to do it in the first place.Nothing Ever Got Done By Quitting, Never Give Up.
Reply:Originally Posted by Doug247I wasnt trying to set myself to get attacked here. I am not an idiot, and I will be taking the car into the shop today and get them properly balanced before something goes wrong. My friend with the tire machine has been doin his best to make a good life for himself since he lost his leg. my dad saw a balancer he thought was homemade years ago, and Nitesky is likely to be right, it was was probaly for a wheel that the hub was mounted dead center of the rim, I didnt know, and came to check it out online to learn something new, not to give guys an excuse to comlain.  The only place that had any work here just laid off all of us welders, we didnt get paid much but its all we had, if i still had that maybe i wouldnt have gotten buddy to do it in the first place.
Reply:Maybe a tire shop has an old bubble balancer he could hire for the day.  Seeing as he only has one leg, they may let him use it without paying anything for it & toss in some wheel weights for nothing too.  Nobody's hollering at you Doug.  Just offering suggestions.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build