The Hunter Road Force Balancer Generation 5 is essential equipment (Fig. 5) for all U.S. and Canadian GM dealerships. It is a critical tool for properly diagnosing tire/wheel assembly conditions.
Fig. 5
The new equipment package includes the Hunter Road Force Balancer Generation 5 (RFE13GM), a networked laser printer, overhead laser/light, wheel lift, basic installation and set-up, and initial on-site training.
After the initial training session, technicians may want a deeper understanding of all the capabilities of the Hunter Road Force Balancer. There are a number of training sources available online as well as through the GM Center of Learning that offer a more in-depth look at the details of the equipment as well as short videos that can be used to quickly refer to specific components and procedures.
GM Training
The GM Service Know-How course Hunter GSP9700 Gen 5 Components and Operation, 13044.19W, is a Web-Based Training course available through the GM Center of Learning. (Fig. 6)
The course reviews the components and operation of the Hunter Road Force Balancer, including:
- Balancing tire/wheel assemblies
- Performing a road force measurement
- Performing a Force Matching procedure
- Perform a 180 Matching procedure
Fig. 6
TIP: Additional training on noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) conditions caused by wheel and tire assemblies as well as other sources is available through the GM Center of Learning. The courses include Virtual Classroom Training, Hands-On Training, and Web-Based Training programs.
GM courses related to vibration concerns include:
- 13042.14D1-R2
- 13042.14D2-R2
- 13042.14H-R2
- 13042.14W
Hunter Training
The Hunter Learning Channel on YouTube has a number of instructional videos covering the use of the Hunter Road Force Balancer as well as other common wheel/tire service procedures.
Hunter has developed a Force Matching 180 video following OEM specifications.
(Fig. 7)
Fig. 7
Additional Hunter videos include:
- Get Started
- Tape Weight Placement
- Interface Overview
- Clip Weight Placement
- Auto Weight Mode
- Back Collet Mounting
- Front Collet Mounting
- Tire Stack
- Bead Massage
- Force Matching
In addition to all of the online resources, there are a number of on-demand videos that can be viewed on the Road Force Balancer touchscreen. (Fig. 8) To view the videos, touch the Help button on the main screen and then select the Launch Video Player button. The main video menu screen will be displayed along with a list of video topics.
Fig. 8
For additional information on the Hunter Road Force Balancer and diagnosing wheel/tire vibrations, refer to Bulletin #17-NA-170, Bulletin #00-03-10-006M, Bulletin #10-03-10-001D, and #PI1354F.
– Thanks to Chuck Berecz, Peter Joslyn and Mike Sculthorpe
