The new unit has been designed not only to speed up tyre changing on trucks and buses, but also to make the job safer and easier for technicians.
“Changing truck and bus tyres can be a tricky and fraught process,” comments Pro-Align managing director Paul Beaurain.
“However, our new system reduces the risks and stresses... There’s no lifting of heavy assemblies and no need for hammers, making it a whole lot easier and more controlled,” he adds.
To demount a tyre, operators roll the wheel and tyre assembly onto the changer, engage the tulip-style wheel clamp and then activate the bead-breaking rollers.
The hydraulic-powered carriage then moves across and removes the tyre from the rim as it rotates, without any damage to the wheel, and Beaurain says the procedure takes around 55 seconds.
Meanwhile, mounting the tyre takes just 30 seconds. The changer unit lowers the wheel rim onto the tyre and the wheel and tyre assembly is spun to complete the process.