A wheel balancer earns its keep every day it sits in your bay. Balance a wheel wrong and your customer feels it in the steering wheel at 65 mph, then turns around and brings it right back to you. Balance it fast and dead-on, and a two-minute job becomes a service you sell all day at a healthy margin.
We have been selling and servicing balancers since 1984, so we will give you the straight scoop on which balancer will meet your needs for maximum return on investment.
Right below you will find the three wheel balancers we carry side by side, and after the table we walk through every factor worth weighing so you will find which model best suits the needs of your shop.
Compare Every Weaver® Wheel Balancer
All three Weaver® wheel balancers are true commercial-grade machines, built by the same Italian manufacturer, Nexion, and all three run static, dynamic, and ALU tape-on weight modes. The W-987 combines state of the art technology and laser-guided precision with an unbeatable price, giving you advanced capabilities at half the cost of competitive balancers. The physical difference between each model will depend on the space required to meet your needs. The W-937-40 offers the smallest footprint without a hood.
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| Model | Class | Data Entry | Max Wheel Weight | Display | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W-937-40 | Commercial, compact cabinet, no hood | Manual | 143 lbs | LED digital | Shops tight on floor space and buyers who want the most machine for the money |
| W-957-40 | Commercial, full cabinet with hood | Manual | 155 lbs | LED digital, on a hood | Busy tire shops that want a larger weight tray, large display located above the weight tray, and also includes the hood. |
| W-987 | Commercial, laser-guided | Semi-automatic gauge | 155 lbs | Ultra HD LCD | High-volume and precision shops running a lot of alloy tape-on work |
Every machine ships with the standard 4-cone set, a free light-truck cone kit (a $250 value), and a 40mm shaft, and each model converts to motorcycle wheels with the optional W-MJ II and W-MJ I.
Factors to Consider When Buying a Wheel Balancer
These are the things worth sorting out before you choose the best model for your needs.
Volume
All of the machines we offer are commercial grade and can stand up to daily use in a busy tire shop.
Static, Dynamic, and ALU Weight Modes
Any balancer worth buying does static, dynamic, and ALU modes.
Static works a single plane, which is all a narrow motorcycle wheel or a small trailer tire needs, and dynamic reads both planes, which is what you want on any car or truck wheel.
All of our machines support ALU balancing (tape-on weight placement for aluminum/alloy wheels). This allows you to tuck adhesive tape-on weights behind the spokes on a nice wheel or simply place the weights where it is needed. However, the W-987 allows you to choose how deep/narrow you want the weights, and also supports hiding the weight behind the spoke. Because of the automated ALU features on the W-987, it is more user friendly and faster than any other balancer.
How the Machine Takes Its Measurements
This is the biggest day-to-day difference between our models.
On the W-937-40 and the W-957-40 you pull the distance gauge to the rim, read the number, and key in the distance, diameter, and width yourself, which is quick once it is muscle memory and is how most balancers in the country operate.
The W-987 steps up to a semi-automatic laser-guided gauge. You touch the gauge to the wheel and it enters the distance and diameter for you, leaving only the width to punch in, and then a laser points to the exact spot on the rim where the weight goes. For ALU modes on the W-987, simply pull the gauge out to the desired weight locations and you are ready to balance. Use this mode with tape-on weights for the fastest and most accurate balance available, while showing no weights on the outside of the wheel.
Wheel Capacity and Fitment
Two numbers set the ceiling, the weight of the heaviest wheel-and-tire assembly you will mount and its diameter.
The W-937-40 takes rims up to 24 inches, widths up to 20 inches, and assemblies up to 143 lbs. The W-957-40 and W-987 carry up to 155 lbs.
For nearly all car and light-truck work that is plenty. The part people forget is the cones. The standard set that comes with our machines mounts about 95% of the car and light-truck wheels on the road, and we throw in a free light-truck cone kit on top of that.
If you run a lot of offset or dually truck wheels, we offer the optional W-TKD 40mm, which accepts center holes up to 6-⅞”.
Accuracy and Speed
All Weaver® balancers are accurate to within 1 gram. Fine modes are available if you want to trim weights.
Display and the Feel of a Day's Work
The W-937-40 and W-957-40 use a clear LED readout that shows you the weights and weight locations. The gap between those two is mostly the cabinet. The 957’s display is located above the weight tray, which keeps it in your sightline and shields the display from weight hammers/damage, and that is a big part of why the 957 has been a best seller for years.
The W-987 moves to an Ultra HD LCD that reads in ounces or grams, standard or metric, and works with the laser to show pinpoint weight placement.
None of this changes whether a wheel gets balanced. It changes how fast and how comfortably you get through a full day of them.
Space and Power
Measure your spot before the freight shows up. The W-937-40 is our most compact cabinet and the one to look at when floor space is tight, and the W-957-40 shares the same electronics in a fuller cabinet with the hood.
All three run on 110v power on a single circuit, so you are not rewiring the building to plug one in. Give the machine room to spin a full-size assembly and room for you to work around it.
Who Actually Builds It
All of our balancers are built by Nexion, the Italian manufacturer that invented the wheel-clamp tire changer back in 1962, in an ISO9001 certified factory, and every one wears the CE mark. Nexion comprises nine major Italian wheel service brands: Corghi®, HPA Faip®, Mondolfo Ferro®, Orlandini®, Sice®, Tecnomotor®, Teco®, Bright®, and Stenhoj®. Based in Italy, Nexion has operations worldwide, including manufacturing centers in Italy, Europe, and Asia.
Support, Parts, and Calibration
Our balancers are self-calibrating, so you enter calibration mode, run a couple of spins with a calibration weight, and the machine stores it electronically, no service call required. When you do need a part you call us and we ship it, because we handle the warranty and stock the parts ourselves instead of routing you to a third party.
Most fixes are plug-and-play and we walk you through them on the phone or point you to the setup and troubleshooting videos. If you want to see the questions we field most, our wheel balancer FAQ page is a good place to start.
Why Buy Your Wheel Balancer From Derek Weaver
It matters more WHO builds a machine and stands behind it than where it happens to be assembled.
Our balancers are built by Nexion SpA, the Italian group behind Corghi and eight other wheel-service brands, and the company that invented the wheel-clamp tire changer in 1962.
The price is lower for one reason, and it is not quality. We buy direct as one of the larger equipment distributors in the country and skip the middle marketing arm and the sales-rep commissions that get built into other brand’s higher prices. You get the same machine off the same lines for less.
The part you cannot put on a spec sheet is what happens after the sale. We have been at this since 1984, we answer the phone, we keep parts on the shelf, and we would rather talk you through troubleshooting than sell you a service call you do not need. Know who you are buying from before you spend the money.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Buying on price alone. The cheapest balancer gets expensive fast once you count the comebacks, the downtime, lack of parts availability, and no customer support.
- Undersizing capacity. Check the weight and diameter of the biggest assembly you will ever mount, to ensure it will fit your needs.
- Ignoring the wheels you actually service. Balance a lot of alloy and chrome and you need strong ALU tape-on modes. See a steady run of trucks and duallies and you need the right cones. Match the machine to the work in your bay.
- Overlooking parts and support. A balancer with no parts inventory and no one to call becomes a paperweight the day it throws an error code.
- Forgetting space and power. Measure the floor and confirm the circuit before the machine arrives.
Questions to Ask Before You Buy
When customers call us before they order, these are the questions we work through with them.
Do You Balance a Lot of Alloy or Custom Wheels?
If tape-on weights on nice rims are a regular part of your work, lean toward the laser-guided W-987. If most of your wheels take clamp-on weights, any of the three will do the job well.
What Is the Heaviest and Largest Wheel You Will Mount?
Check the assembly weight and diameter of your worst case. Under 143 lbs and 24 inches and the 937 covers it. Heavier than that and you step up to the 957 or the 987 at 155 lbs.
Will You Service Trucks or Duallies?
The included cones handle about 95% of passenger vehicle wheels. For offset and dually wheels you will need the optional W-TKD 40mm.
How Much Room and What Power Do You Have?
Confirm the floor space and the circuit before you order. The 937 is the pick when space is tight, and all three run on 110v power.
Ready to Get the Right Machine in Your Bay?
One thing we hear from shop owners is that a good balancer pays for itself faster than they expected, in the comebacks they stopped having and the time they stopped losing. Whether you are outfitting a busy shop or setting up a serious home garage, our machines are built to last and backed by our outstanding customer support since 1984.
Browse our wheel balancers, and if you are building out the whole tire bay, our guide on how to choose the best tire changer walks through the other half of the job. Or call us at 817-560-9510 and we will help you match a machine to your setup.
