The Coats Adjustable Pin Plates, No. 85610104, come in a 3, 4, 5 set and offer a reliable system when balancing wheels. The pin plates are always ready for use, as they combine 15 plates into one solution. The adjustable pin plates are designed to offer a consistent method for providing accurate mountings for a variety of tire and wheel assemblies. The adjustable design provides fast and easy clamping of tire and wheel assemblies, and lug clamping and centering of tire and wheel assembly prevents damage to alloy wheels, according to the company. Adjustable Pin Plates can be used on any 40mm wheel balancer.
The Review
A tool that saves users time and improves accuracy on the job -- no matter how small or straightforward that product is -- will quickly be put to good use at a busy repair shop.
Paul Bryant, owner of Bryant Tire in Hernando, Mississippi, is always in search of tools that will give his technicians the advantage. Bryant Tire’s three technicians see a great number of front-end jobs, brake jobs, tire service and general repair work at their eight-bay facility on a daily basis. Bryant says his shop performs about 30 wheel alignments per week.
Bryant and his technicians recently began using the Coats Adjustable Pin Plates instead of manual pins to help perform general balancing jobs, particularly on Ford F-250s.
“We do a lot of alignments and balancing on [the F-250s],” Bryant says. “Before [the Coats Adjustable Pin Plates], we used manual pins that you had to pull out one by one. It can be difficult to get the pins in and out with manuals, and as a result the vehicle can be more difficult to align. The Adjustable Pin Plates probably saved us three to four minutes per balancing job.”
The Coats Adjustable Pin Plates clamp to tire and wheel assemblies and are designed to prevent damage to alloy wheels. They can be used on any 40mm wheel balancer.
As far as work preparation and additional user information, Bryant reports the pin plate setup was straightforward, and the product comes with a detailed instruction manual that is easy to understand, though he says he did not need to refer to the instructions much, as the pins were “very simple” to configure and use.
The Coats Adjustable Pin Plates do not come with additional accessories. Repair professionals can use the product immediately upon receiving.
For Bryant, there wasn’t one feature of the adjustable pin plates that he did not like, or would seek to improve. The product simply saved him time on the job and continues to help his team complete successful wheel balancing jobs.
“I don’t see how you could improve [the product]; it’s so simple,” he says. “The best part about these pin plates is that we don’t have to fool with manual pins.”
“We really like them; all the techs really like them,” he says. “They’re just easy to use.”
