4 Slick Ways to Get Perfect Wheel Alignments

If you want to expand the service capabilities of your tire shop or service bay, you'll probably need to invest in advanced wheel alignment equipment. It's the only way to achieve faster, more accurate alignments. This equipment is more sophisticated than wheel service tools used in years past, which makes the equipment intimidating for some people to learn. And that's the beauty of purchasing equipment from BendPak / Ranger: All our wheel service equipment is exceptionally safe and simple to use. In fact, our Target 3D Pro Imaging Aligner is the only wheel alignment equipment that requires a higher level of training, and Ranger offers Free Training with your purchase of our aligner. So, let's uncover a few slick ways to get perfect wheel alignments in your shop.

Put a Better Wheel Aligner in Your Shop

Manual alignment equipment is unpleasant. It always was and always will be. These assemblies are generally comprised of aluminum bars that snap into place around the tires and wheels, and a fancy level is used for adjusting both caster and camber. Small shops that infrequently perform wheel alignments and DIY'ers might find this sort of tooling useful, but fast-paced shops don't have time to waste. Ranger makes a highly sophisticated wheel aligner that uses 3D imaging technology to rapidly register your caster and camber adjustments on a single roll-back.

While you will need to invest in a wheel aligner and alignment lift, everyone in the business knows it's an investment worth making. For one, wheel alignments alone aren't breadwinners, but they get your client's car up on a lift where you can perform virtually any inspection or service. Sure, any shop can do an oil change, but if you do your job well, every oil change should come with alignment services, a courtesy battery check, free tire rotations and a full inspection to boot.

Customers will not make trips to different shops for service, so if you're lacking in any one area, you're losing all of that customer's business. Lucky for you, there's an easy fix to this! Put a better aligner in your shop: It's an instant profit-maker and must-have tool that will keep you competitive in your market.

Get an Alignment Lift Instead of a Standard Four-Post Lift

Four-post lifts and alignment lifts look similar at first glance, but alignment lifts feature specialized runways. The front of each runway is outfitted for a turnplate (discussed below) that permits wheel rollbacks and rapid aligning procedures. For many shops, space is tight, and a four-post lift takes up more space than any other style of car lift. Don't invest in a four-post lift unless you're certain that you don't need to perform alignments. Upgrading your capabilities down the road is trickier than getting the right lift today.

To protect your customers' vehicle, our alignment lift's free-moving turnplates can be locked in place, making it easy to use the lift as a dual-purpose car stacker and service lift. Because they also do alignments, this lift style is more versatile than a standard lift without any functional drawbacks. If you're building a new shop or expanding your current one, we encourage you to explore BendPak's many alignment car lift options, so you can provide the full suite of wheel service options for your customers.

Install a Deluxe Turnplate Set by BendPak

BendPak's upgraded turnplates are some of the most robust every made. Each turn plate is extraordinarily heavy-duty, built for continuous use in fast-paced shops. The upgrade fits all late-model BendPak alignment lifts, featuring corrosion-resistant power coating, angled steel lock pins and dual "popsicle stick" gap stops. Their free-floating design and 14" diameter gauge is exactly what you need to ensure a perfect rollback—one-and-done. Don't waste money on inferior designs that will wear out, break or else work less efficiently. BendPak's deluxe turn plates are a thing of beauty you have to see to fully appreciate.

Receive Free Training with Wheel Aligner Purchase

What could be better than free? When you buy a Ranger wheel aligner, we provide on-site training at no extra cost. It's an incredible one-day program that you can't afford to miss. We'll show your techs everything they need to know about the aligner. By the time our trainer leaves your shop, teach tech will be adept at the following topics:

• Basic wheel alignment theory
• Basic wheel alignment procedures for two-wheel, thrust angle& four‐wheel
• Pre‐alignment inspection procedures
• Troubleshooting wheel alignment problems
• Diagnosing tire wear
• Toe
• Camber
• Caster
• Turning angle (toe‐out on turns)
• Steering axis inclination (SAI)
• Included angle
• Thrust angle & rear axle steer
• Setback
• Ride height
• Ball joints
• Tie rod ends
• Steering linkage
• Idler & pitman arms
• Learning Objectives

Most wheel alignment training sessions take place on a weekday, starting at 9:00 AM and ending around 4:00 PM. Before scheduling the appointment, we'll be in touch regarding your shop's needs. If there's an topic that you don't need to waste time on, we can adapt our training session to meet your techs' needs. We're here to help in any way we can.

BendPak / Ranger has rapidly evolved in the world's biggest manufacturer and supplier of car lift and wheel service accessories. Hopefully, this article helps you see that a few slick moves can get you better equipment, faster alignments and a bigger bottom line. Call BendPak / Ranger direct at 1-800-353-2363 to purchase new equipment or schedule a wheel aligner training session today.