Hunter Engineering has unveiled 20 new or enhanced wheel service products this year, offering a range of support for shops that work with light-duty and heavy-duty tires alike.

“This has been a wild year for us,” said company president Beau Brauer, during an online presentation about the diverse lineup. “We decided to spend the year laser-focused on product innovation.”

The TCX635 HD tire changer, for example, has been optimized for over-the-road truck tires, featuring 18% more speed and 30% more torque than previous models. A lower carriage has been introduced in the name of ergonomics and to support diameters as large as 58 inches. A new high-efficiency gearbox also promises to back the increased speed and power.

A brand-new HD 4-Post for heavy-duty alignment and service has a 35,000-lb. capacity. Its corrosion-resisting galvanized runways can align vehicles with up to a 300-inch wheelbase. And there are even built-in split plates to service any light-duty equipment that may roll through the service bay.

Optional features for the HD 4-Post include FIA turnplate controls and Powerslide, 20,000-lb jacks for wheels-free service, and LED Alignlights to illuminate the equipment being serviced.

Hunter Engineering is also bringing unmanned inspection technology — traditionally limited to the passenger vehicle market — to heavy-duty applications.

The QCD HD and QT Heavy offer an unmanned alignment and tread depth inspection lane, measuring tread depth and delivering fuel-saving data. Drivers never leave the cab and simply roll over the plates.

The lane covers equipment as diverse as pick-up trucks, box trucks, tractor trailers and multi-trailers, measuring tread depths on super singles and the scrub on tandem axle tires.

But a process that once took 15 minutes can now be completed in 15 seconds.

Adding to that, the HD Elite wheel balancer combines features from the previous generation of heavy-duty balancers along with automatic features found in Roadforce Elite.

Its integrated wheel lift will handle up to 500 lb. and wheels with diameters of up to a 52 inches.

Lasers and cameras are used on the inside and outside of the wheel to automatically measure dimensions and runout. The latter measurement is particularly important when tackling issues like vibration and premature tire wear.

For matching assemblies, the high spots can be mounted 180 degrees apart, while diameters can also be matched. An eCal automatic calibration is included along with the newest features, as is an automatic centering check. And there’s a new touchscreen interface to switch between car, truck and bus to ensure things like the proper wheel weights are used.

In addition to that, updates to the HD alignment system include an HD printout and WinAlign HD 16.2 to help explain conditions to customers.

Bringing it all together is the HunterNet 2 portal that connects equipment users to the data that helps visualize shop performance in real time, recording wheel alignments and tire changes, pushing through daily reports and more.