Atlas TC289 Tire Changer and WB11 Wheel Balancer: The Package That Also Takes Motorcycle Wheels

One thing separates this package from the standard TC289 and WB11 pairing, and it is worth being specific about: motorcycle adapters are supplied with it. A shop that needs a full-size rim-clamp changer and a spin balancer for cars and light trucks gets both, and does not have to turn away a bike wheel or send it across town when one arrives.

Nothing has been shrunk to pay for that. The TC289 is the large-turntable rim-clamp swing-arm machine, the WB11 is a computer-controlled motorized spin balancer, and both run on ordinary 110volt shop power. The two together land at 975 lbs.

Will It Fit, and Can You Run It?

These are two machines with two quite different requirements. Work through the list before ordering rather than after delivery.

• Power. Both are 110volt. There is no three-phase supply to arrange and no transformer to buy. Give each machine a circuit that is not shared with a compressor motor.
• Air. The changer is air-operated and does not include a compressor. Working pressure is 90-110 PSI, and the machine must not exceed 140 PSI — that is a hard ceiling, not a suggestion. The oiler, filter and regulator come with it; the compressor and the line to it are yours.
• Floor. The balancer needs no anchor-down installation, so it can sit on a finished slab and be repositioned later without drilling. Around the changer, leave enough clear floor to swing the arm off the column and to walk a 47" tire around the turntable.
• Unloading. 620 lbs for the changer and 355 lbs for the balancer. Plan for a forklift, a dock, or terminal pickup — this is not a two-people-and-a-ramp delivery.

The Changer: Clamping Range Is What You Are Buying

The reason to choose the TC289 over a smaller machine is the turntable. Its jaws move to three mounting positions, clamping externally from 11 7/8" up to 28" and internally out to 29 7/8", and it will take a tire up to 47" in diameter. In practice that is the difference between handling a one-ton truck or a large SUV wheel on the table and fighting it with adapters.

The bead breaker develops 5,500 lb of force against an adjustable breaker plate, so the plate can be set to the wheel rather than the wheel forced to suit the plate. The turntable is driven by a 1 HP motor producing 885 ft/lbs of rotating torque — the figure that matters when a stiff, cold sidewall does not want to come over the rim edge. A built-in Beadblaster is fitted for seating tires that will not take air on the first try.

The Balancer: It Starts When You Drop the Hood

The WB11 spins at 150 RPM and reads to 1 gram, with weight placement resolved to 1.4 degrees. Static and dynamic modes are both available, and a rapid optimization routine is built in for the case where a tire and rim can be rotated relative to each other to cancel out some of the imbalance instead of burying it under lead.

It handles rims from 10" to 32" in diameter and 1 1/2" to 20" wide on a 40mm shaft, up to a maximum wheel weight of 150 lbs, driven by a 1/4 HP motor. It starts and stops automatically as the hood is lowered and raised, and has both an automatic and a pedal-operated brake, so the wheel is held still while the weight goes on. Readings can be shown in grams or ounces and in millimetres or inches. Dimensions are entered manually on this model, and it self-diagnoses and self-calibrates.

What the Motorcycle Adapters Change

The adapters supplied with this package cover a wide range of motorcycle tires. Practically, that means the same two machines that service the car and light-truck side of the shop also mount and balance bike wheels — which is the whole argument for this version over the standard combination. If motorcycle work is occasional rather than daily, that occasional job stops being a reason to send a customer elsewhere.

Perfect For

• Farms and rural properties running a mix of vehicles and machines with no tire shop nearby.
• Powersports and independent shops that already take bike work and want to stop subletting the wheel side of it.
• General service shops adding tires as a profit centre, on standard single-phase power.
• Serious home garages with a compressor already installed and the means to unload freight.

What Is Included

With the changer: oiler, filter and regulator (external air supply still required), plastic protectors, tire tool, lube bucket and lube brush, and an inflation box with gauge. With the balancer: a plastic quick-release nut, four centering cones, wheel weight pliers and measuring calipers. Plus the motorcycle adapters that define this package.

At a Glance

Certification, Stated Plainly

Both machines are CE approved. That marking is a manufacturer's declaration of conformity against European directives. It is a real standard and it is worth having, but it is not the same document as a North American third-party product safety listing, and it should not be read as one. If your insurer, a franchise agreement or a local code requires equipment that carries a recognized third-party listing, confirm exactly what is being asked for before you order.

Shipping and Delivery

This package ships as freight within the lower 48 states. You need a way to get roughly a thousand pounds of machinery off the truck — a forklift, a dock, or a pickup at the carrier's terminal, which is often the easiest option for a shop without either. Delivery to a residential address carries a residential fee, which is quoted live at checkout rather than baked into the price here. When the truck arrives, look at the crates before you sign: note any damage on the bill of lading at the point of delivery, because a signature with no notation is very hard to walk back later.

Warranty

Both machines carry the Atlas 1 year parts only warranty. Parts only means labor is not included, so budget for your own time or your technician's. If something fails inside the term, contact us before taking the assembly apart — a unit that has already been opened is the most common reason a straightforward claim turns into an argument.