Katool KT-T850 and KT-B750: the jaw is the part that decides whether you keep the customer

Two machines ship in this package, and the one detail worth reading first is buried in the KT-T850's feature list. Its clamping jaws are carburized to a case depth of 0.8 to 1.1 mm and then through-quenched. In plain terms: the surface is hardened so it does not wear round and start slipping, while the metal underneath is left tough so the jaw flexes rather than cracks when a rim is clamped hard and off-centre. Cheap jaws are hard all the way through, which is why they chip, and a chipped jaw is what marks an alloy wheel.

Katool then covers the jaw anyway. There is a jaw cover over the clamping face, a plastic cover on the mounting head, and a high-quality spade cover on the bead tool - three separate barriers between hardened steel and a customer's rim. A tire shop's real running cost is not the machine, it is the wheel you have to pay for. This combination is built around not having that conversation.

The mounting head, and why stainless matters here

The KT-T850's mounting head is stainless steel, solution-treated and polished at the interface, and shaped to follow the mechanics of the bead rather than simply shoving it. Polished stainless does two things at once: it slides over the rim flange with less drag, and it does not carry the fine surface rust that a plain steel head picks up in a damp bay and then drags across paint. The head is fitted with a plastic protective cover for the same reason.

Pedal control you can service

The KT-T850 uses a pull-type pedal control system. It is a small thing on a spec sheet and a large thing over five years: pull-type pedal linkages are simple to adjust and simple to get at, so a machine that starts to feel vague can be brought back rather than lived with. The pneumatic circuit is protected by a lubricator that meters oil into the air and filters the compressed air on its way in, which is the single most effective way to keep cylinders and valves alive in a shop where the compressor is not religiously drained.

What the KT-B750 balancer brings

The balancer in this package handles rims up to 30 in and wheels up to 880 mm in diameter, spins at 180 rpm and reports to 1 g. Its centre hole capacity is 135 mm and it takes a wheel weighing up to 65 kg. The automatic measurement ruler enters the A and D values for you rather than making the operator key them in, which is where balancing errors usually start. Its body is 3 mm steel and the sensor supports sit on 8 mm boards, because a balancer only reads correctly if the sensor is held still.

What your shop needs

• Two electrical outlets. The changer is listed at 110V single phase and the balancer at 120V single phase - both ordinary single-phase supplies, but that is two circuits to plan, not one.
• Compressed air. The changer wants 0.8 to 1.0 MPa, which is 116 to 145 psi at the machine. Check your compressor's regulated delivery under repeated use rather than its badge pressure.
• Floor. The changer alone weighs 340 kg (750 lbs). It needs a flat, sound slab, room to swing a 47 in wheel on the turntable, and the balancer within a step or two so a wheel does not get carried across the shop twice per tire.

Working envelope

The KT-T850 takes wheels up to 47 in (1,200 mm) in diameter and 15 in (380 mm) wide, clamping from the outside between 14 in and 26 in or from the inside between 16 in and 28 in. It is fitted with assist arms, a bead blast seater and a 200 mm aluminium bead-breaker cylinder. That envelope covers passenger cars, light trucks and vans, and the assist arms are what make the top of that range a one-person job.

Perfect For

• A new tire bay being equipped from nothing, where buying both machines together avoids a mismatch in capacity.
• General repair shops adding tire work to keep it in-house instead of subcontracting it.
• Alloy-heavy customer bases where cosmetic damage is the risk that matters most.
• Independent workshops replacing a tired air changer that has started to slip in the jaws.

What is in the package

• KT-T850 tilt-arm wheel-clamp tire changer with assist arms and bead blast seater
• 200 mm aluminium bead-breaker cylinder
• Jaw covers, plastic mounting-head cover and spade cover
• KT-B750 wheel balancer with automatic measurement ruler and self-calibration

The wheel guard for the balancer is listed as optional, and compressed air and electrical work are yours to provide.

Specifications

Approvals, stated plainly

Neither machine in this package carries a third-party safety listing in the data Katool supplies us, and we will not print a badge that the data does not support. That is normal for tire equipment of this class and it usually affects nothing. If your insurer, your landlord or a fleet contract names a specific listing document for powered shop equipment, say so before you order and we will put the question to the manufacturer in writing.

Shipping and delivery

Both machines travel as freight to the lower 48 states, free of charge. The changer alone is 340 kg, so unloading is the receiver's responsibility: a forklift, a dock, or a collection booked at the carrier's local terminal, which is frequently the easiest path because the terminal already has the machinery. A residential delivery carries a residential fee, applied at checkout when you select that option.

Do not sign until you have walked around the pallets. Look for crushed corners, torn wrapping, banding that has moved, bent guards and oil on the deck, and record anything you find on the bill of lading in front of the driver. Photograph it while it is still on the truck. Once the paperwork is signed clean, the carrier's position is that both machines arrived undamaged.

Warranty

Katool publishes a written warranty document covering these machines and we can send you the current copy before you order. One standing caution: if either machine develops a fault, leave the pneumatic circuit, the motor and the balancer's sensor assembly alone until a claim has been raised. A component that has been opened up is generally treated as a modified component, and that is the shortest route to losing cover you would otherwise have had. Photograph the fault, record both serial numbers and call us first.

Contact us for more wheel balancer information.