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WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Steertrak: The Complexities of Commercial Vehicle Wheel Alignment
“Commercial vehicle wheel alignment services,” says Andy Cornish, “are only as good as the equipment being used and the people operating the equipment. To begin with, there are no Standards governing wheel alignment equipment, so it is always important to know exactly what you are getting when you pay for a wheel alignment service.” As Cornish points out, wheel alignment of sorts can be carried out with equipment varying in sophistication from a plank of wood and a ball of string to laser precision equipment. There are also many different points of reference – the rim, the tyre, the rear axle, the chassis etc.
Cornish is the Managing Director of Tewkesbury based wheel alignment company Steertrak. Servicing over 19,000 vehicles per year, Steertrak are specialists in commercial vehicle alignment covering HGVs, coaches, trailers, low loaders, cranes, van and 4x4s. The company covers all aspects of wheel alignment including tracking on all axles, inter-axle alignment, drive axle thrust angle adjustment, the re- setting of steering box timing and
Most equipment and workshops merely do tracking, he points out, which simply focuses on the relation of one wheel to another. It is why car wheels are aligned in pairs. However, tracking does not take into account whether the vehicle itself is pointing straight ahead – only the two wheels that have been measured. In a truck with multiple axles, though, this is not enough. Here it is necessary to work one wheel at a time with reference to the chassis rail and the centre line of the vehicle.
But this is only the start of
it, and is the reason why
Cornish focuses on the need for using an expert technician to carry out the process of commercial vehicle wheel alignment. He explains; “Many people may felt the need for wheel alignment but aren’t asking the right questions. Tyre wear problems or handling issues can occur for a variety of reasons –
timing and steering wheel straightness. The steering box timing must be set to straight ahead.”
If a comprehensive wheel alignment service is used, and the alignment is done properly by technicians with the right expertise, then the process should be self-financing, says Cornish. To illustrate this, Steertrak point to the fuel savings that can be made by making sure wheels are aligned correctly. The company points out that a mere half degree misalignment on one axle can result in a 3-5% increase in fuel consumption and a 40% reduction in tyre life. Total savings, points out the company, lie typically between £500 and £3,500 per vehicle.
In a typical preventative programme, Steertrak checks tractor units and rigids (including new vehicles) thoroughly at the start of the programme. They are then re- checked annually, every time a component is changed or if the vehicle is bumped. Trailers are also checked at the start of the programme and every time there is a bump or if a part is changed. In
any case, steered axles on trailers are checked annually and fixed axles every three years.
Steertrak provides full alignment reports for each vehicle in a fleet. In order to do this more efficiently Steertrak have recently developed a custom app, which allows reports to be e-mailed directly to customers. This, says Cornish is allowing Steertrak to complete the measurement cycle of a mobile fleet in a much quicker time. “The crucial thing is getting the information to the customer quickly,” he says.
According to Cornish, Steertrak has seen an uptake in alignment services from the haulage industry in recent times. “The problem is,” he admits, “it’s difficult to work out whether this is due to an improvement in the economy or because there are more adopters. However, we think there must be some newer uptake, which means our message about the need for a professional commercial vehicle alignment service is getting through.”
steering wheel straightness. Steertrak, needless to say, uses the very best Josam alignment equipment, approved by all vehicle manufacturers and designed specifically for commercial vehicles, and claims the most experienced team of specialist wheel alignment engineers in the UK.
“To begin with,” says Cornish, “it is important to understand the difference between tracking and CV wheel alignment. The requirements for aligning truck wheels are very different to car tracking. Unfortunately, many people simply try to scale up from car alignment. Most wheel alignment equipment, in fact, is designed with cars in mind – not trucks.”
seized kingpins, excess play in ball joints, all sorts of technical issues – so it may not be the alignment that is causing the problem. This is why it’s important to have the right people analysing the problem. It is vital to fix any technical issues before carrying out the wheel alignment process. Our technicians are trained to do this.”
Another thing which needs to be checked is the steering box timing. According to Cornish the steering box timing on a large number of vehicles is incorrect. “The power assistance could be on one side of the vehicle,” he points out. “Many people miss aspects such as this. Each wheel needs to be checked in conjunction with the steering box
22 Commercial Tyre Business