Dealer's tire-changing machine saves time, prevents injuries

Chevrolet dealer Keith Powell faced a minor storm in his service department in December 2019.

A new Corvette with wheels not compatible with his store's older tire-changing machine was on its way. The sports car was arriving as sales of replacement tires at his store, Yes Chevrolet in Hurricane, W. Va., were increasing, thanks in part to spiffs from General Motors to help dealers better compete with independent tire shops. As a result, Powell needed a way for his technicians to change tires quickly to reduce customer wait time.

Adding to the urgency: The big, heavy tires and wheels from popular pickups and SUVs — some as much as 90 pounds each — were causing injuries to Powell's tire technicians, such as pulled muscles and back problems.

One product promised to speed up tire jobs and ease strain on technicians, but it didn't come cheap. Still, Powell decided to spend $30,000 for a tire-changing machine touted as being able to quickly perform many of the strenuous, dangerous tasks involved in removing an old tire and installing a new one.

"The tire techs were super happy to get it," Powell said of the machine he purchased in January 2020. "Some of the older techs with longevity don't like change much, but after it got in there, it kind of sparked their interest. It was a very short training period and very easy for them to learn. Every tech, from lube and oil techs right up through master-certified techs, knows how to use it."

Powell said the machine, called the Revolution from Hunter Engineering Co., is benefiting his store, though he can't quantify it in dollars and cents. He says customers appreciate shorter wait times, for instance. And an unexpected consequence was the impression it made on Powell's techs.

"They were grateful that I was willing to step up and pay a little more for a machine that was going to be easier on their bodies and make things easier for them in the shop," Powell said. "That's another unmeasured monetary value. If they see I do respect them and I care about that and I am going to give them the best tools to get the job done, they'll work so hard for me and they'll do the right thing."

Job satisfaction for the dealership's tire techs has increased, he said. And turnover in those positions has been reduced.

Here's how it works: The technician loads a tire and wheel onto the machine, which swings it upright and removes the old tire from the wheel. The tech loads the new tire, sets the lower bead on the rim and the tire is automatically installed and inflated. Lastly, the tech moves the wheel to a separate balancing machine before reinstalling it on the vehicle.

The techs no longer have to lift the tire and wheel into place. More importantly, they no longer handle a metal bar that stretches the lip of the tire over the rim under great pressure, a dangerous procedure that has caused countless injuries and deaths over the years, according to records compiled by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Hunter says a tire tech using the Revolution is roughly 25 percent faster. Because the tech can be balancing one tire and wheel while another is on Revolution, the job is completed faster. The potential to reduce injuries and improve productivity convinced Powell to buy the machine, now in its fourth generation.

As for the redesigned Corvette, the store sold 18 of the midengine sports car in the first year. Of those, 13 buyers upgraded to a different set of wheels.

Powell plans to install a Revolution at his other store, Yes Ford in Huntington, W.Va.

Tire sales have become a profit center for new-car dealerships such as Powell's stores. Their share of the tire replacement market has been growing for years thanks to companies such as Cleveland's Dealer Tire, which has given new-car service departments access to huge inventories of tires that can be delivered quickly.

In 2019, franchised new-car dealerships accounted for 9.5 percent of the tire replacement market, according to trade publication Modern Tire Dealer. Yes Chevrolet is selling more than 600 tires per year. While it's a low-margin business, anything that improves productivity and helps drive volume will boost profit prospects for his dealership, Powell said.

"Customers are getting used to buying tires from us because we are telling them about it," he said. "With tire incentives, it has really picked up a lot. If we can crank those out one after another with scheduling, there is a profit center there."