Ideas are created all the time, from a do-it-yourself projects to construction plans, to ways to eliminate bugs, and everything in between and beyond. Formulating these ideas into a well-laid plan and a tangible product can become something a person should have credit for. Chris Gamble (75) is creative and ambitious, and with an inventor’s mind, he began his journey obtaining patents for his ideas, including the Balance Masters system of balancers, which is proudly Made in America.
Balance Masters is a revolutionary, self-adjusting, balancing system that easily installs on truck wheels, drive shafts, engines, and has applications for aircraft, motor homes, motorcycles, and most spinning shafts. Balance Masters works with a patented process that is simple physics – Newton’s Third Law, that states for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Balance Masters actively compensates for the vibrations caused by any out-of-balance condition. There are no steel balls, no sands or oils, and no pre-balancing is required. The main active ingredient is QuickSilver (mercury). It is not affected by extreme temperatures and there are no wear patterns to worry about because there are no frictional materials – the liquid moves smoothly to the desired area around the balancer.
Chris is the owner of Sun-Tech Innovations out of Northridge, CA, which was established in Arizona in the mid-70s. Originally named Fine Tuners, it didn’t take long for the name change to Balance Masters. It was originally marketed for ultralight aircraft props, then moved to the ultralight engines. Chris had to create demonstrations for his product, a product which was made in his kitchen. From there, Chris moved on to motorcycle wheels and Harley Davidson engines. Getting involved in the motorcycle community, he also came into contact with truckers, because most of them rode motorcycles, as well.
Knowing what he wanted to do, there really wasn’t a lot to this idea, as far as what it took to create these balancers initially, and as time went on. Originally, Chris wanted to find a way to liquefy lead and keep it cool at the same time, but lead would be harmful. So began his search for something that was as heavy as liquid lead. Mercury became the clear answer. As he integrated mercury into the equation, he utilized his knowledge according to Newton’s Law and other principles he learned in high school.
In 1985, he started getting very good feedback from truckers. With this newfound market, he started creating balancers for heavy duty drive shafts and heavy duty truck tires. He continued looking for ways to incorporate the balancers within the trucking industry. Chris has had a patent attorney since he was 18 years old. Anyone can apply for a patent, but Chris stated the problem is that most give up the first time an idea is rejected. He didn’t have the mindset to give up, and it took about three years, two months, and three rejections before he obtained the balancer patent.
The benefit of utilizing balancers on vehicles is to help smooth out the ride and provide better braking and less tire wear. This prevented skipping and cupping which aided in less of each tire being put onto the roadways. People needed to be educated not only on the benefit of the balancers, but that the usage of mercury was not harmful, as well. Mercury is all natural, an inexpensive base product to get, it is heavier than lead, can stay in a liquid state, is non-frictional, will last longer, and no lubricant is needed. Oddly enough, mercury was used as a cure for syphilis and gonorrhea back during the Civil War because bacteria didn’t grow where the mercury was present.
How does he obtain mercury? He will buy it from people who randomly find some (the EPA seems to like this), as many are just happy to get rid of it, and for the past 35-40 years, he has purchased from a recycler in the Midwest. As an idea of how much mercury he uses in a balancer, it is 3.5 dead weight ounces for a steer tire and 4.5 dead weight ounces for a drive tire. The dead weight doesn’t mean much because the dead weight is used to generate more weight, therefore more energy, the faster it spins.
A testament to the importance of collaborations that bring about new ideas, connections, and an expansion of how his balancer can work for many different markets, years ago Chris sold Bruce Mallinson, founder of Pittsburgh Power (one of our longtime contributors with his column “The Performance Zone”) a balancer for his Harley Davidson. Bruce started to wonder how it would work on diesel engines. Bruce started sending dampeners to Chris and Chris installed the balancers to the dampeners that sit on the front of the engine. Using the balancer is a way to counteract imbalances and vibrations and inevitably add more life to many components of the engine.
Being a company and a product that is “Made in America” from start to finish, Chris is very proud, and it makes him feel good to be able to provide quality products. Most of the products are made in house, which includes the tubing that is molded and metal wheel spinning, which he said is a dying art. Today, the Balance Masters balancer system can be found in dealers across the United States and in other countries, as well.
Pittsburgh Power showcased their products, including the balancer system, at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, KY back in March. Chris has 60 patents to his name which range from dog leashes, golf clubs, glow-in-the-dark darts, and of course these balancers. Other companies have tried to replicate these balancers with their own twist, but they can’t compare to the real deal. To learn more about all their available products, visit www.balancemasters.com today.
Special thanks from Chris to his employees who take really good care of him, do amazing work, and are very much like his family. Their hard work and dedication continue to make this company thrive. Thank you to Chris for your time on the phone and willingness to educate me on the balancer applications. It is impressive how his idea had the sophistication to become an important asset to not only the trucking market, but in other markets, as well. However brief, this was a chance to get a look into an inventor’s mind and the steps it took to come up with the Balance Masters balancer system you see today.