pro-trac alignment

I had the MD Alignment done about 2 yrs ago. Cost me $200. Went down the road fairly straight. Way better than before.

 

My opinion is that it is more dependent on the tech doing the alignment that the machine/method used. The fanciest top of line alignment rack can pump out crappy alignments if the tech doesn't know what he's doing or doesn't care. Most alignment shops wants a screen o turn green so they can print it out and get paid, but a good alignment shop wants your truck to go straight and your tires to last longer.

Because we don't have any good alignment shops near us, we do our own. Our method is similar to the MD alignment system, but we made our own and never say "that's good enough". Our trucks are car haulers, so they are lowered and factory specs are not optimum for us. We ended up (through a lot of testing and tire monitoring) with 1/32" toe-in to start. Setting up the front drive parallel to the steer axle and offsetting the rear drive 1/32" back on the right side. This makes our trucks go nice and straight down the road. We closely watch the steer tire wear. If it starts to show any signs of toe-in/out, we adjust a bit to correct.

Basically what we do is give the truck what it wants to wear tires evenly. What the exact toe ends up, we have no clue, it's close to 1/32" toe-in. To do a good alignment, you need to follow up and readjust. If the truck drifts to the right or left, we'll readjust the rear drive a bit.

 

I'm an ex alignment guy turned trucker and I will tell you where most if not all shops make a huge mistake,, if they are trying to shim the drives while the tires are on the ground,the settings will not be true,,the tires(all of them) MUST be on slip plates so the axles can move when shims are added or removed,,otherwise the truck MUST be moved after changing shims to allow the axle to "center" itself,,and that means removing all the heads from the wheels (heads=alignment sensors),,this adds time that the shops don't want to do,,back in the early/mid 90's I did truck/motorhome 2 & 3 axle alignments as well as cars and I used the plates on every job,,something i have not seen at any shop I have been to except one. another thing I have seen is techs not performing a proper run-out sequence on each alignment head prior to getting readings on the screen,,this is critical because it corrects slight variances in the head's attachment to the wheel/rim. Even on non-adjustable axles I was able to make changes by loosening U-bolts/springs and shifting the axle on the spring perches. also I see shops setting front toe-in @ 0 degrees/inches which works OK on a new truck but once parts get "worn in" settings of 1/16' total toe in result in better tire wear as tires tend to "toe out" when driving,,

 

and as for caster shimming trying to get more caster on the right side to correct a pull does not work on a straight axle,,all it does is slightly affect the arch of the spring

 

The problem i see with the md alignment setup is that it is heavily tech dependent. They train techs, but certify shops.

The shop I use is an MD alignment shop, and has kept me going straight for years. Very pleased, but he's an old hand and I dread the day he retires.

 

I had Best One in South Bend, IN do mine. I wasn't watching over his shoulder, but it took him 2 he's just on the drives, due to this being kinda corroded and nasty. Ran out of time, so I had to return later.

Didn't 100% fix it, but it was waaaayyyy better.

 

To all you morons saying the protrac system isn't any good, you obviously don't have a properly trained guy doing them. I've seen two different guys use the same system on the same truck, and the 1st guy was way off. Second guy came in and corrected it perfectly and the truck drives straight down the road. The guy I know has a great track record up here in the Twin Cities and he does on site mobile alignments, doesn't have to use a shop because he knows what he is doing. The guy's # is 612-889-2771 and his name is John.

 

The MD alignment guy is knowledgeable yes but most of what he say is common knowledge for most real alignment shops. account for the crown in the road.... well duh!

I will only bring my truck in to a frame and alignment shop, no normal hd mechanics and no tire shops that do alignments. I will only bring it to a shop that has the ability to bend the front axle rather then shim it. I'm not saying bending is better and some would argue it's bad to bend but to me that shows they have the tools to do the job proper.

This is just my opinion and what I personally do because every single time I have deviated from this, it's cost me tires and time.