ACOFAS, the American Council of Frame and Alignment Specialists, will hold a technician training clinic on "Chassis Vibration: Diagnostics and Repair" in Dallas April 22-23.


The event will feature experts on driveline including engine, transmission, drive shafts and differentials. There also will be experts on wheel end vibration, including tires, wheel bearings and wheel hubs.

"Vibrations are always a costly problem for shops and vehicle owners," says Gordon Botts. "This is a great opportunity to increase your knowledge and decrease the hours of diagnostic time."

For information contact gbotts@acofas.com or mross@acofas.com.

ACOFAS also plans to schedule an encore presentation of its recent Frame Diagnostics, Analysis and Gauging program in September 2013.

Frame Diagnostics Seminar

The recent frame clinic, held at Mutual Wheel Company, Milan, Ill., attracted technicians, shop owners and managers, and insurance adjusters from across the United States and Canada.

The attendees were instructed on Frame Diagnostics or what to look for on a chassis:
- Chassis with need for leveling due to a leaning problem.
- Chassis with a front end pull.
- Chassis with unusual tire wear problem.
- Chassis that has a bad shake or vibration problem.
- Chassis that was in an accident involving rollover, twist, or impact.

The attendees were instructed on Frame Analysis, or once it has been determined the frame has damage, what needs to be done to correct the problem:
- Who owns the vehicle?
- Who is the responsible party?
- Is this an Insurance claim?
- If this is an insurance claim, what is the chassis market value, salvage value and owner deductible?
- What needs to be removed and reinstalled to facilitate the frame repair?
- How are you going to straighten the chassis frame?
- Will the frame need to be reinforced after correction?

The participants were divided into two groups and given different scenarios for the inspection and gauging of two tractors that had been in collisions. The teams were required to determine if the vehicle could be repaired, what had to be removed to accomplish the repair, and gauge the frame to justify the repairs. The teams also needed to estimate the cost of repairs to determine if the repairs were cost-effective.