Equipment Checklist for Starting a Tyre Fitment Centre

Opening a tyre fitment centre or workshop in South Africa comes down to one big early decision: which equipment do you actually need on day one, and which can wait? Buy the wrong kit and you tie up cash in machines that sit idle; miss a piece and you turn away work. This checklist walks through the core equipment a working bay needs, roughly in the order you will use it on a job, so you can plan your fit-out with confidence.

1. A way to lift the vehicle

Nothing happens until the wheel is off the ground. At minimum you need a good trolley jack and a set of jack stands — the jack lifts, the stands hold, and you never work under a vehicle on the jack alone. As the bay grows, a two-post or scissor vehicle lift lets a technician work standing up and doubles throughput. If you are unsure which jack to start with, our guide on how to choose a trolley jack breaks down tonnage and reach.

2. A tyre changer

This is the machine your bay runs on. For most start-ups a semi-automatic swing-arm tyre changer is the sweet spot of speed and price; high-volume bays step up to a fully automatic tilt-back changer. Our guide on how to choose a tyre changer machine covers matching the machine to your volume and wheel sizes. Browse the full tyre changer range to compare.

3. A wheel balancer

Every tyre you mount must be balanced, so a wheel balancer is not optional — it is a job you will do on every wheel that passes through the bay. A laser-guided model like the BP3010 with laser speeds up weight placement and reduces comebacks.

4. Wheel alignment (the profitable add-on)

A wheel alignment machine turns a tyre sale into a bigger job. Many customers will pay for alignment at the same visit, and it is a service the informal market cannot offer. If you are wondering how it differs from balancing, our guide on wheel alignment vs wheel balancing explains both.

5. The consumables and accessories that keep the bay moving

The small items stop a bay when they run out. Stock up on tyre service accessories — bead boosters, tyre inflators, valve tools, mounting paste and wheel weights — from the start. A wall-mounted digital inflator and a bead booster are used on almost every job.

6. Workshop support equipment

Rounding out the bay: an engine crane and hydraulic press for the heavier mechanical jobs, air and pneumatic tools run off your compressor, and general workshop equipment and accessories like mechanic’s seats, oil drainers and lighting.

The shortcut: start-up combos

If you would rather buy the core bay in one go, our combo packages bundle the essentials at a package price. The start-up garage combo pairs a tyre changer, wheel balancer, trolley jack and trestles — enough to take a wheel off, change and balance a tyre, and refit it — in a single purchase.

Plan your fit-out with us

Every machine at AETANDA is supplied new with manufacturer warranty, held in local stock in Kempton Park, with spares and operator training available — and all prices include VAT at 15%. If you are planning a new bay and want a hand sizing the equipment to your space and budget, contact us and we will put a list together with you.