From Kia to Kenworth

Jack Kazmierski

The larger targets can be seen from a longer distance. @Crédit : Hunter Engineering Company

From small sedans to Class 8 trucks, this alignment machine can do it all.

Built for the needs of the heavy-duty trucking industry, but able to manage all types of vehicles, including sedans, SUVs and light-duty trucks, Hunter Engineering’s new HAWKEYE XL is better than ever.

Recent upgrades make the Hunter HAWKEYE XL easier-to-use, and more capable. “It has a new sensor system,” explains Ross Iacobellis, Technical Sales & Training Manager at Hunter Canada. “All the electronics have been moved from the wheel and are now machine-mounted, which means they're mounted up high, out of harm's way.”

With added additional efficiencies, Iacobellis adds, technicians are now able to mount the targets faster than before. “The camera targets themselves are very similar to the light-duty products that we’ve been using in the automotive world for a while,” he adds. “We upscaled to a larger target, which can be seen from a longer distance.”

Hunter’s team of top-notch engineers realizes that in today’s demanding human resources environment, finding qualified heavy-duty technicians is not easy to do. “Our easier-to-use technology, easier-to-navigate software, and an alignment system that gets technicians off the floor helps with technician retention,” Iacobellis says.

Hunter has incorporated their fully integrated technology into this HD alignment rack so that technicians no longer have to pull pins and try to free-up turn plates. Instead, they can use the new fully integrated system, which locks and unlocks the plates on the front and the rear.

Although it is designed for large Class 8 trucks, when equipped with the right accessories, the HAWKEYE XL can tackle alignments on passenger vehicles as well. “The machine has all the software incorporated into it to navigate light-duty jobs,” Iacobellis says. “So, it’s really a dual-duty aligner.”

Improved versatility

The new and improved HAWKEYE XL comes with features that make it more versatile than ever. “With the new HAWKEYE XL the boom moves, which means that it can now be used to do HD alignments on the floor,” Iacobellis explains. “In other words, if a shop does not have room for a rack, or if they want to do alignments in multiple bays, the new HAWKEYE XL is fully mobile. You can roll it over to another bay, set up portable turn plates on the floor, and do alignments in any bay.”

Moreover, it is no longer necessary to calibrate the floor. “With the older technology, where the electronics were on the wheels, you had to calibrate each bay and measure the floors,” Iacobellis says. “The new HAWKEYE XL automatically does that, so there’s no need to calibrate the floor anymore.”

Trailer alignments

Hunter Engineering has ticked all the boxes with the new HAWKEYE XL, providing an alignment system that even works with trailers. At the 2024 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Hunter introduced a new trailer feature, which allows technicians to perform alignments on trailers, even if the trailer will not fit into the service bay.

“You can actually back the trailer into the bay, because in some cases you can’t get trailers in forwards, due to a lack or room,” Iacobellis explains. “So, with the new HAWKEYE XL, you can put the sensors on a trailer, back it into a bay, and do the alignment that way.”

For more information about how the new HAWKEYE XL system can improve your business, please visit https://www.hunter.com/en-ca/alignment-machines/hawkeye-xl/.