Design and Development of a Minibus Wheel Removal Device to Increase Operational Efficiency

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to: 1) develop a minibus wheel removal device, 2) test the efficiency of the minibus wheel removal device, and 3) evaluate the quality of the developed device. The sample group consisted of seven experienced technicians, not less than five years of work experience, selected by purposive sampling method from Toyota Pearl Service Center in Phuket Province. The efficiency of the device was tested by measuring the time required to remove a wheel using the developed equipment. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation statistics.

The research findings revealed that: 1) the minibus wheel removal device has a dimensional structure of 80 cm wide, 90 cm long, and 160 cm high. It utilizes a 5-ton hydraulic jack to lift the minibus wheel. 2) The developed device could effectively reduce the wheel removal time from 24.53 minutes by the conventional method to 10.40 minutes by the developed device or 14.13 minutes faster. 3) The quality assessment by the experts indicated that the minibus wheel removal device was rated at a very high-quality level.