Hennessy Industries has found the oldest active Coats balancer in the U.S., and its owners will get a new one to go right beside it.

"The Search for the Oldest Coats Direct Drive Balancer" contest was won by Jim and Abe Torro, co-owners of Orange Auto Center in Orange, Calif. The brothers’ 30-year-old balancer earned them an all-new Coats1250-3DV balancer and a trip to Las Vegas.

“Our balancer was manufactured in July of 1981. It was one of the earliest direct drive models manufactured, so I knew that we had a chance to win,” Abe Torro said. “Although it’s old enough to be an antique, it’s still very reliable, accurate and quick.”

The runner up was Jerry Maxwell and Pat Carter, co-owners of Carter-Maxwell Auto Service in Bethany, Okla. Their direct drive balancer was manufactured in October 1981, just three months after the Torros’. They also received a Coats1250-3DV balancer.

Hennessy also held a random drawing from all entries, and that was won by Mike McCarthy, a high school shop teacher at Nogales High School in LaPuente, Calif. “I was glad to see that they gave all Coats direct drive owners a chance to win,” said McCarthy. “I assumed our school’s balancer probably wouldn’t be the oldest entered into the contest, but figured it was worth entering for the random drawing. We really needed a new balancer for shop class, and the new Coats1250-3DV balancer is perfect for training students with no experience.”

To view photos and testimonials submitted by contestants, or to learn more about the contest, which ran from October through December 20101, visit coatsdirectdrive.com.

“We hoped the contest would emphasize the longevity and reliability of Coats’ direct drive balancers,” said Kevin Keefe, Hennessy Industries’ vice president of marketing. “With more than 200 balancers entered into the contest, many of which have been used on a daily basis since the early 1980s, we think it did just that.”