Method for balancing a drive shaft

A method for balancing a drive shaft about a rotational axis, comprising the steps of:

• providing a substantially cylindrical, unbalanced drive shaft for rotation about said rotational axis;
• rotating said drive shaft about said rotational axis to determine an out-of-balance condition of said drive shaft;
• providing a plurality of standardized weights each having a substantially equivalent mass;
• determining an optimal position for placing at least one of said standardized weights on an outside surface of said drive shaft to correct said out-of-balance condition;
• attaching said at least one standardized weight to said outside surface of said drive shaft at said optimal position;
• and
• verifying the effectiveness of standardized added weights when added to said drive shaft by rotating said drive shaft to determine whether an out-of-balance condition exists.

A method for balancing a drive shaft about a rotational axis, comprising the steps of:

• providing a substantially cylindrical, unbalanced drive shaft for rotation about said rotational axis;
• rotating said drive shaft about said rotational axis to determine an out-of-balance condition of said drive shaft;
• providing a plurality of standardized weights each having a substantially equivalent mass;
• determining an optimal position for placing at least one of said standardized weights, on an outside surface of said drive shaft to correct said out-of-balance condition;
• welding said at least one standardized weight to said outside surface of said drive shaft at said optimal position;
• verifying the effectiveness of said at least one standardized weight when connected to said drive shaft by rotating said drive shaft to determine whether or not an out-of-balance condition exists;
• and
• welding additional weights to said outside surface of said drive shaft when said drive shaft remains in an out-of-balance condition after welding said at least one standardized weight to said outside surface of said drive shaft.