An apparatus for measuring forces generated by an unbalance of a vehicle wheel, comprising a horizontally oriented measuring shaft (1) which is supported rotary about its shaft axis (2) in a rotary mounting (3) on a stationary machine frame (4) and which is adapted that a vehicle wheel (5) is fixed onto it for the measurement operation, wherein the measuring shaft (1) is movably guided in a vertical direction on the stationary machine frame (4) between a first vertical position in which the measuring operation is conducted and a second vertical position in which the shaft axis is brought into alignment with a wheel axis (6) of the uprightly positioned vehicle wheel (5).