lift mate stress on tire bead

[marathonracer]

Used my lift mate attached to my hilift today and it scared the crap out of me when I saw how much stress was on the bead. You could see the tire edge pulling up on the rim. Has anyone else had this issue? Is it anything to worry about or does it just look worse than it is?

 

[IdaSHO]

Normal. Nothing to worry about.

 

[marathonracer]

Thanks. I kept waiting for the loud POP with every pump of the handle.

 

[IdaSHO]

Have you watched the videos only showing its use?

If the rubber pad is 100% on the tire, you may have problems.

The pad is designed to fit at least somewhat against the wheel when lifting.

 

[marathonracer]

Yeah the pad was about half on the rim.

 

[emmodg]

In several years of teaching the use of the lift mate I think on,y one time did it contribute to the "de-beading" of a tire. If you've placed the face of the device 100% on the sidewall AND you are aired down quite a bit you maaaaaaaaaaaaaay have a problem. Next time just place the face 50% on side wall and 50% on wheel/rim and you won't have a problem.

Now, my Lift Mate "rant":

I'm all about staying relatively light and "succinct" vis a vi recovery gear. The Lift Mate is nice don't get me wrong and caaaan be quite handy BUT it ONLY does one thing(lift a wheel), it doesn't work on every wheel, even on the wheels it dos work on if the wheel happens to be "clocked" wrong it won't work, not to mention we saw quite a few rip at the horizontal strap that is stitched to the two "hook straps", we saw the upper plate that rests on the nose of the jack rip AND when you're wearing gloves, it's raining, snowing, muddy that ********** bolt that must be placed through the device and cast web of jack nose often times is dropped never to be found again!

So.... Why not learn to use a piece of gear that can be cheaper, lighter, serves more than one purpose, AND works on every wheel? (Not to mention you've probably already have it!) - The tree strap OR a ratchet strap.

Here endeth my lift mate rant.

 

[AFBronco235]

I have my own cheapo version of the lift mate. Its simply a length of 3/4 inch triple twist nylon rope. I keep a couple lengths of 6-10 feet with loops tied into the ends in my on board gear. I use them for a number of things, but if I need to lift a tire "Lift Mate" style, I can run the rope through the wheels and cinch it around the tire and loop the ends over the jack beak. Some baling wire to make sure it don't slip off and I'm good to go for the lift. Easy peasy.
Now, for ya'll get onto me about load strengths and what not, the nylon rope I use is very under rated, literally. And if I needed to put enough weight on that tire that it would break that rope, then I shouldn't be using that method in the first place. As for safety and clocking issues, the wire keeps the rope from slipping on the jack and cinching the rope around the tire means I won't have to worry about the wheel slipping off any hooks.

Of course, as with any recovery operation, knowledge and experience are required and I wouldn't want to recommend this to a novice. But with care, it can be done safely.

 

[fourstringfletch]

So.... Why not learn to use a piece of gear that can be cheaper, lighter, serves more than one purpose, AND works on every wheel? (Not to mention you've probably already have it!) - The tree strap OR a ratchet strap.

Any recommendations on where to learn this method?

 

[AFBronco235]

Any recommendations on where to learn this method?

I believe I described the method above.

But in short, you slip the sling through the gaps in your wheel, cinching it around the tire, slip the looped ends of the sling over the lifting beak or use a rated shackle to connect them, and just start jacking. You do need to be careful though and take note of the conditions of the ground where the jack pad will be resting, the angle of lift, the way the vehicle is laying as well as a host of other conditions.

How's this for a disclaimer? Just because using a tree saver or lift sling is safer, IMO, than using the hi-lift wheel hooks, does not make the use of a jack to lift the wheel in this manner safe, let alone idiot proof.

 

[emmodg]

I'll post some pics of the strap and ratchet "method"...

 

[Crom]

I believe I described the method above.

But in short, you slip the sling through the gaps in your wheel, cinching it around the tire, slip the looped ends of the sling over the lifting beak or use a rated shackle to connect them, and just start jacking. You do need to be careful though and take note of the conditions of the ground where the jack pad will be resting, the angle of lift, the way the vehicle is laying as well as a host of other conditions.

How's this for a disclaimer? Just because using a tree saver or lift sling is safer, IMO, than using the hi-lift wheel hooks, does not make the use of a jack to lift the wheel in this manner safe, let alone idiot proof.

I'll post some pics of the strap and ratchet "method"...

Do either of you have pics of this method? I understand what you wrote, but what keeps the jack from coming into direct contact of the wheel / body panel?

I'm hoping that this 5 month old thread isn't dead ☺

Edit: I understand now, the method still requires the lift mate product. I was reading that it did not, but I see now that it does.

 

[aluke0510]

Do either of you have pics of this method? I understand what you wrote, but what keeps the jack from coming into direct contact of the wheel / body panel?

I'm hoping that this 5 month old thread isn't dead ☺

Edit: I understand now, the method still requires the jackmate product. I was reading that it did not, but I see now that it does.

What I do to get a wheel off the ground faster is ratchet strap the axle to the frame and lift from the bumper. You don't have to lift through all the suspension flex. That and never saw the big advantage of the lift mate. All it does is lift the wheel off the ground. If you have to change the wheel you still have to have another option as well. Why have two separate options to lift a tire?

 

[JHa6av8r]

Why have two separate options to lift a tire?

Because it's always nice to have an option 2 if for some reason option 1 doesn't work.

 

[Crom]

What I do to get a wheel off the ground faster is ratchet strap the axle to the frame and lift from the bumper. You don't have to lift through all the suspension flex. That and never saw the big advantage of the lift mate. All it does is lift the wheel off the ground. If you have to change the wheel you still have to have another option as well. Why have two separate options to lift a tire?

I always carry (1) jack stand with me no matter what. My mobility and life are too important. Yes. I've ratchet strapped the axle too. However, that activity itself has it's own issues, depending on the model vehicle. On my Tacoma, great care has to be taken not to interfere ( or damage) the brake line & wheel speed sensor. It does work though!

The lift-mate as it's designed from Hi-Lift has some shortcomings as mentioned in this thread, however the concept has a lot of value as it allows the hi-lift to work on a variety of vehicles that do not have suitable lifting points. I haven't bought the lift-mate yet, and if I did, I'd consider almost immediately modifying it. I'm thinking of ditching the factory yellow poly/nylon webbing and instead use an endless 3' polyester sling in a basket hitch around the wheel spokes and finally connected to the lift-mate bolt with some quick links. Weaving the polyester sling through the wheel spokes will make it super secure and should work on a variety of wheels.

Sort of Off-topic but really great, was this Land Rover owners custom modifications to the lift-mate:

Because it's always nice to have an option 2 if for some reason option 1 doesn't work.

^This!

 

[aluke0510]

Because it's always nice to have an option 2 if for some reason option 1 doesn't work.

But option 2 won't change a tire. That and both options rely on the same critical piece of equipment, the jack. In all my driving I find myself changing tires far more than I do just lifting a wheel off the ground. And yes I have done a lot of sand driving. I lived in Namibia. Every pound you reduce in combination with airing down and understanding how to control your vehicle makes you far less likely to bottom an axle when you just need to lift a tire out...

I always carry (1) jack stand with me no matter what. My mobility and life are too important. Yes. I've ratchet strapped the axle too. However, that activity itself has it's own issues, depending on the model vehicle. On my Tacoma, great care has to be taken not to interfere ( or damage) the brake line & wheel speed sensor. It does work though!

The lift-mate as it's designed from Hi-Lift has some shortcomings as mentioned in this thread, however the concept has a lot of value as it allows the hi-lift to work on a variety of vehicles that do not have suitable lifting points. I haven't bought the lift-mate yet, and if I did, I'd consider almost immediately modifying it. I'm thinking of ditching the factory yellow poly/nylon webbing and instead use an endless 3' polyester sling in a basket hitch around the wheel spokes and finally connected to the lift-mate bolt with some quick links. Weaving the polyester sling through the wheel spokes will make it super secure and should work on a variety of wheels.

Sort of Off-topic but really great, was this Land Rover owners custom modifications to the lift-mate:







^This!

Jack stand in combination works I guess; assuming you carry a piece of plywood to keep it from sinking in. Again I am more about limiting weight to reduce the need for any of that. I do think the hooks and chain make it more appealing though; plus the ability to set the chain length to what works best for your wheel and tire combination.

What I see as a bigger problem is that many aftermarket bumpers today all have too many angles etc. to safely lift a jack from and end up needing special adapters. I guess the strap method may be a bit of a pain on IFS. I've got solid axles and leaf springs now... But option 2 for me is just lift and lift and lift until suspension drop is done...