AKRON, Ohio – (February 26, 2008) – The Easy-Lift™ Bead-Seating Stand from Ken-Tool provides a safer and easier way to position large tire and wheel assemblies for proper bead seating. Ergonomically designed to increase productivity and reduce back strain and injuries, the Easy-Lift aligns tire beads concentrically on the wheel resulting in improved vehicle ride and longer tire life.
It’s easy to use. After mounting a tire onto a 22.5” wheel, the technician rolls the tire and wheel assembly to the front of the stand. Then he pushes the assembly towards the crown on the stand so that gravity takes over to make the center of the wheel fall onto the crown. Once the assembly contacts the crown, it automatically falls into a horizontal position, and gravity then causes the bottom bead of the tire to align concentrically with the bottom bead flange of the wheel.
Some shops use 5-gallon buckets or blocks of wood for this. Unfortunately, when it is lying on a bucket or wood, the bottom side of the tire may be only a couple inches off the ground and the technician still has to lift the whole assembly from the ground into a vertical position. But with Easy-Lift, once the tire is in position, the stand keeps the bottom side of the tire raised 10-11” off the floor or ground and everything is well within reach. With Easy-Lift, gravity again steps in to help stand the tire back upright, so the technician doesn’t have to strain to get the tire rolling again.
“All Ken-Tool products are designed to make a job go easier, faster and safer. Back strain and the potential for serious injuries are critical considerations with every tool we design,” said Roger Kliskey, Ken-Tool’s product development engineer. “Our new Easy-Lift Bead-Seating Stands are engineered to help prevent these kinds of injuries and to make the technician’s job easier and more productive.”
The Easy-Lift stand comes in two sizes for 22.5” diameter wheels: Item #36016 features a standard-sized crown to handle wheels with 8-1/2” center-holes, and Item #36017 features a larger crown to fit European-sized 11” center holes. Both are portable and weigh just 37 pounds. And a small footprint of 24” H x 26” W x 27” L allows Easy-Lift to conveniently store anywhere.
Ken-Tool is the leading manufacturer of tire service tools in the world. Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, Ken-Tool has been providing the tire industry and automotive aftermarket with quality products for over 85 years.
For media inquiries, or to request images, please contact Mariellen Fagan, Communications Director, Crowl, Montgomery & Clark, at mfagan@crowlinc.com, or 330-494-6999, ext. 201.