Make Repairs Under Vehicle Without Laying On Your Back

Make Repairs Under Vehicle Without Laying On Your Back FARM SHOP Repairs 23-5-40 If you're tired of dirt and sparks in your face while working underneath pickups and cars, Accessible Systems, Inc, Jonesborough, Tenn., has a possible solution. The Easy Tilter fastens to the wheel hubs and allows you to quickly and effortlessly roll any vehicle onto its side. It'll handle up to 6,000 lbs. Rolling a vehicle onto its side with the Easy Tilter usually takes an hour or less, according to Joel Johnson, owner of Accessible Systems and designer of the Easy Tilter. "I developed it because many auto shops and especially hobbyists are limited in space. Competitive tilters ù and I used to sell one brand ù required two car bays to work. The Easy Tilter works in just one," Johnson says. Johnson began developing his tilter in 1996. After a year of so of experimentation he landed on the current design. His tilter has two-wheeled carriage assemblies that allow the vehicle to roll toward the jack as one side is lifted up. This keeps the vehicle within one car bay as it rotates up on its side. He expects to receive a patent shortly on the concept. "Because the jack doesn't need to move, you can use an overhead chain fall or engine hoist instead and save the price of the jack if you wish," Johnson says. "This isn't possible with other designs." Johnson says his Easy Tilter is much heavier in construction than competing units. To use the Easy Tilter, remove the wheels from one side of the vehicle and attach the tilting frame to the hubs using the mounting plates that come with the tilter. (You'll need to order 4-, 5- or 6-hole mounting plates, according to the style of your vehicle. If you need more than one set, it will cost extra.) The next step is to remove the wheels from the other side and attach the lift wheel plate to the hub at the heaviest end of the vehicle (usually the front). The jack (or whatever lift you're using) attaches to the lift plate. Then all you do is raise the jack or lift. As the side of the vehicle raises, the other side rolls toward the jack. As it nears the center of gravity, it rolls onto the second set of carriage wheels and comes to rest safely on its side. The jack or lift attachment can be removed once the vehicle is on its side. To lower the vehicle, reattach the jack or lift. Then, using a special bracket on the carriage, a floor jack can be used to raise the carriage and vehicle back past its center of gravity and onto the jack so it can be lowered to the floor. The Easy Tilter is priced at $499. Optional jack for the Easy Tilter is around $450. Both Easy Tilter and its optional jack weigh around 225 lbs. each. If you're interested in an automotive lift but feel the one shown might not be quite what you need, Johnson wi'll be happy to talk to you about special adaptations for farm equipment or oversized vehicles. He makes a variety of other systems, including one that rotates a vehicle 360?. Contact FARMSHOW Followup, Accessible Systems, 440 Matson Road, Jonesborough, Tenn. 37659 (ph 423 975-8907; fax: 423 975-8908; Website: www.accessiblesystems.com.

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