Wheel lifting kit for bumper jacks

A lifting bracket kit for a vehicle wheel on a vehicle connects with a bumper jack or body jack supplied with the vehicle or other type of lifting device so the vehicle can be raised by the wheel for maintenance and other purposes. Avoids spring extension and allows vehicle to be placed on blocks. The bracket has a support loop with a first element having an elongate portion adapted to extend across the back of the vehicle wheel below the wheel axis of rotation, the first element having curved portions at each end adapted to pass up and around to the front of a tire on the vehicle wheel; a second element adapted to extend across the front of the vehicle wheel at an elevation above the elongate portion of the first element; two hooks for joining the ends of the first element and the second element together to form the loop and two flexible link members extending from the two hooks connecting to a single lifting connector adapted to be positioned above the wheel axis of rotation, the lifting connector having an attachment for an external lifting device.

The present invention relates to jacking up vehicles for maintenance and 
other purposes. More specifically, the present invention relates to a 
lifting bracket supplied in kit form for supporting a vehicle wheel on a 
vehicle which may be used for lifting the vehicle with a standard bumper 
jack or other lifting device. 
Bumper jacks or body jacks are provided with nearly all motor vehicles for 
changing a wheel. These jacks, however, are designed to raise the body of 
the vehicle and the wheel only leaves the ground after the jack has 
extended the springs and shock absorbers on the vehicle to their limit. 
Most bumper jacks are designed for changing a wheel and thus it is only 
necessary to have a small clearance between the wheel and the ground at 
the time of changing the wheel. Most body jacks or bumper jacks used for 
raising the body of a vehicle provide only about 5 centimetres of 
clearance under an inflated tire. 
Ramps are somtimes used to provide under vehicle access without the use of 
sophisticated vehicle lift equipment. This is not always convenient or 
safe as the vehicle has to be driven onto the ramp and the torque in the 
case of the drive wheels may upset the ramp arrangement. 
The present invention provides a lifting bracket kit which supports a 
vehicle wheel and allows a vehicle to be raised by means of a jack 
supplied with the vehicle to provide a clearance under the wheel of from 
15 to 20 centimetres which is sufficient for a standard concrete building 
block to be placed under the wheel. The wheel may then be lowered to rest 
on the concrete block as the jack is lowered. This action can take place 
on both ends of the vehicle for front and back wheels so the whole vehicle 
is raised up on blocks and if further height is needed, another block can 
be placed beside a first block and the jack supported on the other block 
so the wheel can be raised to double the height of the first block thus 
allowing easy access under a vehicle. 
The present invention provides a lifting bracket for supporting a vehicle 
wheel on a vehicle with an attachment means for an external lifting 
device, the lifting bracket comprising: a support loop with a first 
element having an elongate portion adapted to extend across the back of 
the vehicle wheel below the wheel axis of rotation, the first element 
having curved portions at each end adapted to pass up and around to the 
front of a tire on the vehicle wheel; a second element adapted to extend 
across the front of the vehicle wheel at an elevation above the elongate 
portion of the first element; two hook means for joining the ends of the 
first element and the second element together to form the loop, and two 
flexible link members extending from the two hook means connecting to a 
single lifting connector adapted to be positioned above the wheel axis of 
rotation, the lifting connector having attachment means for an external 
lifting device. 
In other embodiments of the invention, adjustment means may be provided in 
the curved portions at each end of the first element of the loop to adjust 
for different tread widths of tires. In another embodiment, bearing pads 
may be placed in the curved portions adapted to be positioned against a 
tire which provides a contact area with reduced loading pressure. 
In one embodiment the lifting device is a bumper jack and the attachment 
means on the lifting connector is a jack attachment bracket. In another 
embodiment the lifting connector having attachment means is a shackle to 
be raised by the hook of a crane or other overhead lifting device.

A lifting bracket assembly kit 10 is shown in FIG. 1 supporting a wheel 11 
on a motor vehicle 12. A bumper jack 13 connects by means of a lifting lug 
14 (shown in FIG. 2) to the lifting connector 20 of the lifting bracket 
assembly 10 for raising the wheel 11 and hence the vehicle. A spacer 21 
which is generally a wooden block, is shown wedged between the lifting 
connector 20 and the tire 23 on the wheel 11. The spacer block 21 serves 
the purpose of ensuring that the stem of the bumper jack 13 is kept clear 
of the panel of the vehicle 12 above the wheel 11. A support block 24 
which may be concrete, wood or other suitable material is shown beside the 
lifting jack 13 and is placed under the wheel 11 after it has been raised. 
The lifting bracket assembly 10 is illustrated in detail in FIG. 2 and 
forms a kit for supporting a vehicle wheel. A support loop for the vehicle 
wheel is made up of a first band or strap element 30 with curved portions 
31 at each end which are bent to fit the tread contour of a tire and 
thereby provide contact area between the support loop and the wheel 11. By 
the term "curved portions " used throughout the specification, is meant a 
portion that has at least one bend at each edge of the tire tread, and a 
substantially flat section across the tire tread. The first element 30 is 
preferably formed from metal and has sufficient strength to support the 
complete wheel 11 and vehicle 12. As can be seen more clearly in FIGS. 3 
and 4, a central elongate portion of the first element 30 passes across 
the back of the wheel 11 well below the wheel axis of rotation. Holes 32 
in the ends of the first element 30 match with holes 33 in a second band 
or strap element 34, also preferably formed from the metal which passes 
across the front of the wheel 11 at an elevation above the elongate 
portion of the first element 30. As can be seen, the second element 34 has 
slightly curved ends 35 that conform to the curved sides of the tire 23. 
Two hooks 38 pass through the holes 33 in the second element 34 and holes 
32 in the first element 30 to hold the second element 34 to the first 
element 30 and form the support loop. Two short lift chains 39 which are 
link members extend from each of the hooks 38 and join at the single 
lifting connector 20. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the lifting connector 20 
comprises a U-shaped bracket 41 with two holes 42 in the flanges through 
which passes a bolt 43. Washers 44 with a self locking nut 45 on the end 
of the bolt 43 attach the ends of the chains 39 to the U-shaped bracket 
41. The U-shaped bracket 41 has a slot 46 at the back thereof which 
provides a connection to the lifting lug 14 of a bumper jack 13. In 
another embodiment, the stem of bolt 43 provides a connection to a 
different type of lifting member on a bumper jack. 
The suspended wheel is stable and does not tend to rotate because the 
lifting connector 20 is above the wheel axis of rotation and because the 
chain loads are equal and cancel each other out in their tendency to 
rotate the suspended wheel. The extent of side loading on the wheel 11, 
tire abrasion and tire deformation caused by the use of the lifting 
bracket 10 are frequently exceeded in normal vehicle use when cornering or 
angle parking against a curb. 
It has been found that one size of lifting bracket kit works well over a 
range of wheel and tire sizes because the position of the curved portion 
31 of the first element 30 adjusts to the contour of the tire when the 
wheel is first raised. This self adapting characteristic is an interaction 
of the width of the tire, the outside diameter of the tire and the flexing 
characteristics of the tire. 
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the width of the curved portion 31 of 
the first element 30 may be varied to take into account different widths 
of tire tread. The curved portion 31 of the first element 30 is formed of 
overlapping straps 50 with holes 51 therein and flat head machine bolts 52 
counter-sunk flush into the tread contact side of the inside strap 50 and 
secured with nuts 53 using a selective pair of holes in each of the straps 
50. Also shown in FIG. 5 is a bearing pad 55 positioned against the tire 
23 and attached to the curved portion 31 of the first element 30. The 
bearing pad increases load distribution between the tire 23 and the curved 
portion 31 or inside strap 50 of the first element 30 and provides a 
contact area with a reduced loading pressure. 
In operation the vehicle is secured against movement, the operator holds 
one end of the first element 30 at ground level and passes the other end 
behind the wheel 11 until it reappears, both ends are then brought towards 
the operator bringing the back of the first element 30 against the inside 
of the tire 23. The second element 34 is placed horizontally against the 
front of the wheel 11 between the tire 23 and the ends of the first 
element 30. The lifting connector 20 is attached to the lifting lug 14 of 
the jack 13. With the jack lowered and the base of the jack 13 against the 
tire 23 at the tire ground contact point, the operator takes the two lift 
chains 39, ensures that there are no twists in them, and engages the hooks 
38 through the holes 33 in the second element 34 and holes 32 in the first 
element 30, this forms the loop supporting the wheel 11. 
The operator operates the jack to take up the slack in the chains 39, and 
reaches behind the wheel and lifts the first element 30 as the jack is 
raised until the curved portions 31 are snug in place around the tire 23. 
The operator then places the spacer block 21 between the lifting connector 
20 and the outside face at the top of the tire 23 to ensure that the jack 
stem remains vertical and does not interfere with the body parts. The 
wheel lifting operation may then be carried out. 
After raising a vehicle wheel to the desired height, a block 24 which may 
be concrete or wood can be placed under the wheel 11 and by lowering the 
jack 13, the wheel 11 is brought to rest on the block 24. The jack 13 is 
lowered, the hooks 38 are unhooked from the first element 30 and second 
element 34 and the operation may be repeated on another wheel of the 
vehicle 12. After a pair of wheels have been raised, a further block may 
be brought up and placed beside the block 24 under the wheel 11 and the 
jack 13 is then used to raise the wheel 11 up further. 
FIG. 6 illustrates the lifting connector 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, which 
is for attachment to a jack 13, being replaced by a shackle 60 having a 
bolt 61 and nut 62 to support the lift chains 39. The shackle 60 may be 
used with a crane hook, or other type of hoist hook for raising the wheel 
11 of the vehicle 12. 
Whereas a bumper jack has been the only type of jack illustrated herein, it 
will be understood that this bumper jack may be replaced by a body jack or 
any suitable lifting mechanism with the lifting connector 20 modified or 
adapted in the necessary manner. 
Various changes may be made to the embodiments shown herein without 
departing from the scope of the present invention which is limited only by 
the following claims.