Abstract:
A wheel lift device includes an upright extending upwardly from a wheeled base. A carriage slides along the upright and includes a wheel support to support an automotive wheel thereon. A pneumatic lift mechanism is housed in the upright and is coupled to the carriage. A lift control comprises a supply valve to couple the lift mechanism to a source of compressed gas for lifting and a vent valve to couple the lift mechanism to a vent for lowering. The lift device has rapid response, is of low cost and requires minimal maintenance when arranged to connect to conventional compressed air supply lines of the type readily available in automotive servicing stations. Location of the lift controls directly on the upright ensures quick access for controlling the lifting and lowering of wheels in direct proximity to the task being performed.

Description:
[0001]     This application hereby claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. Section 119(e) of U.S. provisional application 60/664,951 filed Mar. 25, 2005. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a pneumatic lifting device that is particularly suitable for lifting tires and/or brake drums, and also relates to a linear pneumatic actuator which is particularly suited for use with the lifting device described herein.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     In the automotive industry, the tires used on cars and light trucks are getting larger and heavier, creating a problem for the technicians installing them. Employers and employees are concerned about back injuries and other muscle strains. As of now there are no specific tools for the installation of tires for the automotive industry. Many different styles of tire lifts have been designed, sold and patented for the heavy truck industry. Most of these tools are unsuitable for use in the automotive industry due to their design. These tools are designed to lift tires and tire assemblies from 250 lbs to 1000 lbs. These tools are of heavy construction and have limited height capabilities to a (maximum of 14 inches), making them awkward to use. In the automotive industry speed and mobility are required and the ability to raise the tire to chest height is necessary.  
         [0004]     One of the other drawbacks to current heavy tire lift design is the means which the tire is lifted: either hydraulically pumped cylinder or by cable crank means. Each of these methods is very slow and time consuming and generally not considered worthwhile for smaller automotive tires.  
         [0005]     Examples of prior art, heavy tire lifts which have been either designed, patented or sold by various manufactures include U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,644 (Rawlings); U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,389 (Mitchell); U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,070 (Hahn); D473,692 (Tafoya); U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,745 (Garnett); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,214 (Saffelle et al). None of the tools described in the noted prior art patents are suitably arranged for quickly lifting and lowering vehicle wheels thereon with a simple and low cost device.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,644 to Rawlings and U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,214 to Saffelle describe further examples of lift devices for wheels. Either a complex jack or hydraulic actuator is required for lifting the wheels thereon in a slow and time consuming operation.  
         [0007]     Another known type of lift for vehicle wheels is available by Rotary™, a Dover™ company of Madison, Ind., USA. The lift comprises a wheeled base including an upright fixed thereon upon which a wheel support carriage is slidably mounted. An electric battery powered motor is provided for lifting the wheel relative to the base. Such a motor is particularly slow and provides a limited number of lifting cycles before charging is required. Recharging time thus limits continuous use of the lifting device.  
         [0008]     The lifting device by Rotary™ is limited in its use according to several aspects. The most prohibitive is the tall mast which will hit the fenders of most vehicles when the tool is pushed into the wheel well to install a tire. The second are the small wheels and casters the tool sits on, which make the tool hard to use in a shop environment. Thirdly, the device is limited to a 110 lbs capacity due to the electric motors used. Commonly available 19.5 inch diameter wheels rims with tires often weigh 130 lbs and accordingly the lifting device available by Rotary™ could not raise many wheels used on one and two ton vehicles.  
         [0009]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,930 to Kuhn describes a vehicle lifting system in which a pair of lifting jacks are required to be mounted on opposing sides of a vehicle for actuation by a common actuator located remotely from the two lifting jacks. The lifting jacks are required to be used in pairs and are intended for heavy lifting in a controlled manner contrary to the independence and agility desired in a lifting device for lifting a vehicle wheel, for example in an automotive servicing location and the like.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a lift device for use with a source of compressed gas to lift an object; the device comprising:  
         [0011]     a support frame including a wheeled base supported for rolling movement along the ground and an upright extending upwardly from the wheeled base;  
         [0012]     a carriage supported for sliding movement along the upright;  
         [0013]     a supporting surface on carriage for movement with the carriage along the upright, the supporting surface being suitably arranged for supporting the object thereon;  
         [0014]     a pneumatic lift mechanism coupled between the support frame and the carriage for lifting the supporting surface and an object supported thereon relative to the support frame; and  
         [0015]     a lift control comprising a supply valve selectively coupling the pneumatic lift mechanism to the source of compressed gas for displacing the carriage along the upright in a first direction and a vent valve selectively coupling the pneumatic lift mechanism to a vent for venting for displacing the carriage along the upright in a second direction opposite to the first direction;  
         [0016]     the lift control being supported on the support frame for rolling movement along the ground therewith.  
         [0017]     The wheel lift device as described herein uses a pneumatic, air operated cylinder to lift the carriage assembly very quickly to the desired height required by the operator. Automotive workshops are commonly provided with compressors and storage tanks for supplying air or other gas under pressure to power various pneumatic tools. Accordingly, a wheel lift device which relies upon a pneumatic lift mechanism is of low cost to manufacture as no additional motors and the like are required to generate sufficient to force to lift a large range of automotive tires in a very quick and efficient lifting operation. Location of the lift controls directly on the support frame ensures quick access for lifting and lowering tires in proximity to the task being performed.  
         [0018]     When the source of compressed gas comprises a conventional compressed air supply line, the supply valve preferably comprises a releasable connection coupling the supply valve to the conventional compressed air supply line.  
         [0019]     The upright may comprise an elongate hollow member which houses the pneumatic lift mechanism therein upon which the carriage is movable between opposed ends thereof.  
         [0020]     Preferably, the supporting surface comprises a wheel support comprising two parallel and spaced apart rollers projecting outwardly from the upright for rotatably supporting a wheel thereon.  
         [0021]     When the base extends outwardly from an inner end adjacent the upright towards an outer end spaced from the upright below the supporting surface, preferably both the inner end and the outer end of the base are supported for rolling movement along the ground.  
         [0022]     The supply valve and the vent valve may be supported on opposing sides of the upright, spaced above the base.  
         [0023]     When there is provided one or more handles supported on the support frame spaced above the base, the lift control is preferably supported in proximity to the handle.  
         [0024]     When there is provided a pair of handles supported on opposing sides of the upright, preferably one of the handles supports the supply valve thereon and the other one of the handles supports the vent valve thereon.  
         [0025]     The pneumatic lift mechanism may comprise an expandable bellows member housed within a hollow interior of the elongate hollow member to extend between a fixed end fixedly mounted at one end of the elongate hollow member and a movable end coupled to the carriage for movement therewith along the elongate hollow member. When the bellows is expandable in the longitudinal direction, the lift control displaces the carriage in the first direction when the bellows is expanded and displaces the carriage in the second direction when the bellows is contracted.  
         [0026]     Preferably there is provided an auxiliary tool connector coupled in parallel with the supply valve for connection of an auxiliary pneumatic tool to the source of compressed gas.  
         [0027]     There may also be provided a support tray fixedly mounted on the upright opposite the supporting surface in which the support tray comprising a generally horizontal supporting surface.  
         [0028]     The source of compressed gas may comprise a storage tank integrally supported on the support frame for rolling movement therewith along the ground.  
         [0029]     According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a pneumatic actuator device for connection to a source of compressed gas for acting in a linear direction, the device comprising;  
         [0030]     an elongate hollow member extending in the linear direction;  
         [0031]     a carriage supported for sliding movement in the linear direction along the elongate hollow member between opposed ends of the member;  
         [0032]     an expandable bellows member housed within a hollow interior of the elongate hollow member and extending between a fixed end fixedly mounted at one end of the elongate hollow member and a movable end coupled to the carriage for movement therewith along the elongate hollow member, the bellows member being expandable in the linear direction; and  
         [0033]     a lift control comprising a supply valve selectively coupling the bellows member to the source of compressed gas to expand the bellows for displacing the carriage along the upright in a first direction and a vent valve selectively coupling the bellows member to a vent to contract the bellows for displacing the carriage along the upright in a second direction opposite to the first direction.  
         [0034]     The bellows member may comprise a plurality of annular partitions foldable relative to one another as the bellows member expands and contracts in the linear direction.  
         [0035]     Preferably the bellows member comprises a flexible material having an outer diameter which is near in dimension to an interior dimension of the elongate hollow member.  
         [0036]     The elongate hollow member may include a liner of material having a low coefficient of friction which the bellows member engages as it is expanded and contracted.  
         [0037]     Some embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0038]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the wheel lifting device illustrating a vehicle wheel supported thereon.  
         [0039]      FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  are respective side elevational, rear elevational and top plan views of the device according to  FIG. 1 .  
         [0040]      FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6  are perspective views of the carriage in the lowered and raised positions respectively.  
         [0041]      FIG. 7  is a plan view of the handles of the wheel lifting device.  
         [0042]      FIG. 8  is a horizontal sectional view of one of the handles.  
         [0043]      FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10  are front elevational and sectional side elevational views of the upright in the lowered position of the carriage.  
         [0044]      FIG. 11  and  FIG. 12  are front elevational and sectional side elevational views respectively of the upright with the carriage in the fully raised position.  
         [0045]      FIG. 13  is a schematic representation of the pneumatic connection between the lift mechanism and the supply of compressed gas.  
         [0046]      FIG. 14  is a schematic representation of a further embodiment of the lift device in which the supply of compressed gas is integrally supported thereon. 
     
    
       [0047]     In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0048]     The present invention relates to a pneumatic lifting device that is suitable for lifting tires and/or brake drums from the ground to approximately chest height quickly and safely. The invention also relates to a pneumatic actuator device which is particularly suited for use with the lifting device described herein.  
         [0049]     Referring to the accompanying drawings there is illustrated a wheel lifting device generally indicated by reference numeral  10 . The device  10  is particularly suited for lifting car and truck tires individually thereon from the ground to a wheel hub when the vehicle is supported spaced above the ground on a vehicle lift. The wheel  12  can be rotated about its axis when supported on the device  10 , and can be moved about by rolling the device  10  along the ground. Lifting force for the wheel is provided by conventional compressed air systems typically available in automotive garages and the like. The device is arranged for coupling to a supply line from a typical compressed air tank and compressor combination using conventional connectors available on various commercially available air driven tools.  
         [0050]     The device  10  has a support frame which includes a base  14  and an upright  16  fixed to the base to extend upwardly therefrom. The base generally includes a horizontal beam  18  from which two rails  20  extend at opposing ends of the beam parallel and spaced apart from one another. A castor wheel  22  is swivel mounted onto the free end of each of the rails  20  spaced from the beam  18 . Wheels  24  are mounted at respective ends of the beam  18  which have a diameter plural times that of the castor wheels. The beam  18  and both rails  20  lie in a generally horizontal plane when the wheels  22  and  24  are supported for rolling movement along the ground.  
         [0051]     The upright  16  is supported at one end of the base such that the base extends outwardly from an inner end adjacent the upright towards the outer free end spaced from the upright. Both the inner end and the outer end of the base are thus supported for rolling movement along the ground.  
         [0052]     The upright  16  is a tubular, hollow elongate member of rectangular cross section. The upright is mounted centrally on the beam  18  to extend substantially vertically upward therefrom. A carriage  26  is slidably mounted on the upright  16  for vertical movement in the longitudinal direction of the upright between opposed ends of the upright. The carriage  26  is carried on two tracks  28  mounted adjacent respective opposing sides  30  of the upright at the front interior side  33  thereof. The sides  30  of the upright are oriented parallel to the rails and face laterally outward towards the wheels  24  respectively.  
         [0053]     The carriage  26  supports vertically spaced wheels thereon for following within the tracks  28 . A main portion  32  of the carriage spans the front interior side  33  of the upright between the opposing sides  30  thereof.  
         [0054]     The upright includes a vertically extending slot  34  along the interior side  33  in which the slot  34  extends in the longitudinal direction a full length of the upright. The interior side  33  of the upright faces the free ends of the rails  20  as well as facing the tire  12  being supported on the carriage. The slot  34  receives a link arm  36  therethrough which is fixed with respect to the carriage  26  for movement therewith relative to the upright. The link arm  26  communicates between the carriage and the lift mechanism  38  housed within the hollow interior of the upright.  
         [0055]     A wheel support  40  is carried on the carriage for movement therewith relative to the upright  16 . The wheel support  40  projects outwardly from the upright in the same direction as the base such that the free end of the base is located spaced directly below the wheel support. The wheel support  40  generally comprises a flat plate lying in a vertical orientation parallel to the front side  33  of the upright. The plate is formed to define two support arms  42  extending downwardly and outwardly in opposing lateral directions from the carriage. The plate also defines two extension arms  50  extending upwardly and outwardly in opposing lateral directions above the support arms  42  respectively. The extension arms span a distance similar to that of the support arms.  
         [0056]     A main roller  48  is supported at the free outer end of each support arm  42  to extend substantially perpendicularly thereto such that the two main rollers  48  are parallel to one another, substantially horizontal, spaced apart and project outwardly from the upright. Once a wheel is supported on the two rollers so that the wheel axis is parallel to the respective axes of the rollers  48 , the wheel can be rotated thereon about its respective axis by rotating the rollers.  
         [0057]     The main rollers  48  are rotatably supported at respective ends on a roller arm  47  which supports the main rollers on the respective support arms  42 . Each roller arm  47  is fastened at an inner in a respective mounting slot  49  formed in the free end of the respective support arm. The mounting slots  49  are each oriented to extend laterally outward from the upright in a horizontal direction. Fasteners are arranged to secure each roller arm  47  at a selected position along the mounting slots  49 . The lateral spacing between the main rollers can thus be readily adjusted.  
         [0058]     The extension arms  50  of the wheel support each mount an auxiliary roller  52  towards the free end thereof. The auxiliary rollers  52  rotate about respective axes which are horizontal and lie in a common vertical plane substantially parallel to the support arms and perpendicular to the axis of the main rollers  48 . The auxiliary rollers are supported spaced directly above the inner ends of the main rollers  48  for engaging a side wall of the wheel supported on the wheel support  40 .  
         [0059]     In the illustrated embodiment, the substantially vertically oriented components of the wheel support actually extend upward at an inclination of five degrees from vertical, rearward and away from the direction the rails project from the beam. In addition, the horizontal components, namely the rollers  48 , extend up an upward inclination of five degrees in a forward direction towards the free ends of the rails. In this manner, a wheel supported on the wheel support is less likely to tilt forward and fall off the wheel support in use.  
         [0060]     A retention strap  53  is provided for retaining a wheel on the wheel support  40 . The retention strap  53  is retractable into a housing supported on one of the extension arms  50  and is selectively coupled to a latch supported on the other one of the extension arms  50 .  
         [0061]     The lift mechanism  38  housed within the upright includes an expandable bellows member  64  which is elongate in the longitudinal direction of the upright. The bellows is comprised of a flexible material formed into plural annular partitions  66  which are foldable relative to one another when joined into a sealed envelope for containing pressurized air therein. The bellows member is sealed at a base of the upright in fixed connection therewith at a lower fixed end. An air inlet  68  is located at the base to control air flow into and out of the envelope of the bellows member  64 . A top movable end of the bellows member is sealed in fixed connection with a top plate  70  in fixed connection with the link arm  36  of the carriage for movement therewith. The top plate  70  is thus vertically slidable with the carriage relative to the upright.  
         [0062]     The upright includes a liner  72  formed of a material having a low coefficient of friction for ease of sliding movement of the bellows within the interior of the upright as it is expanded and contracted. The outer diameter of the bellows member  64  is approximately equal or only slightly less than the interior diameter of the upright including the liner  72  so that the upright provides support to the bellows whereby expansion and contraction of the bellows member  64  is concentrated in the longitudinal direction of the uprights. With the bellows being expandable in the longitudinal direction, the lift control displaces the carriage in the first direction when the bellows is expanded and displaces the carriage in the second direction when the bellows is contracted.  
         [0063]     An end cap  74  is mounted at the top end of the upright to act as a stop which limits further upward movement of the top plate  70  beyond the top if the upright. The bellows member  64  is elongate in the linear direction of actuation in which it expands so that when air pressure is vented through the inlet  68  the bellows member collapses and the top plate  70  lowers within the upright, while introduction of compressed air into the air inlet  68  causes expansion of the bellows member in an upward direction for lifting the top plate and carriage connected thereto.  
         [0064]     In further embodiments, the top plate  70  may include its own guides for guiding its linear movement within the upright, however in the illustrated embodiment the top plate  70  is permitted to float within the interior of the upright as its motion is already restricted to only a vertical and linear direction due to the carriage to which it is fixed which has its own exterior guide track.  
         [0065]     As shown in  FIG. 13 , the air inlet  68  is connected to a T-connector  76  which is coupled in series between a supply line  78  and a vent line  80 . When a supply valve  82  in series with the supply line is opened, compressed air is fed through the T-connector  76  to the air inlet  68  for expanding the bellows. Alternatively, when the supply valve  82  is closed and a vent valve  84  in series with the vent line  80  is opened, air is vented from the bellows through the inlet  68  and T-connector  76  to the atmosphere.  
         [0066]     A lift control is thus defined comprising the supply valve  82  which selectively couples the pneumatic lift mechanism to the source of compressed gas for displacing the carriage along the upright in a first direction and the vent valve  84  which selectively couples the pneumatic lift mechanism to a vent for venting for displacing the carriage along the upright in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The components of the lift control are all supported on the upright for rolling movement along the ground together with the remaining components of the lift device.  
         [0067]     A variable flow restrictor  86  is coupled in series with each of the supply line and vent line to permit responsiveness of raising and lowering actions to be controlled by simply controlling the flow rates of air being supplied to or vented from the bellows.  
         [0068]     A pair handles  88  are coupled to the rear exterior side of the upright  16  to extend laterally outward from opposite sides of the upright at a slight rearward incline away from the wheel support. The handles  88  are fixed relative to the upright, spaced above the base, and permit manual positioning of the device on its wheels relative to the ground when grasped by an operator.  
         [0069]     Each of the handles  88  receives one of the supply and vent lines concentrically therethrough so that compressed air is received through the free end of one of the handles and vented through the free end of the opposing handle. The supply and vent valves are mounted on opposing sides of the upright on the two handles  88  respectively and are actuated by respective thumb levers  90  positioned on the handles  88  respectively for comfortable actuation by the thumbs of the operator having his hands placed on the handles. Each of the valves is biased into the closed position and remains closed until the respective thumb lever is depressed.  
         [0070]     When the source of compressed gas comprises a conventional compressed air supply line, the supply valve comprises a releasable connection  92  mounted in the free end of the respective handle  88  for coupling the supply valve to the conventional compressed air supply line connectors used for various commercially available pneumatically driven tools. In this configuration, the lift device including the lift controls thereon are connected the source of compressed gas remotely by a flexible connecting line.  
         [0071]     In some embodiments an auxiliary T-connector  94  is mounted in series between the supply line connector and the connector  92  at the free end of the handle  88  receiving the supply line therethrough so that an auxiliary supply line can be branched off of the handle for additional air driven tools to be coupled in parallel with the wheel lift device.  
         [0072]     The upright may also includes a holster supported thereon for an air driven impact gun for example. The holster may be provided in conjunction with or in addition to a tray  96  mounted on the rear of the upright for supporting additional accessories, for example a tire inflation chuck or lug nuts associated with a particular wheel being lifted. The tray  96  is fixedly mounted on the upright opposite the wheel support and includes a generally horizontal supporting surface for supporting the accessories thereon.  
         [0073]     Turning now to  FIG. 14 , a further embodiment of the lift device  10  is configured similarly to the embodiment illustrated in the remaining figures, but with the addition of an integrally supported storage tank  100  mounted thereon. The storage tank  100  is fixedly supported on the rear side of the upright opposite the wheel support, for rolling movement with the device along the ground. The tank  100  stores the compressed gas thereon and connects to the supply line of the lift control to selectively provide compressed gas to the bellows. The storage tank may remain fixed on the upright for periodic refilling or recharging with compressed air or alternatively, replacement cartridges which are preloaded with compress gas may be selectively coupled to the device.  
         [0074]     In further embodiments, the air lift mechanism housed within the upright may be replaced with other types of lift mechanism which receive compressed air for actuation thereof, including air cylinders for a combination of a cable linkage connected with an air cylinder and the like. Simply by providing some form of lift mechanism powered by compressed air, conventional compressed air systems in garages and the like may be used for lifting wheels without any additional power requirements or other expensive motors and the like being required. The further incorporation of a supply valve and a vent valve in opposing handles ensures that the operator&#39;s hands are both safely positioned on the handles during operation with the operator being at the rear side of the upright opposite the carriage and wheel support carrying the wheel thereon.  
         [0075]     As described above with regard to the illustrated embodiments, the lifting device will consist of several sub assemblies which combine to form a tire lift assembly. The main part will be the cart assembly to which all the sub-assemblies are attached to. The cart will have a lower frame to which the main wheels will be attached. The tires will be either rubber (air filled) or of solid construction. The wheels will be of such a size that the tire installer will be able to roll over small obstacles in the shop environment (air hose, extension cords, water lines etc.) The front tires are located on the front of the “U” shaped lower arm. Attached to the end of the arms will be 360 degrees solid, swivel casters that will allow the tire installer to be steered left or right. The lower frame is installed to the centre tower. This tower serves several purposes. The main one is to house the pneumatic cylinder. Connected to the pneumatic cylinder will be the main lift carriage which will slide up and down the front of the centre tower. The towers third function is to support the main handles. These handles are located towards the top of the tower and will be welded to the right and left side or of one piece construction. The centre tower will be constructed of steel tube with the front side having a slot cut out running top to bottom where the carriage assembly will run.  
         [0076]     Located inside the tower is the pneumatic lifting mechanism which may comprise an expandable bellows member. Alternatively the lifting mechanism may comprise a cylinder either of 2 stage piston style or a single or double acting cable cylinder. The cylinder is attached to the tower frame by 4 bolts screwed into the lower base plate of the pneumatic cylinder. The top rod of the pneumatic cylinder has a ½ inch hole that is threaded to accept a bolt to the depth of 1½″ to 2″. This bolt will hold the carriage support tight to the top of the pneumatic cylinder. On the tire lift that uses cable type cylinder, the cable will be attached to the lift carriage by means of a threaded bolt attached to the end of the cable.  
         [0077]     In the preferred embodiment illustrated herein, the pneumatic lifting mechanism comprises a bellows air cylinder based on a rubber bellows bladder expanding in a steel square tube cylinder. There are several key features that make the bellows air cylinder a great advantage for the lifting device.  
         [0078]     1. Cost: It will be much cheaper and more reliable than cable cylinders and the bellows cylinder will have many less parts than the cable type cylinder.  
         [0079]     2. Size: The upright required is a 4″×8″ square tube to house a cable cylinder and related parts, but with the bellows type cylinder, a 4″×4″ square tube can be used for the upright, downsizing the lifting device size greatly.  
         [0080]     3. Lift Capacity: A 1½″ cable cylinder has a working capacity of 190 lbs at 100 psi air pressure, but a 3½″ bellows type cylinder will lift over 500 lbs at 50 psi air pressure.  
         [0081]     Rodless air cylinders could also be used to lift the carriage up and down, however their cost is usually prohibitive.  
         [0082]     The bellows air cylinder will be able to perform many other industrial uses. The use of two bellows bladders in a square tube will make the cylinder double acting meaning it can take loads in both directions back and forth.  
         [0083]     In the illustrated embodiment, the carriage assembly consists of several parts including: carriage arm support, carriage slide assembly, frame, lower rollers and upper rollers. The lower rollers will be fully adjustable to move back and forth in the T-frame for different size tires and brake drums. There will be either notches or holes to where the lower slide roller will fall into positively locking the roller in place to prevent the weight of the tire or brake drum from moving it. The lower rollers will have bearings mounted at each end allowing the lower roller to rotate easily when a tire is loaded on the top of them. These lower rollers will be made of steel tubing. The arms that support the lower rollers will be timed together by gears at the top end. This assures that the operator cannot misadjust the tool settings for different size tires. Mounted to the top arm on each side will be a Teflon roller that will act as a guide for the tire and allow the tire to be rotated to align up with the stud holes.  
         [0084]     The next sub-assembly will be the pneumatic controls which will be attached to the tower handles. The right side will house the main air inlet valve; attached to this valve will be an air fitting allowing an air hose to be coupled to the main air inlet valve. The air will travel down a rubber or steel line to the base end of the two stage pneumatic cylinder or single acting cable cylinder. On the left handle will be another lever controlled air valve. At the base end of the pneumatic cylinder a line will go into this left side air valve allowing for the exhausting of the air inside the pneumatic cylinder. This allows the tire to gently lower to the proper height for installation.  
         [0000]     Operation of the Tire Brake Drum Installer  
         [0085]     To raise a tire onto a vehicle the operator of the tire lift will:  
         [0086]     1. Lower the tire lift to the floor, make sure the rollers set to the size of tire being lifted and roll the tire onto the lower rollers from the left or right side.  
         [0087]     2. Connect air hose to inlet fitting on handle.  
         [0088]     3. Position tire lift in line with the axle on front hub.  
         [0089]     4. Depress right handle allowing air to enter base of cylinder forcing the tire carriage up, lift the tire up to the desired height or higher.  
         [0090]     5. To line tire up with axle studs depress left handle to let air out of pneumatic cylinder gently lowering the carriage to desired height, spin the tire for final lining of stud holes with studs.  
         [0091]     6. Push the tire installer toward the vehicle until tile studs arc through rim of tire. Install wheel lug nuts. The tire installer can now be lowered to lift the next tire to be installed.  
         [0092]     The lift device with only very few modifications can be used in the warehousing industry for lifting pallets and other types of loads. There could be internal air storage cylinders installed inside the upright that could be charged with air giving the lift up to 10 cycles per charge. A nitrogen cylinder could be mounted to the rear of the upright, giving the lift device hundreds of cycles before needing to recharge. The lift device could be modified to become a power dolly with the addition of a flat front load plate. The lift device with a flat load plate installed thereon could be used to unload and load items in the back of trucks and vans for example.  
         [0093]     Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.