Wheel Install Aid

Came up with an idea, to help lift a wheel when installing, and align with the lugs. For the Prius, or any vehicle with M12 lugs I think: it uses a 1/2" round bar, with a 3/8" (nominal tubing size) copper tubing splice at the end. The splice has an inside diameter of 1/2". Pushed onto the end of the round bar, it aligns/locks the bar on the end of the lug.

To get the splice onto the round bar, the round bar's end must be very clean and burr free, and heating the splice helps, expands it slightly. There are dimples at the mid-length of the splice, to help centre it. After heating: place a wood scrap flat against the end of the splice and gently tap it onto the round bar with a hammer. Once it's cooled it's pretty much locked.

Being copper, the splice is somewhat fragile, be careful with it.

Overall pic:



Close-up of the end:



Usage:

 

Just by happenstance, it's 18". IIRC I bought a 3 footer, then cut it in half. That piece I used a hammering extension, so both ends were badly mushroomed. I cut 1/8" off the end and also cleaned it up with a file. That said, 18" does seem a good length: you can start with the wheel comfortably offset from the car, and still the rod is long enough to give a little leverage.

It's good to press the rod firmly against the lug, to avoid stressing the copper and reduce shear, put the rod at least partially in bearing against the lug. I'm not sure how well copper will hold up: it is gentle on the lug, and it was one thing commercially available. Here's a US Home Depot link for the copper splice:

Everbilt 3/8 in. Copper Pressure C x C Coupling with Stop-C600HD38 - The Home Depot

 

Here's the first video we did, and while I mess up a bit, it maybe gives a better feel for how to use this. The first few seconds were portrait, then switched over to landscape. Long story short, I managed to edit out the first few (portrait oriented) seconds and get it's orientation to behave:

Edit: improved resolution