Heininger Hitchmate 4040 Black TireStep
- Sturdy, durable tire-mounted auto step designed for use with SUVs, RVs and light trucks is great for working on engines, changing wiper blades, cleaning inaccessible spots and packing roof racks on tall vehicles
- Adjusts to three positions in both tire width and height
- Fits all tires up to 12.5"
- Entire unit is finished in a black powder coating, and its 22" wide x 10" deep stepping pad holds up to 400 lbs
- Folds flat for easy storage in included soft storage bag
Foziya Khan
Rock solid platform. It exceeded my expectations
These days it's not a surprise when a product doesn't meet or exceed expectations. This step just blows me away! This step fits my 265-60X18 tires perfect I didn't have to make any adjustments at all. It is adjustable both for step height and tire tread width. I used it at max step height to install roof rack cross bars it was absolutely rock solid. I could have used my step ladder in fact the plan was to do the first side with this step just to try it out and use the ladder on the other. I used this step for the whole job as it is a very solid platform. Enough Rave, on to use and adjustment. Step height is adjusted by removing 2 wing nuts and bolts (no tools required) and moving the step up or down to the next hole then put the bolt and wing nuts back in place. Tire tread width adjustment is made by depressing two spring loaded pins and moving the cross bar in or out to fit the tire, Tread width is about 10" and the middle hole fits great.(I would guess the 12.5 max is about right. Max rim size of 20" is also about correct. On my 18" inch wheels the vertical step bars are on the tire at the bottom. This is important to avoid rim scratches. So when installing the step make sure the bars will hit the tire not the rim( the vertical bars the step platform mounts to on the outside of the tire) when you stand on the step. 20" wheels will be close. I put 2" sections of body side molding on the inside edge of the vertical bars (where the bar meets the tire on the outside of the rim at the bottom of the bar) just to ensure if the step wasn't centered I wouldn't gouge a rim.
Amy Thurman
A great product you will use often when climbing up/down/in/out of your truck
I use this on a Ford F250 with 20” tires and it performs flawlessly. I would say that a 20" tire (my tire size is 275x65xR20) is about the maximum extension you can expect to use this device on. I usually use a step-ladder to do work above my waist, but decided to give this a try. You never know when you will find yourself out on-the-road, or perhaps camping, and without your ladder, and this unit fits the bill perfectly. Lightweight, sturdy, and folds into a compact size, I keep it packed in its carrying case on the back seat floor where it is not in anyones way. Excellent fit and finish, flawless gloss black powdercoat, and the vinyl-lined nylon mesh bag fits well, and holds it nicely. A couple of items that I noticed and handled, and you may want to think about doing. This unit is black, and as such it kinda blends in with the rest of the lower truck, and I could see a ‘shin-replacement’ surgery in my future if I forgot it was attached to the tire. So I added some adhesive-backed reflective safety tape (Lowes/H.D), and stuck it to the front and back facing surfaces, and around the step (see pictures 1 and 2). If I prevent one shin-bone accident, it would be worth the $3 investment. Second item is that the 20 inch tire is pretty wide rim, and the back bottom of the step will contact my rims when I stand on the step (picture 3). So I covered the back with some strip felt (picture 4), and attached a felt ‘button’ right at the bottom, to prevent any rim damage (see picture 5 & 6). Cost about $5.
Ni Ca
Handy to have, solves those reach issues.
Problem solvers again. When I need that extra boost to either reach the middle of my truck bed cover for cleaning, or even the middle of my truck hood or windshield. Now it's not for vertically challenged people, I'm 6 foot and have a 2015 chevy silverado 1500. So not super tall or super big, but this is a handy option. Has a nice carry case that I keep the TireStep in all of the time. Easy to use, Easy to set up. Cons: Its full steel so can be a bit heavy, and watch the ends when mounting on the tire ad the step can swing.
Tosin Johnson
Great step to load bulky items onto your roof rack
This is exactly what I was looking for. I needed a step to be able to load a tandem kayak onto my Subaru Crosstrek. The step adjusts both for the tire width and the step height that I needed. The width just fits the wheel well opening on a Crosstrek, just be careful to not scratch the plastic trim around the wheel well. The step is sturdy but not overly heavy. Nice that it comes with a carrying case to store the step when not in use. The case is sized such that even when the step is positioned in the uppermost position, it will still fit the case without disassembly. Folds flat to about 3-4 inches, so it doesn’t take up a lot of space in your trunk. At $35 this is worth it. I got one from Amazon warehouse deals for about $7 less, and it was like new.
Francisco Pe�a
Finally don't have to worry about slipping and falling climbing into truck bed
I used to carry a little step ladder to make getting into the truck bed easier, but didn't always have it in truck. This thing hangs over my stock Ford F150 wheels perfectly. It does not budge or flex under my 265 lbs. So much easier stepping on this, then the top of the tire, as I climb into truck. Same with getting back out. No more jumping off tailgate and hoping I land well and not break anything. Came completely assembled, but one of the plastic end caps protecting the sharp edges of the vertical span of tubing was broken. Called company, and they quickly sent out a replacement cap, but not before I sent them pics of the broken cap. Really? I realized it was broken on the day it was received, and the order proved I just received it. Not a big deal, but don't make your customers go through extra steps for stupid stuff. BTW, the new cap was also too small for the tubing and very loose to the point it would just fall out if I didn't put a piece of black electric tape over it to hold it in. I attached the pic Heininger customer service made me provide, along with copies of receipts, before they would send me this 2 cent piece. C'mon. Just send the part next time.
Marsha Robinson
Highly recommend it! !
I LIKE this product! I'm old and short (67 & 5'5") so getting into, or at, my truck bed is difficult, especially when I have stuff in there. With this step ut's much easier! I also used it to check the fuses under the hood after several systems suddenly went out. I could not have done that with out finding something to stand on. The product is well built (I'm fat, too, 200+) abd feels very secure. Just be sure you get it over the tire, not on it. The bag is also good although a bit of a PIA to get the step back in it.
Michael Catuiza
Worth ever penny!
Definitely glad I spent a few extra bucks and got this one vs the competition! This thing is heavy duty! I weigh 240lbs and there is no give or flex when I get on this thing with 50-100 lbs of stuff to put on top of my Jeep. Although the competition may be a little easier to adjust height wise, I'm more than happy to take and extra minute to move the full length bolt and wing nut, it's just a lot more sturdy! The first picture is a little deceiving, the step actually looks like the close up, so no diamond plate, it's the slats, and the step is level with the top of the bars, not inset like the first pic, both of these are good things! As others have said, the bag is a little cheap, but the step is not. The good news is the step fits in the bag regardless of how you have it set up height and depth wise. Overall, couldn't be happier and again, I'm glad I spent a couple of extra dollars to get something that should last forever!
Aroha Samuels
A strong tire step that's adjustable and the company provided excellent customer service.
I needed an easier way to get access and climb into the bed of my truck while our fifth wheel is hooked up into the bed. I could crawl into the bed between the fifth wheel and the truck but I'm not as young as I used to be, which is why I purchased this tire step. It's a solid step. I'm a big guy and weigh 240lbs. and this Tirestep holds my weight without any problems. It's solid, adjustable in both height of the step and width of the tire and doesn't hit my rim at all, even with my weight on it. It comes with a zip up travel bag. Upon receipt, I noticed our bag had a large (8") slice across it. Rather than returning the entire package to Amazon I decided to email the company (Hitchmate) to let them know about the issue. I received a fast response from their customer service rep asking for our mailing address and they sent out a new bag the same day. The new bag arrived in a day and it's perfect. Talk about great customer service. If you need a tire step, check out this one. It's solid, adjustable and from my experience, the company provided great customer service.
Katie Berry
HitchMate TireStep
Love it! First impression- great! Exactly, what I wanted. Fits my 2014 RAM 1500 perfectly. Easy to put it on/off. Step has 3 points adjustable high and 3 points to adjust to the tire width. Should fit a wide array of tires. Holds me (235 lbs) easily. Hope, it will last.
Mumtaz Sher
Ready to use right out of the box (almost)
I purchased this for a 2017 Ram 3500 long bed dually with aluminum wheels for releasing a 5th wheel hitch and filling an auxiliary fuel tank. There are 2 settings for tire width and the Ram 3500 dually uses the narrow setting. There are no clearance problems between the dual tires. There are 3 height settings. I used the middle setting which put the step about 3 inches above the middle of the tire and allowed me to easily reach the hitch handle in the bed. The extended front hub cap on the 3500 will just clear the step in the middle setting, it will not clear the front hub in the lowest setting. So the step can be used on the front and rear wheels. The storage bag is a perfect fit for the step. I weigh about 225 lbs and the step is very sturdy. This is a simple and well made product that does exactly what it was designed to do. This should also apply to Ford and Chevy duallys as they use the same factory size tires and extended front hub cap.