Spreader Tool

I had 5 pieces to do including 4 chairs plus a chaise lounge. Trying to do a sling replacement without a good well-designed spreader bar like Slingmasters, at least on my set, would be nuts. I used literally everything I could rig up, still did do the job and almost scratched up the chairs. At least until I come across Slingmaster's tool. My pieces may be old or they may be stiffer because on the 3rd chair, the earlier bar was starting to bend, eventually did break off and render it un-useable. I took pictures of it and forwarded it on the Don Roy. This is where a small (I presume) company's outstanding support shines came shining through with flying colors because a replacement spreader bar was in the mail in time for me to finish up the chairs before a planned party in the following week. There are some improvements that can be made. The brackets that pushes against the legs are L-shaped which I think may be better served if they were C-shaped to avoid them slipping off. The provided clips proved to be insufficient to secure them so I used a pair of long-nosed vice grips with rubber padding to ensure the brackets don't slip off. Another hint is to do a be if wd-40 to get the spreader to turn a little better. Keep up the great job, the outstanding stand-by-your-product stance. I'm keeping my tool since I plan to change out my fabric every few years.

Like many, I though that the concept of the spreader would be easy to imitate or substitute. ABSOLUTELY NOT! You need the tool and as such, it is difficult to value its price. A $.10 piece of wood becomes invaluable if it covers a breach in the hull and saves the boat from sinking. Shipping charges though can easily be evaluated: they are way excessive. The screw of the spreader was fine but the reverse screw was rusted and hard to turn. I screwed it completely out greased it lightly, put it back in and it worked fine until, after a very hard to stretch chair, the reverse screw side became extremely hard to turn, as if the screw and nut threads were no longer matching. I can still use it but it is impossible to turn it by hand even when not under tension.

I like to do repairs and it is always easier when you have the right tool for the job. This tool is great. I have arthritis and do not have the strength in my hands I had at one time. This made a difficult job doable and cut the time down tremendously. Well worth the $$.

The spreader bar really helped but the slings were perfect... exact size and color and easy to replace. Very happy with the workmanship.

My first attempt at using the spreader bar resulted in one end of the bar snapping off where it was welded to the threaded section. Since there are other reviews citing the same problem, quality control needs improvement given the price of this tool. To their credit, the company promptly sent a replacement tool and so far so good with this one. The clamps provided with the kit are strong but still failed to hold the spreader bar in place. I had to stand on the bar end to keep it in place. The protective caps on the clamps tore almost immediately so I put duct tape on the clamps to protect the paint on the chair frame. HI Greg, We are putting some deep thought into this problem and just today have come up with what we think will be the answer. After some testing of the new design I think the new tool will be much better. Thank you for the input. Don

we tried everything to get the tension bars back in place. We did a couple, but it was not good. This tool costs to much, but you really do need it! Done in no time after we received this tool. I'm not sending it back, the rebate isn't worth it. I'll lend it to my friends. Hi Connie,We hand make these tools and they cost us $30.00 to make and powder coat. The $20.00 rebate is the best we can do. Thanks, Don

The design is good, but it is not constructed with heavy enough materials. With moderate torque, one end pieces broke off due to inadequate welding. There was no penetration on the weld. We had a local machine shop re-weld the piece and it did do the job, but one bolt bent under the pressure required to expand the chair for the support bar installation. The clamps that came with it, certainly were not sufficient to hold the spreader bar in place. We had to purchase heavy duty clamps to complete the task. We managed to get 3 chairs done after re-welding it and buying bigger clamps... but I am not sure it would last through a whole set of chairs. I truly hate to give this such a low rating, but I have to be honest. And the shipping is ridiculous $25!! No way it costs $25 5o ship this. Not worth the trouble to return for a $20 rebate after paying return shipping either. Again, good design, but poor quality. Hi, This is Don from Slingmasters. Our welder goofed up on your tool and I apologized and offered to send you a new tool at no charge. Sorry for your inconvenience. Contact me and I will send you a check for the cost of the tool. Thanks, Don 706-367-2604

Really great tool. Could not have completed the job without. Don't cheap out on this.

Tool worked great and seemed to be built well, although the clamps/clips didn't hold very well-I had to use some small c-clamps instead since there's a lot of torque on the tool to stretch the fabric. Otherwise I can definitely say it was well worth the money. We tried to install our new slings with an alternate method before buying the tool to save money but that was a joke and extremely tough. Would recommend to anyone to purchase one if your doing sling replacement yourself.

Hi Don and company, I did six one-piece chairs last fall and I just completed two chaise lounge chairs. The tool worked great and I am still using it with flange under the frame and the wood block spacers. I learned a new step that you might want to add to your instructions. Make sure the fabric is centered in the frame BEFORE you stretch the fabric and bolt it together. I had one part done and was ready to trim the spline and replace the end caps when I discovered I had 1/4 inch of fabric sticking out from the frame. It was only a 1/4 inch but there was no way to slide the fabric once it was stretched tight. Thanks for a great product.

I ordered tool on Sunday. It was delivered Wednesday. Tried using pipe clamps reversed, kinda worked but tough and time consuming. With this tool each chair took less than 30 minutes start to finish. This is a must have for sling replacement. I heed and hawed at the price, but now that I used it well worth it! Once you try it and you'll agree.

This is a quality tool that makes the job easy. I built my own tool the first time around, and while it did the job, it was a bit of a struggle. This tool works great and will last a lifetime.