4' HiLift or 5 foot?

[AndrewP]

I have both.

I use the 48 incher for general duties around my FJ40. I've never needed more. I don't believe I've ever used it to change a tire, the stock bottle jack is way safer for that.

For the 80, it's so flexy, that the 60 incher is almost mandatory. It's also easier to carry a longer bar on a big truck. Again, tires get changed with the bottle jack and the hilift is mostly forgetting the tire out of a hole or moving the truck around a bit.

For everyone with a different brand of truck, you should try and get yourself a Toyota bottle jack. They have come with Land Cruisers and Mini-trucks since the biginning of time. They are awesome works of art, especially the old cast ones. They are extremely useful, safe, compact, not too heavy etc. The best design of it's type I have seen. I carry two, and not only use them to jack the axle, but they make great jack stands too.

Back to the original poster-I would get the 60 inch model. If you end up not using the extra foot, cut it off. Put the jack in/on the truck only for 4 wheeling trips and it should stay free of significant rust for decades.

 

[Guinness44]

Using the highlift for work:
Whatever you decide, if a wheel comes off, or you get under the truck, use a BACKUP (jackstand, your second jack, block of good wood, sparetire.)

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I ended up getting the 4 foot. Even though I have room on the bullbar for the 5', sometimes I may wish to have it in the truck, especially in the winter (salt). That, and the fact that I can't find a 5' locally, and found the 4' on sale for $99 helped.

But really, it sounds like the 4' is all I'll need for my purpose and un-flexy truck. I totally get the "better to have 5 and need 4, than have 4 and need 5" but since I'm new at all this, and sometimes I do stupid things and get bit, I think the 4' might be a little better to avoid the temptation to do something really stupid. Particularly since the 4' puts the top of the bar below head height... probably a good idea for me. :elkgrin:

If I decide later I shoulda got the 5', I'll just sell it.

Question: what kinda strap do you need for the axle? Is a motorcycle tie-down ratchet strap gonna work? Somehow I think not, the forces trying to extend the axle might snap it? I do have chain, but I will probably try and buy a proper strap.

 

[madizell]

Anything that has little to no stretch and is rated for the weight will work in strapping an axle. A ratchet strap will do if there are no really sharp metal edges involved. A length of chain with a hook on one end is easiest to install and remove in cramped places and can't be cut by sharp edges.

Assuming an axle and wheel/tire combo weighs 500 to 600 pounds and you are lifting only one end, you don't really need logging chain to do this job. Just don't use kiddy swing set chain. Better to get something over-rated. Go around your vehicle looking at all four corners, and pick the one that needs the longest length to get the job done, and use rope or twine to measure minimum needed length, then add twice the amount of suspension droop for that corner, then add another foot or so for general corrections, and get a length of good chain with a chain hook (narrow gap) to put on one end. Probably you will need around 4 or 5 feet.

When chaining an axle for lifting purposes, watch out for brake lines.

 

[BIGdaddy]

i've had the same 4' jack for about 10 years now...has worked in all situations i've needed it for.

good choice.

regards
brian

p.s. i've been hearing all this hubbub about hi-lifts injuring users...and i just have to say that i've never been injured in 10 years of use (probably 20-30 actual uses), due to safe practices. if you're careful, nothin's gonna happen :sombrero:

 

[madizell]

p.s. i've been hearing all this hubbub about hi-lifts injuring users...and i just have to say that i've never been injured in 10 years of use (probably 20-30 actual uses), due to safe practices. if you're careful, nothin's gonna happen :sombrero:

Lucky you. I have never had to use one on flat terrain or hard ground. Always had to use it on irregular slopes and soft ground because no flat hard ground could be found short of going 10 miles back to pavement. We don't always get to choose the battlefield, and careful or not, accidents happen. That's why they are called accidents.

The Hi-lift style jack is not a stable jacking platform regardless of ground as it is a single lift point with a single lifting shaft, and yes I use a base for it. One must necessarily be lifting a corner of a vehicle on that single shaft. Stability and balance are essential for safe use, and because the Hi-lift will not resist a side load, and because the balance of lift changes as the lift increases, the jack necessarily becomes more unstable the higher you lift with it. You can set brakes and block wheels all you want, but if the ground itself is soft, tires slip and blocks shift. Even on firm ground, the jack can shift, and when it does, it usually does so without warning. Never take a Hi-lift jack for granted. Obviously one has to be very careful using such a jack, but just because you are a careful person will not guarantee you can't get hurt.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I'm a very careful person, but things always seem to go wrong anyways!

 

[NorCalBronco]

I have the 5 foot. It was almost the last click that got us right side up and home

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I have the 5 foot. It was almost the last click that got us right side up and home

Wow, whats the story behind that one?

To think I was kidding about using your roll-bar as a jacking spot

 

[NorCalBronco]

Wow, whats the story behind that one?

To think I was kidding about using your roll-bar as a jacking spot

Well, this is at Cow Mountain OHV area in Northern California (near Ukiah). It's mainly just a bunch of loose dirt roads up and down all the hills around there. My dad (who you see in the picture) was driving my Bronco the whole day. We were alone, and although the place tends to be somewhat busy, hadn't seen anyone for a while.

We came to a section of trail that was downhill with a slight "s" turn in the middle of it. There was also a large rut on the right side all the way down. Unfortunately, while turning the "s" turn the passenger rear tire slid down into the rut, leaving us kind of teetering towards rolling on the passenger side. It was too dangerous at that point to even get out I believe so I told him to crank the wheel towards downhill and floor it to see if we could whip it around. It almost worked we straightened out for a second but ending up with the passenger rear tire sliding back into the rut. We both ducked and kept our limbs inside and rolled all the way over coming to rest on the drivers side.

So we were ok, thanks to the roll cage, though you can see where it actually bent with the top of the door frame in the picture. The fan had cut the upper radiator hose and some steering linkage had come loose. After we flipped it back over with the high lift, we cut the hose, flipped it around then filled the radiator back up with ice and water from the ice chest.

It looks a lot better nowadays! ( except for that door lol )