Pull Pal or Hi-Lift?
- Thread starter D45
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nuclearmonkey
Observer
FWIW, way way back when, I was in Manchester VT @ the Land Rover driving school. It was winter, and significant portions of the road had running water that flowed down in certain spots, subsequently freezing into solid sheets of ice. Think toboggan sled: winch up, tie off truck to keep from sliding back down when the winch was re-hooked further up the trail, re-winch, repeat. Later up the mountain I'm driving up towards the top of the area, and begin to slide backwards coming to a stop slightly diagonal with the rear facing the steep ravine below - 1 tire entirely too close for comfort. Everybody gets out of the truck, and first things first - hook the winch ahead to secure the truck. Only problem is that the truck is diagonal to the direction of the trail, ***** end pointed to impending doom. No problemo... instructor takes out the hi-lift from the back (which I didn't even know was in the truck), hooks it to the rear of the truck and to a tree on the other side, then jacks (hand winches) the entire rear of the truck over essentially straightening it back up on the trail - all the while still having the front winch line securing the vehicle from going over the edge of the ravine. I was 19, and this was my first experience with a hi-lift. Needless to say, I don't go off pavement without it.
Oh yeah, you can also jack the truck up with it! :sombrero:
Oh yeah, you can also jack the truck up with it! :sombrero:
I Leak Oil
Expedition Leader
seanz0rz
Adventurer
PullPal and HiLift are really two very different things.
If you are stuck, and need to go forward in stuff like snow and mud, a hilift is going to be nearly useless. A winch and a pullpal will solve that.
Hilift is much better for changing tires, lifting the vehicle to stack rocks, etc. It is a great tool, but a completely different beast than the pull pal.
I firmly believe everyone should have a hilift jack. They are incredibly versatile tools if you know what you are doing with them.
The pull pal is a one trick pony, but that trick is pretty amazing... If you need one, it is the most amazing thing in the world.
also, the most expensive hilift is about 1/3 the cost of the 11klb pull pal.
If you are stuck, and need to go forward in stuff like snow and mud, a hilift is going to be nearly useless. A winch and a pullpal will solve that.
Hilift is much better for changing tires, lifting the vehicle to stack rocks, etc. It is a great tool, but a completely different beast than the pull pal.
I firmly believe everyone should have a hilift jack. They are incredibly versatile tools if you know what you are doing with them.
The pull pal is a one trick pony, but that trick is pretty amazing... If you need one, it is the most amazing thing in the world.
also, the most expensive hilift is about 1/3 the cost of the 11klb pull pal.
LR Max
Local Oaf
Do you live/wheel in wooded areas? If so, no need for a pull pall. I've never seen the need for a pull pal here on the east coast. Well I take that back, some people in Florida that wheel in areas that don't have big trees need em. But in the Appalachian mountains, 100ft of winch cable and a 30ft strap will take care of you.
Do you have big tires and long arm flexy suspension? If so, the hi-lift becomes relevant for tire changing, etc. Otherwise just get you a nice bottle jack and a piece of wood. I've done that a number of times. Easy and fairly safe.
Do you have big tires and long arm flexy suspension? If so, the hi-lift becomes relevant for tire changing, etc. Otherwise just get you a nice bottle jack and a piece of wood. I've done that a number of times. Easy and fairly safe.
JIMBO
Expedition Leader
:sombrero: Heh Heh, LR Max is korect--
In the Sierras, there's no need for a Pullpal--trees even jump in front of you here-
I'm usually in the Nv desert, but never have a use for a Pullpal--however I use my Hilift for many things-
Multiuse tool, with care the Hilift is a real benefit-
:costumed-smiley-007:wings: JIMBO
In the Sierras, there's no need for a Pullpal--trees even jump in front of you here-
I'm usually in the Nv desert, but never have a use for a Pullpal--however I use my Hilift for many things-
Multiuse tool, with care the Hilift is a real benefit-
:costumed-smiley-007:wings: JIMBO
bjm206
Adventurer
Very good points. A high lift is a useful tool for many things.
I prefer to use a high lift for vehicle recovery not tire changing. Keep a good bottle jack for tire changing (and recovery), lifting from the axle is usually much safer. There is a fair amount of suspension travel that must be taken up before you will have a wheel in the air when lifting from the vehicle body. High lifts can be a bit unstable in use and require a lot of effort to get a heavy vehicle up in the air. An extended loaded high lift is like a loaded coil spring...very dangerous if things go wrong.
I prefer to use a high lift for vehicle recovery not tire changing. Keep a good bottle jack for tire changing (and recovery), lifting from the axle is usually much safer. There is a fair amount of suspension travel that must be taken up before you will have a wheel in the air when lifting from the vehicle body. High lifts can be a bit unstable in use and require a lot of effort to get a heavy vehicle up in the air. An extended loaded high lift is like a loaded coil spring...very dangerous if things go wrong.
Willman
Active member
I agree.
The PullPal is a great tool if you by yourself or don't have any good anchor points near by.
The High-Lift can also be used a winch with the right rigging. That is alot of work and thats why i own a Warn winch. At least one rig in a group needs to have a good well maintained High-lift. High-Lift sells a base that is great in the backcountry.
pugslyyy
Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
Agree with the bottle jack. Sometimes I will use a hi-lift to unload the suspension a bit to make it easier on the bottle jack under the axle.
Metcalf
Expedition Leader
I'm gonna say neither. That would save probably 100+ lbs in total or more.
While I think the hi-lift can be a decent tool. VERY few vehicles are set up to use them properly. Most vehicles these days, even ones with aftermarket bumpers, will not have a good place to lift from. If you have a winch, generally, your going to pull cable before you think about jacking and stacking with a hi-lift. They are handy for some repairs, but I think it falls into the category of starting to pack enough things to fix mythical problems that are pretty dang unlikely.
The pull-pal is a neat idea, but how often will you really need it? Is it worth packing the 35-45lbs around all the time, not to mention the space requirement. While I can think of a few situations where it could come in handy. I can think of very few that wouldn't have another work around. You can make a ground anchor in an odd spot out of a lot of different things. It might take more time to improvise something rather than using a pull-pal, but how much of a hurry are you in?
I would rather have some extra hanks of non-steel line for the winch. They would be very light and useful for reaching out a little further or rigging more complex pulls.
A decent shovel is going to be pretty handy
A bottle jack works better for changing a tire as mentioned, and is also much more compact than a hi-lift
While I think the hi-lift can be a decent tool. VERY few vehicles are set up to use them properly. Most vehicles these days, even ones with aftermarket bumpers, will not have a good place to lift from. If you have a winch, generally, your going to pull cable before you think about jacking and stacking with a hi-lift. They are handy for some repairs, but I think it falls into the category of starting to pack enough things to fix mythical problems that are pretty dang unlikely.
The pull-pal is a neat idea, but how often will you really need it? Is it worth packing the 35-45lbs around all the time, not to mention the space requirement. While I can think of a few situations where it could come in handy. I can think of very few that wouldn't have another work around. You can make a ground anchor in an odd spot out of a lot of different things. It might take more time to improvise something rather than using a pull-pal, but how much of a hurry are you in?
I would rather have some extra hanks of non-steel line for the winch. They would be very light and useful for reaching out a little further or rigging more complex pulls.
A decent shovel is going to be pretty handy
A bottle jack works better for changing a tire as mentioned, and is also much more compact than a hi-lift