ARB Jack First Review, Leaky Christmas

[Metcalf]

Apart from normal lifting I have used mine for clamping and spreading and winching, Pulling posts out of the ground and for pushing things,

I can load my Hi-Lift on the roof rack or inside the vehicle, The Hi-Lift is not just a Jack it is a problem solver, It always makes me laugh when So called macho guys complain about the weight of things, It does not matter whether it is Rifles, Metal Detectors or jacks, Kind of makes a mockery of the image they portray,

The ARB unit would pull posts or push things away from the jack base? ( though I am not sure if the hydraulics will work laying over, which is an interesting tech question or test for the owners)

I didn't mention weight in my post? I mentioned size. A 48-60" hi-lift jack is just cumbersome to store in a smaller vehicle. It just is, I don't care if it weighed 5lbs instead of 40lbs, it is just a large piece of gear to store on/in a vehicle. Personally, I know enough about vehicle dynamics and weight distribution that I don't want that much weight up high mounted on a roof rack or behind the rear axle if I can help it. After carrying and not really finding many actual uses for a hi-lift style jacks, for years...I moved on. I'll take my non-hydraulic double extending Toyota bottle style jacks these days. The hi-lift just sits in the garage gathering dust. I've been able to use the bottle style jack in more situations vs the hi-lift style jack. We had an excellent example of this on a Rubicon Trip last year. I will dig up a pic. The hi-lift was useless....the little bottle jack saved the day.....

It always makes me laugh when people throw out random solutions to things without thinking through all the ramifications.

 

[67cj5]

The ARB unit would pull posts or push things away from the jack base? ( though I am not sure if the hydraulics will work laying over, which is an interesting tech question or test for the owners)

I didn't mention weight in my post? I mentioned size. A 48-60" hi-lift jack is just cumbersome to store in a smaller vehicle. It just is, I don't care if it weighed 5lbs instead of 40lbs, it is just a large piece of gear to store on/in a vehicle. Personally, I know enough about vehicle dynamics and weight distribution that I don't want that much weight up high mounted on a roof rack or behind the rear axle if I can help it. After carrying and not really finding many actual uses for a hi-lift style jacks, for years...I moved on. I'll take my non-hydraulic double extending Toyota bottle style jacks these days. The hi-lift just sits in the garage gathering dust. I've been able to use the bottle style jack in more situations vs the hi-lift style jack. We had an excellent example of this on a Rubicon Trip last year. I will dig up a pic. The hi-lift was useless....the little bottle jack saved the day.....

It always makes me laugh when people throw out random solutions to things without thinking through all the ramifications.

I know you didn't mention the weight, But about 95% of people who want to justify wasting nearly a $900 on a Jack will mention the weight as an excuse when they most likely will never use it In the next 5 or 10 years by which time the seals would have perished, bottom line is they don't have to justify anything,

With the Hi-Lift you don't have to lift any thing really high in order to get it off the ground with the list of accessories that they make for them and they make Hi-Lifts in at leased 5 different sizes,

It does not matter whether it is a Hi-Lift or the ARB Jack, Spending 90-100 bucks on a jack that you will hardly use is almost agreeable but to blow nearly 900 bucks on something you might use that is nothing more than a one trick pony is totally nuts when there are better and cheaper options available,

 

[Metcalf]

I know you didn't mention the weight, But about 95% of people who want to justify wasting nearly a $900 on a Jack will mention the weight as an excuse when they most likely will never use it In the next 5 or 10 years by which time the seals would have perished, bottom line is they don't have to justify anything,

With the Hi-Lift you don't have to lift any thing really high in order to get it off the ground with the list of accessories that they make for them and they make Hi-Lifts in at leased 5 different sizes,

It does not matter whether it is a Hi-Lift or the ARB Jack, Spending 90-100 bucks on a jack that you will hardly use is almost agreeable but to blow nearly 900 bucks on something you might use that is nothing more than a one trick pony is totally nuts when there are better and cheaper options available,

I can agree with most of that. I use a $20-40 Toyota bottle jack.....

I don't agree that the hi-lift can do everything a bottle jack can do however. I'll round up some pics from the rubicon trip this evening and post something up. A hi-lift was a total strike out. We had more than one on the trip from different peoples rigs. It is a really good teaching case about what can go wrong will go wrong. Stay tuned.

 

[67cj5]

I can agree with most of that. I use a $20-40 Toyota bottle jack.....

I don't agree that the hi-lift can do everything a bottle jack can do however. I'll round up some pics from the rubicon trip this evening and post something up. A hi-lift was a total strike out. We had more than one on the trip from different peoples rigs. It is a really good teaching case about what can go wrong will go wrong. Stay tuned.

I only carry the Hi-Lift when needed, I also use the bottle jack my Vehicle came with but a while ago I had to buy a floor jack to do some work on the truck, I even have an Exhaust Jack as well that I bought a little while ago for another vehicle where the Hi-Lift was not suitable due to plastic bumpers.

 

[Metcalf]

This was the pickle....



The truck had gotten the front end up the Soup Bowl obstacle on the Rubicon Trail before the rear end slid slideways and wedged a large fin of rock right inbetween the rear driveshaft, tire, and axle tube. The truck couldn't be pulled forward with the rear axle hooked. He couldn't back up without a major risk of rolling over. A hi-lift jack wouldn't lift high enough to lift the rear axle tube over the rock fin anywhere it could be operated safely. We ended up having to jack the axle tube itself up using a bottle jack multiple times in order to stack/crib the right rear tire up high enough to allow the truck to pull forward.

I don't think there is a perfect tool for every occasion, and Murphy says that it won't be in the rig when you need it unless it is kept in the vehicle all the time. The only improvements I am making to my normal jack system is to add a short DOM tubing section to the top of the jack. This tube can have a radius or notch cut into the top. This will grab something like an axle tube or rocker better. I will also add a pin hole to the tube so that I can build some attachments for the top of the jack. It would be nice to have a few extensions that could be pinned into the jack to increase its versatility. Having a bit more cribbing in the vehicle would be nice. I think using some 2x4 lumber sections would be good. They can be stored fairly compact. They can be used for firewood or other uses if needed.

 

[67cj5]

This was the pickle....



The truck had gotten the front end up the Soup Bowl obstacle on the Rubicon Trail before the rear end slid slideways and wedged a large fin of rock right inbetween the rear driveshaft, tire, and axle tube. The truck couldn't be pulled forward with the rear axle hooked. He couldn't back up without a major risk of rolling over. A hi-lift jack wouldn't lift high enough to lift the rear axle tube over the rock fin anywhere it could be operated safely. We ended up having to jack the axle tube itself up using a bottle jack multiple times in order to stack/crib the right rear tire up high enough to allow the truck to pull forward.

I don't think there is a perfect tool for every occasion, and Murphy says that it won't be in the rig when you need it unless it is kept in the vehicle all the time. The only improvements I am making to my normal jack system is to add a short DOM tubing section to the top of the jack. This tube can have a radius or notch cut into the top. This will grab something like an axle tube or rocker better. I will also add a pin hole to the tube so that I can build some attachments for the top of the jack. It would be nice to have a few extensions that could be pinned into the jack to increase its versatility. Having a bit more cribbing in the vehicle would be nice. I think using some 2x4 lumber sections would be good. They can be stored fairly compact. They can be used for firewood or other uses if needed.

I have owned 4 of those Trucks when I was back home in Australia, Wish I still had them now,

Looks like that truck could do with some rock slider all the way round to use as jacking points, Trouble with big Tall Trucks when they get stuck they get really stuck.

Yeah I have had similar issues But at the time I never had a Hi-Lift and when I did eventually get one I went to use it once and then I needed the bigger one, So when I bought my first fridge I bought the 60" Extreme version And Guess what ?? I haven't needed to use it as of yet LOL,

Back in Australia I bought an ex Army Land Rover and they have huge springs and really long spring shackles So they sit a good 6 to 8" taller than the Stock Land Rovers and One day I was going up a bush track and had to reverse back a bit and I got it Cross Axled where I had 2 wheels on opposite corners off the ground, when I jumped out the door the Drivers seat was level with my head, The big Hi-Lift would have helped that day.

 

[Metcalf]

I have owned 4 of those Trucks when I was back home in Australia, Wish I still had them now,

Looks like that truck could do with some rock slider all the way round to use as jacking points, Trouble with big Tall Trucks when they get stuck they get really stuck.

Yeah I have had similar issues But at the time I never had a Hi-Lift and when I did eventually get one I went to use it once and then I needed the bigger one, So when I bought my first fridge I bought the 60" Extreme version And Guess what ?? I haven't needed to use it as of yet LOL,

Back in Australia I bought an ex Army Land Rover and they have huge springs and really long spring shackles So they sit a good 6 to 8" taller than the Stock Land Rovers and One day I was going up a bush track and had to reverse back a bit and I got it Cross Axled where I had 2 wheels on opposite corners off the ground, when I jumped out the door the Drivers seat was level with my head, The big Hi-Lift would have helped that day.

He has some slider protection, but he kept them high and tight for clearance.

I just don't like using the 60" hi-lift jacks. Personally I think they just get too high and too unstable to be of much use. That is the root issue with having to lift from the perimeter of the vehicle, especially a taller one.

 

[67cj5]

He has some slider protection, but he kept them high and tight for clearance.

I just don't like using the 60" hi-lift jacks. Personally I think they just get too high and too unstable to be of much use. That is the root issue with having to lift from the perimeter of the vehicle, especially a taller one.

Yeah I wouldn't want to lift anything that high but they are good for pushing the vehicle sideways or making the other side Tyres sit on the ground while you place rocks etc under the tyres that are in the Air,

 

[HOBBE$]

I finally got my 60" Hi-Lift mounted in the Power Wagon. Much better than sitting in the garage. Wish I could find some Mopar factory rock rails.

 

[CampStewart]

As much of a pita a hi lift jack may be to store when assembled it becomes a lot easier if you disassemble it. Store the hack mechanism and smaller parts in a canvas bag and the handle and stalk can store flat on the floor under other gear. It takes less than a minute to put it together or take it apart. If you really want to stow it without taking up space design your bumper so the stalk and handle can be stowed inside of it.

 

[HOBBE$]

13 of the Best Hi-Lift Accessories

 

[67cj5]

13 of the Best Hi-Lift Accessories

Thanks that's a good Link, Since I bought my first Hi-Lift there are many shops selling Fake Hi-Lift accessories at about a 3rd of the price, I refuse to buy non genuine Hi-Lift products, I still have a few genuine Hi-Lift accessories that I bought from the Hi-Lift importers the I bought at the time I bought The Jack, I also bought the 60" Extreme Jack 3 years ago, I like the 48" All Cast Jack but the Extreme Jack has some great features and is well worth the money.

 

[Metcalf]

I was able to confirm that the ARB unit will not operate on its side.
That is a bummer.

 

[67cj5]

I was able to confirm that the ARB unit will not operate on its side.
That is a bummer.

So it only has cheaper valving inside, that's not good, So it truly can't be used as a clamp, Winch or a Spreader and for that they want between 7 and 1100.00 bucks for it depending where you are in the world, It truly is a One Trick Pony.

 

[Metcalf]

So it only has cheaper valving inside, that's not good, So it truly can't be used as a clamp, Winch or a Spreader and for that they want between 7 and 1100.00 bucks for it depending where you are in the world, It truly is a One Trick Pony.

Yup. Kinda sad really. You could spread vertically with it with the jack in the upright position.....but yeah....

I don't really see many vehicles these days that can even be jacked on the perimeter really.

I'm pretty happy with my good ol' Toyota bottle jack these days. It's time to add a little top pad extension system. With a section of tubing the jack could be used on a bumper or rocker also without losing the ability to work under the vehicle.