Hi-Lift Problems / Malfunctions

[Uticon]

I see in your picture you have one of those rubber handle holders.
I had one on my Hi-Lift and it got in the way of the handle going all the way to the up position.
If you cannot lift the handle to the up position all the way at the main verticle portion of the jack it wont engage the mechanism to lower the jack to the next slot.
Just what i have learned, hope it helps.

​

I've had my Hi-Lift for about 3 years now. I've only had to use it 5 times so far (most recently tonight). 4 out of the 5 times I've used it it has malfunctioned. It jacks up just fine - nice and smooth. But when I throw the switch to jack it down, it won't do anything. If I try to jack it and hit the mechanism with a BFH then it will lower, but most of the time instead of going down 1 notch (like it's supposed to) it will just completely drop the load. I carry it on my truck 100% of the time, as I'm sure most of you do, and I lubricate it regulary. This is totally rediculous that my Hi-Lift has malfunctioned 80% of its uses. I feel that I can not even trust it anymore, and I always feel unsafe using it.

I e-mailed Hi-Lift about this, but does anyone else have a similar experience or fix?

The Hi-Lift has almost killed me 3 times, and once - it put a nice big crease in my driver's door. ALL WHEN TRYING TO LOWER THE JACK.

I'm ************* pissed, and I'm ready to throw my Hi-Lift in Lake Michigan.

Should I just try lubricating it before each use?

 

[ntsqd]

I'll second using the m/c chain lube. Specifically I use Maxima aerosol chain wax.

Then I'll mention something that has made a huge difference in the two Hi-Lifts that I've done it to. I perform what shooters would call an "action job" on them. Take the jack completely apart. Get out your mill files and smooth every rubbing surface. DO NOT change any angles, just smooth & straighten all of the rubbing surfaces. You can significantly reduce the operating friction of the jack by doing this.

 

[teotwaki]

WD 40 is for drying ignition NOT lubrication. Lubrication is just a good marketing technique.

................snip..................

A detail oriented person would look at WD-40's Material Safety Data Sheet and see that WD-40 does indeed contain a lubricant (sorry, no marketing hype)

Chemical Information
Chemical Name: Solvent naphtha, petroleum, medium aliphatic
CAS Registry Number: 064742-88-7
Synonyms: Solvent naptha (petroleum), medium aliphatic; Stoddard solvent (2); Solvent naptha, medium aliphatic; Petroleum distillate (3); Solvent naphtha, petroleum, medium aliph.


http://www.wd40.com.au/msds/ChemWatch MSDS WD-40_Aerosol.pdf

 

[DaveInDenver]

A detail oriented person would look at WD-40's Material Safety Data Sheet and see that WD-40 does indeed contain a lubricant (sorry, no marketing hype)

Chemical Information
Chemical Name: Solvent naphtha, petroleum, medium aliphatic
CAS Registry Number: 064742-88-7
Synonyms: Solvent naptha (petroleum), medium aliphatic; Stoddard solvent (2); Solvent naptha, medium aliphatic; Petroleum distillate (3); Solvent naphtha, petroleum, medium aliph.

What part of WD40 is the lubricant? Always trying to understand chemistry!

Looks like medium aliphatic solvent naphtha is typically used as a paint thinner and various use cleaner.
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=chem&id=174
http://www.whitakeroil.com/MSDS/Shell sol d60 msds.pdf

Seems like the other major parts of WD40 are a heavy solvent-dewaxed paraffinic distillate and Stoddard solvent.
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=chem&id=157
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=chem&id=178

So is the distillate the lubricating part?

 

[ntsqd]

A person with considerable experience in cleaning firearms that were "lubricated" by their owners with that stuff knows it's not a very good lube. It is excellent at building up junk, grunge, & just general carp! To the point that said firearm no longer functions.

It is an excellent starting fluid for diesel engines. That is all I use it for.

I find it amazing how well their marketing worked. That all these years later some folks still consider it to be the best cure-all on the market.

But, back on topic, I found that doing the "action job" on the jacks did reduce their operating friction noticeably, even when totally dry of any lube.

IMHO an implement like a Hi-Lift should NOT require lubricant for it to function properly. It should work as intended any time or place regardless of the lube or lack of it so long as it is not damaged. Otherwise having it along may not do you any good.

 

[AndrewP]

IMHO an implement like a Hi-Lift should NOT require lubricant for it to function properly. It should work as intended any time or place regardless of the lube or lack of it so long as it is not damaged. Otherwise having it along may not do you any good.

Maybe so, but in use, they almost always do require a lube for the pins to pop up crisply when lowering the jack. Plus, the jacks stored outside in the open are almost always slightly rusty. The good thing is, that even very rusty vetrans still work pretty well with just a few shots of lube. Maybe if kept inside your truck, in a storage bag, it wouldn't happen. My two highlifts stay in the garage most of the time, and only get mounted up if I'm going somewhere offroad. That way at most, they have one trip's accumulate grime only.

I totally agree that WD-40 is a nearly useless spray fluid, and I'm not sure why so many still stick with it.

That Boeshield I mentioned is really good a keeping stuff from sticking to the parts and gunking up the mechanism.

 

[ntsqd]

Mine's been sitting outside about 3/4 mile from the beach for nearly a year. (I quit carrying it after going to a small floor jack on a skidplate.) I'll try to see if it still works, sans lube, tonight.

 

[DaveInDenver]

IMHO an implement like a Hi-Lift should NOT require lubricant for it to function properly. It should work as intended any time or place regardless of the lube or lack of it so long as it is not damaged. Otherwise having it along may not do you any good.

I think I agree with your point insofar as it should function safely. That's not to say it should necessarily work well (and AFAIK they'd jam into a safe state if loaded). I guess I don't see why or how a total lack of maintenance should be a condition for it's operation. Now if the manual said that you don't need to clean and lube it, then I would wholeheartedly agree. But Bloomfield puts recommended lube points right in their owner's manual.

 

[ntsqd]

I'm not talking about neglect. I'm talking about excessive maint. requirements. To me that means if I have to do anything on the trail JUST to use it. If I've been working & it needs some attention, that's different.

That being said, mine has been neglected. I don't use it any more so the maint. sched has fallen to zero. I carried it, as all the guru's & wannabe gurus said to do, for 5 years. Used it once, and any sort of jack would've worked mine just happened to be easiest to get out. Turned out to not be the best choice for the job (replacing Yota t-bar anchors on a Stock Mini desert race truck).

So I grabbed it and a shackle to jack up the front of Patch. (I jack by the shackle lugs I built into the front bumper.) The pins (& everything else) are as rusty as you might expect from sitting outside in a marine environment for nearly a year. A couple strokes w/ no load had it working fine going up. Lifted the RF almost off the ground w/ no real trouble.
When I started to set Patch back down is when the trouble started. It wouldn't go. Everything except the pins worked fine. Though they'd slide, they wouldn't slide far enough to effect a lowering of the jack. Some careful use of a screwdriver and a couple taps with a dead-blow got it down.

Would I use some lube on it b4 taking into the field again? Absolutely. With the aerosol cycle chain wax (which works equally well on MTB's btw).
Would I leave it where it lay if it refused to function at first use in the field? Absolutely.

Wish they made those springs and maybe the sliding pins out of stainless.

For ref on why a shackle, Patch's front bumper:

 

[DaveInDenver]

I'm not talking about neglect. I'm talking about excessive maint. requirements.

I know that's what you meant, just making a point. I think the jack is designed to jam safely, which I think was what happened to yours. IOW, the safe condition is for the jack to basically freeze in a locked position under load rather than release or slide.

 

[Grim Reaper]

A detail oriented person would look at WD-40's Material Safety Data Sheet and see that WD-40 does indeed contain a lubricant (sorry, no marketing hype)

Chemical Information
Chemical Name: Solvent naphtha, petroleum, medium aliphatic
CAS Registry Number: 064742-88-7
Synonyms: Solvent naptha (petroleum), medium aliphatic; Stoddard solvent (2); Solvent naptha, medium aliphatic; Petroleum distillate (3); Solvent naphtha, petroleum, medium aliph.


http://www.wd40.com.au/msds/ChemWatch MSDS WD-40_Aerosol.pdf

WD 40 stands for Water Displacement 40th try. They never intended for it to be used to lubricate anything and anybody who has busted their knuckles a few times knows that. The marketing team was who decided you should spray it on everything and stated making these claims it was good for anything then what it was designed for.

What lubricant is in it evaporates very quickly with the Naphtha. I find the best use for WD for is "fire balls" and potato cannons not lubrication of anything.

 

[teotwaki]

WD 40 stands for Water Displacement 40th try. They never intended for it to be used to lubricate anything and anybody who has busted their knuckles a few times knows that. The marketing team was who decided you should spray it on everything and stated making these claims it was good for anything then what it was designed for.

What lubricant is in it evaporates very quickly with the Naphtha. I find the best use for WD for is "fire balls" and potato cannons not lubrication of anything.

So now we do agree that it has a lubricant in it. Back in post #12 you said it was all marketing hype.

"WD 40 is for drying ignition NOT lubrication. Lubrication is just a good marketing technique".

It was never actually made for drying ignition, however the paraffin has very good insulating properties

Electrical insulating materials. Kaye and Laby Tables of Physical and Chemical Constants. National Physical Laboratory (1995).

So maybe drying out ignitions is just marketing hype too?

Here is an interesting factoid about getting too much naphtha:

Almost all volatile, lipid-soluble organic chemicals cause general, nonspecific depression of the central nervous system or general anesthesia

 

[MaddBaggins]

Sorry about your frustrations Jamie. I've had mine act up before and it sucks. I actually took a blow on the back of the jaw from the handle when it finally released. Knocked me on my ********, but thankfully didn't break my jaw. Stupid mistake on my part, I knew better than to stick my head in there and did it anyway.

I keep mine inside the rig, out of the elements, but still don't lube it enough. This thread reminds me I need to rehab that thing soon.

 

[teotwaki]

I liked the comments about disassembling some parts and cleaning them up with a file to ensure smooth operation. My jack has not seen official action but I have pulled it out every so often to get re-used to how it works. Also all of the back and forth on lubrication has been very useful too (and fun!).

On a recent off-road trip we had all of the weird jack-related things happen: the guy with the new lifted vehicle had a flat tire but no Hi-Lift Jack of his own. Another driver pulled out a really beat up jack that was sliding around his pickup bed. It successfully lifted the disabled truck but then jammed. So another driver pulled out a very shiny Hi-Jack Lift that still had the paper instructions rolled up in the jacking handle! We used that one to extract the jammed jack and then lower the truck. :safari-rig:

 

[UK4X4]

mine sits on my front bumper exposed to everything, the pins are covered with axle grease....they are not rusty, however would need wiping off before use, just to get the embedded dust off.

In the past i left it dry from lubricants,,,and just sprayed before use.....

I think the main issue, is not checking the pins are moving BEFORE jacking the truck up......