Why all the hi-lift hate? Is there an alternative?

David Harris

David Harris

Expedition Leader
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zimm

zimm

Expedition Leader
i use the wheel adapter most often and tie the base off so it wont kick. it wont stop a falling car, and if you put your face in the way of a handle, well... cant help ya there. but tieing it off will keep the base from jackin' you up.
 
F

fluffyprinceton

Adventurer
zimm might be talking about one of these -
http://www.overlandexpo.com/overland-tech-travel/2012/12/15/transform-your-hi-lift-jack.html
I keep meaning to buy one - the high-lift could be more stable at times no question about it - BUT one of it's most useful qualities is it's INSTABILITY, allowing jacking at weird angles and purposely pushing the vehicle off it's jacked height to move the end of the vehicle over a few feet.

The last recovery I did was an older couple's 4x4 pickup bogged to the frame in very soft sand - past Eureka dunes towards Steel Pass in Death Valley early evening, it was either put them up for the night or go get them out...
With the high-lift notched into the pickups receiver and all the wood blocks I had under it's base I could just get it to move up & out of the hole he'd dug himself. The sand was so soft the jack kept mushing to the side & it took a number of repositionings to work the truck on to a "new" track where I'd laid my plastic fencing sand "track" (very cost effective stuff...) No other tool could of done it - oh, except a big winch on the front of my truck...which would be wonderful for recovering other vehicles & would help recover mine as well (when I could find an anchor...)Moe

Here's another option...
http://bajaorp.com/hi-lift-conversion.html
 
T

taiden

Observer
Well, the high lift already saved the day and I only had it for a few hours. One of my valve stems gave up and I used the hitch receiver on the back as a jacking point to break the bead on my tire, allowing me to access and replace my valve stem!
 
pugslyyy

pugslyyy

Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
taiden said:
Well, the high lift already saved the day and I only had it for a few hours. One of my valve stems gave up and I used the hitch receiver on the back as a jacking point to break the bead on my tire, allowing me to access and replace my valve stem!
Click to expand...

Well there you go - Hi-Lift is a very flexible tool!
 
T

taiden

Observer
Hi-lift picked up each of my wheels today and allowed me to put a ton of logs underneath when I was high centered on my diffs! Hooray ruts! I would have been screwed without the wheel lift addon.

God, I'm starting to sound like an advertisement.
 
zimm

zimm

Expedition Leader
taiden said:
zimm, can you elaborate on your base tying methods?
Click to expand...


simple. loop a rope thru a hole in the jack bar at the bottom, and thru rim or whatnot. it wont stop the the whole shebang from tipping, but it will stop a painful kickout when on mud.
 
Clutch

Clutch

<---Pass
oryxexpeditions said:
Hi lifts aren't for changing tires in my opinion. The factory jack is for that. However, if you had to, you could jack it up with this, put a jack stand/log/rocks, etc under the end of the axle and remove the tire. There's no more danger in denting the vehicle with the jack in this position than elsewhere, such as off a slider or one of the bumpers. You still have to be careful. If your worried about the jack contacting the vehicle just put a piece of foam roll bar padding over the end of the jack as an added buffer.
Click to expand...

You strap it so the suspension doesn't droop, use a ratchet strap or motorcycle tiedown. You'll get dirty, but why I keep a pair of coveralls in the truck at all times.

That said, I prefer a hydraulic floor jack on a skid for changing tires, I do carry a Hi-Lift for "just in case"

HFRacingJack5.jpg
 
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