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

[Tony LEE]

Not my vehicles, just extreme examples of what can happen - but I use a 6' lift one on my OKA truck and there are times when the beam gets a bit of a bow in it so I guess there wouldn't be much movement needed for the bow to turn into a bend.
What I have had though is using one of the two OEM holes in the front bull bar results in the pawl mechanism getting hard up against the bullbar frame and not being able to move it into lower mode. That would have been awkward if I was in a bog somewhere rather than on flat concrete.

With the OKA an air-jack bag is useless, as is a normal bottle jack, and the normal 4' high lift isn't long enough and the winch plus two synthetic extensions is always too short to reach the nearest tree, so the 6' one is sometimes better than nothing to get me out of trouble.

 

[Eventhough]

The 60" (or 5') Hi-Lifts aren't rated as high in the top 12" of height as they are in the bottom 48". That is usually when the upright bends.

 

[Buliwyf]

Why all the mechanism dirt talk? They don't have Grease, Seran Wrap, and electrical tape in CA?

 

[overlander]

I drive an FJ too, ever since I bought it I've read the same thing.....never could figure out why except to try and be cool until the point they actually dent a door changing a tire, yeah, then who's kewl???? LOL!


PS - I carry both and will probably start taking a bottle jack along as well, but so far, haven't.

I have always had, and always will have a hi-lift jack. I would also NEVER use a hi-lift to change a tire unless I was desperate and/or had something to support vehicle after it was lifted. anyone who doesn't get this hasn't ever used their hi-lift for anything. I'm confident of that. At some point, a hi-lift will drop unexpectedly. I am always ready and anticipating that, should/when it does happen.

 

[madmax718]

I always have a spotter look at nothing except the jack. I look at the spotter and if he/she is looking at me I yell at them. Their job is to get me out of there should the jack start moving. Mud, sand, dirt, rocks, all can shift or cause the jack to start shifting. Ther's only a few moments before its a diaster.

 

[taiden]

I always have a spotter look at nothing except the jack. I look at the spotter and if he/she is looking at me I yell at them. Their job is to get me out of there should the jack start moving. Mud, sand, dirt, rocks, all can shift or cause the jack to start shifting. Ther's only a few moments before its a diaster.

That's a really good method, thanks madmax.

 

[Clemson4Wheel]

We had a guy buy a Hi Lift Jack last fall. He brought it back in a few hours looking like this! http://imgur.com/qHeNzym

Turns out he was doing dock work and needed the Hilift to lift the dock out of the water. We exchanged him another one under warranty. They are great tools but you have to be careful. They arent designed to lift up boat docks or buildings..:Wow1:

 

[taugust]

Like any lifting tool, they store energy and can bite. A winch does too. Be careful, and be aware. Those two examples of bent jacks look like HF junk. Buy a cast (all red or gray) Hi-Lift if you are going to get anything.

 

[Antichrist]

Even a Hi-lift will bend. I bent my first one in the 70's pulling fence posts.

 

[JJackson]

Last fall we used the main shaft/beam of a hi-lift to replace the bent up drag link on a YJ to get it off of and out of the trail. Worked great.

 

[xplrn42]

Last fall we used the main shaft/beam of a hi-lift to replace the bent up drag link on a YJ to get it off of and out of the trail. Worked great.

Excellent.

 

[REasley]

Dragging up a fairly recent thread to post a Hi-Lift picture. I've been selling Hi-Lift since 73 and have never seen this before, but it did happen and will happen again.







There was no abuse here. Customer was picking up one corner of a 3,000 lb disc to change a bearing. So it had only a few hundred lbs on it at the most. The jack was purchased from us on 7-25-13. Hi-Lift jacks are rated to 7,000 lbs. Fortunately no one was injured, but it scared the hell out of the mechanic.

This is one of those just beware kinda things. Sometimes you can follow all of the rules and do all of the safety precautions and still get bit in the ***.

 

[I Leak Oil]

Yikes!:Wow1:

 

[pugslyyy]

Wow, bet that was exciting when it gave way. A good reminder why we always use jackstands/logs/dunnage to support a load once we've jacked it up!

 

[coastal616]

That's because the average human is an idiot.

Hahahah that pretty much sums it up.