Hi-Lift jack - what a PITA!

[Ken Sekley]

Man, needed to use my Hi-lift jack today. You need a PHD just to use this darn thing!

Time to find an alternative!

 

[smritte]

Heh. I stopped carrying one years ago. Their more temperamental than a pissed off cat.

It will wait until your not looking and hit you in the face with the handle.
If the weather changes, it wont work.
If you don't keep it lubed, it wont work.
If you lube it, it will collect dirt and wont work.
"When" it has slight rusting it wont work.
if you raise the vehicle too high it wont come down
If you raise the vehicle too high, it will slam to the ground once you touch the lever.
It will wait until the tire is off, fall over and gouge your paint.

I think that about covers my experiences with them.
I now keep a two stage bottle jack in my vehicles.

 

[Ken Sekley]

LMAO!!! How true. You mind me asking what Jack you using? Can you link me please.

 

[smritte]

I carried a 10 ton harbor freight jack with some wood blocks for years. I didn't want to carry the blocks any more so I bought this jack.
two stage double ram.

My old jack would almost go high enough without a block. Almost didn't cut it when I got a flat. I had to get creative. I also found out none of the guys in my group that day had a jack that was tall enough for mine or their vehicle.

Before you buy anything, take some measurements. I would hate to find out your vehicle was too high for the one I found.

Jack up your front and rear axles. Get the tire a few inch's off the ground and measure from where you place the jack to the ground. Also measure the same spot with the tire "on" the ground. It took me a while to come up with one that went high enough and collapsed down far enough to fit. This is how I found this design.

This one is 7" collapsed and 16.5" extended. My old one is about 6" collapsed but only goes to 11" extended.
I'm considering going to 37's because I want to run some of the harder trails I use to. If I do that, I'll have to carry blocks again.

On a side note, if you have to carry a high lift, get some strong tie downs and use them to hold the axle in place when you lift I had a pair I shortened just for that.

 

[Carlos]

Pro Eagle is what I'm using. I still have a Hi-Lift on my truck, however that is more show than anything these days.