Hi-Lift jacks?

[xmod]

I was considering getting a Hi-Lift jack, but I have seen vague comments about the horrors of using them.

Can anyone comment good or bad based on experience?

I don't ever want to have to change another tire with that crummny little stock jack.

[Glenn_Guinto]

Anything can be dangerous if used improperly. Hi-lift jack is a very versatile tool but the key is learning how to use it safely and properly. Bill Burke sells a good video on learning how to use your hi-lift.

As far as changing the tires, as long as you're in a level pavement, the bottle jack will work better than the hi-lift (imho). Or better yet, a good floor jack will be much simpler and safer to use. The hi-lift is more for trailside usage.

[Mike Hippert]

Highlift is kinda a last line of defense type thing. The reason it is dangerous is mostly the environment it is used in. If the vehicle is unleveled, on soft ground, not loaded evenly or if the jack is on something slippery, or it may slide on the vehicle. It all come down to that Jack or vehicle may move allot.
Example:

If you have to change a tire with a highlift the best thing to do is to lift with the Jack and then lower the axle onto something like a log or rock before you take off the tire, thus eliminating the Jack while taking off the tire and making the vehicle more stable.

If you use good judgment and work carefully you should be safe, but there is still a chance that you could get hurt. I always have mine with me, but I have never had to use mine on the trail.

[Buckon37s]

If you wheel, you have to have one. Dangerous or not, just be careful.

[snuffer]

Get familiar with it, learn to use it before you get into a tough spot. Just needs to be used with common sense to avoid problems. If you wheel any where except firm and somewhat level ground you gotta have it...IMO

Keep your bottle jack with you too.

[Tawayama]

How in the Hell are you going to change a tire with a Hi-Lift jack? You have to get the truck up so damn high off the ground before the wheel will come up it makes the jack very unstable.

Quit yer bitchin' and learn to change a tire with the bottle jack.

Anyone who changes a tire with the HL ought to have their head examined. It is the wrong tool for the wrong job.

Sorry to sound like an ass, but honestly the HL is designed for a certain set of tasks, changing the tire is not one of them. Special slider brackets, bumper brackets, whatever, I don't care, still not appropriate.

Use your bottle jack.

[DJ Menasco]

Sounds as if that High-Lift not only knocked you around but it hurt your feelings too! Ass! :grin Hehehehe. Sorry, I couldn't help it Mike.

DJ

[Glenn_Guinto]

...except I was a bit 'nicer' :grin ;) LOL

[Tawayama]

yeah, I can be a prick at times, I just really think that the LR bottle jack is underrated.

I've had HL's before and have used them quite a bit. Have always had good luck with them and not been hurt.

There was just a point when I realized I was tempting fate. Gave away or sold all 3 I owned.

[xmod]

thanks for all the info. pardon my ignorance on the hi-lift, i thought it was primarily for changing tires in lieu of the bottle jack, under all conditions.

this is obviously an emotional subject for some people.

anyone know what the british military uses in the field to change a tire? don't tell me its the bottle jack...

sorry to disagree, underrated or not, imo the only benefit to the bottle jack is that it was made to fit under the seat. it has got to be the worst jack made for it's intended purpose.

[rover4x4]

Mine has never let me down. I have left my truck sitting on it while i took a tire to get plugged. Its made to change tires and does a damn good job provided you are on solid ground

[Chris Cox]

I personally am scared to death of the damn things. I have seen them jam or fail too many times on the farm to be fearless when using one. I probably will carry one on my ST, but I won't use it unless it is absolutely needed. I think there are def. situations where the high-lift is the correct tool for the situation, but I would not say it is an end-all be-all tool. Just make sure you keep it serviced, and store it inside the truck, or in a bag that will keep dust and dirt out of it. I have one of the bags from AB for my jack.

[Eric Siepmann]

So why would it matter what the Brits use in the field anyway? I'd much rather buy something available and built here in the states. Most likely be better made and cheaper.

[Chris Cox]

I think what he was saying is that there is probably a better alternative to the bottle jack when changing tires. Maybe what the MOD uses is something that is readily available in the US. I actually though about buying one of those exhaust jacks. Plug it to the muffler, and the exhaust pumps the bag up, which lifts the truck. Only bad thing is that whoever disconnects the hose ends up covered in soot, on a diesel that is.

[Tawayama]

Go to Harbor Freight and buy a $20 bottle jack. You won't regret it.

That is if your factory LR bottle jack doesn't work.

I have used two LR bottle jacks under the rear axle, pulled both tires off, removed the driveline and pulled and replaced a diff.

I had the stack of tires I'd removed under the rear trailer hitch of the RRC I had jacked with the bottle jacks, but they didn't budge at all.

IMO I would stay away from what the British military uses and find something local and available like Eric says.

The air bag jacks are nice for lifting a vehicle out of mud/sand/snow/muck when it's buried up to the frame. I have also used an ARB airbag jack to re-seat a tire on the beach. We had to get the truck up so damn high just to get the tire to re-seat, that any higher to actually change the tire would have been scary.

Think about trying to balance your truck on a big marshmallow. That's about how they work. They DO work though, which is pretty cool. I'm just not sure you would use one to change a tire.

IMO if you are changing a tire you need to lift the AXLE and not the vehicle. A small bottle (or scissor) jack is best.

[RichardMoore]

the factory fit jack on my 2002 defender hardtop is a screw thread pillar jack with hinged adapter which slots into holes in the rear cross member or front chassis ends. It has a 3/8 drive reversible ratchet to crank it though when i tested it at home i used my 14v cordless dewalt drill-driver and lifted the truck in 15 seconds. the jack is in two parts - a wide foot slots into the pillar and it all stows on a bracket on the bulkhead behind the front seats

I haven't had to use it at the road side but it seems well up to the job.

[snuffer]

"There was just a point when I realized I was tempting fate. Gave away or sold all 3 I owned."
"Quit yer bitchin' and learn to change a tire with the bottle jack."
How in the Hell are you going to change a tire with a Hi-Lift jack?

Are you wound a little tight Mike? Could be part of the problems you have with the Hi-Lift.

You take some great pictures though.

[Tawayama]

Oh, no I'm not wound very tight...might have been the in-laws were here for 5 days.

I just hate to see when someone thinks they are buying the right thing but really it will cause them more problems in the long run.

[Abrooks]

Pretty sure you could change a tire with a hi-lift if you just used a ratchet strap to tie the axle to the chassis. Certainly not the best solution, but I can't see why it wouldn't work.

[Doug]

I have easily rotated all four tires on my truck with the hi-lift. It's not an issue. Just rtfm. The hi-lift is an amazing piece of equipment -- it's old farm equipment and has dozens of uses. Yes, it's dangerous. But remember, one of the rights of a human being is the right to live a dangerous adventure!

Doug

[mikeslandrover]

Working under any vehicle supported only by jacks is just asking for disaster.
Chock the wheels when jacking, engage the diff lock. and use axle stands if you're going underneath.
Hi lifts are really good for breaking the beads on tyres for field repairs.
I've been careful and never had a problem so far (over 10 years of use)

[mikeslandrover]

How about this then.
(Photo - Paul Wightman Horsham4x4.)

[mikeslandrover]

It's not quite as scary as it looks. The LR was winched and had a safety strap attached on the other side of the truck. The hi Lift was there as another back-up.
What had happened I hear you ask?
Jon-E-Boy (we know him by another name) [He goes by the name Chelsea Tractor on this site] had decided to show this mob a "good" track at about 4:00 pm just when the pay and play site closes. Jon got very stuck, couldn't even open his doors to get out. I heard this plaintif wailing on the CB.
"I'm over here, in the gully." So we all rushed over to laugh and point.
The motor that was following Jon was an auto and it's starter motor failed.
The pic in the previous post was changing the starter motor in the dark, in the mud. What fun:grin
This was the state of Jon's motor after he'd been extracted.

[snuffer]

As we say over here, that one takes the cake!

[ChelseaTractor]

That mud is easily the worst! It took me the whole day on Monday to clean it. Excellent day though. Thanks for the water Mike, i've got my own system now.
"So why would it matter what the Brits use in the field anyway? I'd much rather buy something available and built here in the states. Most likely be better made and cheaper."

Ooooh Bitchy!
You need to go and buy yourself a J**P Eric and let someone more deserved have your LR.
:tounge

[mikeslandrover]

OH harsh:guns :rifle :stick

[mikeslandrover]

20 ltrs of water just to clean the rad so air would flow through.

[Eric Siepmann]

"Ooooh Bitchy!
You need to go and buy yourself a J**P Eric and let someone more deserved have your LR. "

And you're cruelly depriving some poor village of its idiot.

LOL EWS

[mikeslandrover]

Who you refering to on the last post?
I've become confused.

[mikeslandrover]

Who you refering to on the last post?
I've become confused.

[ChelseaTractor]

"And you're cruelly depriving some poor village of its idiot."

Very witty Eric.
:rolleyes

[Tawayama]

Found this pic on my hard drive today. About the only time I really was glad I had a Hi-Lift around.

*******http://tawayama.com/gear/crewcab/extensionsinframerails.jpg*********
Here's the pic. (http://tawayama.com/gear/crewcab/extensionsinframerails.jpg)