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Hi-Lift mainentance and questions

RootBreaker

RootBreaker

3/4 ton status
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Ok so when I was a wee lad.. back in 1989-1991 my truck was thrashed and bashed.. only on 33's, 3" bl, auto and 3.73s... but was fun..

drove truck as a DD till 1997 and stopped wheeling.. then parked it.. it got 15" lift and getting ready for militaries and 53" michellins.. well never happened and NJ changed lift laws.. truck then sat till 2004 when I told wife.. it is coming down/legal and driven.. so did.. and wheeled it lightly from 2004-2006 to which it didn't do much..

so recently took it out and been having fun.. first time not stuck. 2nd time mega stuck and I actually think my hilift woulda helped...

I noticed lil things using my hi-lift jack recently after taking it out of the corner and dusting it off....
more on that another day but wanted to give history before I give this question...

so how do you maintain a hi-lift jack? I will list what I am seeing and curious if you too (who own one) see the same thing...

1. in a video on hi-lift jack usage.. people show raising arm up and lifting.. on downward they lower... but their jack stops... My jack... once no pressure, drops like a rock to the bottom plate banging at the bottom. I don't like that and want to know if there is a fix

2. do you oil/lube jack as it sits outdoors? mine is indoor and it has bound where jacking up is fine but jacking down you have to tap the square unit as the pins seem to bind. figuring lube or oil.. but want to see what others are using..

3. last one... this one is stupid but still.. how to differentiate versions? there must be versions as my other thread..
https://ck5.com/forums/threads/mount-spare-tire-and-hilift-on-fullsize-pickup.330878/#post-3790108

skunked - has a red jack and it has a circular cutout where the handle is. my handle also pulls out super easy.

so with that if you are jacking down.. the jack gets down to no weight.. and drops like a rock. holding the handle and you only pull it out of the jack... ughhhhh


I'm trying to get the safety of my jack to where it needs to be as it is going to be an integral part of my recovery... cant wait to get this stuff going!!!!! and will share out when I do...

Well it is a 60" wooot by Jeffrey Riggs, on Flickr


2017-07-18_11-34-45 by Jeffrey Riggs, on Flickr


full res - https://flic.kr/p/WhhtYW

 
Probably needs oiled.

If the flip the lever, it reverses the pin direction of travel and you can ratchet it back down. Or keep using the Ole' method

I have pulled the pins out and scotch brited the crap out of them on lifts that didn't want to work. But spray the bejebus out of it with penetrating oil
 
aight ive got to get the truck back in the driveway and I'm gonna run the jack through its stretches to see how it reacts... still the handle coming out bothers me.. the part that is supposed to hold the handle in the up right doesn't hold.. it just has been neglected
 
The handle is just missing the cotter pin..there a hole on the handle that lines up with a space on the jack..or you can drill out the hole and put a nut/bolt in there if you dont need to take the handle off in a timely manner.

The spring that holds the handle up against the jack is just wore out. you can bungie cord it and ignore the rattle or get this http://www.hi-lift.com/accessories/handle-keeper.html

The jack is designed to drop free when it has no weight on it via the switch. saves you from having to ratchet forever

As far as oil I use WD-40

If you gonna seriously use it for recovery stuff then I would recommend these 3 things

http://www.hi-lift.com/accessories/fix-it-kit.html

https://www.amazon.com/Jackmate-Hi-Lift-Accessory-OFF-ROAD-RECOVERY/dp/B0728NCPF9

http://www.hi-lift.com/accessories/off-road-base.html

and do yourself a big favor and get a good bottle jack..Trying to change a tire with just a highlift is a night mare and akin to bomb diffusing
 
I use spray white lithium grease as lube om mine, seems to last longer than WD-40. I did get a can of motorcycle chain lube the other, I might try it next and see how long it stays on there.
Mine is bolted to the cage of the rig so it stays out of the weather for the most part. If the rig gets pressured washed after a ride, so does it.
One of the best ways to keep them working easy is to use them. I can't remember the last time I used mine out on the trail, but I do use it around the house and shop. Mostly breaking tire beads, checking suspension travel and lifting heavy things here the floor jack won't work.
 
Blazooki said:
The handle is just missing the cotter pin..there a hole on the handle that lines up with a space on the jack..or you can drill out the hole and put a nut/bolt in there if you dont need to take the handle off in a timely manner.

The spring that holds the handle up against the jack is just wore out. you can bungie cord it and ignore the rattle or get this http://www.hi-lift.com/accessories/handle-keeper.html

The jack is designed to drop free when it has no weight on it via the switch. saves you from having to ratchet forever

As far as oil I use WD-40

If you gonna seriously use it for recovery stuff then I would recommend these 3 things

http://www.hi-lift.com/accessories/fix-it-kit.html

https://www.amazon.com/Jackmate-Hi-Lift-Accessory-OFF-ROAD-RECOVERY/dp/B0728NCPF9

http://www.hi-lift.com/accessories/off-road-base.html

and do yourself a big favor and get a good bottle jack..Trying to change a tire with just a highlift is a night mare and akin to bomb diffusing
Click to expand...


thanks for all this info!!!!!

side note... bottle jack?? 40" hawgs, I need a big bottle jack!!!! I may try and figure out how to carry my michellin floor jack...im an over doer so I don't mind carrying a lot of crap... but want it all bolted down. I have not really wheeled much and originally years, eons, decades ago... my wanting was a self recovery machine where I didn't NEED to rely on anyone else. being stuck like I was... and broken down.. I wasn't happy. It set me off with that I am not a self recovery machine. A Winch WILL be added in march/april timeframe...
sold my Ramsey Patriot 15k - wish I kept it...
 
Blazooki said:
If you gonna seriously use it for recovery stuff then I would recommend these 3 things
https://www.amazon.com/Jackmate-Hi-Lift-Accessory-OFF-ROAD-RECOVERY/dp/B0728NCPF9
http://www.hi-lift.com/accessories/off-road-base.html
Click to expand...

Side note..
the base - I am planning on using a 2x12 either 3' or 4' for a base.. that's just me. This base is $40 and doesn't look much bigger than the actual foot thus the real... is it needed..
that jackmate looks interesting but when reading reviews on it.. few complaints and someone said they like their hi-lift extreme top better - gonna look for one of them....
 
The most important thing to remember about a hi-lift, is that sooner or later you need to throw it away. Cleaning and oiling one will work as long as its in good shape. Most jacks will last almost forever, but those are the ones who spend most of their lives riding around.
There are a few that get hard workouts on a regular basis.
I have seen a couple of those, and fought them. You can usually see the damage in the inclined ramps that the jacking pins cross pins ride on. I have seen them worn in a U shape.
Many years ago, I saw an ad for a rebuild kit for those jacks, which would extend the life of one.
I suppose you could replace the pins and regrind the ramps, but think about how much load you put on one, and if those parts are worn, what about stress cracks in the main beam?
If it gets to that point, grab a new one. When you do, notice that they come in different load ratings. With those jacks, as with most things K5, there is no such thing as overkill......

Also, the dropping with no load, as mentioned here, is a feature, not a bug. Also when both pins are retracted like that, you can also raise it up to the load position without having to jack it all the way up.
Just pull up on the head until it hits where you want it, then hold it there while you click the lever into the up position.
 
ordered the Hi-Lift (LM-100) Lift-Mate Jack Base so I can play around with jacking from the rim... to see how well it works. like said when I was sunk, I coulda used this to jack up from tire, put stuff under tire, etc...
 
If you think you might actually need the Hi Lift to change a tire then, IMO, it'd be money well spent to get something to limit suspension droop. I'd get a length of chain with hooks to loop over the frame and under the axle to create a loop that will prevent the axle from dropping, this will help to cut down on how high you need to go with the jack. I've seen Hi Lifts with the ratchet 3/4's the way up the rail and that junk gets SCARY! The rail can start to bow causing the jack to lean etc, it can be an accident waiting to happen.
 
nvrenuf said:
If you think you might actually need the Hi Lift to change a tire then, IMO, it'd be money well spent to get something to limit suspension droop. I'd get a length of chain with hooks to loop over the frame and under the axle to create a loop that will prevent the axle from dropping, this will help to cut down on how high you need to go with the jack. I've seen Hi Lifts with the ratchet 3/4's the way up the rail and that junk gets SCARY! The rail can start to bow causing the jack to lean etc, it can be an accident waiting to happen.
Click to expand...

already in my thoughts... just a simple rachet strap to hold it... unless that isn't safe enough but yes.. I will be doing that as well... I'm planning a full on thought on this... LOL
 
nvrenuf said:
....I've seen Hi Lifts with the ratchet 3/4's the way up the rail and that junk gets SCARY! The rail can start to bow causing the jack to lean etc, it can be an accident waiting to happen.
Click to expand...

yeah I took this in 2004 - I think I found out my body mounts were bad so new poly ones on now.. so looks like the bumper is bent but it is not.... ill have to look at that as well when I test this stuff out...

tire barely off the ground so changing a tire would be interesting.... without limiting suspension

flex4.jpg


flex1.jpg



flex3.jpg


in preview last pic (3rd) shows but when I hit save it shows pic with X on it.. hah

so here http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/193869/fullsize/flex3.jpg
 
thats why you get the bottle jack...put it under the axle and then it doesnt matter how much suspension flex you have or how tall your tire is. If you build your own base plate you can make it fit the both the high lift and the bottle jack so they dont sink in the soft stuff. You don't need a big jack. You can always stack cribbage under the bottle jack if you need to for the situation. Jacking from the rim is a great idea in thoery..except 99% of the time you need to pull that rim off or move it, turn it, spin it and now you can't. The chain idea works good too..but your lifting the body to lift the suspension and that ads to the overall distance you have to lift the truck to get the tire off the ground.

https://www.harborfreight.com/autom...low-profile-heavy-duty-bottle-jack-69481.html

thats mine and I'm on 42s

You last pics are what I was referring too as a bomb waiting to go off. When the highlift is up that far it does everything it can to kick itself out..now imagine your on wet uneven ground in the wharton state forest trying to rock that wheel off the axle cause the inner bead is completely broke and you need to use your spare. you start pulling on the tire, shaking the truck and boom....highlift kicks out and the truck body is like a giant mouse trap.
If theres a bottle jack under the axle holding the tire off the ground. whole lot friendlier..
 
Last edited:
Learn how to drive so you don't get stuck and you won't need the hi-lift. :thumb:

BTW, it's funny seeing your truck in brown. I've only seen it as blue.
 
runamok151 said:
Learn how to drive so you don't get stuck and you won't need the hi-lift. :thumb:

BTW, it's funny seeing your truck in brown. I've only seen it as blue.
Click to expand...

SHATAP U!!!!!

remember the cranberry bog run we did... I had my window open and mud flew up and covered my arm/lap!!!! LOL
 
Blazooki said:
thats why you get the bottle jack...put it under the axle and then it doesnt matter how much suspension flex you have or how tall your tire is. If you build your own base plate you can make it fit the both the high lift and the bottle jack so they dont sink in the soft stuff. You don't need a big jack. You can always stack cribbage under the bottle jack if you need to for the situation. Jacking from the rim is a great idea in thoery..except 99% of the time you need to pull that rim off or move it, turn it, spin it and now you can't. The chain idea works good too..but your lifting the body to lift the suspension and that ads to the overall distance you have to lift the truck to get the tire off the ground.

https://www.harborfreight.com/autom...low-profile-heavy-duty-bottle-jack-69481.html

thats mine and I'm on 42s

You last pics are what I was referring too as a bomb waiting to go off. When the highlift is up that far it does everything it can to kick itself out..now imagine your on wet uneven ground in the wharton state forest trying to rock that wheel off the axle cause the inner bead is completely broke and you need to use your spare. you start pulling on the tire, shaking the truck and boom....highlift kicks out and the truck body is like a giant mouse trap.
If theres a bottle jack under the axle holding the tire off the ground. whole lot friendlier..
Click to expand...


I'm ahead of you on a few of these...

you mention the chain idea is good but your lifting the body...
not sure what your mentioning there as you would be jacking the bumper that is connected to the frame... not jacking from the body.
I will have a way to lock axle to frame so I can jack from bumper and not have suspension flex...

the bottle jack I guess would work but I see a few issues...
1. do you want to be the one to try and put it under the drivers side?
2. do you want to also dig under there as the axle was high centered?

I see the jack from rim great for that...

This is the terrain I like.. rocks no...
unhappy4thmuddin-(4-of-4).jpg


I do see a bottle jack use if on stable ground with a flat.. or a jack stand...

so I totally get what your saying about the jack wanting to kick itself out as I know once I jacked up the truck and it slid out from under... to that I am going to be talking to my bro in law, who is a fabricator/welder and we are going to look at adding safe mounting/jacking points to my bumpers. not sure how yet.. by either notching the bumper underside, or cut into each tube (top one on bottom and bottom one on top) and weld in a shape that would add structure back but allow the jack arm to slide in...
this is gonna be cool.. - I hope... LOL
 
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