Hi-Lift... to ditch it or keep it?

[supersize75k5]

They have their uses but they are heavy and dangerous and 99% of the time I feel I can find a better way to accomplish something than with a high lift. My .02, I knew I was in the minority before anyone else posted.

Im with you,

That bowing in the middle, ratcheting, sticks when you need it most, 5 foot long, handle flying around darwin award distributor, never stable, slips, just short of long enough is no longer something I feel the need to have.

With winches, straps and other rigs I feel you do not need it. I feel on a jeep or lighter rig they are for better suited and can more realistically "and safely" be used to their full potential. In az, many of the trails are not flat but rather filled with sand, boulder's and very likely to have your front and rear axles at different grades.. to me this is a safety issue.

If you are in a situation where you can not use a winch, or strap I likely wont be very safe to break out the high lift.

I still carry one in my truck because the mounts are there, but Im much quicker to hook up a strap and pull a rig around that deal with it.

Around the home I think they are very useful and one of those " ah haa" tools that come to mind when trying to get something done.

 

[cybrfire]

Anything is dangerous if you don't give it the respect it deserves...

Maintenance is the biggest cause of equipment failure, Hi-Lift included...

Which is why I said this,

if you give them the chance.

Stability would be the biggest concern with this jack IMHO.

 

[Smokinthehippies]

they make the larger base pads for them.
do those do anything to help with the stability? or are they more just for like sinking in dirt/sand?

 

[bp71k5]

2. changing a tire on uneven ground, I dropped the truck twice using a bottlejack while i was under it before i mustered up the courage to ask someone for a hi-lift and then it went flawlessly

3.jeep gets stuck in snake gulch we lift up his rear and put a big rock under his tire he moves on with no problem.

Thanks for providing some real world examples. Do you lift the truck up in the air by the bumper or the wheel? I cant use the bumpers to lift mine because they just bend away from the frame. My only option for lifting a tire off the ground is to strap some hooks to the holes in the wheels and lift from there. But then I have to bring something to place under the axle if I want to take the tire off. So that means I need a jackstand as well.

Now that I finished packing, I did fab a mount and bolte the jack in. I was also able to find a way to make the liftmate tire hooks kinda work as well. It doesn't look super safe, but I think I can make it work. In years past it wasn't securely fastened down which made it another kind of hazard. I still think I may try to find a way to eventually replace it with something else.

 

[gotblazers]

Thanks for providing some real world examples. Do you lift the truck up in the air by the bumper or the wheel? I cant use the bumpers to lift mine because they just bend away from the frame. My only option for lifting a tire off the ground is to strap some hooks to the holes in the wheels and lift from there. But then I have to bring something to place under the axle if I want to take the tire off. So that means I need a jackstand as well.

yes, i use the bumper. If yours is too weak reinforce it . My stock 76 bumper and a stock 04 jeep bumper handled it with ease. Your modified bumper should handle it no problem. I used a bottlejack in collaboration with a hi-lift to change the tire and with the hilift the truck didnt drop while i was under it for a 3rd time! (scary as shet)

 

[badmix]

Here is my approach on it. Its better to have and not need than to need and not have. I agree they CAN be dangerous , but that is if you dont pay attention to what your doing. just working around our rigs can be dangerous, etc.

Ive used my Hi-Lift exactly twice and it was just to take a tire off in my parking lot, mainly just to learn how to use it and how it works.

I had mine mounted on the bumper but found out it was getting rusty and muddy just from being out in the elements, once I got my roll bar I moved it inside. I got some expensive mounts but feel they would secure it and I wouldnt risk it coming off or what have you.

 

[mrdrinksalil]

I actually mounted my 60" to the cage this past weekend. Welded a couple 1/2" bolts to the cage and have stainless wingnuts and fender washers.

I really hate using Hi-Lifts and if you arn't using your head you can get hurt with one in a hurry. But honestly, Out on the trail, It's the most reliable and multifunctioning tools you can have.

 

[gone huntin]

Mine's mounted out front.

 

[bigjbear]

I've used mine around the house more often than on the trail. But the one it flat out saved us on the trail was a late model Ranger slid sideways off the trail. No matter what we did he kept sliding the wrong direction. I ended up pulling out the Hi-Lift jacked the truck up and pushed it over. We did this 3 or 4 times and got him away from the rocks that were going to wreck the sheet metal on a truck he was still paying for.

If he took the strap/cable right away he would have been fine. But by the time he gave up just pulling him would have gotten messy.

 

[dirtygoat]

Here's how mine is mounted... Easy to get to and stays in place while wheeling...

 

[thatsmrpyro2u]

i carry a high lift, an ax and a shovel, and on more than one occasion ive used them all. the highlift normally gets used around the house, but i know the day its not in the truck im gunna need it.

 

[Blazooki]

Here's how mine is mounted... Easy to get to and stays in place while wheeling...

thats where mine is...out of sight..out of mind