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Hi-lift

FRIZZLEFRY said:
I would say a HiLift is almost the single most important tool you can have off road.I do not go offroad without mine.For the type of wheeling I do (Hammers,Rubicon,Moab,)
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the main difference is there is no rocks here. the type of wheelin i do is mild to moderate trail riding, and mudding. and when you get in the mud it creates sucksion (I think) which makes it harder to get out, so therefor would probaly make the hi-lift even unsafer.
 
I have used High-Lift jacks for 30+ years. I have seen them slip out and had vehicles fall off them. Each time I was paying attention and no harm came out of it. I would much rather use a High-Lift when my rig is teetering then a bottle jack. Although bottle or floor jacks are great for flat tires, I do not ever get under my (or anyone's) rig when it is in a precarious position. And I have used my High-Lift AND my (or another rig's) winch at the same time. I once had to jack the rear of my rig off a huge rock while another rig winched the rear end sideways using a snatch block up the bank. This worked wonderfully! That being said, a jack of any kind, as well as a winch, is a tool to be used by skilled hands with great respect and care. So, whatever way you choose to go, practice with it and respect it.
 
I've used a come along to get out of mud and snow banks... works great. Never used a hi-lift for winching. Get yourself a come along(4 ton or bigger) and couple lengths of chain, shackles, and a tree saver.

The best part about a come along is you have a lot more cable to work with than you would with a Hi-Lift, though I've never used a Hi-Lift for winching... One of these days I'll pick one up, but all the stories I've heard I'd really want to go with someone who knows how to use it before I did a thing with it.
 
I like how some people say the hi-lift is dangerous and will never use one but they will use a winch instead. I have heard of more people injured or killed by winches than by hi-lifts. Both tools are dangerous in the wrong hands. Both need to be treated with respect. Be sure to understand how they work before using them.

When using the hi-lift keep your face away from it and always use both hands on the handle. My friend was releasing tension on a hi-lift (he was using it to lift the front end) and he didnt have a good hold of the handle and got wacked in the face and put a nice gouge in his chin.

My truck will have a winch on the front but I will also carry my hi-lift with me. Check the swap meets for a good used one. I have two that were from swap meets. You can buy a rebuild kit at farm and fleet for about 20 bux that will replace the pins and springs.
 
muddermilitia said:
I like how some people say the hi-lift is dangerous and will never use one but they will use a winch instead. I have heard of more people injured or killed by winches than by hi-lifts.
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A good point. I'll never run cable on a winch again either (I use synthetic rope; its almost twice as strong as cable, its lighter and its WAY more safe) but it does cost a couple hundred dollars more and I realize most people won't go that direction.

muddermilitia said:
Both tools are dangerous in the wrong hands. Both need to be treated with respect. Be sure to understand how they work before using them.
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A great point, I feel that high lifts are considerably more dangerous. Both have deadly force.
 
1978Blazerk5 said:
Hows this.

http://www.cvfsupplycompany.com/4tonhanpowpu1.html


and whats a good place to get some cheap recovery straps. Ebay?
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I've never been the least bit impressed with any come along I've ever seen (they generally strip gears, break the cable, etc.).

As a counterpoint, many times that you're stuck it doesn't take all that much more to get you going. Of course, mud can be a different deal :whistle:



IMO cheap and recovery equipment don't really belong in the same sentence.
 
1978: I know you were looking for a DD/beater awhile ago and such, is this for that or your 78k5? Cause i also know you said you do mild wheeling only and dont wanna bang that beauty up, and im just wondering why you would need a winch or hi-lift if your not gonna wheel it hard.

that being said, winches can also be pretyy dangerous if the rope/cable lets go. Same for recovery straps. never used a hilift but apparently they arnt the best either.

Now im no hardcore wheeler, not even close, but for mud id imagine a hilift difficult to use, and winching/recovery straps would be the best way out. Again, you plan on doing it with that nice k5? Hell if i had that i wouldnt even mess with the front end to mount the winch, but thats just me.

Anyways, id say get both if you must, better to have both options availble when poo hits the fan.
 
Dabba said:
1978: I know you were looking for a DD/beater awhile ago and such, is this for that or your 78k5? Cause i also know you said you do mild wheeling only and dont wanna bang that beauty up, and im just wondering why you would need a winch or hi-lift if your not gonna wheel it hard.


Now im no hardcore wheeler, not even close, but for mud id imagine a hilift difficult to use, and winching/recovery straps would be the best way out. Again, you plan on doing it with that nice k5? Hell if i had that i wouldnt even mess with the front end to mount the winch, but thats just me.
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This is gonna be for the 78', the reason i am doing thats is cause the price of trucks, and my really low budget. cause it seems you cant get a truck with some floor left unless you wanna spend $3000. I figure its mostly trail riding, I also figure if I am smart i should have any problems bangin up the body. And plus it was my uncles rock crawlin truck belive it or not, and the paint on it was done as a favor to him, basicaly it was all stright and rust free before the paint. With the proper body prtection I dont feel anything I would do wheelin wise would be a problem.

As for the winch I know they say your not supposed to wheel alone, but I dont allways have the luxury of another truck, and I figure its all mild enough, I just like to always have a backup option so I dont get stuck.
 
1978Blazerk5 said:
As for the winch I know they say your not supposed to wheel alone, but I dont allways have the luxury of another truck, and I figure its all mild enough,
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There are so many "last words" in that statement, I don't know where to begin. I think I will just leave it alone.


If you are serious about recovery gear, you need at a minimum :Winch, snatch block, straps rated for 3-5 times your vehicle weight, D-shackles, gloves, high lift jack, and the think alot of people dont think about......attachment points. There is nothing worst than a stuck guy in a big truck and the only thing you can attach to is an axle.
 
Oh ok ya I get what ya mean. I always have at least one other person with me. Truck wise, well I only got a couple friends who are into trucks and the wheelin they do is hardcore stuff.

So unfortantaly, what it seems everyone is saying unless i can get another truck to go along i cant go wheelin..
 
I will be brief.
Ever heard the statement "prepare for the worst"?
No matter how mild you think a trail is, there is almost always a chance to get badly hurt. If that happens, it is always better to have another truck close by. It doesn't matter if it is wheeling with you or just parked at the trail head. It's the possibility of those rare occurances that bite you.
For example...A buddy of mine in a super built rig was just playing around on some little hills. I MEAN LITTLE !! He was going slow, he had years of driving experience, he had been on the trail before, etc, etc. In some freak, twilight zone way, he rolled. People in the rig were not strapped in. It took 4 ambulances to get everyone to the hospital. Broken ribs, broken/dislocated shoulder, broken wrist, broken arm. The truck had to be rolled over using another truck, just to get everyone out. Fuel was spilling the entire time. It's that kind of impossible-to-happen situation that makes us all stress the fact of not going alone. Someone else was there to call the paramedics, and to lead them down to where the people were. If you are deep in a trail, and you are alone, and something happens, you have to either walk out of it or call someone that knows how to get to you. What if you were in a spot that you didn't have reception?

I know the people may have come out better if they had been strapped in. That is not the point I am trying to make. Its the fact that they didn't prepare properly because of the mild trail they were on and had been on before. This is worst case scenario stuff for sure. It could have been worse, and it could have been better. But....It could happen to you!

I told you I would be brief. You should see it when I get long winded. I am kinda passionate about this because I have a son that wheels his own truck. The only reason that I built the truck that I have is to be sure that I could recover my sons. When I worry about his well being, it is easy for me to get concerned about all others in the wheeling family.
 
Leper said:
I will be brief.
Ever heard the statement "prepare for the worst"?
No matter how mild you think a trail is, there is almost always a chance to get badly hurt. If that happens, it is always better to have another truck close by. It doesn't matter if it is wheeling with you or just parked at the trail head. It's the possibility of those rare occurances that bite you.
For example...A buddy of mine in a super built rig was just playing around on some little hills. I MEAN LITTLE !! He was going slow, he had years of driving experience, he had been on the trail before, etc, etc. In some freak, twilight zone way, he rolled. People in the rig were not strapped in. It took 4 ambulances to get everyone to the hospital. Broken ribs, broken/dislocated shoulder, broken wrist, broken arm. The truck had to be rolled over using another truck, just to get everyone out. Fuel was spilling the entire time. It's that kind of impossible-to-happen situation that makes us all stress the fact of not going alone. Someone else was there to call the paramedics, and to lead them down to where the people were. If you are deep in a trail, and you are alone, and something happens, you have to either walk out of it or call someone that knows how to get to you. What if you were in a spot that you didn't have reception?

I know the people may have come out better if they had been strapped in. That is not the point I am trying to make. Its the fact that they didn't prepare properly because of the mild trail they were on and had been on before. This is worst case scenario stuff for sure. It could have been worse, and it could have been better. But....It could happen to you!

I told you I would be brief. You should see it when I get long winded. I am kinda passionate about this because I have a son that wheels his own truck. The only reason that I built the truck that I have is to be sure that I could recover my sons. When I worry about his well being, it is easy for me to get concerned about all others in the wheeling family.
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yes I have heard that statement before, "Prepare for the Worst, Pray for the best"

you do have a really good point ya never know what gonna happen. I suppose like you said it could happen to anyone, but in that situation it sounds like he got a little to overconfidant in the truck, thats in that sitution but it is true you never know what could happen.

So even if i dont have another truck wheelin with me, If i could just have some one close enough i could reach on the CB that would be fine right.

Its great to know people in this world still care about others, that seems to be a rare thing these days.


On a side note, I got some friends that are "kinda" in with the offroad crowd, with near stock trucks. When wheelin' season starts up, I am going to see if i can get in with that groupe of people.
 
Ive found that Amazon has reasonable prices for hi lifts and tow straps. I got a superwinch on there and am pleased with the quality of it.
 
Drey said:
Ive found that Amazon has reasonable prices for hi lifts and tow straps. I got a superwinch on there and am pleased with the quality of it.
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I just looked and you can get much better prices than Amazon.

4WP has them 60" for $62 plus "Purchase a Hi Lift X Jack and receive a Free isolator"
And something about free shipping on ground items.
 
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