James Dean

With my main goal of creating a beefy, off-road looking vehicle, the realization that the stock jack would no longer reach most places under the 4Runner and be able to change a tire, I got a Hi-Lift HL485 Extreme Jack. The only problem is where to put a 4' long jack. After removing the factory cross bars I made a basket rack that will hold my jack on one side and some leverage bars, shovel or pick on the other side. Made from 16 gauge 1" square tubing provides plenty of strength while remaining light weight. The bottom has 3 support cross-bars and is decked with 1/2 expanded metal. After it was all built, I had it Powder Coated in satin black and clear for added durability and looks. I then installed caps on the open ends and ran a molding on the top rail to protect it when I carry things on top of the rack. I also installed 3 KC lights accross the front for looks and night time wheelin.









More can be seen at jamesdeancreations.com

FredTJ

And why, specifically, would a nominal bottle jack not allow you to change a tire ?

While the workmanship on the rack is nice, for anything other than looks, you don't want weight up high. You want to keep all the weight that you can as low as possible.
A high COG is not your friend




Fred

frodin1

Looks pretty good. How much does it weigh?

OSU4Runner

I like it!

keithguts

Well I don't no about the weight, but it sure does look sweet.

James Dean

I don't know the total weight. Next time I have it down I'll weigh it. I can pick it up and set it on the roof by myself, so it must be less than 100 pounds. I know COG is important, but then why does everyone lift there trucks. Besides, I don't load my rack with heavy things when I'm out 4wheelin.

Although it would be nice to only get a flat tire in your driveway on a solid, flat surface that isn't where you usually get a flat. If you put the factory jack on the outer edge of the center cross member up front (as per Toyota's instructions), I'm still 3" from getting my tire off the ground when the suspension drops.

FredTJ

Mmmmm, I didn't say "factory jack", I said:
BTW, the bottle jack goes under the A-Arm (front IFS) right by the tire or under the axle tube (rear or front straight axle) right close to the tire. You only have to raise the tire a couple of inches now. Easy, fast, safe, unlike this guy that most certainly has a death wish:








Frankly, because most of them don't know any better and all the other people in the same boat tell 'em to "lift it".

The vast majority of people, it seems, simply don't understand that tires provide the lift (clearance) and suspension lift and/or body lift is simply to provide clearance and/or some additional flex for the larger tires.
Almost every says "hey I just got a truck/4Runner (fill in your own choice) and I want to lift it. How can I left it a zillion inches"..
When asked why they want to lift it the answer is always either "for more clearance" or "for looks".
So, most people lift their vehicles for pretty much all the wrong reasons, off road performance be damned.
If you read any of my other post here, regarding lifts, you'll see a common thread. Lift it as little as possible, do a "tummy tuck" to push the xer case/tranny up and raise the gas tank and do it with the least amount of list possible. BL's are your friend here.
This comes from, literally, years of pretty heavy rock crawling on some of the toughest trails here in S. Arizona.




Fred

James Dean

Thanks Fred, I agree with you on people ruining the 4wheelin ability by lifting there trucks, not to mention safety. Most people put big leafs or coils, or worse yet blocks, shove gumbo mudders underneath, and then do nothing to upgrade brakes, driveline or any other area the lift causes conflicts with.

That's why I only chose to put in a 1.5-2" lift and that was mostly for added load capability for towing or hauling. I'm still only running 31X10.50's. I never need to take this ride anywhere that requires more clearance. I have others vehicles to beat up for rougher terrain.

As for the jack issue, I still carry my regular jack under the seat, it does still have it's uses. But the Hi-Lift has many other uses that it's nice to have too. I beleive it's better to be prepaired. It's the same reason I carry an extra ball joint, 2 u-joints, tie rod ends, water pump, radiator hoses, complete set of belts and a full set of tools in my ride. But to be quite honest it's mostly for looks.

leebee

maybe save yourself some cash as the factory supplied 'bottle' jack should work just as well. ive used mine to r&r my rear wheels to clean out the brakes, i set it on a 12"x12"x2" pine board so it has a more stable footprint.

nice thing is, you never really have to get under the truck other than to slide the base and jack inplace as the long handle allows you to raise and lower it safely from 'outside' the truck.

please remember to think safety any time you are using a jack for any reason, the darwinian pic above says it all.

lee

FredTJ

Ahhh, I like that.
A man that's thinking ....



Best,
Fred