dlbrunner

I forgot to mention, somewhere over the years I was told to buy the Red High-lift (Handyman) jack. There are three kinds? the red (strongest) Black(next best) and Blue (I have been told to stay away.) They all have to do with the type of metal used, I think

High lifts make me nervous, too many trucks slid off on the the trail. Handle slipping out of your hands and watch that baby go! A friend of a friend got nailed in the head by one, almost killed him.
I need to replace my old one, which got bent in an accident and went as an accessory on my cruiser. I was going to rebuild, put a new shaft on it, but the climbing pins needed to be changed too, It was too much hassle, and I think the rebuild kit and new shaft was almost as much as a new one.

Dented head + shifting car + pucker factor = High Lift

rimpainter.com

Richard-

Here are the best pictures I could get for you. Let me know if there is a better angle. As you can see, the dimples are small and difficult to see.







Do you really think this warrants cutting them off and welding them back on with scabs? I am just wondering if setting all this up with Steve is totally unnecessary...I mean I really do appreciate it, but gosh, it is so generous.

KING

In my opinion, just play it safe and have it done the right way.

Better be safe and than sorry.

crawler#976

OK

Back to the original topic...

As I've mentioned over and over on this board and every other one I contribute to, a Hi-Lift is a recovery tool, not a jack. Christian learned a lesson and passed it on.

______________________

Christian,

The sliders didn't fail, the mounting did.

Come on up for a day, we'll straighten them if required or possible and weld on some gussets or some kicker tubes to add more support to the sliders. I've got plenty of scrap tube or some 0.250 wall x 7/8 dia 4130 round steel stock to BEEF'm up.

Later

weldpro

Mark,
Wow you are a good man! Thats a very nice offer!!! Christian now has a couple of choices, and I just wanted to thank you for offering him this.


Christian,
The pictures turned out fine, and it looks like the welds(installers) were fine(I suspected the fillet size might have been really small). No worries it will be an easy repair albeit time consuming. Just be aware that you have a couple of options, and they all are good! If you go to Steve I will be happy to pay him to get them on the right way for you. Don't feel strange for accepting this offer it's OK, and if it were not then I would not have offered it up!!!
Talk to you soon,
Richard

westy44runner

[QUOTE=crawler#976]OK

Back to the original topic...

As I've mentioned over and over on this board and every other one I contribute to, a Hi-Lift is a recovery tool, not a jack. Christian learned a lesson and passed it on.


I completely agree and have had some scary moments jacking my trucks when no other option is available...that offroad base while its overpriced is VERY helpful however!

What is the consensus on the best method to do a tire change on the trail? Hi Jack?

Brian

crawler#976

1. I try to patch the tire if possible using my Safety Seal kit while the tire is on the rig:

http://www.safetyseal.com/

Obviously, patching requires an on-board air setup, but you need one anyway...

2. If it will fit into the spot your at, I use the stock jack. Lifting from under the axle is the shortest way to go.

3. If I have to use a hi-lift, I use a piece of chain and a shackle to loop around the axle to the frame to limit the amount of droop travel required to lift the vehicle. I alway place the spare under the rig while removing the bad tire, and then place the bad tire under the rig while putting on the spare.

4. If it looks like a really bad spot, I'll drive on the flat to get to a place to change the tire safely.

Flamedx4

Had 2 Hilifts and sold them. Never once found a use for them other than they look cool as hardcore 4 wheelin gear and all.... With the adapter that grabs the rim they could pick a stuck tire out of a hole, but otherwise you have to lift the truck about 4 feet just to get a tire off the ground, and then there's the issue of where to jack from, so what's the use? A come-along has been quite usefull many times, and of course I had a winch on the front. For changing a tire a jack under the axle is just perfect - maybe that's why tire shops don't use hilifts...

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

Strap/chain the axle to the frame, then you only need to lift it a few inches. I've found my HiLift invaluable, have had th (60" model) for about 20 years now and use it periodically. With "real" bumpers and sliders, you can use it on all 4 sides of the vehicle and I even use it in the wheel well to lift the body to access the frame and body mounts:



I also still carry the factory bottle jack in the truck and use it from time to time, on and off the trail. For around the garage, though, I use a big floor jack most of the time. You can never have too many jacks

slyang1012

how many of you guys purchased the bumper lift? How do you use it anyway? I bought it thinking that it will go under the pinch of the body and be able to lift the truck up. But when i do so, the jack pulls into the truck. Also, on 4wheelparts, they r selling thier procomp 2x30" recovery straps for 24.99 is that a good price? would i need to also purchase the tree truck protecter to hook up the recovery strap? THANKS

westy44runner

yes get a tree protector especially if you have a winch...otherwise you will just chop the trees in half
try www.rockstomper.com for heavy duty recovery equipment.

justpassinbye

never use your hijack solo for removign tires..
like someone else said.. iv used my hilift sooooo many times, and not once have i not been scared.. for real! be very careful with them.. never jack up on pavement.. tires tend to slide a lil on garage pavement when you put them at that angle.. you prolly dont realise it but your problem was with your tires sliding on the other side.. not the base plate... the base prolly moved after it was already ÅÅÅÅed. when im working on my truck i use the hi lift for precatuion.. jackstands... hydrolic.. and hi lift.. im never gonna feel safe with my truck jacked up.. and you should never feel safe also..

but i am very confident in hi lifts.. i have had myne up to 45 inches or so and been watching the vertical bar flex and beens cared.. but never a failure.. only thing i recomend is keep it well greased.. including the vertical bar.. worst case keep small wd40 can with it and spray it every time you use it to keep it smooth if you can manage to keepo the grease on it from getting grimy...

i alwasy had problems keeping the grease clean.. so i sjtu coat ti with wd40 every time i use it.. but dont rely on it for later cuz it dries out in about 10 minutes

the black and red is weaker than the red on red

rimpainter.com

Ahhh, no. My tires did not slide on on the other side. When I moved my foot off the base plate, it shot out immediately and nailed my door. It was the base plate.

ianshoots

I know this thread is old, but here's a thought. If have a hi-lift and haven't used it. Do so, in the yard, before you hit the trail. Its a tool and its a good idea to practice using it.

I've yet to use mine on my truck, however I've used it in a lot of other farm style situations; it is afterall a farm jack, first and foremost (Jacking up the toungue on a trailer when its built in jack failed, lifting the corners when a trailer had sat too long and sunk into the ground AND I've even used it as a big clamp while building a landing for a deck, goofy stuff like that)

So yeah, try it out someplace controlled before you have to use it on the trail: PPPPP.

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

Yes, great idea. I use mine for all sorts of things at home. Once you get the hang of it it is quite handy but it takes some practice to make it do what you want.

Also, you need to get the hang of where to place the jack at the start of a lift in order that it ends up where you want it when you get done. If you set it up vertical and start raising the side of your rig, it will tip into the side of the body as the vehicle comes up. So you need to kick the base under the side of the rig a little before starting. Same thing if lifting one side or the other off a bumper or sliders. The vehicle will tend to tilt away from the side you are lifting and the HiLift can get spit out that way. So you need to kick the base a little to the side you are lifting so that it ends up perpendicular when you finish lifting.

Now that I have a big truck-style floor jack, I rarely use the HiLift for working on my truck anymore. My HiLift is at least 20 years old and I think it works smoother now than when it was new. But I always remember that one line from the PBS series "All Creatures Great and Small" where the young veterinarian gets kicked by a horse and asks the older vet how he should keep the horse from kicking him. The old guy said something like "a good doctor stands where the horse can't kick him". So you need to realize the jack can come loose at any time and stay out of it's "line of fire", so to speak.

AxleIke

I think that people don't give hilifts enough credit. Yes, the are pretty scary, but i've used mine to change a tire many times, even in the driveway, but then again, we have a dirt driveway. The floor jack don't roll too good out there, and the bottle jack takes forever to get out. If you have a flat in rocky terrain, a bottle jack isn't going to work.

We've used ours 100's of times. On our old FJ-55, and my 4Runner. When you are open at both pumpkins, and have no winch, you get stuck alot. We've spent many hours with a shovel, and a hilift, stacking rocks under tires, even pulling the truck forward with it, since it doubles as a come-along.

The bottom line is, practice using it. Just lift your truck a couple inches, and move the truck slightly, it will give you a feel for just how unstable it is. even if your tires are on the ground, your truck will sway like a tree in a hurricane. Yes, this jack will slide, and it will fall out. it will also ratchet down with suprising speed if you let go of the handle (been there once, now i keep a death grip on the handle). It is scary, but this jack is an almost essential piece of equipment, even if you have a winch. Lets say you're stuck above timberline, and unless you've got a large winch anchor somewhere in your rig, you'll still be digging. I personally never go wheeling with out a hi-lift.

rngrchad

That's funny Ian, just last week I was building a deck at work and one of the deck joists was warped to the point that my 3/4 board decking wouldn't break even on it.....so I took the highlift off the taco and bam! Deck fixed.
I use my H.L. more for uses outside offroad than anything. Oh and the best use of my highlift yet was in an accident. I was rear-ended, the fella had no insurance, so I chose not to write up a claim against him, but he couldn't leave becuase his front quarter panel was smashed into his tire. I used the H.L as a clamp and pulled the panel off his tire so he could drive home. Just thought I'd share.....and yes I AxleIke, I too keep a death grip on the handle

rimpainter.com

Time for a bump on this old thread...

photoleif

interesting read, though i don't see that anyone answered bob's original question about what exactly not to do with them. i looked thorugh the instruction and safety manual that hi-lift posted on their site, but i think some kind of writeup would still be nice.

boogyman

agreed. but this thread is definitely a good start. lots of practical advice.