Hey Guys. I'm fairly new to 4 wheeling and I got a question. I'm getting a Hi-Lift jack to use for winching until they make an ARB bull bar for my 2003 4runner. I was wondering if instead of using a chain for the winching process could I use a synthetic rope like Amsteel Blue Winch Rope? If that is possible how should I set it up? Give me the whole run down of items needed for Hi-Lift Jack winching. Thanks.

 

Good question, it would be easier than carrying a load of chain around. But how often do you need to winch with a HiLift? It's usually the last resort, whoever you go wheeling with should just tug you free of what's got you stuck.

 

lemme tell you dude, trying to winch with a hi-lift sucks ass. and trying to do it with a synthetic rope would suck even more because it stretches a little.

the only reason i use the hi-lift is because i have no $$$

if i were you, i might look into a custom fabbed bumper for the front, but if you really want to wait for the bull bar, this is what you need untill then: http://www.cspoutdoors.com/morpowpul.html

 

Yup, vehicle recovery w/ a Hi-lift is a really good workout. Tried "winching" my truck up a slight incline just for kicks w/ one and it sucked. I can't even imagine using one on a vehicle that's really stuck.

 

Now that everyone is done saying how hard / bad it is to do..read this write up

It can be done.. Don't have $1000 to drop on a winch yet?? Hell, you may still need the hi-lift with a winch to pull you sideways.. Make sure you buy Grade 7 transport chain.. You can get it in nice 20' sections from most Home Depot type stores.. This will have a working strength of 7k (if I remember correctly) but that is the fail point of the Hi-lift and is tripple rated (rated to fail 3X the rating instead of 2X the chain rating of normal chain)

Oh. It may suck.. But the Hi-lift will work like a mother if you need it to..

 

one note about that website.



that's NOT the right way to attach a chain or anything else to the tongue of the jack! It even warns against it in the instructions...

You want whatever it is to go OVER the top of the tongue, not just through the thin brace underneath it.

 

Thanks for the heads up, Napoleon047.

 

Damn.. I am bad.. I didn't even see that!! You are 125% correct.. Hi-Lift does sell a kit that will have a bracket to slip over the foot to winch with it...

 

So do you have a bad septic system or did you put that hole there intentionally?

 

I have never used my high lift to move the truck a long distance but I have used it to develop some tension to get unstuck. Jack it super tight and then drive out or do it a few feet at a time. I have had more success with that than using it to pull me out of holes all together. I also use it to gut some air under a tire and then fill it in with rocks or wood as well as to lift the entire rear and push it over to one side to get out of ruts. I use a 35 pound weight lifting plate as a base.

 

LOL.. No septic yet.. That is where a swimming pool had stood at our old house. What happened was it was late fall and I had been thru that spot many times eairler.. Well I forgot about the perk test they had done while I was at work and we had heavy rain a couple days prior.. Well, it was a little softer now (like really soft) I sunk in like no tomorow~ When I first got out of the truck, the RT/R tire was fully underground What you see was after an hour of jacking before I gave up an borrowed enough chain to get her out.. :pat:

 

Found this post by searching the forum, interesting stuff. I was thinking of using synthetic winch rope for an extension for use with the hi-lift. I know that this is a pain, but I'm just looking for something for infrequent, emergency recovery. I often drive alone in the snow when I snowshoe. I was thinking of putting a ratchet strap in parallel with a choker chain. Suck out the slack with the ratchet, hook up the chain, then release the ratchet tension and let the chain take over.

I'm curious about the article linked above about hi-lift winching. The link no longer exists, though. Anyone remember the method it described and care to share?

 

holy resurection of old threads batman!

 

I don't know the link but, this is a quick description of using a hi lift as a winch. You hook up a strap to the stuck vehicle and put the other end on the foot of the hi lift, you then put another strap around a tree or whatever you are using for an anchor and hook it to the loop on the other end of the hi lift. Then you crank on the jack until it pulls the vehicle out. It can be a pita to get the strap lengths right, plus it does pull in some slack. I have used this method more times than I can count and it always works great. It takes some time and you may have to reset the jack a couple times, but it never fails. for a long distance pull, like up a hill it sucks and takes forever but does work, I mostly use a come along for that application, but if you are stuck in the mud and unable to budge, it works 50 times better than a come along.
Overall come alongs are a pita because you have to reset them, although expensive, the black rat hand winch looks awesome:
http://www.4x4wire.com/reviews/eopwinch/

 

At least he searched!

 

I suppose a resurrection asking for clarification is better than a repost right?

 

I guess I should have waited 'till this Friday the 13th to pull this zombie out of the ground!

Thanks for the description, Intrepid. I was bracing myself for the "don't waste your time, buy a real winch" posts, but sometimes you need something that at least does the trick until you've got the cash to lay down.

As far as my question about the link Firefyter_emt posted, it sounded like the webpage described a good system to reduce effort when the jack has to be lowered and everything re-rigged. I think the ratchet strap system could maintain some tension while lowering the jack, but it would take a second person to work the strap while the jack is lowered. If anyone has another slick way to do that I would be interested in hearing it.

 

Perhaps a better solution for hand winching is the More Power Puller

http://www.wyeth-scott.com/index.asp

I have rolled my rig back on it's wheels with a Hi-Lift - it wasn't easy, but then again I had a seperated shoulder that didn't help the situation

 

I'm gonna try out an alternative to using a length of chain the following:
http://offroadrecovery.com/c=20mCctI.../product/58727

I sent those folks a question about it and got the following response:

On your 2" RATCHET STRAP WITH CHAIN ENDS 10,000lb product, it indicates that a pair of these could be used with a hi-lift for winching. Do you have any recommendations as to whether that would actually be effective, or is there too much stretch in the straps, or...?

>There is no stretch in these straps. They are strong well made ratchet
>straps. The advantages are they are lighter than chain, can be used for
>other things such as tying off a truck which wants to slide. Tying down
>gear etc. and can easily be adjusted to the length you need by pulling the
>strap to the proper length and ratcheting the handle a couple of times to
>lock the strap at that length. The reason for 2 straps is one to use for
>pulling and the second to hold the vehicle in place while you re-rig the
>pulling strap for a second pull. Or the 2 can be hooked together if your
anchor point is over 20' away.

>Thanks,
>Dave

 

Gonna second this idea. Never used a "power puller" for off roading but we use them in construction all the time and they are the real deal. In some ways they are more versitle than a winch because you can pull from any direction instead of just from the front. May be a good alternative until the bumper comes out and still bring along for those oh S$$$ situations like the pull pals.