When have you actually used your Hi-lift? I’m considering leaving my Hi-Lift at home since I have a winch and a bottle jack and wanted to see if I can find reasonable probability and reason to keep hauling it around with me. One of the few times I can think of needing a Hi-Lift is to put a body lift on but I already did that.

I’m looking for actual fist hand experience. When have you used it and in what scenario? Please only information when you’ve actually used it or you were there watching someone else use one.

It’s pretty well established that the off-roading community has accepted Hi-lifts as a standard piece of equipment so I realize this is going against the grain. I’m fine either keeping it in my rig or leaving it but if I can find a reasonable cause to leave it at home I’d happily save the weight and space that it takes up.

Again please only first hand experiences and not hearsay or theories. Thanks!

 

You need both. There are TONS of times where you don't have enough clearance under to get the bottle jack in there. I carry a HiLift, hydraulic bottle jack, and the stock mechanical bottle jack ... and have had to use all three at the same time on more than one occassion!

All that said, if you CAN use a bottle jack, it's much safer than the HiLift and should be the first option.

 

Don't take your Hi-Lift with you next time and you will find a sure fire reason to need and use it.

If you expect it to rain carry your umbrella.

 

Every time.

It can't hurt taking it with you.
I take my hi-lift everywhere I go you never know when you will need it.

 

The first time I used mine was to move a fallen tree from a jeep that was running with us. I would keep it in there, you never know.

 

I am on my 3rd one in 20 years. 1st was stolen, 2nd one was loaned and not returned.
3rd gets locked in truck now.
-When stationed in Alaska used the Hi Lift to replace a tire in deep snow, Bottle jack did not cut it.
-Used the Hi Lift to break a bead so I could patch a tire (did not have the cool tires kits they have now)
-Going down a wet trail I got my front axle over a submerged log, could not go forward/backward. water was 18-24" deep, another case where the bottle Jack would not cut it. Used the high lift to get truck high enough to get some other crap under the front wheels and allowed me to back out.

The hi lift is one of those 30 pound hunks of metal that is worth having. Probably would not haul it around all the time in a DD.

 

ive used mine several times heres the stories:
-got hicentered on a stump i was hopelessly stuck and i didnt want to get pulled out because it would have trashed the pinch weld below the door (this was my daily driver i keep her nice) so i lifed it with i hilift and stacked some rocks and drove away happily
heres a pic you can see the jack on the front end


-the next time was in my old truck i was on a narrow switchback and slid off the edge. no room for someone to pull me out, again, hopelessly stuck. It had open diffs hehe. so some hilift and rock stacking action and i was out


and another time i slid off a little edge and ended up looking sideways down a steep hill into some bushes and the hilift saved my ass again.

its been used in several tight situations in the snow and i prefer it over a bottle jack because its MUCH more versatile and has a longer reach. i wouldnt dare go anywhere without mine because of how many times its been my last resort and saved my ass
hope this helps
al

 

well to be honest i was skeptical of carrying it with me when i go out... but then my cusin told me about a time that he got his blazer stuck and went to use his winch and it was fubared.. ofcosre he didnt have any one to pull him out and he had no comealong so out came the highlift and it was used as a comealong.. took him a while but that story alone proved to me its worth haulin around, you never know when karma might bite ya in the you know what

 

I rarely use mine, but i always have it. Id rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

In addition to all the regular uses Ive also used it to lift vehicles off of obstacle. Once they are high enough they just drive off the jack. works great and scares people.

I always use the bottle jack I love that thing. I have a high lift base that I use and with that it is tall enough.

 

In addition to the above 'stuck' stories, you can use the highlift to repair things.

Went 'wheeling with a couple Unimogs that both had winches. One of the 'mogs had a banging noise in the front end when articulated, turned out to be a spring that had begun to unseat itself.

Long story short, we drove the mog into a ditch to cross it up and unload the RF and have the wheel hanging, but it wasn't enough room still to re-seat the spring. These things weigh in at 11,000# and those springs are STIFF. They also have something like 6' of articulation.

Out comes my 60" hi-lift (with Wabbit's slider adapter on it still) and we jacked up the mog bumper enough to pry the spring back in place.

Normally, the mogs are pulling me out of trouble, this time, I got to be the hero.

I also have the stock bottle jack, but always end up using the highlift for tires ?!?

 

FWIW after lots of great input from many folks out there, and as much as I want the weight and space savings that leaving the high lift would provide, I think it's too important to leave at home. I replaced a CV recently and that would have been a real PITA without a hi-lift and the bottle jack. I also got my self unstuck a time ago when a winch could not have. There are certain dangers to the hi-lift just like most any tool. I won't stop using an angle grinder because of the dangers of being cut, a welder because of the dangers of being shocked, or a gun for the dangers of dying. I respect all those and with a little luck I won't end up dead from my own stupidity. If it is my time I suppose it'll be my gift to you all since there will be a rig or parts on the cheap.

 

i call dibs on the roof basket and the alarm...

 

do not leave the hi-jack and bottle jacks suck in a down pour and when they break. I broke a stock jack and was stuck for 6 hours until I got creative.

 

Ive used mine once when i got stuck in some really deep snow. Jack it up enough so i could put rocks and wood under it.. it also killed my front valance..

 

I used a long thin tree to lift the whole truck up and make a road base with rocks. I gota get a new one because i lost my old one. I do have a ford bumper jack tho.