Lets Talk Jacks

I personally don't think those 'widow makers' should be used on a Jeep.

They are extremely unstable and like to just up and fire by themselves with the handle going 100 mph plus. Woe to anything that gets in it way too!

The last one I tried was new and the damn thing tried to take my face off.

I carry a small floor jack. It tucks in behind the passenger seat great.

Mike

JeePenn wrote:

HiLift is the only brand to get. OK, that is a bit strong. There are Chinese imitations that must be avoided, but there could be other brands that have equivelent quality, and probably an equivelent price. Since you have found the HiLift, stop your search and break out the checkbook.

Mine is on my spare tire rack. I had it on my front bumper for a while, but it moved a couple of trees, and I decided that was not the best of plans.

The optional foot is a good thing to have. The foot that comes on the jack is kind of small, and it tends to sink into soft dirt. There is an optional foot that is very large and it resiste sinking into the dirt. There are also winch-like attachments that allow you to pull your Jeep about 3 ft.; frequently, this is all you need

You don't need any stories, you need a HiLift.

Get a good bottle jack instead. A Hi-Lift is nearly useless for changing tires, totally useless for supporting an axle during a trail fix, and extremely unstable when jacked up. If it breaks free, the flailing handle can kill you. Although some will say this is heresy, the truth is that most Hi-Lifts never get used and are mounted just to make a jeep look "rugged."

If you must get what is generically called a farmer's jack, get the Hi-Lift brand. For the use (or non-use) you will give it, it won't matter whether you get the cast iron or all steel version.

As for accessories, the oversize foot is nice, but you can make your own from a

Robert Bills KG6LMV Orange County CA

"> Get a good bottle jack instead. A Hi-Lift is nearly useless for changing

I have had to use mine a few dozen times, and it scares the hell out of me every time. A Bottle jack isn't much help when you are rocker-deep in mud or snow. I would like to find a better alternative, but it has to have the length. My bumpers are made of channel or pipe, and I don't mind a few more dents, so the Hi-lift works for me. I would be really hesitant to use it on a unReal Jeep.

I know someone makes a plastic plate for the foot. Is there not someone who makes a strut/gusset system that would fold up compact, but make the thing a lot more stable?

You'd think they would, if they don't.

There ya go.

I think that was Jerry.

I also think it broke the the bars loose from the tub if I remember right.

Mike

twaldr>

I don't like nor use my Hi-Lift very much... used twice off-road in maybe

Jerry

Right on both counts. The weight of the Hi-Lift actually broke the spot-welds behind the firewall that held the nuts the radiator support rods were bolted to.

Jerry

Why do you need a bottle jack? Won't the factory scissor jack that is stored in the engine bay going to do the same type of job?

I have been stuck on rocks where my HiLift is the only tool that could possibly gotten me unstuck. Well, a heavy lift helicoptor might have been better suited, but they are never around when you need them.

So, what looked like a really good idea didn't pan out so well?

Not even a tow strap and a buddy in another jeep?

Admittedly, a hi-lift may be the only solution to being stuck when you are traveling alone, but there are usually much better ways when you are traveling in a group.

Robert Bills KG6LMV Orange County CA

I wasn't stuck Robert, I had to get a wheel off both times (one flat, one broken axle) and the extremely off-camber/uneven terrain wouldn't permit the use of the bottle jack.

Jerry

Uh, CRWLR....TJ's dont have scissor jacks under the hood. We get bottle jacks under the passenger seat instead.

Well, if you are stuck on getting one, the High Lift isn't too bad of an imitation of the real one, the Jack All.

The no name ones are junk.

Mike

JeePenn wrote:

Approximately 11/21/03 12:01, Jerry Bransford uttered for posterity:

Totally worthless as a jack, but why not use a Come-A-Long rather than the high lift? Essentially a small ratcheting block and tackle. I can't find a picture of the heavy style logging version, used to tighten and hold logs in place on the big trucks. The ones we used were also strong enough to pull a truck out of a tough place, with about a 6-8 foot handle for leverage in driving the ratchet.

Whatever, why would one need to go get another bottle jack for the trail? Robert has a CJ similar to mine, and he has a scissor jack, and he suggests that a bottle jack is better than a HiLift.

I happen to agree with his positin that a HiLift is a dangerous tool, but I think it is a vitally necessary tool despite the danger that it presents. I know the dangers, and I take steps to mitigate them. For example, I needed to do repairs on my CJ on the trail one day, so I took the tire off and put it under my Jeep and then let my Jeep down on the tire so that it couldn't fall off the HiLift jack. but, I have been stuck in places where I could not strap out, and my HiLift was the only tool that would work. And, on that day, I had to jack to the top of the jack (without a doubt the most dangerous use of the HiLift that we can do), then tie my Jeep to a near by tree to hold it up so that I could move the jack to another location and use it to the top yet again. I had to repeat this three or four times, and a bottle jack would not have done the trick.

And that's because he sets the Cruise Control ... (hehehe)