Instructions for hi-lif jack?

You can download the manual here:

In message , Nige writes

The greatest danger comes when lowering rather than lifting. Please read the instructions VERY carefully.

Magic!

Ta

Matey!

-- Subaru WRX (Annabel)

Landrover 110 County Station Wagon (Tyson)

'"They called him Jimmy the gent"

IMHO, the greatest danger comes from people doing work under a landrover supported soley by a hi-lift. If you're doing anything more than changing a wheel, put it on axle stands, Hi-lift jacks are not stable under the best of circumstances

Alex

And not chocking a wheel "just to save time". Can lead to dents in paintwork, trapped fingers, serious cursing etc. as the vehicle just rolls away from the jack. Don't ask.

was once changing a wheel (not with a hi-lift but with a LR screw pillar jack) in the dark, in the rain, on a hill, with a very heavily loaded 110, I manned the jack whilst 2 blokes heaved on the front-end to stop it pissing-off down the hill while another chap changed the wheel in double-quick-time....

next time I'll go somewhere flat, find something to chock the wheels and take the ruddy-great trailer off...

Regards. Mark.

Jack up your vehicle from about six feet away and run like f*** before it falls on you! Seriously, these things are lethal and when you hit the release button they can fall very quickly. Cheers, John

They shouldn't! Push the "switch" to "down" and it should be necessary to jack the vehicle down with the handle - it should not drop with a load on it. If you are having problems then some oil often works wonders.

Richard

I'll go along with that. A HiLift is one of the safest tools provided it's used by someone who knows what they're doing and of course, the jack has been well maintained.

unless you let the handle fall under its own weight when the switch is in the down position and holding a LR up and yer teeth get in the way :0) Not done it myself but it could happen.

No it couldn't, if maintained and used correctly.

But it is an accident that could happen if your not aware of it and use it incorrectly

precisely. every tool is perfectly safe if used only in there intended purpose and are inspected every single time they are used. but the fact is, with hi-lifts it is extremely tempting to use them when proper jacks or stands should be used. i mean seriously, who hasn't thought "ahhhh, i'll only be under it for 5 mins. she'll be right." or am i on my own here????

Sam.

I'd hope you are. A HiLift is safer than most "proper jacks" as there are no hydraulic seals to worry about. The HiLift has retained its popularity _because_ it is reliable and (generally) foolproof. ANYONE working under a vehicle who relies solely on a jack, is asking for whatever nasty incident results IMO.

An "accident" caused by incorrect use or poor maintenance is NOT an accident, it is negligence.

That is not an accident.

Blimey, I'm paranoid! When I have to work under the truck and I'm doing something that needs more space, I put the truck on drive-on ramps, one pair facing forwards and one pair facing backwards to stop the truck moving forwards and tipping all the ramps over!

High-lift jacks are scary creatures, what with all that lack of lateral support and the kind of height you have to pump the truck even to change a wheel... A bottle jack under the axle followed by an axle stand does it for me, and even then I leave the jack under there lowered by a few millimeters. I had a blowout on the M6 at 80MPH in the dead of night on a windy day, changing the wheel parked by the side of the road in the wind with lorries thundering past, shaking the truck, doesn't do much for the nerves when it's up in the air on a high-lift.

It is according to the dictionary definitions of the word, although I know what you're trying to say, i.e. if used properly they won't start waggling up and down mashing your skull.

I have a Jackall farm jack (IIRC) and the lowering lever doesn't do anything until the swing arm is in the upright position flat against the jack's rail. Only then will the jack go into lowering mode. Does the hi-lift brand not do the same?

The jack I have also has a rapid lowering feature, if you engage the lowering mechanism then pump the handle with no load on the jack, it'll just slide to the bottom. I wonder if this is what caused someone else's complaint about the jack dropping like a stone when lowering? Under no-load conditions it's supposed to do that.