Everything You Need To Know About Using A Hi-Lift | Harry Situations
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- Опубліковано 29 чер 2024
- Hi-Lift jacks, you see them all the time on off-road vehicles. They are pretty inexpensive and look tough, after all they were designed on a farm and have been around for over 100 years. And while they can be incredibly handy (after all they are called handyman jacks), they can also be quite dangerous if they are used improperly or not maintained.
If you run Nitto tires, you probably won't be using your Hi-Lift to change a flat tire. But even if you run Nittos and don't have to worry about flats, a Hi-Lift jack can be useful. The come handy for lifting a corner of the vehicle to get unstuck or access a broken component. You must be careful though. One of the things that makes a Hi-Lift dangerous is when it has been subjected to the elements and becomes rusty. A Hi-Lift operates with two walking pins that alternate up the main bar as you actuate the handle. If they get stuck the jack won't function properly. You want to keep the jack lubricated, but lubricants can attract dust when you are off road so it is a tricky proposition. When the handle is down only one pin is engaged, and the jack can lower, raising the handle and destroying anything in its path. For obvious reasons, this is to be avoided. Respect the power of a Hi-Lift and always be conscious of it and you should be able to lift your vehicle while also retaining all of your teeth.
You know what we don't use a Hi-Lift for? Winching. You know what we use for winching? A winch. While a Hi-Lift is capable of this task, it requires you to carry a large amount of chain for rigging, and that isn’t something we commonly have in our vehicles. You can also clamp things together with a Hi-Lift, but when we need to hold things together, we typically use a ratchet strap. Ratchet straps can be useful in conjunction with a Hi-Lift, You see, unlike a floor jack or bottle jack, a Hi-Lift raises the vehicle from the chassis, not the axle. In order to get a tire off the ground, you need to fully droop the suspension. This can make for an overly tall and awkward recovery, but if you use a ratchet strap to compress the suspension before you start lifting the vehicle, you won't have to lift it nearly as high.
Also, because a Hi-Lift raises the vehicle from the chassis, you will need steel bumpers and/or rock sliders to use one. Hi-Lift does make a Lift Mate to attach to a wheel if you don't have steel bumpers and sliders, one of a plethora of different accessories including wider bases, tube adapters, mounts, and more. That is the nice part about a product that has been around for so long, there are a million accessories to go with it, including mounts, which are worth discussing in detail. Ideally you want your Hi-Lift protected from the elements and securely mounted in your vehicle. These things weigh around 30 pounds and you don't want it coming through your back window.
Whatever jack you decide to use for off-road repairs and recovery, make certain to get familiar with how to use your equipment before you find yourself in a precarious situation. Knowledge and skill are still the best tools to bring with you when you go off-road. Agree? Disagree? Comment below to let us know what you think, and don’t forget to like and subscribe to the Driving Line UA-cam channel.
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If I need to get to my Hi-Lift, I've stopped being in a hurry. Best advice ever.
Ditch the WD40, clean the hell out of it with some brake clean and then use spray graphite for locks or RV uses. It doesn't collect dust and is actually a lubricant.
A Hi Lift will work under water, no other jack can be used in the water or deep mud like a hi lift. Unless you have scuba gear....
If you use your Hi Lift much, a rebuild kit is a dang good idea. Also simply taking it apart cleaning, inspecting and re-lubing makes amazing improvements on how smooth they work. IE pins don't stick... LOL
Many people say they are too dangerous to even consider using, I say they are only as dangerous as you are dumb enough to put yourself in a position to get hurt.
Infinitely useful!
Good video. people need more training on this kinda stuff.
I like all the " overlanders" with high lift jacks mounted on their rig but no rock sliders or steel bumpers or anywhere they can use it haha
Or a base-plate if they needed to use it in the mud. They probably don't even know how scary they can be.
Says the probably Jeep owner with the jack mounted to his hood, roll bar, or on the rear tire carrier...
@@redheadmetalhead247 Nope, bottle jack under the seat. I don't mess with these high-lift jacks because I really don't need one.
I lift from my front tow hooks or rear hitch if need be.... no rock sliders on my rig lol
@@redheadmetalhead247 Hey, I resemble that remark! 94 YJ with the jack on the hood. No sliders but yes, steel bumpers with provisions to lift if needed. :)
I have had a Hi-Lift for 41 years and only used it one time. But I sure was happy that I had it in the back of my Ford PU! Your video provides a good review on the SAFE use of a Hi-Lift. I watched the entire video.
Perfect tutorial. It is a great tool but it can be dangerous. Have been using them for decades (45 years). They make a great rattlesnake dispatcher too , lol!
I always carry a Hi-Lift when I go offroad. To date, I've only used it once for a self recovery. All other times was to help other people that went out unprepared. Thanks for the Axle strap tip. I will carry a large ratchet strap for that duty from now on.
Good video. Been using these for decades. Learned a couple new things. Thanks. Used them for moving buildings, pulling fence posts and getting unstuck.
Good tip with the ratchet strap on the axel, I have the 60" jack and from the rear bumper on my CJ8 it will only lift the tires about 8" off the ground with the spring droup it has. Definitely a thumbs up for the video. I have used the High-lift for at least 30 years and have seen a lot of people injured with the jacks.👍
Thank you for this! I just bought one to work on our square drop camper build and I really needed to know how to safely lower! This is the best video I found by far!
Dude, great video with detailed explanations! Thank you! I just bought my first Hi-Lift today, and now I feel much more comfortable using it! 💪
Another great video with useful information. Instead of showing me how you make your coffee in the morning, with slow motion, which I could give two clicks about. Thank youfor taking the time and effort to make a quality video here. keep them coming
Bad ass truck dude!🤙
I´m not a Ford guy ... but that truck is gorgeous... with the spring suspension ... too gorgeous maybe...
@@steeltube195 yes, they don't make 'em like that any more! I'd invest 20-30k in a proper obs pick up man ...
I don't use one very often, and when I need to I can never remember which way the little lever needs to be, how to release it, etc. so I came looking for a video as a refresher. Thank you for a well thought out instructional video that included many safety precautions, in a memorable presentation! (I saved this video too, so that next time I need a reminder I will know exactly where to look.)
This is a very good video. Many great tips but your comments about safety were the most important part. Thanks.
I’ve used my hi lift jack only a few times but without it it would have been a very expensive and problematic tow. I use it more for pulling fence posts out of the ground
"Handle Up!" ...Got it👍
3:16 Many people carry a Hi-Lift even if they have a mounted winch. Often the need to winch backward, angled, or even sideways in small increments is required or desired. 9:30 Handle-UP!!! 2 hands on the handle at all times when under load.
Thank you for sharing, great advice.
in 30 years wheeling only a couple times ever needed a HL. It does get heavy use in the home shop for various applications. Instead we use a mechanical bottle jack with a slip on cradle to securely lift an axle tube then weld a nut to the up/down screw gear plus an impact gun and its fast efficient lifting. It can also be used for suspension needs, straightening a bent tie rod, etc etc. Good stuff Harry!
I think you may be talking about two different jacks in one sentence here. A bottle jack doesn't have a up/down screw.
It is a mechanical bottle Jack, not hydraulic. Insert a crank handle into the slot and and start turning. These were OEM in fords for a long time. We replaced the slot with a weld on nut for fast up/down. Very strong and stores compact. Placed in center of front axle will lift both tires off ground in a flash.
@@rarecj8jeep187 And just when I thought I had every tool known to mankind I learn of another one.
@@finfish260 we cannot post pix or else i'd share the set up. its very fast, efficient and with the axle cradle quite safe.
@@rarecj8jeep187 Please post a link to one of these bad boys. I can't find one on the net.
Good stuff no excuses for the dumb ways i have used them!
I'm currently using my Hi-Lift to pull a stump and some tree roots out. I concur on the Hi-Lift mounting. I carry mine taken down so it's a bit more inconvenient to get to. Used the one off a friend's Jeep instead so I didn't have to use mine...
Had my Hi-Lift for 1 year and have used it once. Got stuck nose down in snow on a remote forest service road. Winching forward didn't work, and I didn't have all the apparatus to winch myself backward with a front mounted winch, but used my Hi-Lift to winch the truck backward out of the hole. Used a static tow strap and a couple shackles. Lots of shoveling snow and the Hi-Lift got us out before dark. Phew!
I bought my first Handyman brand jack (Handyman and Hi-Lift both came from the same town in Indiana) in 1972 from a farmer who had a sign by the road in Grand Junction Colorado. The biggest job I ever did with it was extracting my 30 foot long Carpenter Coach schoolbus on a Chevrolet Viking 60 chassis. I was driving up a forest road and there were waterbars across the road to control erosion. I drove over the waterbar and the rear bumper stuck on the waterbar and my rear wheels were suspended. I lifted the rear bumper (pretty sure I was at the 7000 lb limit tbere) and put rocks under the tires and got out. I made it a bit further only to repeat the process. Then as I was driving down the other side, there was a very large boulder on the inside of a corner with a rock bank on the outside. I was tight on the outside and got jammed against the boulder just ahead of my right duals. I camped there and used the Handyman to move the boulder over the edge and out of the way. In over 50 years of off roading I have always been able to self extract.
We use Hi lifts for getting scrap cars moved around,jack up ,push it over and repeat til it aligns with the dolly. Fence posts,moving rocks,logs etc.
Works great for that sort of stuff
Used it many times to lift a wheel and slide traction boards beneath it, while stuck. Nice video, thanks.
Love it. If I'm needing to get to my highlift. I'm done being in a hurry. WORD
I don't understand... Playing Rage Against The Machine should have gotten your work truck out on its own
🤣🤣🤣
🏅 10/10 quality comment
Excellent video Harry, you covered all the key points. I was expecting the jack to go into auto self lower mode when you let go of the handle, lol.
I was 50% hoping it would for the sake of the video but also 50% terrified that it would do so!
Great coverage of the hi lift jack. I'm a big fan and would never go without a hi lift on my rig. Speaking of rigs, that rig you have is a beauty
Love your videos! As a new off-roader, I appreciate the knowledge.
Nice Segway to the tire ad!
Excellent video, thanks.
Also if mounted on a hood it’s a bad thing in an accident! Awesome to see you still have the ranger from the challenge!😁
Hi lift jacks are basically a remake of what we all had in our classic cars back in the day. Common sense goes a long way.
Awesome tips dos and don’t! Safety Safety 👍🙏
Great video. Thanks for taking the time. Very clear to see how it works and the risks. 👍
Great presentation Harry. Thanks!
Great 4X hack for the strap to limit droop! Love your truck.
When I was a kid I pretended my dads old broken high lift jack was a machine gun.
Too bad nowadays they’re teaching kids to play with Barbie dolls and pretend to be girls
I used mine to hold my kitchen countertop up when I was enlarging the cabinet hole to install a dish washer.
I hope to never suffer more than the common blood blister or the occasional nip of flesh when lowering or releasing tension. I love this for lifting fence posts and pulling wire and the occasional building corner lift to lay a cement ring to keep that old building standing levelish. I've used it to winch out a stubborn jack out of the mud and a ford mustang out of the snow. I've changed tractor and loader tires and avoid it to lift my truck as bottlejack with rubber stall mat square underneath and on top for grip and sinking and now I carry a bottlejack jackstand combo that I swear by so much that I ordered a 1/2 dozen more at Home depot after the first pair.
I used mine to remove a service bed from a f450, I don't have an overhead hoist or a crane so it was a good option, lift it up then stack cinder blocks on each side and a 2x6x10 between them to set the bed on then drive out.
Wd40 dry lube works great we use it on the forklift chains at work and it will work on a farm jack as well
Thanks for the tip!
Thanks for putting this video together. 🤘
Great tips. Learned a few things from this video. Thank you!
Thanks for the tutorial. I know a lot more about the highlift than I did before
Great refresher on a high lift jack which can be very dangerous. 👍
Great video and some valuable tips. Thanks!
Watched a guy break 2 molars with a highlift. I was out wheeling in the snow here in Oregon and these guys in a wrangler with a highlift on the hood, they were around 18 or 19. they got stuck in the icy snow and just dug themselves into a hole. I was stuck behind them, got out of my truck I didn't want to risk us bolth getting stuck trying to pull him out. I had them take the highlift off and I jacked it up and put tree branches and dirt in the rear holes he dug and let them do the other 2 one guy pushed down on the handle and let go when it bottomed out and it came up smacked his jaw and broke 2 of his molars out, guess they had never used one before. I was 21 and blown away they couldn't use a highlift while having one strapped to the hood.
Love the truck!!!
I’ve used my hi-lift to pull a bent drive shaft out. Worked better than I thought.
Very clever!
Great information! Thanks!
Great truck & thanks for the video
Greetings from Switzerland
Nice dent side. Mine is a 79 and the terrane also looks like here in the owyhees. Just all looks very familiar. ha I put a full size floor jack behind the seat, a 12v compressor and a can of Fix-O-Flat.
Dang you are carrying a floor jack?!
@@HarrySituations yeah. the smaller'ish one. I meant, a real jack, not those scissor jacks that come with cars ha.
I switched to a aluminum floor jack. At 32lbs its a breeze to use and is way safer... Hi lifts gotta weight 25lbs so its not much heavier.
I think that is a better option for changing a tire if you are on terrain that allows you to slide the Jack under the axle.
Absolutely Love this truck!!!
Thanks for the very informative video. Subscribed!
Paint your rusted Hi Lift Jack: ua-cam.com/video/diVusl36hqA/v-deo.html
Great video, thanks for sharing.
Nice instruction. My Metal Cloak sliders have built in places for high lift jack, jack points. Great tool. Still need other jacks as well.
Learnt so much,cheers frpm asydney Australia!
Got Trail Grapplers and love them also carry a 42 in High Lift 🤙🏽
Great Tips Good Stuff 👍😀
one trick I have used a ton on my jeep with the highlift is to lift from the back and then push the jack over you shimmy yourself out of really deep ruts. also another danger trick is if you have the rubber handle keeper you can just let the handle go and let it slap back and forth to lower your vehicle really handy when its in a wobbly situation
Saved myself that way a couple of times too
We had to do the same thing after a summer snow storm in Montana. We were playing around in a meadow and after the snow melted it became a small lake and we got stuck. Had to shimmy the front and back of the truck to solid ground to get out. Crappy part was the base would get stuck in the mud when we pulled the Jack out and we’d have to reach down shoulder deep to fish it out after each shove. It was 40 years ago and I remember it as if it were last week. Good times and good friends made it memorable! Thanks for the great video! I need to watch a video on how to safely mount it in the bed of my truck.
The capacity of the 60" reduces on the top part below the rating on the lower portion. WD-40 is a crappy lube, so many things are so much better. Good video. We jacked the front of a Jeep and pushed the jack over toward the Jeep to move it back out of a stuck. The stinger allowed for the top of the post to rotate.
Thanks for the reply. I could see the longer bar potentially deflecting so that makes sense.
What’s a better lube than we-40?
great note about using the ratchet strap like that.
Thanks for the vid! Great advice
Great video thanks 👍
Great info, thanks
Highlift -a must have on dentsides
Watched mostly for the ol’ truck. But I have a Hi-Lift 5’ RIT let goes in me old Disco ii.( no plastic base but I do carry 4x4 timber’s ) Though its fitted with steel bumpers, rock sliders and steel plates. I’ve only nneeded to correct a spring. I have changed tyres with it, but would use cribbing under the axle. So clever use of racket strap. Mostly used for work. Winching, and moving obstructions. As I no longer live in the desert . And in the woods I’ve came a cross everything from old junker to fallin logs the size of Texas. And using the on board winch is mostly not the first opinion as I want to move it away. So the hi-hifts fastest without worrying about a lot of extra rigging. First thing the lads learn. Is handles is always removed when locked up in safe location. And you never, stand over it. Ever.
Great tips.
Nice truck.
Very Informative.
Great video!
Also one thing to keep in mind is if you are on mud/clay it can slip out from underneath really easily.
Also, smaller things like a small tractor or ride-on mower if lifted at one end, say, to work on a front axle, become lighter to lift the higher they get, due to a sharper arc of lift and a shorter radius and a greater portion of the weight being gradually transferred to the rear wheels. A certain amount of weight is required upon the jack for it to walk back down safely. If the weight of the raised item has reduced as described, then when you go to lower the jack, the jack and the vehicle will instantly crash down. These a re useful jacks but we must always be thinking about what could possibly go wrong.
Have the 60" bolted to the roof rack . Not the most convenient way but it's secure and locked .
When you need it 2 bolts and you're in business .
Thing is a beast .
Great tips
I've had one of these things for decades since when I started offroading. It came with no instructions, I had to figure it out and found it pretty intimidating, and I'm still a bit scared of it now! Wish I'd seen something like this before buying it...
It is good to be a bit scared of any tool that can hurt you. As a carpenter I can attest to that fact. Remember the paraphrased saying about ‘no old, bold …’ ?
I haven't tried it yet, but I'm considering "White Lightning" Dry Lube used on bicycle chains as lubricant for things such as the hi-lift jack and other things that will see a lot of elements. It is designed to resist sand and dust adhesion. It's easy to use, also: it goes on wet to get into crevices before it dries.
Thanks for the tip!
A much better lube to use for this application than WD40
Fluid film would work well too.
I love that stuff.
I don’t even own a jeep but I call it a jeep jack. But I use mine at least once a week either in construction, driveway mechanicing or as winch
Good tip with the ratchet strap 👌🏼
Dry lube is great for keeping HL working in the desert....
Thanks for the tip!
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Houdini spray is an excellent lube and attracts almost no dirt.
Thanks for the tip!
I used mine to pull up roots. Using 2 2x4s as an A frame bolted to the top of the Jack with chains attached to the root
I made a winching adapter for my jack of out a piece of 2x6 tube with an eye welded on and a hole were the hole is on the casting so I can shove a pin in and it cant slide off but its not putting load anywhere other than top of the casting
Awesome truck
Sweet truck!!!
NAPA Chain and Cable Lube love the stuff. Like Eric O's Fluid Film
Thanks for the tip! 🙌
I have been knocked out from the handle slipping out of my hand breaking the bead on a tire and have a permanent dimple now, needless to say I am much more careful now. Thats my favorite truck from the old 4 Wheeler era BTW.
I bought a Lotus D-ring and rock slider adapter for me Hi Lift, much, much safer and works great.
I'm going to need this info given to me with a significantly less interesting background. When I see a round eye ford everything else stops being important, and when its a green round eye ford.... I forget to blink and start to drool.
Hey Moondog my eyes are up here!
Love that green!
Nearly lost some teeth to a hi lift lifting a concrete step! but have saved my bacon enough times to make up for it! have had to manually operate the pins too
We use to call them bumper jacks and came in all vehicles.
Not really a ford guy but thats one clean truck
I had one on my yota crawler with 36" iroks and tube everywhere to use a highlift.jack on the truck. After shredding a front axle on it at flat nasty orp on the moon rocks trail and using it there on the side of the hill trying to pickup the whole truck because I couldn't go anywhere. Had the winch hooked up hill to keep the yota from going down hill. Ran out of jack. It was a 48" jack too.
Had to rachet strap axle too frame to fix and get high enough. See you have too pick up the whole suspension just too get the tire off the ground. Now through in mud, ditches, offcamber. Now your going to push the top of the jack into your side or back area. Toss the useless high lift, buy an 3 ton aluminum racing jack at harbor freight. Pull off the rear wheels. Now, commence to putting a skid plate on that jack with kick up's on front and back. Now, you can slide that jack anywhere under the rig on the axle. Also you throw logs rocks whatever you need to give it a good base without having to pickup the whole suspension on one side..
Good suggestion Dennis! I’ll cover alternatives to the Hi-Lift next month so be sure to check back.
Never knew this Jack’s real name I always called it a tractor jack Because I use it for tractor equipment, I even see this jack at tractor supply but then out of nowhere I saw a lot of off-road people using them for their jeeps. These jacks have failed on me so many times I know the dangers of them, it’s scary to think that people buy some thing to make it simpler but don’t know the dangers of it. Good to know there’s people warning people of the dangers of not knowing there Equipment. 👍
In Canada we call that a Jack All.
Never trust anyone that thinks WD40 is a lubricant.
Water Displacement formula 4.
You get a "sub" for the RATM reference.
Thanks for doing this video. Definitely a sketchy jack if not familiar. Folks need to practice with this thing before the real deal. ✅. We had to use it for a broken inner tie rod. Very useful.
We're big supporters of practicing at home before doing something out in the wild!
How did you deal with the broke tie rod in the field?
@@cerratonics not too bad. Use this jack under front steel bumper. Take left front wheel off. Take off outer tie rod. Hammer out inner rod. but must have inner tie rod tool. To remove and install new one. Make sure it’s about correct with alignment to get you out of trouble then make sure it’s good when you get home.
@@markt7291 right on ok so you used a new rod. Thought you mcguyvered it somehow with duct tape and wanted to take notes 😜
@@cerratonics nah. We had a new one and had to go back next day. 🙄. All good.
Get some Hi-C to drink and some Hi-Chew candy It will make using these things so much more enjoyable
You get a Hi-5 for that one!