Do You Know Jack?

[Mudhorn]

I know there are a lot of posts on this subject. But can you help with my conundrum?

I personally like the Pro Eagle.
I’ve been using the 2 ton for the past 10 years off-road with no issues. My only complaints are 1) it is heavy and 2) the handle does not store well with the jack with the available mount options on the market.
I usually put it in on the floorboard in the back seat, but would like to get it out of the way, preferably external.
Any ideas? Is there a better jack you are using?

Seems to be a lot of hate of mounting hilifts on the side of roof racks, why?

 

[JAXJeremy]

I keep a regular hi-lift in my off-road rig (fullsize Bronc)...it's gotten me out of more jams in 15 plus years of wheeling than I can count at this point..in my personal opinion the whole external mount thing is just for show..why would you want to expose your lift to the elements?? Then risk it being seized up when you need it most..I guess you could make an argument that they're more easily accessible, but I've never had an issue getting my hi-lift out of the back..

 

[Mudhorn]

I keep a regular hi-lift in my off-road rig (fullsize Bronc)...it's gotten me out of more jams in 15 plus years of wheeling than I can count at this point..in my personal opinion the whole external mount thing is just for show..why would you want to expose your lift to the elements?? Then risk it being seized up when you need it most..I guess you could make an argument that they're more easily accessible, but I've never had an issue getting my hi-lift out of the back..

Thanks, protecting from the elements makes sense.

I’ve had a Hilift Xtreme 60” for the past 10yrs that I use as a hand winch. 60” is too large to keep inside IMO (that’s what she said never).
I only load it when I’m going off-road, not during my daily driving (same with Maxtrax and other gear). Not as secure as most pavement Jeeps.

 

[Jetboy]

The OEM bottle jack + high lift. It's a tried and true combination. Never left me wishing for more. On my trail rig - high lift only. No reason I can think of to carry the bottle jack in that vehicle where I have easy lift points on all corners. On multi day hard trails I put the high lift on the rack so I can grab it easily. This doesn't matter if I'm out alone - but if I'm either a trail guide or with a larger group, then the time becomes more of an issue to keep the crew moving. In that case having it quick and easy on the roof rails is handy. Otherwise It's would just go in the back with the cargo and I'll dig it out if I really need it. It's also nice to have a roof mount for when it's muddy so you don't have to toss it back in on top of your gear inside. My roof mount consists of two carriage bolts, two washers, and two wing nuts that slide in my t-slot rails. Maybe $5 in hardware.

Weight kills, so I try not to carry things I don't need or duplicate tools. A full size floor jack will never be part of my trail pack of tools unless I'm in an actual desert race where the time to swap tires is critical and/or becomes a safety concern. In 50k miles in my 4Runner I've had a total of 1 flat tire off road. I've used the high lift at least a dozen times to lift and stack rocks. In probably zero of the lift and stack rock scenarios would a form of floor jack have been useful.

 

[jhguth]

i've never seen hate about mounting hi-lift to a roof rack, if you don't have a swing out rear bumper it's the easiest spot to mount it

 

[Mudhorn]

Thank you all, I’m sold on my initial thoughts to keep the floor jack for garage work.
The Pro Eagle mindset comes from my years of Baja racing.

 

[L8Shift]

i've never seen hate about mounting hi-lift to a roof rack, if you don't have a swing out rear bumper it's the easiest spot to mount it

I am guessing the hate goes to the folks that have the hi-lift on their rack, but only venture to the shopping malls, and have a AAA+ membership.