Hi Lift jack usage

awpsome

awpsome

New member
Just bought a hi lift jack today and realized our trucks don't have much mounting points to USE this jack haha
I have stock front and rear bumpers with no sliders.
I've read those are all good places to use the jack but what if I don't have any of those?

My main reason of buying this was so that when I go roading and if their ever is a senario of having to change a flat I wanted a jack I could trust

I've got 3" OME lift and stock jack don't reach.

Any suggestion to where I can use the jack safely while lifting the vehicle?

Thanks!
 
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I've heard of the wheel lift mate thing. Looks really sketchy especially on the front tires...
If the wheel were to spin it'd be over.
 
buy some sliders, you will be happy you did, then you wont be crushing rocker panels into your doors and jamming up your doors -ask me how i know this. and you will have a great place to use the hi-lift.
 
After spending the last 24 hours on the trail this came in very handy. Guy blew a bead (actually managed to completely remove the tire from the rim by the time we got him to where we could lift and change a tire) and we were able to jack up the truck from the flat tire, support the truck, and swap in his spare.

HL-LM100.jpg
liftmate_l.jpg
 
bike said:
After spending the last 24 hours on the trail this came in very handy. Guy blew a bead (actually managed to completely remove the tire from the rim by the time we got him to where we could lift and change a tire) and we were able to jack up the truck from the flat tire, support the truck, and swap in his spare.

HL-LM100.jpg
liftmate_l.jpg
Click to expand...

That's the exact one i was taking about. Seems like the most logical way.
But still can't determine if it's safe on the fronts without finding a way to lock the wheels.

t4r4life said:
thats why you put it in 4wd and put it in gear so it locks
Click to expand...

I've got 2wd :)
 
bike said:
After spending the last 24 hours on the trail this came in very handy. Guy blew a bead (actually managed to completely remove the tire from the rim by the time we got him to where we could lift and change a tire) and we were able to jack up the truck from the flat tire, support the truck, and swap in his spare.

HL-LM100.jpg
liftmate_l.jpg~original
Click to expand...

It makes things a little more difficult to change that tire tho.

OP. You stated the obvious. Sliders are where we jack from most. Aftermarket steel bumpers come next.

Note: The stock jack works the same even with a lift. The jacking points are under the front lower control arms, the nubs set into the top of the jack. The rear is under the axle. Neither point is raised from a lift. Taller tires would but you would need much taller tires to move those points out of reach.

I also carry a Hi-Lift offroad base. The stock jack drops right in. I need to make a spacer that bolts in so the jack can't slide in the groove (a block of wood or metal).
jackbase.jpg~original
 
I've used the lift mate on front and rear tires, but I have a 4wd. It's not great for changing tires, but excellent for lifting a stuck tire.
 
I would just buy sliders. They are pretty cheap, provide good protection in more ways than 1, and look great!
 
Volley said:
I would just buy sliders. They are pretty cheap, provide good protection in more ways than 1, and look great!
Click to expand...

x2. Sliders are a good idea, and useful in other ways then protection.


If you have a trailer hitch, that will work well for a lifting point. Also, the tire lift hooks can be used to lift from the stock recovery point up front, although it may bend up your stock bumper.
 
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I am able to use the stock but what I meant to say was that it's just very inconvenient and not cutting it for me.
So I found the hi lift and realized how convenient it can be.

Sliders aren't that cheap though.. And welding them on, I'm not that good at welding yet haha

And way to do some sort of extension for the hi lift to work?
 
awpsome said:
I am able to use the stock but what I meant to say was that it's just very inconvenient and not cutting it for me.
So I found the hi lift and realized how convenient it can be.

Sliders aren't that cheap though.. And welding them on, I'm not that good at welding yet haha

And way to do some sort of extension for the hi lift to work?
Click to expand...

sure they might not be the cheapest mod in the world but the first time you actually use them they will pay for them selfs, -crushing a rocker panel isnt cheap either, the slider is much cheaper and not a one time use item
 
In my opinion there are two major issues with high lift jacks:

1. If you have a stock truck there is basically no good jacking point for a high lift. You can always get a wheel adapter as shown above, but then you can't remove the wheel from the truck which means no swapping out damaged tires. Ideally you would need sliders or aftermarket bumpers to provide a suitable lifting point.

2 High lift jacks are extremely dangerous both to you and your truck. One common accident is that people don't understand how the jack works and let go of the handle while lowering the truck, which makes the handle fly up and hit them in the face. Keep in mind that the jack has a lot of weight on it so this is not a trivial injury. They are also unstable and can easily be knocked over, though this is a useful way to un-stick a high-centered truck. Another common problem is that people use their rock rails as a jacking point and end up denting the door with the jack as they lift the truck, the rule is to always open the door you are jacking next to. They are also a serious projectile in an accident so make sure it is strapped down tight.

I don't mean to sound like nobody should every buy a high lift jack, I just want to warn you of some major issues associated with them. I carried one daily in my Jeep, took it on dozens of trail runs over 8 years, and realized I had never actually found any use for it. These days it sits in the garage and I just carry the stock jack and a stable base in the 4runner.

- Matt
 
While I would completely agree that the Hi-Lift is likely the most dangerous tool in your bag, I would contend that it is also one of the most versatile. While many functions can be replaced with specialized peices of equipment, you will be hard pressed to find a single tool that will do it all like a farm jack.
 
Completely agree with how versatile the hi lift can be. After spending a consecutive 24 hours, and then another 12 hours last night pulling a really stuck truck out, I have gotten more use out of that hi lift than I expected to. I found a hi lift extreme for $70, so I figured I'd grab it then even though I don't have any points on my truck to jack from.

Ended up using it as a winch, as a winch with a 4x6 post placed near vertical right behind the truck, and running the strap over it, to effectively lift the stuck truck up and out of the mud hole it was in. Finally after we got some real trucks and proper winches (thanks Victor), the formerly stuck truck blew a bead in some pretty gross deep ruts filled with mud again. We had to drag him out on a blown bead, to get to a spot where we could access his spare and change the tire. In dragging him to that spot the tire completely popped of the rim. We used the hi lift on the rim, threw some jack stands under the truck (which started to sink in the soft ground with some wood and metal bases under them) and threw on the spare. Because of the truck sitting on the rim the truck was too low for even the factory bottle jack, the hi lift definitely got its $70 worth.
 
Mr. Leary said:
While I would completely agree that the Hi-Lift is likely the most dangerous tool in your bag, I would contend that it is also one of the most versatile. While many functions can be replaced with specialized peices of equipment, you will be hard pressed to find a single tool that will do it all like a farm jack.
Click to expand...

I used my hi-lift to fix my sisters couch....I agree, very versatile.
 
bike said:
Completely agree with how versatile the hi lift can be. After spending a consecutive 24 hours, and then another 12 hours last night pulling a really stuck truck out, I have gotten more use out of that hi lift than I expected to. I found a hi lift extreme for $70, so I figured I'd grab it then even though I don't have any points on my truck to jack from.

Ended up using it as a winch, as a winch with a 4x6 post placed near vertical right behind the truck, and running the strap over it, to effectively lift the stuck truck up and out of the mud hole it was in. Finally after we got some real trucks and proper winches (thanks Victor), the formerly stuck truck blew a bead in some pretty gross deep ruts filled with mud again. We had to drag him out on a blown bead, to get to a spot where we could access his spare and change the tire. In dragging him to that spot the tire completely popped of the rim. We used the hi lift on the rim, threw some jack stands under the truck (which started to sink in the soft ground with some wood and metal bases under them) and threw on the spare. Because of the truck sitting on the rim the truck was too low for even the factory bottle jack, the hi lift definitely got its $70 worth.
Click to expand...

I've got a similar story which involves a feild, two dodge deisels, my toyota, a 1949 ford pickup with no axles, a 16' flatbes trailer, and a farm jack.
 
Damn I really want to find a cheap effective way to mount hi lift points on the truck.
I'm contemplating sliders. Just on a budget.
 
The holes I'm wheels work great for high lift locations. I just cram the end in a hole and go from there, it works great because you don't have to unload the suspension . So there you go 4 mounting places :)
 
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