Convince me I should keep lugging around my hi-lift

[ChasingOurTrunks]

We carried one for years but never needed it. However, while your question is focused on the tool I would encourage you to consider the function.

What does a hi-lift do?

- It lifts things up.
- It can pull things (albeit not super well).


Both of the above functions can also be served by, for example:

"It Lifts Things Up"
- A Hydraulic bottle jack
- A Scissor Lift Jack
- An Exhaust Jack

All three of the above options will do the same as a hi-lift, but they will do it more safely. The Exhaust Jack is actually a lot better on soft sand and mud. If you are on pavement or gravel roads most of the time, the other types of jack will do the same job for the occasional flat tire as the hi-lift, but they will do it more safely and will occupy less of your total payload.

"It can pull things"
- Your winch
- A second vehicle
- an aluminum come-along
- MaxTrax

You already have a winch, but they fail. If your winch fails, but you always travel with a second vehicle, then I would say you are in fairly good shape without a hi-lift for 99.9% of the conditions an Overlander would typically see. An aluminum come-along will be half the weight of a high-lift and actually serve the 'pulling' purpose a lot better. And MaxTrax can alleviate the need for pulling altogether as they can often allow a recovery under the vehicle's own power.

To the folks who are advocates of the Hi-Lift, I would suggest that they are advocates for the need that a Hi-Lift meets -- i.e. they have been in situations where they needed to lift things up and/or pull things, and they had a hi-lift which saved the day. And I would argue that the Hi-Lift represents an extremely valuable recovery tool. However as you have identified, it comes with a significant cost to both payload and storage. If you can easily store it, and you have the payload to manage it, then bring one. But if that isn't your situation I would look at the other options above that serve the same function without the same trade-offs.

 

[Farook Ismail]

After hearing all the posts hear I'm beginning to think carrying a High lift jack or any other Like the Exhaust jack is a matter of where you wheel or overland.
Southern Ontario its a must, and yes you need jacking points around the vehicle to use it.

I was wheeling with a lifted 3rd gen runner when the bolts for the bottom ball joint decide to go on vacation, it was on a rocky slope and not safe for a high lift.
The individual had an exhaust jack and it rally saved the day.

Point I think I'm trying to make is where you wheel or overland will dictate if you carry one or not. If you have been carrying one for 10 years and never needed it, leave it at home unless it will take away from the "look" of you truck, then bring it along

From my experiences I would urge everyone to always walk with one it might not save you but others on the trail or your mate might need one and it and your imagination will save the day.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Silly question , when and why was the last time you had to break a bead with a hi-lift ? And after the bead was broken how did you get the old tire off and get the new one on?? And for if some weird reason you did have a spare tire why wasn’t it on a rim already?

 

[Farook Ismail]

Silly question , when and why was the last time you had to break a bead with a hi-lift ? And after the bead was broken how did you get the old tire off and get the new one on?? And for if some weird reason you did have a spare tire why wasn’t it on a rim already?

Its been a while but I'd say between 5 to 7 years ago.
when you change the valve stem you dont take the tire off you just bread the bead when the stem is and change it
getting the old tire off, and another on, is easy when your talking 33x12.50x15 lots of side wall and 2 screwdrivers will do it
we all ran 33" tires my 4 runner has a 60 and 14 bolt so 8 bolt rims. the tj had 5 bolt rims that instance the tire was sliced on the side wall so we could not fix it
so we took the tire off my spare rim, took his sliced tire off his rim and put mine on.. he had no spare

for the longest time I had a set of stazworks beadlocks and i used my highlift to break the beads and change the tires.

I remember it was raining and a friend who was trailering got a flat and it was a low trailer. we changed to the spare we used the highlift again to pick up the trailer and remove the wheel. not 1km down the road that spare tire blew.

he did not have another spare so we drove it on 3 wheels to the nearest parking lot off the highway. yes it was leaning but it worked. I willing to bet a hydraulic bottle jack of or even a trolly jack would of been alot more time to do that.

as for the time 5-7 years I have been atving more and recently motorcycling so my runner now sits and my wheeling days are pretty much over i think.

 

[Smileyshaun]

I think hi lifts have a bit of nostalgia to them from back in the day when a hi lift cost under a 100$ and a winch was a 500$+ investment between the winch a mount and a battery and possibly a electrical upgrade ( remember when your lights would dim at a stoplight because of a low charge ) . Nowadays you can pickup a winch for 200$ and a set of traction boards and get yourself out of most any situation . And your overlanding , most people just drive down gravel roads to get to a camping spot and 4x4 is probably almost never used .

 

[Farook Ismail]

Agreeded.....


( remember when your lights would dim at a stoplight because of a low charge )

lol. your old like me..

 

[KonzaLander]

Silly question , when and why was the last time you had to break a bead with a hi-lift ? And after the bead was broken how did you get the old tire off and get the new one on?? And for if some weird reason you did have a spare tire why wasn’t it on a rim already?

I see two scenarios where you might need to break a tire bead on the trail:
1. Torn valve stem. A standard valve stem installs from the inside of the wheel. However, this reason should be null with the advent of the Colby Valve that can install from the outside with no tools.
2. You are already running your full size spare and puncture another tire. You may need to patch a large the inside versus using plugs. In this case, I would not choose to use a Hi-Lift to break the bead. It is easy to break a bead by laying the tire/wheel down and driving upon the sidewall.

 

[Smileyshaun]

And don’t give me wrong I’m not saying hi lifts Are worthless or not needed in certain situations but probably 75% of the Overlanding Community would probably never need one As their travels really aren’t that treacherous or hardcore .

 

[trikebubble]

same here....

But the reason to leave it at home is for the safety. In BC no government vehicles carry a farmer jack anymore due to the high incident of injury and Workers Comp claims. I know the highlift fan boys will be all over this comment but the fact is, statistics show the highlift jack is a dangerous tool.

Mine stays here till I need to pull out a fence post.

View attachment 139049

Mine is in about the same place. Though the handle makes the best breaker bar known to man.

 

[MidOH]

Silly question , when and why was the last time you had to break a bead with a hi-lift ? And after the bead was broken how did you get the old tire off and get the new one on?? And for if some weird reason you did have a spare tire why wasn’t it on a rim already?

Its been a while but I'd say between 5 to 7 years ago.
when you change the valve stem you dont take the tire off you just bread the bead when the stem is and change it
getting the old tire off, and another on, is easy when your talking 33x12.50x15 lots of side wall and 2 screwdrivers will do it
we all ran 33" tires my 4 runner has a 60 and 14 bolt so 8 bolt rims. the tj had 5 bolt rims that instance the tire was sliced on the side wall so we could not fix it
so we took the tire off my spare rim, took his sliced tire off his rim and put mine on.. he had no spare

for the longest time I had a set of stazworks beadlocks and i used my highlift to break the beads and change the tires.

I remember it was raining and a friend who was trailering got a flat and it was a low trailer. we changed to the spare we used the highlift again to pick up the trailer and remove the wheel. not 1km down the road that spare tire blew.

he did not have another spare so we drove it on 3 wheels to the nearest parking lot off the highway. yes it was leaning but it worked. I willing to bet a hydraulic bottle jack of or even a trolly jack would of been alot more time to do that.

as for the time 5-7 years I have been atving more and recently motorcycling so my runner now sits and my wheeling days are pretty much over i think.

Plug didn't hold. Had to pop bead and install a plug patch. And valve stems need inserted from inside the wheel. Valve stems are a'ways getting mangled.

If two is one, and one is none: I have to fix my spare when I get into camp. I have one fullsize spare and one little spare. If I can't replace that valve stem, then my overlanding trip ends at the next intersection with pavement.

 

[MOAK]

I think hi lifts have a bit of nostalgia to them from back in the day when a hi lift cost under a 100$ and a winch was a 500$+ investment between the winch a mount and a battery and possibly a electrical upgrade ( remember when your lights would dim at a stoplight because of a low charge ) . Nowadays you can pickup a winch for 200$ and a set of traction boards and get yourself out of most any situation . And your overlanding , most people just drive down gravel roads to get to a camping spot and 4x4 is probably almost never used .

Very true, my hi-lift is so old that it cost me $35.. my winch? I don’t remember.. gravel roads and most people? Thank god my wife and I are not most people LOL
None of those other jacks can do this. This is a pull in; back up; switchback. We’ve encountered tight drive around ones that required moving the trailer in the same manner. So yes, if youre only using maintained forest roads there really is no sense in dragging it along, let alone buying one in the first place..

 

[Kent R]

Why carry a Hi Lift jack?

I will put in my 10 cents here along with everyone else, I just couldn't leave this one alone.
Here are some of my bullet points, in no particular order.
- Redundancy - The main reason I carry the Hi Lift . Use it for jacking, winching, tire repair work.
- Jacking, getting off a rock, moving a trailer around a corner by jacking and pushing it sideways, winching forward if your main winch breaks down. It also works for winching backward if you are stuck and the only way out is backward and you are alone.
- Tire repair. When you need to remove a tire from a rim to sew/repair the sidewall, it is the easiest way to pop the bead. You don't need to break the bead to replace the valve stem, as another member said, you can use a Colby valve. I teach a tire repair class and the best, cheapest, solution is a kit found on Amazon for about $25, I can replace a valve stem in about 1.5 minutes (links below).
- Vehicle extrication. Our sport is off road driving based and accidents do happen. The Hi Lift jack can be used to help gain access to a rolled vehicle in the case the doors are inoperable.
The handle should be set up to be removable and then it becomes an excellent breaker bar extension.

In conclusion, yes the Hi Lift is good for pulling fence posts, but really the security you get by having one when off road is invaluable. I have had mine for about 45 years, and I rebuild it about every 3-5 years. It can be a dangerous tool, so learn how to use it properly, take good care of it, and it will take care of you.

Is it the only jack to carry? NO it isn't, - the Hi Lift is not good for changing a flat tire, but a Safety Jack (bottle jack) set-up is and the stock scissor jack works great. I have seen airbags work wonders in the desert, soft dirt or even mud.

Colby Valve;
.
The valve stem replacement tool I use;
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/slredirect/picassoRedirect.html/ref=pa_sp_mtf_aps_sr_pg1_2?ie=UTF8&adId=A08526562DQ39LG1ELNTV&url=/AME-51025-Quick-Valve-Change/dp/B005K8E9FY/ref=sr_1_19_sspa?crid=2P55IMO6H0IT9&keywords=valve+stem+repair+kit&qid=1581374084&sprefix=valve+stem+rep%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-19-spons&psc=1&qualifier=1581374083&id=1324473616086563&widgetName=sp_mtf

 

[Kent R]

Very true, my hi-lift is so old that it cost me $35.. my winch? I don’t remember.. gravel roads and most people? Thank god my wife and I are not most people LOL
None of those other jacks can do this. This is a pull in; back up; switchback. We’ve encountered tight drive around ones that required moving the trailer in the same manner. So yes, if youre only using maintained forest roads there really is no sense in dragging it along, let alone buying one in the first place..

Moak,
I still refer people to this video all the time it is great.

 

[Farook Ismail]

I have never seen that and did not even know it existed.

Thank you.

 

[Brewbud]

Years ago we used them all the time. Someone would get stuck and we would use the highlift to give us the best chance and getting them out the first time. Seems like most vehicles now days don't even have real bumpers to use a highlift on. I think I've used one twice in the last 10 years. Once was to help the forest service lift and move a gate from one site to another. The other was to fix an upper control arm mount on a Jeep. I might have been able to do a workaround but I was glad I had it.

 

[smritte]

I've used them to break the bead on a number of tires. I made a crescent shaped adapter for the base plate so the jack wont slip off the bead. If the bead is real stuck on, good luck not having the high lift slip down the tire.
Rock crawling, lift as high as the jack will go and push the vehicle sideways or pull forward and let it tip over. Clears those nasty rocks wedged behind diffs. When lifting long travel vehicles, I would ratchet strap the suspension to limit the droop otherwise, the tire never comes off the ground.
Do I still carry one today? No. Sold the Jeep and the jack went with it. Doubt I'll buy another one. Don't see the need. Decades of off-roading and I only used it in the rocks. I can always make a bead breaker adapter for my hydraulic jack if I think I'll need to do that again.

 

[RoyB]

I'm sorry, I must be obtuse.....Can someone explain what is going on in the Elephant Hill video????

 

[smritte]

I'm sorry, I must be obtuse.....Can someone explain what is going on in the Elephant Hill video????

I'm going to guess they moved the back of the trailer over. That part probably got edited out?

 

[MOAK]

I'm going to guess they moved the back of the trailer over. That part probably got edited out?

It’s in three parts.. but yes, you gotta watch to see that the left rear of the trailer is jacked up, eventually, to shove the trailer to the left, in order to back down the hill.

 

[MOAK]

Why carry a Hi Lift jack?

I will put in my 10 cents here along with everyone else, I just couldn't leave this one alone.
Here are some of my bullet points, in no particular order.
- Redundancy - The main reason I carry the Hi Lift . Use it for jacking, winching, tire repair work.
- Jacking, getting off a rock, moving a trailer around a corner by jacking and pushing it sideways, winching forward if your main winch breaks down. It also works for winching backward if you are stuck and the only way out is backward and you are alone.
- Tire repair. When you need to remove a tire from a rim to sew/repair the sidewall, it is the easiest way to pop the bead. You don't need to break the bead to replace the valve stem, as another member said, you can use a Colby valve. I teach a tire repair class and the best, cheapest, solution is a kit found on Amazon for about $25, I can replace a valve stem in about 1.5 minutes (links below).
- Vehicle extrication. Our sport is off road driving based and accidents do happen. The Hi Lift jack can be used to help gain access to a rolled vehicle in the case the doors are inoperable.
The handle should be set up to be removable and then it becomes an excellent breaker bar extension.

In conclusion, yes the Hi Lift is good for pulling fence posts, but really the security you get by having one when off road is invaluable. I have had mine for about 45 years, and I rebuild it about every 3-5 years. It can be a dangerous tool, so learn how to use it properly, take good care of it, and it will take care of you.

Is it the only jack to carry? NO it isn't, - the Hi Lift is not good for changing a flat tire, but a Safety Jack (bottle jack) set-up is and the stock scissor jack works great. I have seen airbags work wonders in the desert, soft dirt or even mud.

Colby Valve;
.
The valve stem replacement tool I use;
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/slredirect/picassoRedirect.html/ref=pa_sp_mtf_aps_sr_pg1_2?ie=UTF8&adId=A08526562DQ39LG1ELNTV&url=/AME-51025-Quick-Valve-Change/dp/B005K8E9FY/ref=sr_1_19_sspa?crid=2P55IMO6H0IT9&keywords=valve+stem+repair+kit&qid=1581374084&sprefix=valve+stem+rep%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-19-spons&psc=1&qualifier=1581374083&id=1324473616086563&widgetName=sp_mtf

Yup, since we ripped one I carry these. Great tool!