Hi-Lift Jack

[TreXTerra]

Apply baling wire, tire plugs, gorilla tape, vice grips, zip ties, ratchet straps, and JB weld until fixed.

Drive home carefully.

 

[Captain Josh]

Or just hit with a sledge. That fixes everything.

 

[Polaris Overland]

i agree there should be a forum for it.

Bearing in mind if you get a recovery wrong or do not understand the dangers associated with a high lift jack at best you might get away with a painful injury or worst a damaged vehicle and some one on a slab.
Neither winching or hi lift jacks are games and need to be treated with the respect they deserve. Best option is gain experience with someone knowledgable and remember to keep well out of the way of winch lines, hi lift handles and the line of fire if the hi lift topples. And never go underneath without ensuring you have axle stands or supports.


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[Defender 90 Keith]

Bearing in mind the jacking points on a Defender I invested in the item as per the picture below

and when not in use, the Jack stows away nicely on my Hannibal Roof rack

 

[RichardS]

I am a big fan of Hi-lift jacks, but I believe a person should be trained before using one. Understanding some basics like which tire to chock goes a long way. Having open rock sliders make great jack points when high centered, simply use a soft shackle to wrap around the slider. Front and rear recovery points make for good jack points using a soft shackle. Its a lot easier than trying to lift from under the bumper, especially with steel bumpers falling out of fashion on overland rigs. I've been part of some really fun recoveries where we have driven off the jack in the move called a jack and cast. To do this, use a short 8' tree saver to lift the wheel. Hi-lift makes specific product for this purpose, but its easier to use tree saver in my experience. I carry a 48" jack, but will swap out for a 60" soon. Too many situations where 48" wasn't enough.

I4WDTA Trainer, Scott Fields using a 60" on high-centered JK. We couldn't get the Jeep high enough...



Charlie using a soft shackle to lift from slider.



I4WDTA Trainer, Ron Parish using the hi-lift to adjust a tire that came off its bead. We ended up using air tank to reseat.



Here is a shot from another I4WDTA trainer, Tony demonstrating Hi-lift Lift-Mate.


Scott using rear recovery point to lift vehicle. Using a soft shackle would have made it more stable.


Scott demonstrating on a Hilux with an ARB bumper. ARB bumpers have jack points which make lifting from the front really easy.

 

[4xFar Adventures]

@RichardS Thanks for the pics! Question about the Hi-Lift and tire off the bead. Is the Hi-Lift being used to unfold the tire from the rim? It's hard to see exactly, but looks like the tongue is hooked under the bead.

 

[Defender 90 Keith]

I'm not sure I'd want someone sitting in the vehicle whilst using a Hi Lift (especially on uneven ground). Any movement by that individual might cause the vehicle to shift it's weight causing the Jack to fall.

 

[4xFar Adventures]

As long as the person in the vehicle isn't trying to jostle it intentionally, the jack should be ok. The lifting movement of the Hi-Lift would move it more than someone sitting inside the vehicle moving an arm. But, every recovery is a case by case basis. If I had Quake, my 150 lbs. St. Bernard in the back seat and needed to use the Hi-Lift, I would more than likely take him out. He's so big, when he pants, the entire truck does jostle. I can feel it and see it at a stop light!

Now, if a vehicle was lifted with a Hi-Lift, and the driver (or any passenger) actually got out, that is a big weight transfer. At that point you should almost expect the jack to kick out, or the vehicle to fall off. This happened to a friend of mine, though he was't using a Hi-Lift. He wanted to check the articulation of his Jeep (it's pretty beefy) in the backyard. Using the ground as an RTI ramp, he got right to the suspension's travel limit and decided to get out and take a look. As soon as he got out, the suspension unloaded just enough and lifted a 1/4" - 1/2". At that point the Jeep flopped onto its side. Weight transfer, and vehicle dynamics are a big part of both driving and recovery.

 

[RichardS]

@RichardS Thanks for the pics! Question about the Hi-Lift and tire off the bead. Is the Hi-Lift being used to unfold the tire from the rim? It's hard to see exactly, but looks like the tongue is hooked under the bead.

Yes, exactly. The tire rolled off the bead with a nice pop! Needed to use the jack to reposition the tire.

I've practiced the reverse before. It can be hard to unseat a bead to repair a tire in the field. You can take the wheel off, place the tire under the jack and start jacking the vehicle up. The force will break the bead. Once the tire is repaired or valve stem replaced we used starting fluid to reseat the tire. It was awesome.

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[RichardS]

I'm not sure I'd want someone sitting in the vehicle whilst using a Hi Lift (especially on uneven ground). Any movement by that individual might cause the vehicle to shift it's weight causing the Jack to fall.

Fair point, but the driver needs to remain in control of the vehicle. If it were to come off the jack or worse roll over, the driver would need to steer it out of the roll. In this particular recovery, the intention was to drive off the jack. It's a fantastic recovery method. I've got a few videos I've taken. It always seems to happen with stock 4 door jeeps. You use a second tree saver to wrap around the jack to keep it from kicking back and nailing the vehicle's paint.

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[4xFar Adventures]

Since we're swapping stories...

This one time, when Bill Burke was doing a training session, he was going to demonstrate breaking the bead with the same method. He stuck the tongue under the bumper of his D90 and placed the base on the sidewall. This was on a factory LR wheel. Jack up, jack up, jack up. Nothing. I don't know why it wasn't separating, but he was getting P.O.'d at the tire! I think he wound up using the rear end of a D2 to finally break it.

 

[4xFar Adventures]

Fair point, but the driver needs to remain in control of the vehicle. If it were to come off the jack or worse roll over, the driver would need to steer it out of the roll. In this particular recovery, the intention was to drive off the jack. It's a fantastic recovery method. I've got a few videos I've taken. It always seems to happen with stock 4 door jeeps. You use a second tree saver to wrap around the jack to keep it from kicking back and nailing the vehicle's paint.

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A strap is a good idea. This has been my solution, a pool noodle.


But I think if you're driving off the jack, you'd want the whole thing covered. The pool noodle works well for a lift, given it's tendency to lean into the body. Remember, a Hi-Lift doesn't lift straight up. The vehicle is traveling in a slight arc, away from you, so the hi-Lift follows that arc, right into the body if you're not careful.

 

[RichardS]

A strap is a good idea. This has been my solution, a pool noodle.

But I think if you're driving off the jack, you'd want the whole thing covered. The pool noodle works well for a lift, given it's tendency to lean into the body. Remember, a Hi-Lift doesn't lift straight up. The vehicle is traveling in a slight arc, away from you, so the hi-Lift follows that arc, right into the body if you're not careful.

I'll check it out on Instagram. Wish we could link videos. Anyway, here is a screenshot of what I mean for the tree saver. You slip the loop around the jack (you can also take the handle off) and keep outward pressure on the jack to keep it away from the vehicle. Let's the person hold it 8-10' away.

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[4xFar Adventures]

Oh, got ya! I was thinking to wrap it like a Christmas present and hope for the best. That makes more sense to have someone pull it in a more controlled direction.

You can link to videos and all kinds of image hosting sites. Instead of the Upload a File Button click this one instead. It lists all the sites it can pull media from.