So I've been wheelin' for a while now and have never had an occation to need my high lift. It is a piece of recovery gear that I have with me always, however, I'm begining to second guess this decision. This last weekend I blew a bead on my passanger front and used my factory jack to change it on the trail because it was easier than fanagling the high lift...and safer I would asssume as well. Does anyone have examples of times when their high lift came in handy?
I have 2 - 60" and a 48". Used them for everything from pulling T-posts to lifting 1/2 the vehicle to change a tire and/or stack rocks. They come in really handy when you have really big tires.
When you don't carry it, you will need it for sure. You can use it to get unstuck by jacking up your rig and pushing it over out of the same hole. You can get body damage that way.
When you don't carry it, you will need it for sure. You can use it to get unstuck by jacking up your rig and pushing it over out of the same hole. You can get body damage that way.
My FJ40 is on 36" swampers the new shoes will be bigger. It is SOA.
I could never change a tire with a factory jack. Even with a high lift I have to strap the axle to the frame to get a wheel off the ground.
My UZJ100 is basically stock except for a mild lift and 33" Toyo MT's. Even with sliders I don't see myself using a high lift on it. That said I have used a high lift on a 100 with aftermarket bumpers, it saved the day when a guy cut a side wall while in the middle of a rock garden.
How much use you get out of a high lift will depend on how your rig is set up and what kind of trails you do. It will also depend on how many tricks you know for using it. The biggest thing will be if your rig has jack points that will allow you to use a high lift without damaging the body.
First time i wheeled my minitruck I used mine. I got stuck in mud. So I put a rock under the jack and jacked up each wheel. I put sticks under each tire and drove away!
my 60 w/flat springs and 30" tires requires hi-lift to change tire. Found that out B4 I bought a hi-lift...
They don't work so well trying to unstick a 17passenger van by pulling up-hill, just in case you wondered. Much better having cruiser pull it down-hill across the driveway it fell off of.
The hi lift is a peice of equipment that can be very usefull. Mine is 15 years old and has been used maybe 4 times. Two flats in the rocks, one stuck in sand and once pulling t posts. I was happy enough to have it the first three times I use it that It rides along with me in the rocks.
I almost forgot about using it to break the bead on a tire in Mexico. I had to patch a puncture from the inside. Break bead with high lift. Fight bead over rim. Patch. Fight bead over rim. Strap center of tire very tight. Inflate. GTG.
Used mine twice - could have used the bottle jack on those two occasions but the hi lift was just as accessible and easier to use. I was on Miller's when Sam PKP80 bent a rim and deflated the tire. No way to use the bottle jack were he was. Hi lift was a must. Cheap insurance IMHO. I'd rather have it, know I have it and never need it than to get stuck. On the other hand, if you're wheeling with folks that do have one then you're ok.
never used mine under duress on the trail although I've used it plenty of times in the yard and garage. Never had to use the factory one either. In retrospect, I probably should have used the HL a couple of times, though.
I'll say, though, that well mounted, mine is more readily accessible than the factory jack anyway, and I'd probably have to use the former anyway cuz of height issues.
Altogether, rarely used, but I'll keep taking it along.
(Plus it attracts the attention of cute farm girls... )
It may sound a bit Nancy of me but the main reason I've been considering ditching it is the rattle that it produces that resonates thru my ARB roof rack...once I resolve the rattle I don't think it will pose a problem any longer. Any suggestions on that?
It may sound a bit Nancy of me but the main reason I've been considering ditching it is the rattle that it produces that resonates thru my ARB roof rack...once I resolve the rattle I don't think it will pose a problem any longer. Any suggestions on that?
I have sworn at them and I have sworn by them. I will not hit a trail without one and the two lengths of chain and S hooks to wrap around the frame and axle.
I've said this before, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record (remember those RustyTLC?) The factory jack is an underrated jewel and perfectly adequate for changing a 35 inch tire. It is also far safer than a hilift under any circumstances. If your tires are bigger than 35, a short piece of 2x6 makes a base with enough extra height to change tires with the factory jack. That orange plastic "off-road base" sold by hilift is also perfect to get a little height under a factory jack to make tire changing easier.
For those of you who don't like the factory bottle jack, I will pay shipping to have it shipped to me. I think they are outstanding.
Changing tires with a hilift is dangerous.
I could see winching with it in an emergency.
Hilifts are indispensible for lifting the truck off of high centers and other stucks, and for that reason we make sure we have a couple in the group. I keep mine in the garage unless I'm on a trip to cut down on the rust and road grime that goo up the works.
They do rattle if you don't do something to secure the metal base and the handle.
Thank you I'll pull mine down and lube it up to ensure that it doesn't rust and only put it up when I'm wheelin'. The base I fixed with some electrical tape around the ... shaft? and then crammed the base back on, it's the mechanical part that still rattles but I'll try using a rachet strap from the lift point to the end to see if a bit of tention will help matters when I'm on the trail.
I've said this before, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record (remember those RustyTLC?) The factory jack is an underrated jewel and perfectly adequate for changing a 35 inch tire. It is also far safer than a hilift under any circumstances. If your tires are bigger than 35, a short piece of 2x6 makes a base with enough extra height to change tires with the factory jack. That orange plastic "off-road base" sold by hilift is also perfect to get a little height under a factory jack to make tire changing easier.
For those of you who don't like the factory bottle jack, I will pay shipping to have it shipped to me. I think they are outstanding.
Changing tires with a hilift is dangerous.
I could see winching with it in an emergency.
Hilifts are indispensible for lifting the truck off of high centers and other stucks, and for that reason we make sure we have a couple in the group. I keep mine in the garage unless I'm on a trip to cut down on the rust and road grime that goo up the works.
They do rattle if you don't do something to secure the metal base and the handle.
Rick Wakeman, Journey to The Center of the Earth. I listened to the bit about the sea monster for a whole night once. Nobody could make it to the "Hi-Fi" to fix it.
I like the bottle jacks a lot better than the scissor jacks sold with other Toyota's but I'd still rather use a Hi-Lift and a ratchet strap to swap out a tire on
the 40. If you strap the axle to the frame you never lift the rig more than is needed to get the wheel off the ground. IMHO this is just as safe as using the factory jack.
)
Only put it on when going wheeling... Mine stays in the garage unless I'm going wheeling, then I'll mount it.. 
