"Magical" ARB Hydraulic High-Lift Jack?

[BlackMammoth]

OK, I have used the farm-style cast iron high lift jacks before. I have never seen an ARB hydraulic high lift, let alone used one...

There is a price difference between the two that is .... a difference.

I would love to hear from people who have real world experience with both (conventional farm style and ARB hydraulic)

 

[tbisaacs]

One will clean your clock if you use it wrong. The other can only be stored upright or it will stop working.

Joking aside, my hi lift scares the hell out of me.

 

[BlackMammoth]

The other can only be stored upright or it will stop working.

Totally agree on the safety aspect - I wasn't aware the ARB had to be stored upright...

 

[turbo8]

There are more options out there made by shock manufactures.

Hydra-Jac Lightweight Racing Jack Standard Length 37 Inch Collapsed Radflo Suspension | Radflo

If you've ever tried to change a tire off-road using an ordinary jack, you know how frustrating and even dangerous the exercise can be. The emergency jack supplied with your vehicle is useless if you

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F-O-A Race Jack » F-O-A | First Over All Off Road Shocks

The F-O-A Race Jack has a lift capability of about 18" and will lift that height in mere seconds using your 1/2" cordless impact driver. The 1/2" end goes directly into the top of the jack...no special socket required. Slip the lift pin into your previously installed 5/8"ID lift point, put the...

f-o-a.com

Screw Jack « King Off-Road Racing Shocks, Bypass Shocks, Adjustable Coil Over Shocks, Air Shocks, UTV Shocks, Jeep Shocks, Pre-Runner Shocks, Adjustable Shocks, and Bump Stops

 

[CharlieS]

What are you doing with it in what conditions? Showing it off at cars and coffee or the overland expo: Arb hydraulic jack. Going out to BFE and need to be able to depend on tried and true tools and techniques? Hi-Lift with repair kit.

Get some training from a I4WDTA certified trainer if you want to dispel the fear and replace it with healthy respect.

 

[Markuson]

There is a price difference between the two that is .... a difference.

Yes indeed.
Put another way…you can buy EIGHT Hi-Lift jacks for one ARB.
The ARB is about $800 bones…!

 

[BlackMammoth]

What are you doing with it in what conditions? Showing it off at cars and coffee or the overland expo: Arb hydraulic jack. Going out to BFE and need to be able to depend on tried and true tools and techniques? Hi-Lift with repair kit.

I understood the bling aspect but wondered if there was more to it that I just didn’t get.

I wasn’t including IG likes in my value assessment.

We bought the LC to go to BFE and back safely and with reduced drama.

I was leaning towards a Hi-Lift but after seeing the $$$$ ARB I wondered if I was missing something.

 

[CharlieS]

I don’t have hands on time with the arb jack, but I’m sure it is designed to be safer and easier to use than a Hi-Lift. No doubt the trade off is more complexity and cost. But that is all purely speculation on my part. I’d be hard pressed to pay that much for a jack unless it was critical to safety or required to make a livelihood.

 

[grinchy]

One kills your wallet. One kills a person occasionally. I’m fine without either

 

[TheGrrrrr]

If the ARB could be stored laying down, I would already have one. I will not use a farm jack as anything but a winch. When I was a kid the farm bureau did some mechanical safety classes for kids and teens. I remember the instructor telling us that there is no safe way to use a farm jack, but most injuries could be avoided by not using it for certain puposes… and then listed off every purpose I had ever heard of.

edit for clarity: the instructor was saying there is no safe way to use a farm jack, which means it should only be used when all safe options have been exhausted and never as a matter of convenience When safer options are available but will require more time or effort.

 

[CharlieS]

I have been a part of two recoveries in the last week using a Hi-Lift where it was the best and most expedient way to free my stuck vehicle. They were both done under the guidance of a I4WDTA certified instructor, and while any recovery comes with risks, the Hi-Lift was very effective in these situations. Using another tool would have led to more damage to the vehicle being recovered. I will absolutely use one again, where it is the right tool for the job.