Realy ignorant question about highlift jacks

[rusty_tlc]

X2 on Bill Burke's Getting Unstuck DVD!!! Great little investment in the practical and safe use of Hi-Lift jacks (among other things).

You should give it a test lift in your driveway/garage...you may or may not need to use a ratchet strap to tie the axle to the frame...so that as you jack the rig you do not have to lift the body any more than necessary due to spring/lift extension when jacking. I also carry a Hi-Lift Offroad base when I need to jack from soft ground. There are numerous attachments/accessories to make using the Hi-Lift safer in a variety of conditions.

If you are forced to jack from a slope you'll more than likely need to counter balance the rig with a tether, recovery strap, another's winch line, whatever. As Bill Burke states: Use the "3P's": "Practice, Planning & Patience"...or at least I think that's his "3P's"

As above: Always carry a can of WD40, or similar to spray the Hi-Lift springs and pins...it WILL NOT function if they are dirty, dry, corroded, etc.

This is the voice of experience, I was there every time.
Except the offroad base, I don't think we've had to use that,,,,,,,yet.

 

[spressomon]

After experimenting, you are not kidding about a rapid lowering if the handle is horizontal.

I think this thing scares the crap out of me. And I ice climb frozen waterfalls.

Ok, I bought a kit for using it as a winch/come-along. It has attachments meant to replace the ones that came with the jack. It says I need to drill out one of the wholes to make it fit. Is that I good idea? Does it wreck the usefulness of the jack for what it was actually designed to do?

Once again, thank you for all your very informative responses.

Hmmm...I didn't drill mine when I attached that piece. Do you have the new HL model X-treme maybe?

 

[Godwin]

kit to use Hi-Lift as come-along?

I've used the Hi-Lift in a winch mode or as a come-along more than a few times, probably more in this fashion than in a lifting-to-get-unstuck method. You need a chain or strap to attach the jack to the anchor then a second chain hooked between the jack and Cruiser. Having at least one chain which is adjustable may be mandatory because you'll need to shorten it as the vehicle is moved. I have a couple of pics to illustrate and in looking at them I see that having a chain is not mandatory but it sure will make the extraction go a little quicker. Straps can be doubled up to reduce their length.

 

[Vitesse_6]

I was going to say why do you "NEED" a high lift...



But you all bring up good points

 

[rusty_tlc]

I was going to say why do you "NEED" a high lift...



But you all bring up good points

If they had ratchet strapped the axle to the frame the wheels would have been in the air a lot sooner.

 

[Vitesse_6]

If they had ratchet strapped the axle to the frame the wheels would have been in the air a lot sooner.

That is mine, I only needed to raise the body, I somehow lost the lateral control arm bolt for the rear axle on the trail...

EDIT
You could have put it under the axle and work as well

 

[e9999]

yup, if you tie the axle to the frame you don't have to lift the body as much to get the wheel up, so it's safer.

In the pic of the HL above, it would not be a bad idea to tie the rail (foot side) to the chain or strap so that there is less chance the chain would slip off the tongue...

 

[rusty_tlc]

That is mine, I only needed to raise the body, I somehow lost the lateral control arm bolt for the rear axle on the trail...

EDIT
You could have put it under the axle and work as well

Good point that is an advantage the air bag has over the hi lift
Another is it works with out sliders or after market bumpers.

I'm thinking of getting one for the 100.

 

[Hank]

http://www.hi-lift.com/

Home site of the company. Vids and accessories there.

 

[BiG BoB]

You dont have to lift a vehicle from the frame with a lighlift, an attachment is available that slips over the rear hub assembly, with a slot for the lighlift to slide into. This allows you to pack material under a bogged vehicle etc without needing to lift as high, or use ratchet straps (dangerous!)

I'd also consider the method of winching shown to be dangerous. Haveing a loop hooked over the foot of the jack is far less than ideal, instead a rater D shackle should be used to attach the strap/chain to the foot using the intended hole.

I prefer winching using chain on the vehicle side, so that if the pull distance of the highlift isn't enough to free the vehicle the chain can be shackled off, the foot returned to the other end of the jack, and the weigh taken back up. This really isnt something you should do without being shown first


Sean

 

[rusty_tlc]

Here is a much more efficient, and apparently safer way to winch with a hi lift


Hi-Lift Winching

BigBob: Why would a ratchet strap between the frame and axle be dangerous?

 

[BiG BoB]

I'd just hate to be mucking around underneath a vehicle if one let go... Most ratchet style straps I see people using are not particularly well made, and although they will hold something down, I wouldnt trust them to hold something up!

Chains I would use however... should I ever need to (and I never have had the need, theres always been a better option)

Sean

 

[rusty_tlc]

I'd just hate to be mucking around underneath a vehicle if one let go... Most ratchet style straps I see people using are not particularly well made, and although they will hold something down, I wouldnt trust them to hold something up!

Chains I would use however... should I ever need to (and I never have had the need, theres always been a better option)

Sean

Basicaly you strap the axle while the rig is on the ground.
Then jack and remove the wheel or chuck rocks under the tire.
No need to get under the rig while it the axle is strapped. And I'd never get under a rig on a Hi-Lift anyway.

I usually tie the slack around the whole thing anyway.
Another thing to consider is you aren't holding much weight, basically 1/2 the weight of the axle, maybe 100 - 150 # including the wheel and tire.

 

[BiG BoB]

Yeah, I'm familiar with the principal - I still consider it to be dangerous however

I too would never climb under a vehicle on a Hilift - when I wrote mucking around I meant digging it out of a bog, packing branches under it, things of that nature.

To change a tire, I use a hydrolic bottle jack, to get out of a bog I use a hilift.

Sean

 

[hydrogeo]

The Hi-Lift is an awesome tool but man, are they dangerous. Especially when lowering something, as others have stated. This thing is just waiting to take your teeth out if your not careful when lowering something heavy or letting slack out after winching. It might also be a good idea to carry an extra shear pin. I have not broke one yet but mine is bent and not looking healthy. I stop after winching about a foot and half and reset the rigging. That way the chain isn't as apt to slip off the jack pad (I don't have the fancy winching adapter).

 

[moomtazz]

Hi-Lift offroad Kit

I'm new to all the winching and hi-lift stuff, but I would recommend this. I got it, along with my hi-lift at 4wheel parts when I was in Houston one day.

It has 2 connections for chain that attach to the hi-lift. One goes on the lifting foot and one that attaches to the base of the jack.

I practiced with it at home and found out a couple of things. You will need to buy a length of chain for winching ( I bought 15' of 3/8 at Home depot), and you will need an extra shackle for attaching this chain to your tow point (The kit itself only comes with one shackle). You also need a strap, treesaver, or at least another (2nd) length of long chain.

The way I set it up for practice was, I looped a treesaver around a pole and secured the treesaver loops with a shackle to the Top of the hi-lift. Then I had the 15' chain from home depot attached to the lifting foot via the connector that comes with the offroad kit. Connect the other end of the 15' chain to the vehicle tow point (This is where i realized I needed another shackle).

The connector at the base of the high lift (that came w/ the offroad kit) has about a 3' length of 3/8" chain on it. This is the chain tensioner. This was probably the main reason for buying the kit.

To winch, you "jack" the hi-lift until you run out of jack. if you need to winch further, you secure the clevis hook on the winch tensioner to the 15' chain. Then you can safely (haha) move the jack foot back up the length of the jack, pull whatever slack you have in the 15' chain through the connection at the jack foot, release the tensioner clevis hook, and start jacking again.

I also bought Bill Burke's DVD and watched the youtube hi-lift videos.

Biggest advice from my inexperienced self....practice with it, get comfortable, and give yourself the chance to discover what stuff you are missing before you really need it.

I also have a 50' length of amsteel for an extension if needed. The 15' length on the chain is just arbitrary, i tried to imagine how much chain i would need to go from the hi-lift to the winch and still allow me to avoid standing in mud up to my knees. 15' just seemed a good compromise between length and weight.