Using a Hi-Lift on a stock 62

[Super77]

I've added a Hi-Lift to my truck's recovery kit (along with a shovel, More Power Puller, various tow straps, chain saw, and basic tools). I've got a pretty stock rig, so I'm not doing any crawling, but I figure it's nice to have options on back roads in case of trouble.

I'm having trouble figuring out where I can jack with the Hi-Lift. The stock bumpers are a bit slippery - they lack a notch to keep the Hi-Lift in place if the truck is leaning much. I bought a Lift Mate, but the stock wheels are inboard enough of the fenders that the Hi-Lift's post will likely hit the bodywork.

Anyone have any use tips on a stock 60/62? Not much point in having the Hi-Lift if it's not versatile when you need it.

 

[DevonBen60]

Had a look at this too. Decided that if i get one then i will need to weld on some jacking points at each corner. Also thought about some straps but not figured out how to use withought damaging body work as i dont have rock sliders yet.
It can be used as a hand winch too in an emergency but very slow

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

Sounds like a good part for @reevesci to fabricate.

 

[ff347]

A short eye to eye sling (of capacity) gives you some options.

 

[abuck99]

If you trust your bumpers connection points, using soft-shackles ( here ) around the bumper at the mounting point is an option. Soft shackles are useful in all sorts of recovery situations.

Hi-Lift can be a great multi use recovery tool, but if you are simply looking for a device to lift a wheel, the bottle jack that came with your truck can lift a wheel under most conditions. Carry a square of 3/4" ply to use as a base or get fancy and mount it on a skid/cradle. Add an adapter on top of the bottle jack to help position it securely to safely lift an axle. An inmate here on mud (@LandCruiserPhil) makes them. Jack Adapters - Land Cruiser Products - LCP.

 

[OSS]

The best accessory for the hi-lift IS the Lift-Mate. Without it, the jack is very limited for recovery of a land cruiser. I have wider 8" steel spoke wheels so the jack attachment pad on the lift mate rests on the tire far enough outwards to clear the body (sometimes). Other times I need to pad the jack to keep it off the body a bit.
With the stock 6" steel wheels, the jack standard will definitely mash into the body.
Is it possible to put a block of wood between the lift mate pad and the tire to bring the lift mate outwards?

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

An inmate here on mud (@LandCruiserPhil) makes them.

That’s pretty nifty. I bookmarked his page. Thanks!

 

[White Stripe]

I don't see how you can use a hi lift on a stock 60 or 62 without having aftermarket bumpers. You could get the lift mate, but then most times I'm jacking up a rig it's to remove a tire and do a repair. Can't remove a tire if the vehicle has been jacked up by the rim. For a stock rig a arb xjack may be a better option.

 

[lcwizard]

I hate the damn things. Carry a can of WD40. If they're not slipping out at an inoppertune time knocking out you or a bystander or
shifting into a window or sheet metal they're just not working at all until you soak the whole mechanism in oil. Buy a winch, carry a one or two
Toyota bottle jacks and maybe an exhaust or airbag jack if you think you need more



NEW 4x4 4WD Off Road 4 Tonne Multi Layer Car Truck Van Exhaust Air Jack Kit | eBay

 

[OSS]

Yeah, lots of people say ... Just use the OEM bottle jack, but here's the problem with that. This happens every time you get a flat on a dirt trail:

The rear tire (or front, but usually the rear) gets a puncture and flattens quickly to the rim. The only way to lift the wheel up high enough to be able to remove it on the dirt trail with the bottle jack is to get the jack underneath the axle housing or leaf spring plate. There's no way to lift the wheel up high enough using the bottle jack on the frame.

When the tire goes flat, the axle housing and spring plate are only a few inches above the ground. Too tight to fit any bottle jack under.
If you're fortunate enough to have a flat tire on a dirt trail that is soft dirt, you could conceivably dig a pit under the jacking spot under the axle to be able to get the bottle jack in there. But in my experience (having gone through this several times) there's usually a rock in the way or it's simply too tight a squeeze to get your body under the truck to dig a hole to fit the jack, no less use it. Also the problem exists on asphalt too.

Where the Hi-lift with the Lift-Mate become indispensable is being able to easily jack one wheel up high enough — to be able to get the bottle jack under the spring plate. The bottle jack then becomes more of a jack stand than a jack. Then the hi-lift is removed (with the bottle jack now supporting the vehicle) and the wheel then easily removed.

The reverse is done to lower the vehicle after the wheel is replaced.

It's a two step process.

Same thing goes with getting stuck up to the axles in soft stuff. If you've got a winch and a nearby anchor in the direction you want to go, then lucky you. But if that isn't the case, the winch sits there useless. A winch is pretty much useless out in the desert or beach unless you're traveling with other vehicles. At least that's my experience after dragging one around for 20 years.

The hi-lift with lift mate will allow you to jack up a tire off the ground high enough to be able to fill the rut (hole) under the tire with stuff (wood/branches/big rocks etc) to get the tire on a firm footing.. You do that to each wheel until all the tires are fully supported at ground level.

Then you make sure your front & rear differential are locked () and back out straight the direction you came from.

That technique has saved my cruiser a few times in low tide mud that was too soft - as I watched in horror while the tide was coming in. Heart attack time.

My winch sat as it always does, laughing at me. Totally worthless dead weight (but I don't drive where there's any tress around).
An air bag could have accomplished the same thing.

 

[lcwizard]

Yeah, lots of people say ... Just use the OEM bottle jack, but here's the problem with that. This happens every time you get a flat on a dirt trail:

simply too tight a squeeze to get your body under the truck to dig a hole to fit the jack, no less use it. Also the problem exists on asphalt too.
My winch sat as it always does, laughing at me. Totally worthless dead weight (but I don't drive where there's any tress around).
An air bag could have accomplished the same thing.

With my 60 and the springs and shocks I use, A 60" hilift on the rear bumper doesn't get a 33" rear in the air, on flat ground, until the 4th notch from the top of the hilift rail. At that point your just waiting for a weight shift that will shoot the jack out like it was shot like a cannon.
The wheel mate works with many rims but when your on a steep hill like that FJ Cruiser was, especially a loose rocky hill, finding a footing for a hilift is tough. Even worse when your choice is relegated to placing it only where the wheel is. The Exhaust jacks can be annoying but they won't do body or operator damage if things go wrong. You can place them anywhere that there's a couple inches of clearance. A frame, a bumper, a rocker, an axle, a tranny. They spread the weight across a large surface and form around a structure. I've never heard of an accident from using a bag jack but Hi lift accidents happen all the time. We've got a guy in town who lost four front teeth and I'm in a town of less than 10,000

Hi Lift accident(learn from me!!)

Now that we all have our popcorn we can get started.So New Years weekend I decide to take me my kids and dogs out to Ocotillo Wells for some jeeping and a test run on the new 8.8 and front end regear.It was a great weekend didnt loose any kids or dogs and a great time was had by all.We packed up and headed out of the desert and up the Mountain New Years morning gritty and tired from 4 days in the desert.I made it to about 30 min from home and got a blow out on the trailer hauling the jeep.No biggie drug the trailer til I could find a big enough turn out to change the tire and I brought 2 spares my truck jack and the Hi Lift so I was set.I figure I'll grab my Hi Lift and see how it goes changing the tire with that,Got set up got out my tools and the jack trying to be careful because I was on a corner and my kids are too young to drive or help.The jack worked great on the jacking up part got the new tire on and pretty tight and Im on my way right??? Wrong when I tried to let the trailer down the jack went two clicks and stopped, I messed with it for a while and it was stuck good so I tried to relieve pressure by pushing down on the handle and pop the latch with a screw driver.It worked kinda dropped the trailer about 3 holes and stopped which in turn rocketed the handle into my face.All I can say is that was the most amazing shot in the head I have ever taken I felt my jaw leave my face.When I come too im on my knees laying on the handle behind the trailer I watched about 15 cars go by and no one stopped I got up scaired to touch or look at my face ripped the jack down threw it and the tools in the truck and got in the truck and sat holding my face for a few minutes while my daughter tried to get a call out I was too messed up to move.No service sweeeet!! I mustered up enough to get on the road because my kids were starting to freak out made it home with no recollection of the drive or any thing else.1 week off work 2 trips to the doctor a full set of xrays to my mellon whip lash a loosened eye ball and a sweet dbl chin and fractured jaw I am starting to feel normal again.The moral of this story is if you have one learn to use it before you need it, if it doesnt work right throw that pos away and get a new one!!I knew it had issues and tried it any way and I payed and Im sure I'll be paying periodically over the next few months as the bills roll in.Thank god for insurance!!At first I felt stupid and didnt want to post but if I can save some one else a little grief it will be worth it.The worst part is all the wow that thing really f"ed ur face up!! jokes

 

[NookShneer]

Company I've looked at before. Pricey but looks like it checks the boxes.


Bottle Jack Recovery Kit With 6 Ton Bottle Jack

 

[lcwizard]

Or we could just leave all the jacks at home and bring this guy as copilot

he probably eats a lot so you'll need extra burgers

 

[Super77]

A winch is pretty much useless out in the desert or beach unless you're traveling with other vehicles.

I assumed the same, but check out the video below that someone recently posted up. It shows how to use your spare tire (assuming you can get to it) as a winch anchor on the beach. Brilliant.

 

[OSS]

I've tried that. Didn't work for me the two times on the beach I attempted it to test. I dug a very deep pit too. Winch pulls the tire right out if the truck really is stuck because the winch cable is pulling the tire upwards.

 

[lcwizard]

I assumed the same, but check out the video below that someone recently posted up. It shows how to use your spare tire (assuming you can get to it) as a winch anchor on the beach. Brilliant.

I think a pullpal would be easier. I'm too lazy to dig that much

 

[abuck99]

Great video-

 

[Code Red]

The bury-the-spare-tire trick works, but you have to dig a trench for the cable in addition to the hole you put the tire in. It was a looong day of trial and error to figure that one out, but once you get it, it works very well anywhere you can dig a hole. Much better to dig a deep enough hole and a trench and do it right the first time. But it was enough work that I found the money for a used pull pal. That also takes some technique, but is a lot less digging.

I leave the high lift at home. A good jack plate or a few boards and a good bottle jack is almost always a better answer. I gave the highlift 25 years to find a situation it was a good, or even reasonable, answer to. Then I put it in the garage. Useless, dangerous, weight.

 

[lcwizard]

The bury-the-spare-tire trick works, but you have to dig a trench for the cable in addition to the hole you put the tire in. It was a looong day of trial and error to figure that one out, but once you get it, it works very well anywhere you can dig a hole. Much better to dig a deep enough hole and a trench and do it right the first time. But it was enough work that I found the money for a used pull pal. That also takes some technique, but is a lot less digging.

I leave the high lift at home. A good jack plate or a few boards and a good bottle jack is almost always a better answer. I gave the highlift 25 years to find a situation it was a good, or even reasonable, answer to. Then I put it in the garage. Useless, dangerous, weight.

The only situation I've used one by choice, since 1978 when I became a Cruiser owner, is when your high centered. You, as carefully as possible,
jack it up as high as it goes, kick it the direction you want it to fall, and run. Since your probably going to end up with scrapes and dents from the jack I suggest this only to your trail rig.

 

[OSS]

It's interesting to hear so much hate for the hi-lift. Personally I never would take a trip down to baja MX without one. I would postpone the trip until I got it. I have used it on every trip and consider it indispensable down there. It has literally saved my cruiser from disaster more than once and was indispensable saving other stuck vehicles. But without the lift-mate accessory, it is much more limited to what it can do on a heavy cruiser.

It is also indispensable when changing leaf springs out in the field or fixing spring bushings. There's no other way to lift the body up high enough to unweigh the springs to swap them.

Sure it's dangerous, like lifting up the vehicle and pushing the vehicle & jack over (which the manual specifically states never to do in bold text) but so is a Skill Saw or hand gun or pocket knife or hammer or pair of scissors. People get injured by everything when they use it incorrectly or when the thing isn't maintained.