Hi-Lift: How many people NOT running them?

Are you running a Hi-Lift?

  • Yes

    Votes: 58 42.3%

  • No

    Votes: 72 52.6%

  • Yes but all for looks and/or extra piece of mind

    Votes: 7 5.1%
  • Total voters
    137
I have had a High-Lift jack for many years! I would still have one, but someone stole it out of my Jeep! I have used it many times. I call it my diesel jack, I would pour diesel on it to keep it working! I do plan on buying another, but like some of you, looking at buying an air jack too. I have the on-board air compressor all ready, so would be a good thing to have for times when the High-would be a pain to use! Benz.
 
The hi lift jack has many uses beyond recovery. I saw a guy on the trail straighten then sleeve a tie rod with the handle. It was a pretty awesome trail fix and saved his day. I was reading an article that listed uses I had not thought of...unseating a tire bead, using as a press, etc. Its a very versatile tool and I always carry one just in case.
 
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I'm relatively new to getting off the beaten path but like others who have mentioned it, my vehicles are new and plastic and the hi lift hasn't seemed a good solution for lifting. I've considered one anyways because of the other things they can do but have never pulled the trigger.

Instead I'm carrying a 9-18 inch, 12 ton, multi-angle bottle jack. I also carry some hard rubber RV stand pads for soft ground, to give it a bit of a height boost, and to protect the car from metal on metal damage. To make up for the lack of pulling I've put in two manual come alongs. I might add the hi lift eventually just in case. They have their uses...even if it's for helping somebody else out.
 
I've used my Hi-Lift twice in the last 4 years and another person in our group used it another time. So, 3 times in 4 years. I'll continue to carry and use it, but there are times I wished I had a different/better way of lifting the Jeep. The ARB exhaust jack has always looked interesting to me, but I've never really looked at it close enough.
 
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I just found one we had on our family farm. Used it when I parked the"scoop trailer". Trailer was too tall for any other jack. Farm sold in '04, "scoop trailer" with it. But my parents still own the place. I took a walk up there last week and I'll be damn if it wasn't still laying up there in the dirt. Wire brush and white lithium grease made it operate smooth again. I plan to carry it. Especially because if you ever look under a CJ, you will see the transmission/transfer case skid hangs terribly low leaving me vulnerable to "hi center" situations. A hi lift and a tree branch can get you out of those situations.
 
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caswanson said:
I just found one we had on our family farm. Used it when I parked the"scoop trailer". Trailer was too tall for any other jack. Farm sold in '04, "scoop trailer" with it. But my parents still own the place. I took a walk up there last week and I'll be damn if it wasn't still laying up there in the dirt. Wire brush and white lithium grease made it operate smooth again. I plan to carry it. Especially because if you ever look under a CJ, you will see the transmission/transfer case skid hangs terribly low leaving me vulnerable to "hi center" situations. A hi lift and a tree branch can get you out of those situations.
Click to expand...
Carnt beat a bit of history
 
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I have a hi-lift for my truck, but she sits high up so anything else really won't contact the frame. On my main rig, I carry a trolley jack and have a bottle jack in my wist list. I have no real place to use a hi-lift on my WJ since I run stock bumpers and I don't have sliders yet. I don't think I'll ever need one on that rig unless I end up running more technical trails.
 
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Just to reiterate, I think the Lift-Mate is the most underrated piece of hi-lift kit there is. Using this, lifting from a wheel is much more stable, and you dont need to get down under a muddy rig to place a jack on the axle.

I have steel bumpers and sliders, so I can indeed lift from anywhere, but I will always reach for the lift-mate first.

Hi-Lift Jack LM-100 Lift-Mate
 
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Etoimos said:
I've used my Hi-Lift twice in the last 4 years and another person in our group used it another time. So, 3 times in 4 years. I'll continue to carry and use it, but there are times I wished I had a different/better way of lifting the Jeep. The ARB exhaust jack has always looked interesting to me, but I've never really looked at it close enough.
Click to expand...

The X-Jack is a good bit of kit, but you'll need to see how much it will be able to lift your vehicle when fully inflated. Big lift, big tires, and long suspension travel are what can limit its effectiveness. But, if you travel a lot in sand, or any terrain that is fairly easy to move around, you can get the air jack closer to the frame. And, you really need to have a single exhaust pipe. Dual/split pipes may not produce enough pressure to inflate the bag and lift your vehicle. If that's the case, make sure the air jack also comes with a Schrader valve so you can fill it with an air compressor or CO2 tank.
 
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4xFar Adventures said:
The X-Jack is a good bit of kit, but you'll need to see how much it will be able to lift your vehicle when fully inflated. Big lift, big tires, and long suspension travel are what can limit its effectiveness. But, if you travel a lot in sand, or any terrain that is fairly easy to move around, you can get the air jack closer to the frame. And, you really need to have a single exhaust pipe. Dual/split pipes may not produce enough pressure to inflate the bag and lift your vehicle. If that's the case, make sure the air jack also comes with a Schrader valve so you can fill it with an air compressor or CO2 tank.
Click to expand...

I've got 4" of lift, 37" tires and lots of suspension droop. I was mainly considering the X-Jack to put under the axle to combat all of that. I was also curious if it could be inflated with CO2... I carry 10-15LBS of it all the time.
 
I'm curious about the CO2. Why not just compressed air? I'm sure it could be inflated with CO2. But my paintball days tell me that CO2 takes more time to turn from a liquid to a gas than just having compressed are. Is it a budget thing?
 
Etoimos said:
I've got 4" of lift, 37" tires and lots of suspension droop. I was mainly considering the X-Jack to put under the axle to combat all of that. I was also curious if it could be inflated with CO2... I carry 10-15LBS of it all the time.
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As long as there's a Schrader valve on the bag, yeah you can use CO2. But that is a limited supply so keep that in mind if you're going to use it a lot for that. I've been thinking about ditching my 20lbs. tank and getting a good Viar compressor.
 
caswanson said:
I'm curious about the CO2. Why not just compressed air? I'm sure it could be inflated with CO2. But my paintball days tell me that CO2 takes more time to turn from a liquid to a gas than just having compressed are. Is it a budget thing?
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CO2 is fast! Whatever isn't liquid in the tank is already pressurized gas and ready to go.
 
caswanson said:
Sure. But so is compressed air. And I can buy a Chinese built 3000 psi compressor so I can do my own fills. But I have to have CO2 filled by a supplier.

Airgun Scuba Air Pump: https://www.ebay.com/i/263158811104?chn=ps


AAAAND I don't have to worry about keeping my bottle upright.
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Volume is also a big upside to CO2. A much smaller tank is needed to hold the equivalent amount of air. So, given an identical tank size, the CO2 will fill more tires or run tools longer. They both have their pros and cons. For just running off road trials, I'd never trade my CO2 for a compressor/tank. For overland trips, I think the renewable nature of a compressor (with or without a tank) is probably the better option.

Also, CO2 tanks don't have to be kept upright... they just have to be upright when you use them. That may or may not be an issue depending on how one uses it.
 
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@KSTrekker

I think you will really like the safe jack. I’ve been using one for a few years. I got the axle stand to go with it because the LR4’s air suspension reacts to the lifting and the bottle jack alone isn’t tall enough. I use the axle stand to support the truck while I add extensions to the bottle jack. Also the axle stand is just nice to have for extra security.

5d4d3d13a707f434a3bb15d30995331a.jpg
 
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El Solis said:
@KSTrekker

I think you will really like the safe jack. I’ve been using one for a few years. I got the axle stand to go with it because the LR4’s air suspension reacts to the lifting and the bottle jack alone isn’t tall enough. I use the axle stand to support the truck while I add extensions to the bottle jack. Also the axle stand is just nice to have for extra security.
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I may have to pick that up, as I am using mine on a LR4 as well.
 
@KSTrekker

Do you have sliders? I ask because I’ve been working w Safe Jack to figure out the best way to lift the LR3/4s using their jack. I have sliders (not my truck in the pic) and it makes a world of difference as there are multiple areas for the jack and stand to make contact. Without sliders it gets tricky. And yes, without a way to hold the truck while you add pieces to the Safe Jack, the jack won’t lift the truck high enough to work. It’s not as easy as one would think to find a good location for the jack and stand under these trucks. I haven’t found a good solution yet. I can make it work on trucks without sliders but not in a way that your average owner (aka mall crawlers) would use it.

Chris
 
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