For you guys that hate hi lift jacks...

BigClay

BigClay

Knower of useless ZJ things
Joined
Sep 24, 2008
Location
Winston-Salem
...what do you use instead?
 
I always use a floor jack when I can. On the road/trail, I use a bottle jack. Soon to be a scissor jack thanks to recommendation from many on here.
 
What kind of scissor jack will be tall enough to lift an already lifted vehicle?
 
hi-jacks are not completely useless but darn near close. jacking up anything that not on the flat and level can be hazardous but they take that to the next level.
 
I recently got a factory bottle jack from a Land Rover Discovery. It goes way higher than a regular bottle jack and has a nice horn on top that cups the axles, framerails, leaf pack, or anything else you can jam it under. If you keep a block of wood or the hi-lift jack off road base with you, it can handle tire changing duties on most trucks. I still love my hi-lift as a tool for off roading but I dont like using it for changing a tire.

jack.jpg
 
I've used the same Wal-Mart bottle jack for the last 15 years. 35s, 37s, 40s, 31s, 32s, 33s, it's been used on them all, and it probably only cost me $20 or something.
 
I used to use an old scissor jack, at the axle it would lift my Tj on 35's if I needed more there was always someone with a block of wood or something. Also you can stick one end of the rod you turn it with into a battery drill and "Viola" power jack!!
 
Bottle Jack for tire changes, definitely, but I still always carry a hi-lift too, because it has so many other uses in recovery.
 
shawn said:
That pretty much defeats the purpose of having a bottle jack.
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how so.. it is made to go around axle to lift axle to change a tire?
 
BRUISER said:
how so.. it is made to go around axle to lift axle to change a tire?
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How many times do you actually put the bottle jack against a clean tube? I'm going to a shock mount or a link bracket or the bottom yoke/knuckle, or the bottom of the diff, or... whatever. Sort of like a hi-lift. It'll do lots of things. It can be used in lots of ways. Jack up the nose of the pinion to get an upper link on, or jack up the transmission/motor to replace a bushing. Putting a bracket like that on the top now means it only does one thing well. And that's only if the load is equal across the saddles. If geometry means you can only hit one point, it's going to be eccentric to the centerline of the jack, and the jack will be less stable than without the saddle.

And you've effectively cut an inch off of the travel of the ram, since it won't slide straight in/out of a hole. It's got to be put in at an angle, and it can't be kicked out if it runs out of travel on the way down.
 
shawn said:
How many times do you actually put the bottle jack against a clean tube? I'm going to a shock mount or a link bracket or the bottom yoke/knuckle, or the bottom of the diff, or... whatever. Sort of like a hi-lift. It'll do lots of things. It can be used in lots of ways. Jack up the nose of the pinion to get an upper link on, or jack up the transmission/motor to replace a bushing. Putting a bracket like that on the top now means it only does one thing well. And that's only if the load is equal across the saddles. If geometry means you can only hit one point, it's going to be eccentric to the centerline of the jack, and the jack will be less stable than without the saddle.

And you've effectively cut an inch off of the travel of the ram, since it won't slide straight in/out of a hole. It's got to be put in at an angle, and it can't be kicked out if it runs out of travel on the way down.
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I have used many bottle jacks and they always suck as the want to slip off axle tube etc.. this will cradle the tube and work just like I want..plus I built this for my jeep with my axles which it will work perfect on :)

and I never said I did not have a second one in my jeep un-modified for whatever else I may need it for.. and they both are smaller and lighter then any hi lift I have ever had
 
Never have I ever had a bottle jack pop out while picking up a vehicle.

Picking up a ridge beam...? Maybe. My memory is fuzzy on that one.
 
shawn said:
Never have I ever had a bottle jack pop out while picking up a vehicle.

Picking up a ridge beam...? Maybe. My memory is fuzzy on that one.
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I guess we use the jacks different:)
 
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