Hi-Lift injury thread .....

Lizooki

Lizooki

Samurai Frogger
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Location
Stokes Co. NC
A few posts made after the "assault hi-lift" pic got me to thinking.

My friends and I have always called them "everybody's favorite accident waiting to happen".
I have first hand experience .... a stuck jack dropping one notch while under a freakin' Samurai.
I still had my hand on the handle and still got smacked in the face.

9 stitches in my bottom lip to fix the holes created by my teeth, ER visit, and a surgeon visit to make sure my jaw joints were ok.

Who else, what else?

Matt
 
I've never had it happen but your not the only one I've heard of where they mysteriously drop. Good thing you had your hand on it because they tend to keep going once they start.
 
I got rid of mine because theyre dangerous and won't lift my Jeep high enough to get tires off the ground. Scissor jack is what I have now.
 
I will never own one again. I've came so close to death and serious injury far to many times to justify letting one even take up space in my barn. Not just from mine, and moreso while helping others make repairs with a hilift in use.

Besides, my last rig was a coilovered 1 ton buggy on 42s. How dafuq am I changing a tire with that?

Bottle jack. That's all I carry now.
 
X2 using scissor jack. It straightened my bent tie rod and I changed a 42" tire on the trail recently and did it safely
 
Was moving a playhouse and it started to auto drop the handle smacked me on the side of face. Wad seeing stars, headache he got real bad at night so went to er just a concussion.
 
One trick is to keep them oiled and replace the spring with one that's a little more stiff. But still, they are very dangerous, especially if you are by yourself. Problem is they don't like to stand up after you get that second tire off the ground. They are nothing but glorified bumper jacks that came stock in every large car in the 70's. Seems it's a matter of time before technology replaces them.
 
R Q said:
I got rid of mine because theyre dangerous and won't lift my Jeep high enough to get tires off the ground. Scissor jack is what I have now.
Click to expand...

Chain around frame to axle. Done it several times. Problem solved.
 
Fabrik8 said:
But how can you look hardcore without a brightly painted hi-lift strapped to your cargo rack?
Click to expand...
Well another proven method is to pull up to a store in a banged up rig, walking in covered in dirt and oil and smelling like ass and wood smoke after 5 days of wheeling.
But only posers do that. :lol:
 
XJsavage said:
Well another proven method is to pull up to a store in a banged up rig, walking in covered in dirt and oil and smelling like ass and wood smoke after 5 days of wheeling.
But only posers do that. :lol:
Click to expand...

Are you at the store to buy touch-up paint for the hi-lift...? Paint chips can kill your reputation. :D

I guess I'm just jaded because most of the vehicles around here with hi-lifts strapped to the outside are Jeeps that are freshly waxed with Tire Shine. Even the hi-lift sparkles from non-use, just like the rest of the Jeep. The "accent color" hi-lift has become somewhat of an inside joke with a few friends, especially with an Auto Bell down the street that must have discount specials for mall crawlers. It has to match the accent-colored tow clevis, of course. Why you really want to draw attention to your tow clevis and hi-lift, I don't know. I'm not a hardcore wheeler, but I don't pretend to look like one either.
 
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Were these happenings with "Hi Lift" brand jacks or knock offs? Just curious, I have a Reece brand and a Homier brand. Neither has ever let me down or knocked me down. Well lubed and all bolts snug at all times. I keep a decent ratchet strap with it for strapping axles to frames and have used a 48" jack to swap a 43" tire on my buggy with no issues. I also keep a decent length of chain and a small clevis handy for pulling T-post up when gardening season is over so i can till freely. Great tool just gotta watch them or they will turn on you oh and name them. Mine is George Foreman and Muhammad Ali cause them suckers will Knock you out!!!!!!
 
I've had 2 farm jacks from harbor freight, they are a liability, the high-lift is dangerous but reliable if taken care of. I keep a bottle jack for everyday needs and the high-lift for the other situations.
 
I was jacking up jeepinmatt's old trailer to reinforce the frame. Jack went down a notch the handle caught me above the temple. Saw some stars and had a pretty decent knot for about 10 days. My jaw also also got a little stiff. Could have been a lot worse. I keep one with me in the woods but you can't trust em. I've seen people get underneath them.
 
I usually carry my 18v dewalt with me and the screw type bottle jack that came with my Cherocar. Those lil jacks will actually go pretty high. Just insert the metal rod that fits into the jack into the drill chuck and run it up. But I'm not lifting 43's either. It worked well on 35's though....
 
The funny thing about my accident, not my rig, but my jack, and I was the safety guy! Whenever we use on on the trail, we always have one guy with hands on the jack at all times.
 
i bought one. couldnt figure the damn thing out. tossed it in the back then my truck got stolen. I dunno if thats the hi lifts fault or not.
 
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