hi lift jack options

NickMaul

NickMaul

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2009
Location
Norfolk, VA
It is necessary that i will need a hi lift jack for my jeep. i want to know what you guys have and any suggestions.

my cherokee will only be getting 3.5" of lift so i dont need the tallest jack available.

um i was watching some features of the "x-treme" lift jack provided by Hi-Lift and was very impressed with all it did. with double jaws it can compress or decompress things with a strength of 750 lbs. obviously my jeep wont be extreme but once i saw all the extra features it did i thought of all the things i can use the jack for besides lifting up the jeep.

so want you opinion on the x-treme jack

heres a link to it if not familiar
http://www.hi-lift.com/hi-lift-jacks/x-treme.html

i like the x-treme jack and i realize they do run around $100

does it seems it would hold its value? or can i get by with something that costs a little bit less?

all your help is appreciated! thanks guys! :bounce2:
 
I have wheeled alot of trails w/ a hi lift...and to tell you the truth, I have never used it for anything other than jacking up the jeep...except for one time using the main frame for a d-35 trail fix, by using it to hold a tire on.

Sure they can do alot, but I;ve never used it for clamping ect...

You results may vary.
 
been carrying one for 2 years, never used it other than to pop a bead just to do it. Usually keep the body of it strapped under my hood in case the 35 goes and leave all the other parts at home.
 
Dylan W. said:
I have wheeled alot of trails w/ a hi lift...and to tell you the truth, I have never used it for anything other than jacking up the jeep...
Sure they can do alot, but I;ve never used it for clamping ect...
You results may vary.
Click to expand...

x2. Save some $$ and just bolt a plate to the end if you want the clamping feature.
 
I've used the clamping feature once, at home, I can't remember exaclty what, but I was reforming something. i don't have the Xtreme highlift, just the standard one. You have to unbolt the end and rotate it 90 degrees for the clamping feature.
When I used to stash the highlift behind my CJ front seats, I had to remove that clamping thingy. I kept it in the glove box, just in case i needed it, which never happened. It is now in my XJ, I have no idea where the clamping end is, probably still in my CJ.

Changing tires on the trail is its biggest use. At home I'll use it to quickly lift the body to rest it on jackstands, its quicker than the floor jack, which mine is a POS.

I've "winched" a tree with it once, that was a huge PITA. I was cutting trees down and one got hung up. I hooked the base of the tree, thought I would only have to move it 4-5ft for it to fall. 30ft later and what seemed like 100x re-rigging it, the tree finally fell.
 
Go with the 48" standard jack. No need for the extreme. I have the longest one and it is too damned long. It makes mounting it difficult. About the only place I can really put it is on the roof. I've often contemplated shortening mine.
 
i have a 48 and have wished for the 60" lol....its all in what you wheel etc....if you have alot of flex i would suggest the 60, and if you have a fullsize rig i would suggest the 60
 
I #$%*^$ hate using a hi lift. One of my earliest expierences wheeling was watching one fall right after I crawled from under the rig. Wasnt secured correctly, my fault. Still I hate, hate, hate them. But I still have one all nice and shiny
 
redneckjeep87 said:
i have a 48 and have wished for the 60" lol....its all in what you wheel etc....if you have alot of flex i would suggest the 60, and if you have a fullsize rig i would suggest the 60
Click to expand...

Definitely need a 60" on a full size rig. On an XJ a 48" should suffice up to 6.5" of lift.

Franklin said:
I #$%*^$ hate using a hi lift. One of my earliest expierences wheeling was watching one fall right after I crawled from under the rig. Wasnt secured correctly, my fault. Still I hate, hate, hate them. But I still have one all nice and shiny
Click to expand...

I love my hi-lift, but I did break my hand using it. No hard feelings towards it though. :) They are not safe by any means. You must use extreme caution when using them that's for sure.
 
cltdba said:
Go with the 48" standard jack. No need for the extreme. I have the longest one and it is too damned long. It makes mounting it difficult. About the only place I can really put it is on the roof. I've often contemplated shortening mine.
Click to expand...

redneckjeep87 said:
i have a 48 and have wished for the 60" lol....its all in what you wheel etc....if you have alot of flex i would suggest the 60, and if you have a fullsize rig i would suggest the 60 .
Click to expand...

Maybe a swap is in order
 
I was with a friend in a near roll which would have been fatal. We were able to use the harbor frieght jack to clamp and pull him back to safety. It had a piece of 3/8 steel with a hole in the end bolted to the end of the jack. It was a $29.99 jack.

Just did a search. Harbor frieght doesn't include it any more, but northern tool does and the price went up to $49.99

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200310544_200310544
 
GubNi said:
I was with a friend in a near roll which would have been fatal. We were able to use the harbor frieght jack to clamp and pull him back to safety. It had a piece of 3/8 steel with a hole in the end bolted to the end of the jack. It was a $29.99 jack.
Just did a search. Harbor frieght doesn't include it any more, but northern tool does and the price went up to $49.99
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200310544_200310544
Click to expand...
Yep, I got my farm jack from northern tool, they were running a special on it for 35$ and it works great:bounce2:
 
okay well i went to northern tool in greensboro and all they had were the Hi Lift brand. So i am going to contact them and see if i can get the torin farm brand. those are about 30 to 40 dollars cheaper.

anyone live near the one near burlington?
 
The handle makes a great "torque amplifier" Thats what mine gets used for the most. I think they are handy to have when you "need" one. The rest of the time they just take up space.
 
I have a farm jack and I use it all the time. I got mine for stupid cheap but if I were to buy a new one......I'd get a high-lift. The latch and spring set up on a farm jack is super cheap and :poop:y compared to high lift
 
I have a 60" that has never been used. It has sat in the garage with the cover on it for...jeez, a REALLY long time. Hahahaha.

I've only needed a hi-lift once and it would've worked better if I had the wheel-adapter thingie (high centered). But there is always someone with a hi-lift so I just borrowed theirs (that is the kinda attitude that is gonna get me into trouble one day :lol:).

Now the handle, omg, bestest tool EVAR. So I'd say get a similar-sized piece of pipe and always have that.

Now my bottle jack gets used on a semi-regular basis. I'd go for my bottle jack before I'd go for my hi-lift.

I'd say a 48" would be good. Store it INSIDE your rig. Or at least, store the mechanism inside and the bar outside. I've seen too many hi-lifts destroyed by the elements and then unusable when they are needed.
 
The handle doesn't come off of the farm jacks
 
LR Max said:
...Store it INSIDE your rig. Or at least, store the mechanism inside and the bar outside. I've seen too many hi-lifts destroyed by the elements and then unusable when they are needed.
Click to expand...

I stored mine INSIDE my CJ, but being topless all the time, its just like being OUTSIDE. I always had some lube for it, WD40, motor oil, tranny fluid, whatever...the hi-lift can quickly be revived with a slathering of lube.
 
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