Mark Hodowanec

How can a HiLift jack be used with a stock truck (stock bumpers), or do you need aftermarket bumpers (ranchhand, etc.)? Can a HiLift be used to lift an inserted reciever hitch?

G1625S

There is a reciever mount specifically designed for the hi-lift, I think. The hi-lift uses are many and where/when you use it usually depends how stuck you are. I've used it on fenders because it was either get some traction under that wheel or freeze to death! It's definitely the bull in the china shop of extraction tools and it WILL tear some, ahem, stuff, up if given half a chance. Practice on a beater so you know its tendancies before you apply it to a shiny vehicle.

phox_mulder

Hi-Lift also makes an attachment for lifting on curved chrome bumpers, should work on the rear bumper.

Using a high lift on the front is impossible without causing some damage,
until you get an aftermarket bumper of course.


phox

99 cummins

The scar in the side of my head will validate the facts of life on these jacks. They are fantastic for when they are your only choice, but don't ever trust one. They don't have a large enough and stable foot to stay in place and nothing to hold the lift in place on your bumper or anywhere else. Had it under the bumper using a peice of 2"X4" to keep from tearing up the bumper, as I would get the truck up I would put boards under the tires just in case it slipped It wouldn't fall far. Everything going good, bent down to put another board under the tire. That was the last I remember till I woke up some time later. No idea how long I was out. Called the wife and she came out and picked me up, dropped at the hospital for my 17 staples. Use it if you have to but don't ever trust it, happens in an instant. Had my fill of the truck being stuck after that, fired the tractor up and put the end-loader under the bumper, lifted it up and pushed it out.

displacedtexan

I have done lots of things with a Hi-Lift. I don't think any of them qualified as smart, or safe. But they did the job, and got me out of a bind. In a pinch it is valuable. But also a possibly damaging/dangerous last resort. Just ask 99 Cummins.

phox_mulder

I've hear too many stories of people jacking their truck either up or down, and knocking themselves out when they didn't get the downstroke all the way locked in.
I almost did when I was figuring out how mine worked when I got it,
luckily I didn't have a lot of weight on it.


phox

Crimedog

They also work great when you get a truck stuck while trying to pull another out... just use the jack to winch the two together and one of them will move if it's not hung up too bad. I also had an incident when we were winching, I was jacking "down" to reset the straps and just as phox said above, I must not have had the down stroke locked in and BANG, the moving part of the jack slid off the base, shearing the pin off. Scared the crap out of me, but thank God I was standing to the side of it... Get yourself a couple clevisis and it makes a great winch.

NHDiesel

I won't buy another one of those pieces of crap again. As a 4-wheeler, I bought my first one because it seemed like no 4x4 should be without one. Well they stop working if they get dirty, muddy, or the slightest bit rusty. So that leaves out having one on any real off road vehicle, or mounted outside ANY vehicle. Keep a can of wd-40 handy, because thats your only hope of one working even slightly smoothly.

As for the actual jacking, no, you can't really use a receiver hitch, for the simple reason that these jacks are very unstable, and should only be used at the corner of a vehicle, or the side of a 4x4 with rocker guards. If you jack up the center of either the front or rear of a vehicle, the vehicle will want to tip to the side off the jack. NOT fun.

I will also verify the problems with not getting it latched in all the way on the downstrokes. If that handle slips out of your hand, it will start ratcheting down in a HURRY, and will clean out anything in its way...including your head.

My first one wouldn't work after it was a month old, and i couldn't get it working even after cleaning and oiling it. I bought my second a couple years later, because I needed something to be able to jack up my lifted Jeep, and I figured my first one was just a freak defect. Although the second one worked slightly better, it still didn't impress me and was a pain to use. The only thing it was really useful for was as a very heavy-duty come-along. Both of them went out for scrap steel a few weeks ago when I cleaned out the shop.

Jim

Chrisreyn

I used mine alot for my Jeep back in my 'wheelin days... great come-along and jack, but VERY unstable!!!!
used it as a ramp, and as a "traction bar" when stuck..
I have used mine to "edge" vehicles sideways, jack 'em up in the center and let it tip in teh direction ya need.....
Used it to lift a 20x12 portable building..... use it to jack up the tractor when I need to work on it... but it can be DEADLY if you dont pay attention to it.....

EClancy

I'm gonna have to agree w/ just about everything NHDiesel said. I useds to keep mine in the back of my truck, but after a month, you'd have to pull it apart and sand down all the pins and lube the entire thing, or it would not "walk" back down the main beam when lowereing.


No, i would not put it in the recievier hitch to jack. as said, these jacks are very unstable. i've actually used it in the reciever hitch to jack the truck up and then push it over so the rear end would move sideways if i had to move it out of the way.

To be honest, i thik these jacks struggle to pick up a truck has heavy as my 250. i used it last weekend to jack up the pass. front corner to pull the tire to work on a brake line, and that thing creaked and groaned like it was going out of style. had to push really hard on that handle to get it to go up another notch. i don't think i[m gonna do that again, a floor jack would be more suitable.

I think high lifts are more suited for jeeps with steel bumpers and the like. they are just too unstable in my opinion for a large truck