Hi Lift Jack - Do I really need one?????

[GeoffA]

A great man once said '' if it's worth doing then it's worth over doing'', and I couldn't agree more 

[Bird]

This do the job??? - Mercedes Sprinter Van
$90 wrecker

[plusnq]

You haven't got one you want to sell do you?

[Bird]

You haven't got one you want to sell do you?

not yet..

[jeffr]

No, you don't need a HiLift Jack. Whether you want one is another question.

I have one and have never used it other than "training". Haven't even thought about using it in anger and I don't even load it up anymore. Its a cantankerous bastard of a thing, its dangerous and its heavy. Pretty sure if it was invented today, it wouldn't be allowed to be sold.

[Roo]

Knives are dangerous too; sure, you can't jack up your 4wd with a knife but you can't slice an onion with a Hi Lift  jack either. Right tool for the job, but you can't carry everything.


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[jeffr]

Sorry, Newbie or not: HiLift Jacks are an accident waiting to happen. People get smacked in the face by the handles, pinched fingers and hands, vehicles fall off them and damage, if not human flesh then body panels. Their heavy and awkward to carry without special mounting and also require Hi Lift accessible hard points on your vehicle to use. They are unstable on almost any surface other than concrete or bitumen and most unmodified vehicles have nowhere to clip them into. Even modified vehicles with a Bullbar sporting a Hi Lift Jack hard point in the design still can't lift a rear wheel safely, so unless the vehicle also has a suitable after market rear-step/Tow Bar its still unsuited for all four corners of the vehicle.

Google Hi Lift Jacks and there lots of for, and against them. Personally and your mileage may well vary, I'll leave mine untouched in the corner of the garage. There are much safer (though I freely admit less convenient) alternatives to using a Hi Lift.

The OP should simply check to make sure there is fact somewhere to safely attach a Hi Lift jack onto his vehicle, and Google "Is Hi Lift Jack Safe" for a wide range of opinions and then decide on risk/benefit. If he can fit a Hi Lift and his risk/benefit decision is favour of buying one, the happy travels

BTW, I am obviously on the anti "Hi Lift Jack" side of the equation. It comes from my time in the Army many moons ago when we needed to Medivac a Digger who was smashed in the face by one of these things (easy enough to do with muddy hands pumping a slippery pipe handle)  They are now, and have been for a very long time, banned in the ADF.

[Jason B]

Sorry, Newbie or not: HiLift Jacks are an accident waiting to happen. People get smacked in the face by the handles, pinched fingers and hands, vehicles fall off them and damage, if not human flesh then body panels. Their heavy and awkward to carry without special mounting and also require Hi Lift accessible hard points on your vehicle to use. They are unstable on almost any surface other than concrete or bitumen and most unmodified vehicles have nowhere to clip them into. Even modified vehicles with a Bullbar sporting a Hi Lift Jack hard point in the design still can't lift a rear wheel safely, so unless the vehicle also has a suitable after market rear-step/Tow Bar its still unsuited for all four corners of the vehicle.

Google Hi Lift Jacks and there lots of for, and against them. Personally and your mileage may well vary, I'll leave mine untouched in the corner of the garage. There are much safer (though I freely admit less convenient) alternatives to using a Hi Lift.

The OP should simply check to make sure there is fact somewhere to safely attach a Hi Lift jack onto his vehicle, and Google "Is Hi Lift Jack Safe" for a wide range of opinions and then decide on risk/benefit. If he can fit a Hi Lift and his risk/benefit decision is favour of buying one, the happy travels

BTW, I am obviously on the anti "Hi Lift Jack" side of the equation. It comes from my time in the Army many moons ago when we needed to Medivac a Digger who was smashed in the face by one of these things (easy enough to do with muddy hands pumping a slippery pipe handle)  They are now, and have been for a very long time, banned in the ADF.

The OP is no newbie to 4wding champ and doesn't need to research or google the safety risks.  This post is a couple of years old, the relevance of A hi lift jack was lost on me these days. Hence the question as I still had one sitting in the shed. Some still use theirs and they have there place. I have since given mine away and don't regret that decision.

[scrapsD40]

Do you need a hilift jack? Depends on how big your crocodile is, I'd say

[Symon]

Pretty sure if it was invented today, it wouldn't be allowed to be sold.

Huh?  The fact they are still available for sale today means they comply with whatever relevant standard.  If someone designs a new one tomorrow that complies to the standard, there would be no impediment on selling them.

It comes from my time in the Army many moons ago when we needed to Medivac a Digger who was smashed in the face by one of these things (easy enough to do with muddy hands pumping a slippery pipe handle)  They are now, and have been for a very long time, banned in the ADF.

As said before, any tool in the wrong hands can become dangerous.  People have sustained some pretty nasty injuries from a screwdriver, should we ban those as well?

[GBC]

I'd better sneak into the corner of my garage and see if mine's possessed now too. I've only had it 25 years and used it countless times for zero injuries so far.
There are more dangerous and unpredictable things in my recovery kit - like snatch straps - should they be banned? Actually don't answer that haha.

[shanegtr]

I've had more crashes in cars than high lift jack incidents, maybe the cars are the actual dangerous bit?

[tracker]

   More Popcorn needed .......