| Author |
Message |
    
fool
| | Posted on Monday, December 16, 2002 - 10:50 pm: | 
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i know its retarded but what are high lift jacks for? |
Peter Matusov (Pmatusov)
| | Posted on Monday, December 16, 2002 - 11:14 pm: |
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there's hundreds of uses for a hi-lift. some that come to mind first -
- to whack your body parts.
- to straighten bent steering links and frame outriggers.
- to use as a lever when installing taller springs.
- handle - to sleeve a bent steering link.
- since there's no place on a stock Disco (except for the rims) to lift it with that jack, the original purpose is unclear. if you ever lifted a stock Disco with one and didn't whack your body parts and didn't dent the disco body panels, you're two levels above the masses.
peter |
Steve
| | Posted on Monday, December 16, 2002 - 11:19 pm: |
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I found that high lift jacks are very usable for removing old fence posts when repairing fences which blew down in the wind. |
Carter Simcoe (Carter)
| | Posted on Monday, December 16, 2002 - 11:31 pm: |
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I believe it was muskyman's idea to put out this warning every time high-lift jacks get brought up and I think the idea is a good one.
******High Lifts are VERY dangerous always use extreme caution and NEVER leave the handle anywhere but in the fully upright and locked position. Also inspect it regularly, especially the sheer pin, and don't use it if anything looks bad.********
That said, you is at least one jack point on a stock disco: the trailer hitch, this is really only good for getting yourself out of muddy ruts. Jack the truck up until the tires clear the ruts and drop it over to the most convenient side. |
RVR OVR (Tom)
| | Posted on Monday, December 16, 2002 - 11:35 pm: |
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Also works as a winch when coupled with some properly rated chain or tow strap. Check out http://www.bb4wa.com for more details.
Tom |
Al Oliveira (Offroaddisco)
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 01:39 am: |
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Yikes... winch with a Hi-Lift and a tow strap 
Yes it can be used as a winch but I would use it with cable or chain only. And some other uses are...
- Winching (already said)
- unseating a tire bead
- Clamping
- Jacking
- spreading
- trail repairs
- recovery
And as already said be careful with it. But unlike Peter I have yet to damage body panels or body parts with it (knock on wood). The only damage I think to my own vehicle from it was a slight removal of the powdercoating on my Winch Bumper while I was jacking the front of the vehicle. But learn to use it and respect it. Toms link to Bill Burkes site is a very good place to start. |
Paul T. Schram (Paulschram)
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 06:14 am: |
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One thing nobody has said yet, if you buy one, get a real one! The copies are junk and dangerous.
Oh yeah, they work great at removing old steps from outdoor staircases.
Paul |
M. K. Watson (Lrover94)
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 06:22 am: |
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paul is correct and yes as in most things in life SIZE does matter!
mike w |
Brian Dickens (Bri)
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 09:11 am: |
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Don't misread Pauls comments. A true highlift might be stronger, but any of them are dangerous, doesn't matter the make really. Just think about lifting a 2 ton vehicle > 12" off the ground on something that is at most 1"x2" size and with less than 1 sq ft base. |
Brian Dickens (Bri)
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 09:12 am: |
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Paul,
How do you do the outrigger and steering link tricks? |
Kirk Thibault (Kirkt)
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 09:39 am: |
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Also check out the BB4WA pages for an explanation of a Hi-Lift accessory called the "Jack-Mate". This is an indispensible tool originally designed for fire rescue operations - it is used in conjunction with a Hi-Lift to do any number of the things already mentioned (winching, spreading, lifting on uneven surfaces, clamping, straightening bent tie rods, etc.). Respect the power of the Hi-Lift, learn to use it properly and it will serve you well.
kirk |
Rob Davison (Pokerob)
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 09:53 am: |
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Most Importantly the Hi-lift is for making your Rig look BAD ASS with it strapped to the side of your roof rack.
rd |
Paul T. Schram (Paulschram)
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 10:09 am: |
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They are definitely dangerous and I don't want to discount the comments to that effect. However, there is a difference between a piece of equipment that if misused is dangerous and one whose manner of construction and materials are so inferior as to render it even more dangerous and impossible to use safely.
I foolishly bought a cheap, Chi-com hi-lift (sold as a "Farm-Lift"). I used it once or twice to remove stair treads and bent the lift pins as they were (are you guys ready for this?) Roll-Pins! The truly sad part is that it only cost me $7.oo more to get the real McCoy, and the better one at that.
Again, don't get me wrong, these things remove limbs, render some senses unusable and can ruin your day and the foreseeable future very quickly. We must practice a culture of safety so that we can do the things we wish while reducing the likelihood of injury, and the severity of that injury-can you tell I'm writing my goals for next year? No lost-time injuries and I'm havin to try to improve for next year!
Hi-lifts rock, but sometimes adult supervision is indicated. I often wonder if the fella with the hi-lift strapped down to his Jeep knows how to use it, or if he knows how dangerous they can be.
Paul |
Chris von Czoernig (Chrisvonc)
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 10:09 pm: |
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Mine used to get plenty of use fixing certain parts of my truck that always broke. Now that most of that has been replaced, I dont know if I need the damn thing anymore. LOL
Well.. I have used it a few times to get trucks repositioned so I cant say I wont ever use it again.
Chris von C. |
gordon sitts (Gsitts)
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2002 - 05:14 pm: |
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They are handy to do lots of things...
Break arms,
Break fingers,
Break legs,
Break Heads,
Damage stuff,
But they do look great!!
Be Careful.
My .02
Gordon |
Peter Matusov (Pmatusov)
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2002 - 05:41 pm: |
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Quote:Also works as a winch when coupled with some properly rated chain or tow strap. Check out http://www.bb4wa.com for more details.
Tom, one question - have you ever pulled a 5k lb rig out using a hi-lift yourself?
Al - I haven't scratched my disco's body panels with a hi-lift.
Carter - somehow, my hi-lift's arm doesn't fit in the trailer hitch far enough to be safe.
peter |
adtoolco
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2002 - 06:26 pm: |
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Has anyone come up with a way to jack up a stuck rig by using the hole on the center of the wheels? Adapter or "hook" etc.? I thought I saw a picture once in a 4x4 how to book.
-Chris |
Peter Matusov (Pmatusov)
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2002 - 07:07 pm: |
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Chris,
not a hole on the center of the wheels, but the "safety hump" (the hump is to keep the tire on the rim when pressure falls - and the hump inside the rim results in a groove outside. The hi-lift jack arm fits perfectly in that groove.)
peter |
Al Oliveira (Offroaddisco)
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2002 - 07:20 pm: |
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Peter, I've winched my Disco2 with a hi-lift before and while it's not really fun (even with a 60" jack) it can be done. But I wouldn't use a tow strap and I don't think Bill Burke would either unless there's no other option. Tow straps have too much give so by the time you take up the slack you have to re-rig your hi-lift winch all over again. Chains or winch rope is the way to go. The hi-lift is my most used tool in my vehicle. |
Peter Matusov (Pmatusov)
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2002 - 07:28 pm: |
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I've tried to pull my disco out of deep snow using my hi-lift and 30-ft 1" rope, and that was an exercise in futility (besides being very intense physically).
i've pulled a K5 out that had its front wheels past the edge of the trail on a mountain slope - that was a real bitch. and i would have never succeeded if the driver didn't give it a little go (and we used 20-ft chain to the nearest tree).
IMHO, a hi-lift can be used as a come-along, but doing this is a sign of desperation. It is even more dangerous than just lifting a vehicle, for when the jack is dangling horizontally, you quickly forget which way you should keep the handle.
peter |
Carter Simcoe (Carter)
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2002 - 07:58 pm: |
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My high-lift works fine in the trailer hitch, I just keep others clear of the truck while doing it and only use it for getting out of muddy ruts. |
Alex Schubow (Alex)
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2002 - 08:59 pm: |
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Using a high lift to recover a truck is a real strong motivator to buy a winch. I've pulled my disco out of a couple of really bad stucks with the highlight and chain... it works, but is very very very physically exchausting. I much prefer pressing the button on the winch remote :-) |
Christopher Dynak (Adtoolco)
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2002 - 09:20 pm: |
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Hey Peter, could you elaborate on the "saftey hump" technique? I'm still not quite seeing it. I tend to get more dense the later it gets.
-Chris |
Brendan Kearns
| | Posted on Monday, December 30, 2002 - 11:17 am: |
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I don't own one yet, but damn near was killed by using one to "winch" out a Toyota 4x4 that was stuck in a mudhole. I accidentaly struck the release lever and the thing "blew apart". Scared the crap out of me.
I was on Hi Lift's website a few days ago from a a link from EE's site and there is a new safety feature to help prevent what happened to me from happening.
Incidentally, the Hi-Lift company is about 20 minutes south of my house in Bloomfield, IN.
Brendan
95 Disco |
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