By Mike D1 on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 04:33 pm: Edit

Any ideas on finding the best price on these jacks? Also, what jack do you like, Jack-All or Hi-Lift?

Thanks for your ideas.

By chrisvonc on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 04:53 pm: Edit

4 WHeel Parts Warehouse still has them pretty low.
http://www.4wheelparts.com/product2.asp?imseqn=256&occlass=HILI&cat=ACC

Ranging from $49.99 48" - $69.99 60" 4 differant models. When I bought mine from them I got charged $25-$30 I think on shipping.

Chris

By Rob Davison (Pokerob) on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 05:01 pm: Edit

mike ,

i dont know if you live in a rural area , but if you know of a farm and feed store they often have them at farmer prices

i know "quality farm and country" buy my haouse has the hi-lift jacks for about $45.

By Robert Mann (Oldscout) on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 05:05 pm: Edit

If you go to a farm/tractor supply ask for a handy man jack. They will look at you funny if you ask for a high lift.

By peter m on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 05:07 pm: Edit

wait 'til Thanksgiving sale at 4Wheel Parts - they sell the 48" hi-lift for something like $40 or so.

i haven't used jack-all, so i can't compare. hi-lift is a good jack for a little jeep, lifting something that weighs 5k lbs with it, let alone pulling something outta the mud or snow, is a chore. And, the sight of this jack bending like a bow under load doesn't inspire confidence.

FWIW,

peter

By Discosaurus (Discosaurus) on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 05:10 pm: Edit

...if you're in the upper midwest, Farm & Fleet has original HighLifts for around $40 (48"). They carry the off-road base and repair kits, too...

keith
discosaurus

By Mike Rupp (Mike_Rupp) on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 05:11 pm: Edit

In the midwest - Farm & Fleet. I bought mine in the low $40's.

By jay caragay (Jcaragay) on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 10:38 pm: Edit

On the East Coast, I went to the local Southern States for my 48" Hi-lift and it was about $45. It's easy, it's quick and you don't have to pay for shipping.

By Wes Legaspi (Wes) on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 11:03 pm: Edit

Here's the link to 4 wheel parts.

http://www.4wheelparts.com/product2.asp?imseqn=256&occlass=HILI&cat=Accessory

They also have a store in Oakland, off the 880 freeway.

By Mike D1 on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 12:20 am: Edit

Thanks for all the input. Any Jack-All people out there? Some say it's better than the Hi-Lift. I have not used one. I think it's from the UK.

By han chung on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 12:45 am: Edit

john at expeditionexchange has them...

By Miike D1 on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 12:01 pm: Edit

Anyone seen a Hi-lift break? A Jack-All working on the trail?

By Ron on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 12:04 pm: Edit

The one jack all I used seemed to stick more than my hilift. I have seen a broken hilift

By michel on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 12:05 pm: Edit

Jackall is canadian, and I had to unfortunate pleasure of using one for a few day's. Basically after the third day the thing was not working anymore and I trew it as far as I could in large body of water.

I can't say the high lift would of fared any better.

Michel

By Matt on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 12:32 pm: Edit

Anybody want to explain in great detail to a rookie how you use these things? WHen you use them to jack the vehicle, where's the jack point?

Basically, I've never seen one used and would like to hear someone tell me how you use them for recovery, especially when there is soft shit underneath.

I guess this is one of those things that's so simple it never gets discussed, but a rook like myself can't put his finger on it. Any help would be apreciated.

By Mike D1 on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 01:42 pm: Edit

Matt,

Lets just say a "tall jack" (since we can't decide which to buy) is great for trail repairs. If you have rock sliders (I do) you can jack from the side. If not you can get a piece that will fit in your trailer hitch. From the front you can jack from a firm bumper. It allows you to fill holes you are stuck in, or raise the wheel high enough to change a tire on rough rocky ground (the stock jack will not work on rough trails). A friend broke a shock (rancho) a few weeks ago on a very rocky trail and only a tall jack would get the truck high enough to make a repair.

Does that help?

By p m on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 02:16 pm: Edit

FWIW - if you don't have sliders but have steel rims, i found it possible to jack off the rim. The hump used to keep the tire on the rim at low pressure makes for a little dip when looked from the center of the wheel, and hi-lift jack arm catches in this dip nicely.

the advantage of this use is that (in the situation mentioned by Mike above) you lift the wheel from the hole, not the entire body, which requires a lot less lift and doesn't tilt the body as much.

but - your risks of sliding off the jack are more than fair, so if you do so, make sure the CDL is engaged, and parking brake is on. Also, an old jacket between the jack and the sheetmetal may help save on body repairs.

peter

By p m on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 02:19 pm: Edit

also, a hi-lift can be successfully used to straighten up the frame outriggers that the trailing arms are bolted to; straighten up the
tie rods, and the handle can be used to sleeve the hopelessly bent tie rod. (On the rovers, though, a hacksaw may be needed to chop off the steering stabilizer mount.)

peter

By redneck on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 03:05 pm: Edit

Southern States and Tractor Supply has the cheapest price on Hi Lift jacks!!!

By Mike D1 on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 08:30 pm: Edit

How do I reach these farm boys? I am in the SF Bay Area.

Thanks

By John Lee on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 04:53 pm: Edit

Mike,

"what jack do you like, Jack-All or Hi-Lift?"

They're both excellent jacks. I've used both with complete satisfaction. I recently sold my Hi-Lift because Ho and I decided to carry the Jack-All after we had a chance to use it.

I prefer the Jack-All to the Hi-Lift for several reasons. The rating on the Jack-All is 8,000 and the Hi-Lift is 7,000. The Jack-All is slightly beefier in construction generally. The Jack-All's handle is welded to the jacking mechanism and doesn't rotate as on the Hi-Lift. The Jack-All's handle also locks in the upright position. The Jack-All's base is larger than the Hi-Lift's and the Jack-All will stand on its own when not in use while the Hi-Lift must be leaned against something.

These are subtle differences only. Both the Hi-Lift and Jack-All are excellent. Avoid the cheapo jacks made in China. With the low cost of the both the Jack-All and Hi-Lift, there's no need to cheese out and buy a jack that costs $20.

By Mike D1 on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 06:56 pm: Edit

John,

Thanks, this is the first solid info. Just what I was looking for.

By John Lee on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 04:51 pm: Edit

Mike,

We just loaded the Jack-All product page, which has pics to accompany the things I said above about the Hi-Lift and Jack-All. If you take a look at the pics, you'll get a better idea of what I'm talking about.

http://www.expeditionexchange.com/jackall/

By p m on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 04:58 pm: Edit

John,

i like your page - did you write the description yourself? funny, but i don't see any advantages of a jack-all over the hi-lift. looks the same to me.
about the handle welded on to the lifting mechanism - why is that good? This hi-lift handle is the stock rig owner's best bet to get back home with a bent tie rod.

Also, larger pad size means that it is more awkward to store in/on the vehicle. An 8"x8" piece
of 3/4" plywood will easily make them equal.

your price's good, though, only about a tenner over what most off-road places charge for a 48" hi-lift.

peter

By Bluegill (Bluegill) on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 05:15 pm: Edit

I beg to differ on the base - the bigger the better. the hilift base is no better than the bottle jack base. you can also just make a piece of pipe standard equipment in your stuff bag for the tie rod trick, although hilift handle is convenient...

does the jackall come in black, or just fire-engine red (guess you could always paint it)?

By Brian on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 05:18 pm: Edit

As a side note, when I used to teach scuba it was a general rule not to leave a tank standing on end unattended. I think the same applies to heavy duty jacks. Please don't leave a hilift or jack all standing on end and walk away. It can do a lot of body damage (tissue and metal) if/when it falls over.

Brian

By John Lee on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 05:28 pm: Edit

"about the handle welded on to the lifting mechanism - why is that good? This hi-lift handle is the stock rig owner's best bet to get back home with a bent tie rod"

Sorry Peter, but the tie rod thing doesn't appeal to me. I prefer the fixed jack handle. When using the Hi-Lift, the handle rotates and it rattles. This is annoying, at least to me.

"does the jackall come in black, or just fire-engine red (guess you could always paint it)?"

The pics are screwy. The color is actually orange. Like a very ripe orange type of orange. I want to paint mine a different color, but I'm still trying to figure out the color I want.

"when I used to teach scuba it was a general rule not to leave a tank standing on end unattended. I think the same applies to heavy duty jacks."

Agreed. I don't leave my Jack-All standing unattended; I lean them against something or put them on the floor. But there are lots of times when using a jack that it's convenient just to leave it standing while you do something else. One thing that annoyed me about the Hi-Lift was I always had to find something to lean it against while I grabbed a wrench or something out of the tool box.

By p m on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 05:47 pm: Edit

John,

it only does not appeal to you because you never needed it. and that's one of the best trail repairs i've seen before, and seriously considered when i was driving back to san diego with a bent tie rod in the disco.

now, about the handle that rotates and rattles - after a few beatings, it is fairly snug in the jack. Actually, i had to spray mine with silicon to make it go in and out easier. Rattle? what are the bungee cords for?
I can hardly believe that there ain't anything that rattles in the Milk Truck

Now, the issue about stability on the floor - never had this problem with my hi-lift. There are many ways to make it stand straighter, and the base are is large enough.

Also, hi-lift was just of the right size to bend back Chris W's former Disco's frame outrigger. To stuff in the jackall's generous base may not be so easy.

i never thought about any differences between the two, but the advantages you pointed out can backfire on you.

peter

By Mike D1 on Friday, October 19, 2001 - 12:38 am: Edit

John Lee,

Will the Jack-All fit on the Safari Gard spare tire jack rack?

By John Lee on Friday, October 19, 2001 - 11:07 am: Edit

Yeah, it'll fit. I've tried it on my SG spare Hi-Lift carrier and it fits just fine.