Hi-Lift Jack Question

I went out and bought a Hi-lift jack today and I noticed that when I push The reversing switch into the down position, it pulls both rods out and the lifting nose plummets to its death... Not something I want to happen with my truck on there.... Would it be different with a load???? Input is much appreciated.

 

Yes, that only happens with no weight and the handle in the upright position.

 

Thank goodness.. Tomorrow I'm going to have to lift up a Dodge on jack stands and swap the wheels for a Method photo shoot.. Apperantly its 100k worth of truck that im gonna be driving

 

Mine has to have no load and then be pulled up slightly for it to drop completely.
I believe that's exactly how it should work.

Is yours like that or does it just fall once you flip the switch with no load?

 

Be careful for sure. A handyman jack is nothing to trust in any circumstance. If not a recovery situation and critical lift get a bottle jack or floor jack. Especially with 100k of vehicle

 

In my experience, if the handle is all the way up then the bottom pin is in place and remains in place when you flip the reverse lever and that pin stays until you lift up and completely remove any weight from the pin, then it falls. Also, if you have any more than 150 lbs (I think that's the number from the manual) then it won't fall and you lower it back down like normal. There are a fair number of youtube vids about any type of Hi-lift jacking.
Oh, and be sure to lube the pins up with something. I asked some guys at the shop where I got mine and they said that you can lube it up with WD-40, so now I carry a can any time I go off-roading and keep a few small cans in the truck at all times just in case.
Bill Burke has a video about prepping a hi-lift on youtube. He recommended to scrape away the paint that might interfere with the climbing handle because it will chip away and you might have paint flakes causing problems with the pins. You might want to look into that if you're concerned, but I've never had a problem.
Hope that helps.

 

Definitely know how to use it and how it feels before you actually use it, which is kinda true for a lot of things.
I practiced with mine in an open parking lot to feel what kind of weight goes on it and to practice with the lowering. If something went wrong because of operator error then I was really close to medical help and my truck wasn't broken on some trail, it was broken in a towable place and it wasn't the end of the world.

 

Thanks errbody

I couldnt find a floor or bottle jack with a long enough stroke to get this bad boy onto stands(the guy specifically ask me not to jack it up by anywhere besides the frame or bumpers) but the farm jack ended up working like a charm!!Here she is