Hi Lift Jack Dangers

This is what I use. I have two of them. No jack is the best at everything but I think these are the best overall jacks. Much safer than a hi-lift.

I have a hi-lift but I use it around the property, and use it often, but I don't have much interest in bringing it along in my truck.

 

Not related to "danger" but make sure you lube the hi-lift a few times per year with WD-40 or something similar. I've seen 3-4 hi-lifts fail to function on the trail when needed because the owners just left the hi-lift mounted on their truck year-round exposed to the elements.

 

Open the door next time.

 

Surprisingly, pouring water on a non working Hi Lift usually frees it up in a few minutes of messing with it.

 

This is the style I carry along with my OEM bottle jack. Used it with my F250 previously.

 

Keep in mind though that WD-40 is not a lube. It's a solvent. Just my 2 cents

 

Your factory bottle jack plus an 8-12" long piece of 4x6.

 

FYSA:
WD-40 themselves say it has lube.
https://www.wd40.com/myths-legends-fun-facts/

 

Thanks for the link. I too have thought of WD40 as more of a solvent than a lubricant. If I want lubrication I use a dedicated lubricant.

Kinda like shampoo and conditioner combined. They work differently. The stuff sells because people are lazy and it's typically good enough (for around the house.)

 

The real truth is that WD40 has better products for lubrication of a hi-lift than the original WD40.

As a bike mechanic who sees far too many bike chains "lubed" with WD40 I know that it is a lube, but its a crappy one that mostly just makes a mess.

 

A dedicated lube is obviously much better, but it seems the myth around WD40 persists.

 

hairless_ape beat me to it but I just carry a 4x4 piece of lumber in my off-road car to set the bottle jack on. I do the same with my tow rig which has a lift and 33” tires on it. No problems with a bottle jack moving around plus the lumber comes in handy for other things on the trail as well.

 

Yeah, I'm going to drop by home depot and pick up a bottle jack there. I bought this truck used and it no longer has the original bottle jack in it. Safe jack sells Omega branded bottle jacks for a crazy price. Home depot carries the same brand for around $40.

 

I prefer a double ram bottle jack. I believe this one goes to 19", don't know if that's enough for what you need.


https://m.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200641736_200641736

 

Holy shit man.

 

With free delivery! Nice!

 

I feel like the rock slider saddles for hi-lift jacks puts the load too far from the center of the base plate. Making it more likely to tip similar to what happened to @TacoTim85 . I lined the load foot with a .5in thick chunk of rubber. Protects the paint and doesn't slide too easily.

 

You might be right. I can’t determine the cause/causes of my incident for certain, but I sure would like to.

 

The obvious with any jack, assume the vehicle is unstable until it is rested on cribbing or stands. Hi-Lift jacks just let you get it even high and more unstable, so you have more opportunity to hurt yourself.

For tires, just use a bottle or scissor jack. That said, neither of those options will work worth a damn to get one unstuck. They are two different tools for different uses. Anyone who thinks one can replace the other well is either unfamiliar with how to use both tools, or uses them incorrectly.

That said, I have changed a tire with a Hi-Lift, my scissor jack in my 1st gen had stripped because I tried to use it on a vehicle that was too heavy for it, and the Hi-Lift was all I had. It was a scary experience and I promptly got a bottle jack to replace the scissor jack (I had been procrastinating on getting a replacement because I was young and dumb at the time and figured the Hi-Lift would be good enough).

 

Gobs of silicon grease 2x a year plus a $10 Amazon neoprene cover over the gears kept my highlift working fine on the hood of my jeep for 4+ years of sand, mud, monsoon, and snow