Hi Lift Jack Dangers

This! Is it that much more money?

 

i just use my old handy dandy 25 year old oem bottle jack, even when I go offroad.

 

Guess I ain’t normal. I’ve had one bolted to the rollbar of my Jeep CJ-8 since 1982. Why take it of and have to remember it when I go out. I also have a box in the bed that hat strap, chains, sheaves, etc.

 

Hi-lift rules are the same as firearm safety rules. The damn thing is always loaded and looking to kill you. That said, they are useful if you pay attention to what you are doing.

 

They're great for pulling fence post...anything else...not so much.

 

Keep your face out of the danger zone. The jack can slip the catch and the handle flies up. Or if you haven’t caught the next position and let go of the handle it will fly up. I took one to the face when I was 15 and have a bone chip from my jaw floating around in there. Didn’t knock me out though. Lol.

Jack on level ground and have a good base. If possible. Having a 2x6 underneath or the proper red base can save the jack from sinking into the ground and shifting.

Keep the lifting mechanism lubricated so it’s working well and not binding up. I spray mine with WD40 every once in a while and use it a bit to make sure it doesn’t seize up. WD40 displaces moisture after awhile and dries stuff out so some other lubrication can be good along with it.

It will feel comfortable to hold the top of the jack with your off hand when using but that can be a pinch point for your fingers if the load shifts or the jack slips. (If it doesn’t have a handle on top and your fingers are wrapped around front). Some guys talked before how it can slip and ding your truck. If your fingers are in between it will ding your fingers.

Try it out a bit and get comfortable with using it before you’re in a situation where you need it.

Respect it like a loaded weapon but don’t fear it. Lol.

 

Tested my new hi lift in a controlled environment when I first got it. Here was the result. Don’t be like me. I was holding the top of the jack when it fell. One moment everything was fine and the next moment the jack was crushing my hand into the door. Getting my hand out was not a fun experience.




Thankfully I was wearing a silicone wedding ring, and I have no long term damage to my hand. The only reason I can guess why the jack slid out is the garage floor is too slick maybe.

Lessons here are do not hold onto the top of the jack, and consider the surface under the jack (slippery rock perhaps).

 

They are great for stabilizing vehicles on their roof or side after an accident.

 

There’s only on real problem with Hi Lifts. They aren’t effective at removing some folks from the gene pool.

I’m not sure how our species would have survived long enough to become the apex species if these types had lived and reproduced.

 

Damn, didnt even scratch the paint?

 

Have you found any decent bottle jacks that lift high enough to change a tire on a moderately lifted truck?

 

Man, all that time on the farm did teach me things, the higher you get with the jack, the more dangerous it is, stay out of the kill zone, have a mighty respect for this tool, it can pull, push, lift, lower, just use it correctly.

 

Practice with lightweight stuff first, like a ride on mover or sub compact tractor, use it for pulling fenceposts and a few other lower risk jobs before you start practicing or using it on your truck. there is a learning curve and it is very steep, most of the important stuff will be learned the hard way by most people figuring these out on their own, so be extremely careful.

I learned with a harbor freight knock-off of the hi-lift and the forklift at work. Still in one piece.

 

All-in-one jack.

Safe. Not sexy. Lifts cars. Does not take pictures.

 

Thank you for sharing and glad your (and truck's) injury was minor. It appears that you're on super flat ground (garage floor) and have an excellent jack point (the slider) what was the problem and what would you do differently? TIA

 

The only thing I can assume is the garage floor was too slick for the red plastic base (and possibly too slick to use the jack at all). The concrete floor inside the garage is smoother than the concrete in the driveway. I think what I would do differently is not use the red plastic base on that smooth surface, or not use this jack at all on this surface. Most off road situations won’t have a surface like this, unless maybe you’re on a wet/slick rock surface.

And obviously I would not have my hand grasping the top of the jack ever again (once you begin jacking). The worst part is I knew better. Gotta stay focused and stay safe.

It’s worth pointing out that I even had the slider adapter, but that isn’t the area that slipped. It slid out from the base. Fortunately my fingers are just fine and my Groove ring even survived.

I wanted to share this because I know we’ve all heard of what can happen, but it becomes more real when it actually happens to you. Don’t be afraid, just be smart. Understand how the jack works and respect the jack. Understand the risks and stay safe.

 

Only used mine to pull fence posts and concrete out of the ground. Just that experience puts me off letting it touch my truck. I like bottle jacks. Especially the mechanical bottle jacks.

There are bottle and hi lift jack safety accessories available:
https://safejacks.com/

 

Getting ready to run at any minute when using it.