Lighter alternatives to hi-lift jack?

Starting to take recovery gear more seriously these days, and so I'm learning a lot for the first time. One item that perplexes me is the hi-lift jack. Seems to be a very useful recovery tool, but the negatives are plenty: crazy heavy, requires special storage solution, dangerous. I can discipline my way to safe use of the device, but the weight and storage are enough to turn me off to buying one. Are there lighter alternatives that are easier to store?

Bottle jacks seem lighter, but they also seem less useful in the kinds of situations where a hi-lift makes sense (lift high-centered truck, add traction). Those inflatable jacks seem like a really solid solution, but you don't hear people sing their praises much.

 

I bring a HF 1.5 ton aluminum jack. Also some blocks of wood. Not the best solution, but it has worked to change a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. As long as you are only lifting one corner, it's plenty.

 

You should not be using certain extraction equipment very often (YMMV). However, when you need the real deal it makes a difference. What type of emergency equipment do you currently carry?

 

Probably going to have to break down the variety of scenarios where a hi lift is handy and find multiple tools to replace all of its functions. That said, there isn’t really anything else that lifts as high in the same fashion.

 

You can get aluminum hi lifts that are considerably lighter,easier to store also.

 

ARB makes a crank type off-road jack but stupid expensive (And I don’t think it has the winch capability like the Hi-Lift)

Factor also in cost and weight of necessary accessories and rigging for the Hi-Lift. I greatly underestimated that ☹️. But it is the bomb for ripping out shrubs

 

I like a good 6-ton bottle jack with safe jack extensions. It would be difficult to find one tool to cover every scenario, but the bottle jack with a quality shovel and recovery strap is a good place to start. Most importantly knowledge. Recovery can be dangerous.
Highlift jack vs Bottle jack vs Exhaust jack - YouTube

Collections – Safe Jack (safejacks.com)

 

Honestly, nothing. We're good about noping out of roads that seem too risky. We don't go wheeling - we just like to explore remote places to go camping (to avoid other campers). In the 12 years we've been doing that in our 2010 TRD Off-Road, we've only needed to be pulled out twice, and we were lucky to find folks that could get it done. We recently added a 2023 TRD Off-Road to the 'fleet', and I'm excited to kit it out to not nope out as much. I know I'm going to get traction boards, and rock sliders, and maybe a winch (would like to make the winch removable and mountable up front and in back, but that is proving to be a very limited market). The hi-lift seems to be on everyone's list of necessary recovery gear, so I'm trying to feed my head about it.

That's great news! I'll look into it. The storage side of the hassle is still annoying, but cutting the weight is my main goal. I'm trying to keep the build light and agile! Also, I don't want to have to carry all that crap around with me everywhere I go. I want to be able to store it in the house and throw it on the truck for our weekend adventures. Obviously, the rock sliders have to stay on all the time, but the gains in how awesome/hardcore the truck looks with them is worth it!

 

My high lift jack is now retired it lives in my bed room . I bought it in 1975 in Jackson Wyoming.

Then they were called Sheep Herders Jacks They loved them being all alone with the Dog in the mountains.

In my misguided youth it saved my and others butts many times .

Most vehicles it lived behind my seats . The extra weight never bothered me if I was worried about weight I would have one ot those tiny cars.

 

This, but modified to use a Pro Eagle extension. That new HF Pro Eaglish 3-ton jack might probably be better in practice, but this is lighter and smaller.

 

I think it depends on if you want it to have the same functionality and utility as a hi lift. I've seen people modify trailer jacks for use as hi lifts, ARBs hydraulic jack, jacks with alumium skids, bottle jacks. Lots of options, you just have to know what you want it to do.

 

A hi-lift jack is next to useless for a stock Tacoma because there are no useable jack points. You need to add sliders and bumpers to get the most out of it.

With a few accessories it can be used as a poor man’s winch, but it is a PITA to use.

The last time I tried to use my hi-lift to jack my truck up to do an inspection, it fell over.

The only time I used my hi-lift as a recovery tool, it stopped working after getting the tiniest amount of mud in the jacking mechanism. I had to manually work the mechanism with a screwdriver.

My hi-lift now sits in the garage. Maybe someday I’ll make it into a hood ornament.

 

That would be a pretty epic hood ornament. Unicorn-stylie!

It does seem very dangerous to use. If I ever get one, it will be because I ran into a situation where I needed one. Yes, back-asswards, but it wouldn't be the most irrational thing I've ever done. I mean, there's logic in there somewhere. Don't need one? Don't get one. Need one? Get one. See?

For now, the list of priorities is as follows:

1. BakFlip (sitting just inside the house, waiting to be installed)
2. Rock sliders (I'm looking at you, RCI....)
3. Traction boards (those pricey Australian ones, I guess)
4. Air compressor
5. Winch (I have a feeling that, given the uses to which I put the Taco, I'll never need this. As such, I might apply the above-described logic to this one, too)

What else could I possibly need?

 

Ive used my bottle jack to get out of a high centered situation. Just gotta be creative with stacking rocks as a support then you can drive off of it just like a hi lift.

 

Another neat product if you are DIY inclined and willing to put some work in. I have got one of his hitch recovery points and will be buying one of these soon.

https://brennans-garage.com/products/tauler-jack-kit