A Hi-lift is to an old American bumper jack as a G'wagen is to a yugo, but the principle was the same - they were cheap stamped crap vs. cast iron and steel forgings. The Mitsu bottle jack works even with big tires if you carry along an 8" long piece of 4x4 to put between jack and spring perch (horizontal, NOT vertical).

I've just finished completely rebuilding my Hy-lift after my trip to PHILS in feburary (I keep it on the back door with the spare tire). When I got back, it took me an hour to get the key into the lock that holds the mount on, and the HY-lift was really beat up with all the salt and such on the roads (plastic bag next time dummy!). I sandblasted all the parts but the main shaft, and painted them with POR-15. I sanded the release arm so that were it slides on the jack piece, it slides easier. Now I don't have to hit it with a hammer to get it to lower. HY-lift sent me new stickers at no charge, and it looks and works as new. While I was at it, I replaced the cotter pins in the handle and base with 1/4" bolts, and when I installed the handle I wrapped it with electrical tape so it fit nice and snug. I toped the handle off with a rubber tip from the local hardware store, and used plenty of water-proof grease on the sliding parts. Oh, and I added a grade-8 bolt and ny-lock nut to the top mount, so it doesn't loosen up when you aren't using it. It looks better than new, and works great. I also made a new set of Billet steel wing nuts to hold it to my mount, now I can position it so it is further away from the taillight when I open the back door.
Kary
And, YES, they need to be used with caution.

Eric, I always have had respect for my tool, both in care and in caution. I keep it clean, and sometimes lubed. It has had many hard seasons, but I would be afraid to throw it away, as I believe it has many more hard seasons ahead. Lucky for me, the shank is not bent...oh, wait a minute. You were talking about hi-lift jacks...never mind.

John B.

No comment.


ALL jacks are DANGEROUS! I only use trained circus elephants to lift my truck!

Yeah, SUUUURE...it's the HIGHLIFT you've been "wrenching" on...uh huh, okay <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/nana.gif" alt="" />

careful now, i might not save your <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" /> at Tellico again

The bottle that came with my SR is inexscusably lightweight. It barely touches the frame, and can't even float my Pirellis!

Maybe I should refraise this a bit. What do you feel is the MOST dangerous aspect of a Hi Lift, other than using it stupidly or beyond its rated capacity? Hopefully it's obvious that I'd never get under my Mitsu with only a jack (any jack) under the frame. That's f*cking retarded.
While I'm at it, how well does the HL perform as a winch? The length of pull is only about 3-4 feet, of course, but is it capable of yanking out a rig buried to the frame in gumbo, or wrenching one up a hill? I just bought a 150' spool of 3/8 (15,000 lb breaking strength, 3,000 lb WL, 7x19 construction) aircraft cable from Grainger and am really fired up about rounding out my recovery gear kit. I just need some sleeves/ thimbles for dressing the cable and a means of securing the cable anywhere along its length , like a large steel spool to wrap it around or something. Still thinking.

I only did one recovery with highlifts, in a very odd situation many years ago when I was a youngester. We had to recover a Jeep and my Montero(dont ask, I was trying to rescue him) We used one high lift on each end of each vehicle to drag them over, and out of trouble. It was a mild amount of drag and BOTH High Lifts together barely moved the rigs, and it took half a day to go a few feet. It did the job, but without being forced to do it again I would not. Again, TWO could barely move a 2dr in a mild stuck.(the Jeep was a little easier) There is NO WAY your going to move a STUCK Gen II, even with 2.

Lloyd, with cable and a snatch block you could move a genII. I dragged my genII up the drive way with mine, with the tires locked up, and low on air. Granted it isnt a stuck, but flat 33's give alot of drag.