I get by with my 48" hi-lift . . . I wish I did have the 60"! It's probably one of the most useful trail tools I've used over the years. Changing tires, trail repairs, jeep recovery operations . . . that farm jack has had many uses.

I remember one Jeep recovery escape on the South Platte River (the Hackett Gulch Trail . . . way before the Hayman fire). The river was frozen-over, except mid-stream. The river banks were like the sides of a bath tub; the water near the banks, on both sides, was frozen solid. Even with winches, to recover the Jeep that attempted to cross, we had to jack the rear of the Jeep up high enough to clear the ice, and then winch the Jeep onto the frozen ice. I never go wheeling with out the Hi-lift Jack.

Over time, the Hi-lift jack gets "weathered" (rusty); I use a spray-on type industrial lubricant to keep the jack working well and protect it somewhat from the elements. I have a bombproof (or bulletproof . . . whatever the brand name is) rear bumper and tire mount assembly which has mounts for the Hi-lift. It works well for me, and after several dissappointing trials with other rear bumpers w/ tire mounts, I've found this to be the best setup I've had.

I like the idea of getting the Hi-lift off the bumpers --- behind the driver's seat or mounted to the roll bars seems like a good approach. I've seen the rear bumper verticle mounted jacks, they look good, too. I've had a few minor bumper situations where If I had gone with the horizontal hi-lift mount, the jack would have got bent. Lord knows, it can get very exciting working with a bent Hi-lift!