48" inch Hi Jack Lift

[Tiwaz]

is it safe to lift both front (or rear for that matter) wheels of the ground by using a farm jack hooked to any of the lifting shackles...?

 

[Coug]

Safe? That's a relative term. Farm jacks are also known as "Suicide Jacks" for a reason.

Short answer, NO!

I've used a farm jack on a shackle ring at those locations, and as long as you only lift a single wheel off the ground, and have the other end blocked so it can't shift then yes, you can do it.
As soon as you lift one side high enough that the other side wheel starts loosing traction, the entire truck will shift to one side or the other and go back onto the ground. Not a big deal with the wheels still on, but potentially deadly if a wheel is removed.

If you have any other type of jack with which to lift the vehicle it is preferred, but the farm jack can be used as a last resort if you are careful.

 

[Tiwaz]

thanks for the suggestion, I do have one of those bottle jack as well but unfortunately i found out (when I really needed it) that it is good only as long as the tire is inflated, if you punch a tire the whole truck will loose enough clearance that the bottle will not fit any longer, that is why I was thinking about purchasing a farm jack.

Are you saying that the truck will slide even if you have it in P and emergency brake pulled....?

 

[Coug]

thanks for the suggestion, I do have one of those bottle jack as well but unfortunately i found out (when I really needed it) that it is good only as long as the tire is inflated, if you punch a tire the whole truck will loose enough clearance that the bottle will not fit any longer, that is why I was thinking about purchasing a farm jack.

Are you saying that the truck will slide even if you have it in P and emergency brake pulled....?

Yes. It will shift off to the side even if it is in park and brakes locked. The farm jack just doesn't have any sideways stability, so it shifts sideways, not forward or backwards.
You can use the high lift in conjunction with a bottle jack, especially if the tire is flat and too low, to lift it high enough to place the bottle jack under it. At that point use the bottle jack to finish the job.

You can change a tire with a farm jack, but have the jack placed as far out from the center of the vehicle as possible (on the rear use the shackle at the end of the bumper, not the shackles you have circled above)


And remember, NEVER put any part of your body under or anywhere near under the vehicle when only supported by the farm jack. All it takes is one careless bystander, or even a strong gust of wind, to place enough sideways force on the vehicle to shift the jack so it is no longer perfectly vertical, at which time the weight of the vehicle will cause it to continue falling with the jack acting as a lever, and can end up multiple inches or even a foot or more off to the side depending on how high it is.

 

[Mogman]

That is why they are called the widow maker, very dangerous to us without a full understanding of the limitations.

 

[Tiwaz]

that is all great info.... I will definitely follow advice but all this prompts a question:

A 48" jack will lift max 41" the front shackle sits at about 33" which means I will only be able to lift the truck 8", considering the tire starts sagging after you start pulling up, would you say the tire will drop less than 8" and therefore be off the ground...?

 

[Coug]

Unless there is something very different about your truck, the farm jack should have no issues lifting one wheel off the ground.

If for some reason that isn't enough height for you, you can also position the jack underneath the front bumper next to the shackle, or there are other ways to get extra height but as I said before, you only ever want to lift just enough for one wheel to be slightly off the ground; any more than that is a safety hazard.