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 use 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.

 

[wjeeper]

'Aint a darn thing wrong with a good old High-lift! Just don't be stupid with it. Lifting all 4 wheels off the ground at the same time with only Highlifts would fall into that category. I would lift one end, toss jack stands under it then lift the other end. Only then would I take off any wheels

I use the d-rings on my Jeeps as lift points. I like it better than on the bumper since it doesn't slide off. WIth rings that pivot in the rear the jack should stay upright even better.

If the suspension droops out before you have the wheel off the ground, try tossing a chain or strap under the suspension to prevent it from drooping out.

 

[KKroger]

On the rear with an air lift bumper I used the Hi Lift Extreme 60 inch jack in the outboard end of the bumper.... but be advised whatever it sits on needs to be pretty solid so as not to slide. when I used it that way I also had an aluminum race jack under the lower shock mount...

 

[Mogman]

'Aint a darn thing wrong with a good old High-lift! Just don't be stupid with it. Lifting all 4 wheels off the ground at the same time with only Highlifts would fall into that category. I would lift one end, toss jack stands under it then lift the other end. Only then would I take off any wheels

I use the d-rings on my Jeeps as lift points. I like it better than on the bumper since it doesn't slide off. WIth rings that pivot in the rear the jack should stay upright even better.

If the suspension droops out before you have the wheel off the ground, try tossing a chain or strap under the suspension to prevent it from drooping out.

Lifting both wheels on ether end will likely result in the jack/jacks shifting and dropping the load before you could get the jack stands under it.

 

[Milcommoguy]

And for all the good comments...Make darn sure the jack base has a darn good footing / base to earth connection. Side to side are worry point ... and I add front to back of pick point. When it GOES forward / backwards the top of lifting beam / post will take out your tail light, fender, grill, hand ??? making for bad words. If it doesn't look right, feel right... think it through to the what if's and jack stands.

Going straight up and straight down, CAMO

 

[Milcommoguy]

And for all the good comments...Make darn sure the jack base has a darn good footing / base to earth connection. Side to side are worry point ... and I add front to back of pick point. When it GOES forward / backwards the top of lifting beam / post will take out your tail light, fender, grill, hand ??? making for bad words. If it doesn't look right, feel right... think it through to the what if's and jack stands.

Going straight up and straight down, CAMO

And for all the good comments...Make darn sure the jack base has a darn good footing / base to earth connection. Side to side are worry point ... and I add front to back of pick point. When it GOES forward / backwards the top of lifting beam / post will take out your tail light, fender, grill, hand ??? making for bad words. If it doesn't look right, feel right... think it through to the what if's and jack stands.

Going straight up and straight down, CAMO

EDIT after thinking about it.

And to add ..."what can go wrong".... Letting in down. Stay it total control, HANDS on the jacking lever and be prepared for the lever to return weighted energy every little click, walking it down. DON'T let go and get beat to death with the handle. Know how the up-down selector works. Just my thoughts.

Click one, click two, click three. CAMO

 

[M1165A1]

Hi lift jacks are absurdly dangerous (I carry one though). Bottle jack or if you want to hunt one down a Bogert hydraulic HMMWV jack. I carry a Bogert off road. Great jack but takes up a lot of room.

Also you should throw a set of Harbor Freight tire chocks in the bed for any tire changing.

 

[G744]

When hooking up a M105 or similar trailer by yourself, a highlift is just about the only thing usable.

No way I could ever lift it, loaded or not, to pintle height.

G744

 

[TOBASH]

I want to make clear that the high jack lift is absolutely unsafe for lifting. It works and it can also kill and maim.

My runflats will do the heavy lifting until I get to a safe area where I can change a tire with a proper jack.

That being said… I always carry an high lift, and you might ask why.

The high jack lift when used correctly is excellent with chains to pull and drag the vehicle in a similar manner to a small front and rear truck winch.

High jack lifts are an essential off road tool for winching, NOT LIFTING.

 

[KKroger]

Hi lift jacks are absurdly dangerous (I carry one though). Bottle jack or if you want to hunt one down a Bogert hydraulic HMMWV jack. I carry a Bogert off road. Great jack but takes up a lot of room.

Also you should throw a set of Harbor Freight tire chocks in the bed for any tire changing.

Rarely do I ever use it for a JACK mostly a "Winch" or just a tool to lift or lower an item like a bumper into alignment for bolts or something. But it works fine for a Jack as long as you are smarter then the object you are working with. Make sure you use all the movement of the handle never half strokes and take care to CONTROL the handle... Make sure it is on solid footing... like old Bumper Jacks it is what it is. USUALLY having "Keyholes" for the Hi Lift to interface with helps but is not necessary. bigger issue is finding a way to carry it!

 

[Mainsail]

I've used a jack like that to lift one front wheel - but NOT using the tie-down ring. Under the ring is a notch in the bracket which the jack will fit into.

 

[Mogman]

Maintenance is also very important, keep the mechanism clean and oiled.
I strongly hesitate telling anyone how to use one because they can be very deadly and I like sleeping well at night, but I also would not recommend using the tie down rings