highlift jack, in or out.

[kroussinoffroad]

i have ALLWAYS carried a highlift jack with me in my truck's. Now with upgrading (er. sidegrading) to the explorer from my mazda reg cab short box. i am attempting to keep it in the similare weight range. i have allready minimized alot of stuff in the truck and now it comes to the highlift.

I am torn between leaving it in the garage or finiding a good storage spot. I am only a couple hundred lbs heavier than where i would like to be and it all adds up fast. i do carry a bottle jack with me as well so changing a flat is no issue. i have a winch to recovermyself. and i'm sure i can come up with other ways to accomplish the tasks i have used the highlift for. but it does make some jobs much easier.


as of 4:30pm today the truck weighed 5120 with me in it. i would like to get it down around 4700lbs which i think is seriously doable. one big thing i would like to do for more reasons than just weight is to swap out from power windows and locks to manual. anyone have any input on that?

Oh and for those that think i wasnt too serious about carrying my highlift, it wasnt an option in my last truck as it would look really silly if i left it at home on the.


i guess i'm just currious how many others carry one with them

 

[infantry grunt]

thats a cool setup on the Bseries with the jack,I found that when i leave something at home that i normaly keep in my truck i end up regretting it,i think availability out weighs,but thats just me

 

[triumphrider-1]

I would find out the weights of the manual and power window assemblies before tearing them out. Sometimes the power window assemblies are lighter than their manual counterpart.

 

[Will]

A Highlift jack is just a really great thing to use to smash your teeth out with.

When you need it, you have to chain your suspension up or it won't lift the tire. While you were down there, you could have situated a bottle jack.

I have 2 of them--a 48 and a 60. I used to figure out cool ways to carry one, but never used one on the trail. The company pimps it pretty hard as the complete rescue/recovery device--usable also as a leg splint and defibrillator, but the fact is, it's a damn bumper jack without a hook to keep it from kicking out.

The last time I used one it was to raise a sagging roof in a barn. I used it a lot before that around the place but noticed it kicks out. The vehicle you are lifting moves away as you lift it. You also have to have a can of WD40 in your hand to make sure the pins click into the holes-A winch and a bottle jack are all you need. A come-along is hand too.

I moved out of my old house 2 years ago and left the high-lift in the barn. I have renters in there now (they don't have access to the barn) and I go over once in a while to get shit that I need. I haven't gotten the High-Lift.

 

[kroussinoffroad]

well I dont use the highlift to change tire's anymore (learned my lesson awhile back) however it is good if you need to get the weight off the suspension for whatever reasone. also works good as stated as a splint for the front axle of a fellow jeeper who snaped his. Notice the highlift beam on the ground behind the guy kneeling.

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or to reseat springs on your junk after kicking a spring partially out from not having it set up properly and allowing the sping to move around too much. notice the taping action on the lift machanisim to make sure the pins set properly

Needless to say it's not going back in until i run into an issue or issues where it is the only tool that could have or will get the job done. both scenario's could have had the same work done by using a bottle jack and cutting sections of log to help support thing's would it take longer yeah but it can still be done. first scenario. no one was in a hurry since it was obviously the end of our wheeling to get him out. the second scenario wasnt a HUGE issue as the spring could never full come out.

 

[Will]

There's always someone with their coils coming out.

I know a lot of people that swear by the farm jack. For weight, though, it's heavy. The good thing is--it's popular enough that someone is sure to have one in the rare case that you need it!

 

[kroussinoffroad]

yeah everyone I wheel with carries one. most have never been used

 

[legoms013]

I've never needed mine for my truck, I always end up using it at home to pull out fence posts or stretch no climb wire/chain link.

If I ever get my SAS and get into more wheeling, I can see myself making it a permanent part of the external decor, but can't see my self using it but 1 out 7 excursions.

It is however very handy for lifting a vehicle up high enough to weld underneath, change something on the suspension, seat a coil, or bend a tie-rod back straight without removing the tie-rod itself.

I agree, ditch it if you feel the need. Someone else is bound to have one. BUT, also consider that you may need one at some point for reasons other than lifting a vehicle up to work on it or change a tire...it is a very versatile assembly of steel.

More often than not though, I cringe at the though of one day having it accidentally hit me in the groin or the teeth or break a finger. It is bound to happen if one uses it often.