High Lift Jack

Got a Sherpa roof rack installed on my ORP and had a guy sell me a like new high lift jack on the cheap. So........I've purchased the mounts from Sherpa to mount it. Just wondering where do most of you mount the jack on the roof rack? On the end......along the side.....in the middle.....
I realize this is something that is nice to have if you really get in a bind and need it, but is something you hope you never need to use.

 

Do you have a Prinsu (or other brand) full roof rack? If so, mount it there.
Do you have a rear tire carrier? If so, mount it there.
Is the jack compact enough (after it's disassembled) to be mounted in the cargo area? If so, mount it there.


Or....ONLY take it with you when you decide to go off road. I've seen guys with high lift jacks on their rigs over the past 20yrs, and I have only seen two ever using it. Like you said, it's better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it. But this is one of those very rare use cases.

 

I have a Sherpa Crestone roof rack. The jack is a regular high lift jack that is about 48" long. This will be something I only mount on the rack when I'm going off road. Will also have a canopy, Roam storage box and traction boards on the rack.

 

Don’t forget to figure out how you’ll use it. Stock 4r bodies are not compatible. Or sell it, put the money into rock sliders or bumpers.

 

I’ve got sliders and a winch on the front. The flimsy rear bumper will have to wait. Already pretty far down the rabbit hole at this point.

 

I'm not answering your question, so you can stop reading if you want.

Unless you really know how to use it, a hi-lift is dangerous. They aren't easy to use, there aren't usually a lot of places to lift from on a rig. When they are used, you have to lift much higher then something under an axle, as you have to unload the suspension while lifting. The best place to store one is in the back of the garage, under something heavy that will prevent you from digging it out. Best to get a nice bottle jack.

 

dumb take. hi lift works great as long are you use it intelligently. Plus it doubles as a come-along

 

While I agree with you for most of what you said, I still think a hi lift jack can be useful to get unstuck (i.e. high centered) if you don’t have a winch or a place to winch.

but yes, they can be dangerous if not used properly and should be a last resort type of use

 

You didn't say anything I didn't.

 

I'll double-down.

It's almost useless as a come-along. It's not rated to pull the weight, it's not practical to carry the cable or chain and tree protector or anchor that you would need in order to use it that way. Use something else, rope or strap, with stretch and you can only get inches of pull in a straight line.

There isn't a good lift point on a 4Runner, so it's almost useless as a jack.

For those that have them, how often have you used them offroad with a 4Runner? Practice much? A hi-lift is hardly practical on flat ground, let alone off-camber. Then, where did you jack from? How did you keep it from contacting the body as it raised and lowered? It doesn't go straight up and straight back down.

They are heavier and harder to use than a bottle jack. They are impractical for almost all situations.

 

OP has sliders. If they're good, frame-mounted sliders a high-lift jack can use those.

 

@backpacker, you still have to unload the suspension, which is harder (you have to lift higher than necessary) when you're lifting the vehicle as opposed to the axle.

Additionally, you have a firm place to use the hi-lift, if you use the slider, but the hi-lift and vehicle lift in an arc. It's not like lifting with a shop "lift". If the vehicle has body lines, has doors that aren't flat panels, you will hit them on the rise/lower. The slider is only a good place to lift from dependent on the terrain, not flat and not angled toward the jack. You can lift from good, frame-mounted sliders, in certain, and specific, limited circumstances.

If your frame-mounted sliders don't include a step, if they are close to the body, they can't be used with a hi-lift at all (see attached pics; you can't use a hi-lift with these frame-mounted, closely tucked, sliders without the hi-lift hitting the door panel).

 

Assuming you're putting the canopy on the passenger side, mount the Hi-Lift on the driver's side, or sideways towards the front or rear.

I have a space for mine in my sleeping platform. It slides straight in from the rear door. But, I will say that I don't even bring it along most of the time anymore.

 

But they look cool.

 

While we’re at it

Be sure to take it down, clean and lube per the instructions. Nothing worse than to depend on kit that is in disrepair.

@Slopemaster - yes they do look cool!

 

Another vote for mounting it in your garage. Safest place to use it...if you ever figure out a use for it.

I'm old. I've been packing a hi-lift jack in my expedition vehicle for nearly 50 years now. I bought it because everyone said you really need one of these. I built a holder for it in one of the compartments so it is low to the ground yet protected from moisture and dirt. And it is out of the way. Only once in those 50 years did I ever dig the jack out and actually use it...but even in that case, I could have used a bottle jack. You have to realize how heavy one of these things is...do you really want to pack all that weight up on your roof?

 

I have been holding back commenting on the weight. I have a hi lift and mounted it on roof rack. Quickly made the decision too much weight. I try to put the lighter bulky stuff on roof to keep the weight lower on rig.

 

In all of my years of four-wheeling, I've seen a high-lift used one time… and it didn't go well. The truck was a CJ on 38s, with sliders – so that made it relatively easy. It was on an off-camber hill - downhill, leaning driver; so the Jeep had to be secured to two trees - each rope out at angles - on the uphill side and a truck behind it to keep it from falling off of the jack. It still fell off the jack... twice. OK, technically it didn't fall off of the jack. It fell over with the jack... twice.

 

Comments like those are going to shatter the image of Toyota and Jeep owners across the mall parking lot, let alone the shattered egos of those that bought the 60" hi-lift to flex on the guys with 48" jacks.

 

OK, full disclosure: I carried a 48" high lift on my roof rack for years… because I thought it looked cool. Also, the vast majority of my 'wheeling has been in ORVs and trail systems a few miles from a town; not the Australian Outback, Baja, Patagonia… so the potential severity of the situation was never really severe.

But I looked cool… I thought so anyway


(Yeah, that is an axe on the left side!)

 

It does look cool, especially with the shovel

 

“Last resort” is the operative phrase here. Perhaps a good companion phrase is “perishable skill.”

 

As you lift the body tilts away from the jack. But also those sliders are so small they are probably useless anyway. My sliders offer plenty of clearance for a hi lift. Additionally you have the hitch or aftermarket bumpers.

I've used a hi lift multiple times where bottle jack would not have cut it. Some instances required unloading the suspension, others either had no room under the vehicle to fit a bottle jack or where the frame was too high for the bottle jack to reach. They can also provide 2+ feet of travel when used as a come along which can be plenty to get you mobile again. Both styles have their pros and cons as well as use cases

 

I don't believe you.

 

Who asked? Try going outside and touching grass sometime. You might learn a thing or two

 

The fact is the hi lift is a valid tool, like anything else, it helps to understand how to best use it.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r3_DR9F3R4U

 

@joshdub I don't ask for permission to respond. I respond if I want to, but especially if someone posts bs.

I might touch the grass, but probably not with a hi-lift, because the ground under the grass is probably too soft and the straight frame of the hi-lift will contact the door panel.

 

I’m surprised that the aftermarket suppliers haven’t come up with a frame mounting solution. True, it would be subjected to the road elements, but it would be out of sight and lower the CG. But then it would also lessen the coolness factor.

 

Well.......I worked in the oil field for 40 years. I've spend some time on a high lift jacks. I know how dangerous they can be if not used properly. I also carry an 8 ton bottle jack with an axle adapter just in case.

 

Westcott Designs rock sliders.....frame mounted.