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Thread: Hi-Lift vs Bottle Jack?

  1. #1

    Hi-Lift vs Bottle Jack?

    When have you actually used your Hi-lift? I’m considering leaving my Hi-Lift at home since I have a winch and a bottle jack and wanted to see if I can find reasonable probability and reason to keep hauling it around with me. One of the few times I can think of needing a Hi-Lift is to put a body lift on but I already did that.

    I’m looking for actual fist hand experience. When have you used it and in what scenario? Please only information when you’ve actually used it or you were there watching someone else use one.

    It’s pretty well established that the off-roading community has accepted Hi-lifts as a standard piece of equipment so I realize this is going against the grain. I’m fine either keeping it in my rig or leaving it but if I can find a reasonable cause to leave it at home I’d happily save the weight and space that it takes up.

    Again please only first hand experiences and not hearsay or theories. Thanks!
    2001 4Runner SR5 - 1.5&quot; 4Crwaler BL | Toytec Coilovers TT-AFCS-550 | <br />OME 891s | Bilstein 4R96-BIL | Armorology Bull Bar | Warn M8000 | Engle 14 quart Freezer/Warmer&nbsp; MHFD-015E-D | Cobra 18WXSTII&nbsp; | Thule basket | Yokohama Geolander MT+ 305/70R16 | Low profile cargo | rear seat panel | Laptop mount | Globalsat BU-353 GPS |&nbsp; NGEO Topo | Delorme Topo.

  2. #2

    Re: Hi-Lift vs Bottle Jack?

    In your situation the only thing I can truly think of is jacking and pushing over a boulder. Or in a rear scenerio. Me, if I had a winch I would still carry it. They have been tie rods, drag links, frame fixes and used as fire pokers. Still carry a bottle jack, they have uses.

  3. #3

    Re: Hi-Lift vs Bottle Jack?

    i have used my hi lift to lift me off a rock i was high centered on. and have used it / had have to use it to change my tires. stock jack does not go high enough.
    just because you&#39;ve always done it that way doesn&#39;t mean it&#39;s not incredibly stupid.<br /><br />1999 4x4 SR5 4runner<br />http://www.ultimateyota.com/index.php?option=com_smf&amp;Itemid=26&amp;topic=1 081.0

  4. #4

    Re: Hi-Lift vs Bottle Jack?

    Being prepared is far more important.

    I have used my hilift before to get off rocks, logs, etc, it is needed even on the road to help someone that you may encounter that IS stuck.
    Gone but not forgotten: 2004 Tacoma/2006 Fourwheel Camper<br /><br />ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ<br /><br />&quot;Tyrants mistrust the people, hence they deprive them of arms.&quot;<br />- Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

  5. #5

    Re: Hi-Lift vs Bottle Jack?

    Pics or it didnt happen.. lol

    I have NEVER used my hi-lift, and dont personally know anyone that "needed" to use it, once someone "wanted" to use it, just to say they did. But we had 2 winches, which would have done the job in a fraction of the time, and not risk damaging his rig.
    I dont even take mine anymore, "Got winch" just sits in the garage.
    I never wheel alone, we always have atleast one winch, to many straps to count, and plenty of rock stackers I mean people, lol 4 years of wheeling every weekend, Ive never seen a "need" for it. (the mall is pretty tame )
    winch + skid plates = no need for a hi-lift
    Buy cool Wheeling shirts: http://www.cafepress.com/Rix_Designz

  6. #6

    Re: Hi-Lift vs Bottle Jack?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ric
    Pics or it didnt happen.. lol

    I have NEVER used my hi-lift, and dont personally know anyone that "needed" to use it, once someone "wanted" to use it, just to say they did. But we had 2 winches, which would have done the job in a fraction of the time, and not risk damaging his rig.
    I dont even take mine anymore, "Got winch" just sits in the garage.
    I never wheel alone, we always have atleast one winch, to many straps to count, and plenty of rock stackers I mean people, lol 4 years of wheeling every weekend, Ive never seen a "need" for it. (the mall is pretty tame )
    winch + skid plates = no need for a hi-lift
    There are those times where we venture out on our own, or there are those people who don't have a winch. I suppose that if you have a winch and never go out alone you could possibly justify not carrying one. However, if you put yourself in situations where you could get stuck, I would always carry one. Your winch breaks, your buddy can't get to you, etc. It's not worth it to just say "I didn't need it"
    Gone but not forgotten: 2004 Tacoma/2006 Fourwheel Camper<br /><br />ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ<br /><br />&quot;Tyrants mistrust the people, hence they deprive them of arms.&quot;<br />- Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

  7. #7

    Re: Hi-Lift vs Bottle Jack?

    i hate lugging it around too haha but unfortunatly im often the lone rig headed to some mine somewhere and i have no winch. other then just using it alot in the driveway i helped a guy put on his tire chains with it.

  8. #8

    Re: Hi-Lift vs Bottle Jack?

    Quote Originally Posted by oly884
    Quote Originally Posted by Ric
    Pics or it didnt happen.. lol

    I have NEVER used my hi-lift, and dont personally know anyone that "needed" to use it, once someone "wanted" to use it, just to say they did. But we had 2 winches, which would have done the job in a fraction of the time, and not risk damaging his rig.
    I dont even take mine anymore, "Got winch" just sits in the garage.
    I never wheel alone, we always have atleast one winch, to many straps to count, and plenty of rock stackers I mean people, lol 4 years of wheeling every weekend, Ive never seen a "need" for it. (the mall is pretty tame )
    winch + skid plates = no need for a hi-lift
    There are those times where we venture out on our own, or there are those people who don't have a winch. I suppose that if you have a winch and never go out alone you could possibly justify not carrying one. However, if you put yourself in situations where you could get stuck, I would always carry one. Your winch breaks, your buddy can't get to you, etc. It's not worth it to just say "I didn't need it"
    well I NEVER wheel alone, just to much can happen. everyone I wheel with, carries straps, most have a winch, (incase mine didnt work) snatch bocks, etc etc etc. like I said, in the 4 years of wheeling "every" weekend, I have never needed it, or seen anyone on a trail that "needed" it, thats why mine is baried in the garage, lol
    Ive yet to see a picture of someone using a hi-lift, that needed a hi-lift, where a winch or straps couldnt have done the same thing, only faster and SAFER.
    Buy cool Wheeling shirts: http://www.cafepress.com/Rix_Designz

  9. #9

    Re: Hi-Lift vs Bottle Jack?

    For what's it's worth, my opinion is that a Hi-Lift is a valuable tool for the serious off-road rig. That's not to say that if you don't carry one you are not serious, or that my opinion is anything more than, well, my opinion.

    I'd like to quote a paragraph written by Bruce Elfstrom of Overland Experts http://www.overlandexperts.com/ in an article he wrote in the Fall 2008 Overland Journal Magazine. By the way, if you don't already get the publication, do it today. Get a subscription, and I'd also suggest getting your hands on as many back copies as possible. http://www.overlandjournal.com/

    Bruce Wrote:
    Simple: The Hi-Lift does everything it's supposed to do, and more. It is reliable and bulletproof. It is basic-no computer needed to fix it. It is economical. It is indispensable. Along with learning how to drive well, carrying a first aid kit, wearing the correct clothing, and maintaining effective communications, the Hi-Lift jack is a must-have for any serious overlander. It will winch you out, lift you up, turn you over, clamp things together, or pull things apart. It's truly a jack of all trades-but only when used correctly and safely.

    Get a copy of the Fall 2008 Overland Journal and read this article. It is very well written and informative.

    Also check out Bill Burke's article on use of the Hi-Lift jack. http://www.bb4wa.com/articles/hilift_jack.htm

    For me, recovery or repair of my vehicle on the trail is critical to being properly prepared for overland travel. Yes, there is always safety in numbers and that would be the preferred method of travel, but I still feel that it is my responsibility to be prepared for the trail. I've read comments that say that it isn't needed if you have a winch or tow straps and other vehicles with you. Well, it is of course easier and safer to use other methods of extraction prior to going to a Hi-Lift as a winch, but that isn't the Hi-Lifts primary use, and in the event you are without a winch, or your winch is inoperable and no vehicle can help, the Hi-Lift comes to the rescue.

    The primary reason for the Hi-Lift is of course as a lift. On a loaded and lifted 4-wheel drive vehicle you are asking a lot of a stock jack or bottle jack if they would work at all in something as simple as a tire change off-road. Posts referring to the Hi-Lift as a tool to lift the truck high enough to recover a truck high-centered on rocks or other obstacles is one great example of using a Hi-Lift where few other options are available. In some circumstances you could pull or winch a high-centered rig, but it might not be the best choice especially if the obstacle is potentially going to cause damage under the vehicle or where that form of recovery might put the rig in an even more precarious position. Using the Hi-Lift to raise the vehicle as required to place rocks, logs, or whatever is available under wheels to allow you to drive off the obstacle is a safe method of recovery.

    For those that write that they have wheeled for years without ever needing one, I would say that I've been wheeling for years as well and always carry a first-aid kit, but have to this day not needed to break it out. I won't go on even the simplest day trail run without a first-aid kit, and I am now taking the same attitude with my recovery gear. The Hi-Lift, being a critical part of that recovery gear.

    The list of uses for a Hi-Lift is long, and the trail often presents us with unexpected challenges. I'll leave the skills training and the examples to people that are much more experienced and better trained to present that information. Read what Bill Burke has to say, and get a copy of The Overland Journal.

    That's my two cents...OK, maybe more than two cents this time.



    T4Rfun<br />aka-Chris<br /><br />TOTAL CHAOS FABRICATION - KING SHOCKS - SHROCKWORKS 4X4 PRODUCTS - EQUIPT EXPEDITION OUTFITTERS - BUDBUILT - GOODYEAR - PIAA - PERMA-COOL - WARN - AMSTEEL BLUE - COBRA<br /><br />

  10. #10

    Re: Hi-Lift vs Bottle Jack?

    My first time to pismo, and I think it was Casey's too (owner of the truck below). He was 2wd at the time. he got stuck and kept digging and digging. there was really no other way out. nobody had a winch, and it's very hard to tow uphill in the sand. we resorted to this and it worked.



    2012 Tacoma 4x4 6spd TRD, e-locker, LT265/75R16E Michelin LTX A/T2s, Stubbs HD-SKOs
    2003 Taco-was K.I.A. 4/31/12-RIP

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