It's good to see a Video where a Hi-Lift is being used properly with certain safety precautions in place, A Hi-Lift is only as safe as the user, I have used Hi-Lifts for over 44 years and never had one problem, WTG.
I've used these since I was old enough to carry one and I'm 68. I've had a few slip now and then, but was ALWAYS ready for "something," and have NEVER been hurt. One mistake many make, is that EG jacking a rig, rear bumper, etc, you should kick the base "inwards" so the jack 'leans away' some, it will straighten some as you jack it up
The widow maker suits these jacks. As a kid growing up on a farm we used them all the time. I still remember some times they would auto ratchet. Don't know if that's the proper term, but that handle would just start slamming it's self up and down. If I remember right it was only while lowering the truck or equipment. Back in the mid '80's I bought a used '80 Ramcharger, did some dumb shit then realized, the factory jack won't work with a 4" lift and 35" tires. Turning 49 yrs old next week, these jacks still make me nervous. I respect them, and have one in both of my 4x4's. hey are a great tool and can be used for more than a simple jack.
The auto ratchet is when you're lowering the rig and your hand slips off the handle. Don't do that, and if you do, just stand back and wait. Many tools will kill you if you don't hang on when there's a lot of force on it. Try limp wristing a table saw or grinder. They will make you pay too.
Well done vide dude👍 and you're right if you don't get acquainted and learn how to use the jack it could kill you!! But learn and follow the instructions provided! And you'll do just fine. Thanks for the tutorial👍
great video sir. proper use is key to every tool. This jacks bad reputation comes largely from misuse, and a few malfunctions. Understanding and respecting the tool keeps you safe. I'm kind of a smart-ass, so I like to tell people "there's a little book that comes with that". I've been injured by a few tools, all of them 100% my fault.
When you understand something can potentially kill you you tend to be a little more alert. This thing is great, No other way of jacking your vehicle up a few feet.
I have used these jacks on everything from trucks to tractors and never had one problem out of them. Most people that get injured or killed while using them don't use common sense and BOOM, they just assisted DARWIN as you said!!
Hi-Lift Jacks are an old design that works. Pert near every car had a version of a bumper jack in the trunk. Even those jacks had to be given some respect when using them. When used the right way they always did the job. I carry one in my jeep all the time.
I used a Hi Lift Jack for decades. You got to know how to handle that jack, it's not a Newbie's jack by any means. It's great for jacking high clearance vehicles. Also is used in search and recovery/rescue. Grounded level support for that Jack is a MUST.
Always double up on lifts. I always leave my jack a tiny bit snug so if the Jackstand fails there is a backup. That way you are 100%. Jacks are cheap extra insurance. The combined probability of failing are much safer than than driving the car!
Have any of you looked at the SAFE JACKS accessories for the HI-Lift. They have taken a different approach to the Hi-Lift or Handyman jack to make them safer to use and do more jobs. The Hi-Lift is very useful and powerful. I've used them for a number of decades now.
I don’t think I’ve seen to many people carrying jack stands inside their Jeep’s! So lifting it using the rims wouldn’t help in changing the tire! Definitely would carry them if I had space! I don’t so I use a bottle jack now! Ive only seen Jeep’s use the tow hooks with the high lift and it never made sense to me because the wheels had so much articulation that the jack was nearly maxed out! Seemed dangerous to me! But this make more sense in conjunction with the jack stands!
Jeeps are awesome but I roll in a van because you can bring everything lol. I'm on my second van build and I plan on getting a Geo Tracker to tow out to the desert with me. Sleep in the Van explore the dunes in a Tracker.
I was inspired to make this because when I saw doing research on these I was reading forum topics. Some people refuse to get one because of the horror stories they've read or heard about. Maybe people interested in one will find this video and see that it can lift a Full Size Van no problem. I like it, needed something that can lift my lifted van high enough and I didn't want to drive around with a floor jack. Glad I replaced it. The one I was carrying around for a few years stopped working.
Investing in the plastic Base Plate is worth the money. The metal base of the Hi-lift as you know is to narrow causing instability issues. Have used the Hi-lift on vehicle extrication calls in a multitude of scenarios to include raising a crushed roof. To the flamers and troops, no, we do not use the Hi-lift jacks for stabilization nor as the primary means of lifting a vehicle off a person. It is another tool to be used as needed. Hell, can do a basic door pop with one, use the in through the window method. ;-)
Some people just make it easier for Darwin. I googled Hi-lift jacks when I was doing research on them and it's fun reading the topics on them. Some people fear them so much because of the horror stories and refuse to get one. I got one because I needed something that can lift my van easily and high enough if I get it stuck in the desert.
We've always referred to them as suicide jacks around here, and the father in law calls them "handy man". Extremely dangerous jacking system if not used properly. Also, most are old, and should probably be replaced. Like you said, if used properly, they aren't bad at all. I use ours quite a bit, and they are scary when you aren't on pavement, but they are handy indeed.
I got acquainted with the Hi-Lift jack more than 45 years ago when I was a kid on the farm. We used it in ways it was never meant. Had a couple of close calls but not because of the jack as much as what we were trying to do with it. There are some accessories out there now that make the Hi-Lift or Handyman jack safer, more stable and more useful.
This is my argument, I bet you've changed a tire with it too? Us older guys have developed motor skills to deal with things like that, whereas, the younger generation are told 'that's too dangerous, you're gonna die if you use that, and in that particular way', and guess what, they use it and die!
A few years back I remember reading a story of a guy found dead in his drive way. Was working under his car supported only by the scissor jack it came with. Car Fell on his chest and he suffocated under it. What a way to go. Long and painful. I have big time OCD when it comes to that. If I dont have to lift a vehicle and I can work on it with ramps I go that route.
There are over 1001 ways to Die. Hi Lift Jacks provide half a dozen. A loaded E-150 Van can weigh over 3 tons. Be sure that the jack is rated for well over that load. Also, Chock the Wheels and Lock the parking brake, so that the vehicle doesn't shift position and maim or kill you.
Oh I’m sure.I used to watch those Faces of Death movies and something similar happened in the junkyard and the guy lost a leg.But it wasn’t a high lift jack.
This video is a little short sighted. There isn't an issue on flat, dry pavement with a brand new/well maintained jack. It's with uneven, loose, or low traction surfaces off road or with dirt and rust that these can really become unpredictable. Very rarely will there be an incident in the conditions you're showing here. If the pins get dirty/rusty, the handle can sometimes not catch and the weight of the vehicle will violently recoil the handle upwards, which can kill you if not seriously injure. There was a guy in my Jeep club that had his lower jaw shattered because of this. I won't link to it here, but a google search can find plenty of pictures. Off road they are scary because everything depends on the mounting position not being compromised. If a rock shifts, it slides over loose dirt or mud, or if the vehicle shifts position in low traction areas, the vehicle will quite easily come crashing down on anything that's underneath it, and then you have the handle and jack coming down as well.
Offroad, people that don't know what they're doing are scary, not hi-lift jacks. I've been using them offroad, running solo, for 35 years. You have to think, plan, then act. You need WD-40 to keep the pins working smooth (water in a pinch). They're great tools. Idiots will hurt themselves with a winch, a jack, or just the jeep itself. Don't blame the jack.
They are very useful yeah, if you have the adapters like this. Try using one on a land rover defender with the adapter piece for a defender, Or a proper land rover supplied one. One of the lads on the land rover forum, was changing his tyre at work, and the thing sprung out of the jacking point at the back of the land rover, and shot a cross the floor.
@@JohnDrivesAnything you are not wrong, to the point to think twice about using them for the job they intent on using it for. My dad got lucky with his, i am sure his had slipped and moved the car forward, He hadn't secured the car properly like you have done, It was wedged between the body and the floor. If that had not have happened, it would have been very nasty! We used it on mine for a suspension job, with everything chocked etc, Made life easy mind, but fuckin hell when it started to slip, sideways on the path, I was like fuck that lets get the proper jack. Since then its never seen the light of day, He barked about me getting one, i bought a OEM one to shut his hole, i later bought a bottle jack and tool kit, which land rover later supplied for the defender. So the Lift jack is in storage waiting on been binned off at some point.
I've just lashed out NZ$467.00 on one of these things (still a month away from receiving it yet) purely to change tires with, and nothing else. In the meantime I'm scouring TH-cam (in my absolute 'barred up' state) desperately looking for someone to show me the safe way of changing a tire, with one of these things, and all I'm getting is comments like 'widow makers, killing machines and, you're gonna fucking die if you use one of these'! I'm sort of 'half pie' imagining that it's just the younger generation that can't use older technology safely, you know, along the lines of unable to drive manual transmission cars these days, and you're no good, if you climb up onto that roof without having scaffolding around the building, you're gonna have an accident, fall off and die, sort of thing? Whereas we older generation have developed motor skills to deal with those sorts of things!
This video is 8 years old and I'm still running a Hi-lift in my current van. 8 years later dudes have even less meaningful skills. I'm just a manual labor guy working with a bunch of 20 year olds and the dudes at my job don't even know how to change a spare tire or check their oil level.
@@JohnDrivesAnything Exactly! I know how to change a tire with the damn things, it's just good to watch people's videos of doing the same until mine gets here.
These, unfortunately, are very unpredictable jacks. An engineering improvement is needed on those climbing pins. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.
Darwin assisters! LOL. Cracked me up! You do have to use some common sense and some safety sense on these. But they are used all over the place, not just for cars and trucks. They're used on farms all over the place too. Great tool!
very good improv, lifting by the wheel, except for one consideration: could be a little hard on the wheel bearings and/or axle, particularly in the 3rd member. Like he said, getting stands under it to take the weight off that wheel would be pretty imperative.
If your wheel bearing can't hold up the whole vehicle, it will never take hitting a pothole, or turning a corner. Best to identify this incredibly pansy wheel bearing right in the driveway. Why just today, I was doing 60 mph, and counted on my left front wheel bearing to turn my vehicle and take a big hit from a pothole. Thank god it was up to the task. My coffee cup didn't perform as well, but I knew I was risking it with an open cup.
Lots of horror stories of these things in message boards .I don't feel any impending doom using it. There's a off road accessory to give it a fatter base so that it's more stable and doesn't sink into dirt or sand. Once I get out to the desert again I'm picking it up. Hi-Lifts are cool I like them, maybe people googling them will find this video and see they aren't too bad.
Why do you turn the spring clip before lifting ??? You'd better keep it allways in front of the rail, so it can clip the lever in the upper position in case of problem !
Yeah, I like the ramps too if possible. My blue Cobra has been on jack stands now for the past 2 months straight. I guess it is a good endurance test for my jack stands. I can't imagine dying from a car falling on my chest. Ouch!
According to the US Government, every year up to 70,000 people are injured in jack related accidents. Usually the accident could have been prevented if the vehicle had been chocked to prevent it from moving which causes the jack to fail. The first thing to do is chock at least the wheel diagonal from the wheel your lifting. Then as you pointed out, a jack stand should be used to support the load. This is true of Hi-Lift or any other type jack. Safety first!!
Jesus, do you troll every jack related TH-cam video with the same "US Government..." random statistic? This is literally the 3rd exact verbatim post I've caught from you over the last 4 months or so. I'm curious, how is "up to" 70,000 people an actual fact? Its either a specific number done by survey or pure speculation.
Deathproof, any number from negative infinity to 70,000 falls in the "up to 70,000" range. In fact, I have up to $70,000 dollars in my pocket right now. It might only be five or ten, but it's up to 70,000. And who exactly speaks for the US government? If the guy sweeping the floor at the post office says it, is that "according to the US government?" According to my lower torso, Richard is full of crap.
This is a safer version of the bumper jacks that came with all cars from the 1960... you need to block the tires, as lifting with a any narrow jack the car can roll. I would never get under any load carried by any jack of any type without stands or blocks. if it can move it will move.
If there is anything unsafe about this jack its just that there seems to be potential for a lot of unorthodox/hillbilly type usage. And the fact that it does lift so high that should the vehicle move its more likely to become unstable than a lower jack. I dont see an issue with it if you use common sense.
Man my old van did look good in the back with rims! I got this stuck in the desert when it was stock height. Took me 4 hours to shovel it out. Since then I roll with a hi-lift. The hi-ift on my bumper is this very same hi-lift from my first build
I'm thinking the way you lift by rim holes? Scares me as far as potential to damage a rim? Especially cast aluminum rims? I mean I don't know for a fact but I just don't like it!
Any machine used without good sense with safety in mind can kill. You don't stand under a load, right? Never forget:"Stupid is SUPPOSED to hurt." Some learn by doing stupid things, some learn by watching others do stupid things.
If you're changing a wheel, here's an idea, use the jack that is made for changing the wheel. Your rig came with one. These are awesome offroad tools, but as noted, don't get under the thing. If you aren't clever enough to change a tire, you definitely should not be offroading, and you should not be using a hi-lift. It's very dangerous. Stay in town, stay where you have cell phone coverage, and keep a smart friend on speed dial.
They are a fantastic offroad jack, for getting yourself unstuck. You can take a high-centered rig and do a complete 180 with only 2 feet more width than the vehicle is long. You can jack it up and put things under the tire. You can jack it up and push it over to move sideways. They work as a hand winch (although I consider them a backup since it's clunky). When you've peeled a bead and are stuck, you can get the tire up so your compressor can reseat it. They also pull fence posts out of the ground. Very versatile.
You can use it to press exhaust pipes apart. You can use it to winch a vehicle. You can use it to straighten a truck frame. You can use it to spread a vehicle roof to get someone out of a rolled car. You can use it to break tire beads for dismount. You can pull posts and even some trees out of the ground.
much rather use a floor jack. much easier, faster, and safer. Plus if you need to change a tire this is useless with the lift mate thing. Even without that its hard to find a place to jack on newer cars with these, too much plastic. or even better for what he seems to be trying to accomplish use ramps, a lot safer than any jack.
+the stig mach 1 Floor Jacks are way safer. PRoblem is the sand is brutal to them. Ruined a floor jack when I got stuck in the sand once. That and they are very heavy.
NEVER TAKE YOUR HAND OFF THAT HANDLE UNLESS YOU KNOW THE JACK IS LOCKED IN AND THE HANDLE IS VERTICAL AGAINST THE SLOTTED BAR!! NEVER... IT WILL KNOCK YOUR TEETH OUT IF YOU DON'T. Always safety check it. Worned LOCK ASS'Y should be replaced ASAP if the lock isn't locking properly.
True. Hey i just used one of these on my truck to change the leaf spring. to get the weight off the frame. i was nervous at first but it turned out to be very stable actually and made the job way easier.
1993 F-150 it weighs 3 tons but it was the back leaf spring. so it wasn't really lifting that much.but i had it pretty high. i had too because they were so rusted together it was almost impossible to get them apart. two broke so i just replaced those 2 in the middle so i wouldn't have to deal with the rusty shackle and bracket.
Sorry... I think that if you can't show viewers how to do things the right way you shouldn't put a video that's based on safety. You using the Hi-Lift Jack with one hand and then posting on the video that to be ever "Safer" you should use the Jack with both hands is wrong. Just because it's a Demo and you're filming with your other hand doesn't make it OK, to do it. Isn't that the point of the video. Having it titled "The Widow Maker and Dangerous" and you end up doing something that people have claimed has killed or injured others is Hypocracy.
Widow Maker? Cheap click bait. Usa fool nigga.
I'll be sure to film myself dying and upload it on youtube if my high lift ever fails. God Bless you
Silky Jones Try not to be a fucktard.
Feel the love
@@KC9UDX Always
It's good to see a Video where a Hi-Lift is being used properly with certain safety precautions in place, A Hi-Lift is only as safe as the user, I have used Hi-Lifts for over 44 years and never had one problem, WTG.
I'm still alive 7 years later lol
I have a new van build and I'm still using this same hi-lift
I've used these since I was old enough to carry one and I'm 68. I've had a few slip now and then, but was ALWAYS ready for "something," and have NEVER been hurt. One mistake many make, is that EG jacking a rig, rear bumper, etc, you should kick the base "inwards" so the jack 'leans away' some, it will straighten some as you jack it up
It makes sense, thank for the tips Papa!
The widow maker suits these jacks. As a kid growing up on a farm we used them all the time. I still remember some times they would auto ratchet. Don't know if that's the proper term, but that handle would just start slamming it's self up and down. If I remember right it was only while lowering the truck or equipment. Back in the mid '80's I bought a used '80 Ramcharger, did some dumb shit then realized, the factory jack won't work with a 4" lift and 35" tires. Turning 49 yrs old next week, these jacks still make me nervous. I respect them, and have one in both of my 4x4's. hey are a great tool and can be used for more than a simple jack.
A little fear is a good thing! Keeps you sharp and hopefully safe. I know you can use these as a winch to
Exactly like you said. Respect the tool. They can be used as a jack, winch, or worst case break the bead on a slashed tire that needs to be replaced.
The auto ratchet is when you're lowering the rig and your hand slips off the handle. Don't do that, and if you do, just stand back and wait. Many tools will kill you if you don't hang on when there's a lot of force on it. Try limp wristing a table saw or grinder. They will make you pay too.
Well done vide dude👍 and you're right if you don't get acquainted and learn how to use the jack it could kill you!! But learn and follow the instructions provided! And you'll do just fine. Thanks for the tutorial👍
+Anibal Babilonia
Appreciate the kind words.
great video sir. proper use is key to every tool. This jacks bad reputation comes largely from misuse, and a few malfunctions.
Understanding and respecting the tool keeps you safe. I'm kind of a smart-ass, so I like to tell people "there's a little book that comes with that". I've been injured by a few tools, all of them 100% my fault.
When you understand something can potentially kill you you tend to be a little more alert. This thing is great, No other way of jacking your vehicle up a few feet.
I have used these jacks on everything from trucks to tractors and never had one problem out of them. Most people that get injured or killed while using them don't use common sense and BOOM, they just assisted DARWIN as you said!!
Hi-Lift Jacks are an old design that works. Pert near every car had a version of a bumper jack in the trunk. Even those jacks had to be given some respect when using them. When used the right way they always did the job. I carry one in my jeep all the time.
I used a Hi Lift Jack for decades. You got to know how to handle that jack, it's not a Newbie's jack by any means. It's great for jacking high clearance vehicles. Also is used in search and recovery/rescue. Grounded level support for that Jack is a MUST.
Always double up on lifts. I always leave my jack a tiny bit snug so if the Jackstand fails there is a backup. That way you are 100%. Jacks are cheap extra insurance. The combined probability of failing are much safer than than driving the car!
+alb12345672
You can never be too safe!
Have any of you looked at the SAFE JACKS accessories for the HI-Lift. They have taken a different approach to the Hi-Lift or Handyman jack to make them safer to use and do more jobs. The Hi-Lift is very useful and powerful. I've used them for a number of decades now.
Love your Darwin reference...
I don’t think I’ve seen to many people carrying jack stands inside their Jeep’s! So lifting it using the rims wouldn’t help in changing the tire! Definitely would carry them if I had space! I don’t so I use a bottle jack now! Ive only seen Jeep’s use the tow hooks with the high lift and it never made sense to me because the wheels had so much articulation that the jack was nearly maxed out! Seemed dangerous to me! But this make more sense in conjunction with the jack stands!
Jeeps are awesome but I roll in a van because you can bring everything lol. I'm on my second van build and I plan on getting a Geo Tracker to tow out to the desert with me. Sleep in the Van explore the dunes in a Tracker.
I can’t believe you said Geo Tracker! Now that’s awesome! Lol! I’m thinking to my self! “ Where the hell did he find that thing”?
I was inspired to make this because when I saw doing research on these I was reading forum topics. Some people refuse to get one because of the horror stories they've read or heard about. Maybe people interested in one will find this video and see that it can lift a Full Size Van no problem.
I like it, needed something that can lift my lifted van high enough and I didn't want to drive around with a floor jack. Glad I replaced it. The one I was carrying around for a few years stopped working.
Appreciate the feedback man. I got this because I take my van out to the desert. Going to pick up the off road stabilizer for it.
Investing in the plastic Base Plate is worth the money. The metal base of the Hi-lift as you know is to narrow causing instability issues. Have used the Hi-lift on vehicle extrication calls in a multitude of scenarios to include raising a crushed roof. To the flamers and troops, no, we do not use the Hi-lift jacks for stabilization nor as the primary means of lifting a vehicle off a person. It is another tool to be used as needed. Hell, can do a basic door pop with one, use the in through the window method. ;-)
Once I get my locker on my van and start going out to the desert again I'll definitely pick up the base so it doesn't sink into the sand.
Some people just make it easier for Darwin. I googled Hi-lift jacks when I was doing research on them and it's fun reading the topics on them. Some people fear them so much because of the horror stories and refuse to get one. I got one because I needed something that can lift my van easily and high enough if I get it stuck in the desert.
We've always referred to them as suicide jacks around here, and the father in law calls them "handy man". Extremely dangerous jacking system if not used properly. Also, most are old, and should probably be replaced. Like you said, if used properly, they aren't bad at all. I use ours quite a bit, and they are scary when you aren't on pavement, but they are handy indeed.
I got acquainted with the Hi-Lift jack more than 45 years ago when I was a kid on the farm. We used it in ways it was never meant. Had a couple of close calls but not because of the jack as much as what we were trying to do with it. There are some accessories out there now that make the Hi-Lift or Handyman jack safer, more stable and more useful.
This is my argument, I bet you've changed a tire with it too? Us older guys have developed motor skills to deal with things like that, whereas, the younger generation are told 'that's too dangerous, you're gonna die if you use that, and in that particular way', and guess what, they use it and die!
A few years back I remember reading a story of a guy found dead in his drive way. Was working under his car supported only by the scissor jack it came with. Car Fell on his chest and he suffocated under it. What a way to go. Long and painful.
I have big time OCD when it comes to that. If I dont have to lift a vehicle and I can work on it with ramps I go that route.
There are over 1001 ways to Die. Hi Lift Jacks provide half a dozen. A loaded E-150 Van can weigh over 3 tons. Be sure that the jack is rated for well over that load. Also, Chock the Wheels and Lock the parking brake, so that the vehicle doesn't shift position and maim or kill you.
Appreciate the concern half a dozen sounds about right lol. I'm still alive all these years later with a new van build and the same jack.
Oh I’m sure.I used to watch those Faces of Death movies and something similar happened in the junkyard and the guy lost a leg.But it wasn’t a high lift jack.
ive had them go crazy on me before but i dont blame the jack. it only acted up when it was covered in mud.
I've had them lean on me but once that happens simply back off and try again vs continue lifting the vehicle.
This video is a little short sighted.
There isn't an issue on flat, dry pavement with a brand new/well maintained jack. It's with uneven, loose, or low traction surfaces off road or with dirt and rust that these can really become unpredictable. Very rarely will there be an incident in the conditions you're showing here.
If the pins get dirty/rusty, the handle can sometimes not catch and the weight of the vehicle will violently recoil the handle upwards, which can kill you if not seriously injure. There was a guy in my Jeep club that had his lower jaw shattered because of this. I won't link to it here, but a google search can find plenty of pictures.
Off road they are scary because everything depends on the mounting position not being compromised. If a rock shifts, it slides over loose dirt or mud, or if the vehicle shifts position in low traction areas, the vehicle will quite easily come crashing down on anything that's underneath it, and then you have the handle and jack coming down as well.
Appreciate the feedback
Offroad, people that don't know what they're doing are scary, not hi-lift jacks. I've been using them offroad, running solo, for 35 years. You have to think, plan, then act. You need WD-40 to keep the pins working smooth (water in a pinch). They're great tools. Idiots will hurt themselves with a winch, a jack, or just the jeep itself. Don't blame the jack.
They are very useful yeah, if you have the adapters like this. Try using one on a land rover defender with the adapter piece for a defender, Or a proper land rover supplied one. One of the lads on the land rover forum, was changing his tyre at work, and the thing sprung out of the jacking point at the back of the land rover, and shot a cross the floor.
Its scary when things go wrong on these. That fear factor should make people extra careful
@@JohnDrivesAnything you are not wrong, to the point to think twice about using them for the job they intent on using it for. My dad got lucky with his, i am sure his had slipped and moved the car forward, He hadn't secured the car properly like you have done, It was wedged between the body and the floor. If that had not have happened, it would have been very nasty! We used it on mine for a suspension job, with everything chocked etc, Made life easy mind, but fuckin hell when it started to slip, sideways on the path, I was like fuck that lets get the proper jack. Since then its never seen the light of day, He barked about me getting one, i bought a OEM one to shut his hole, i later bought a bottle jack and tool kit, which land rover later supplied for the defender. So the Lift jack is in storage waiting on been binned off at some point.
I've just lashed out NZ$467.00 on one of these things (still a month away from receiving it yet) purely to change tires with, and nothing else.
In the meantime I'm scouring TH-cam (in my absolute 'barred up' state) desperately looking for someone to show me the safe way of changing a tire, with one of these things, and all I'm getting is comments like 'widow makers, killing machines and, you're gonna fucking die if you use one of these'!
I'm sort of 'half pie' imagining that it's just the younger generation that can't use older technology safely, you know, along the lines of unable to drive manual transmission cars these days, and you're no good, if you climb up onto that roof without having scaffolding around the building, you're gonna have an accident, fall off and die, sort of thing? Whereas we older generation have developed motor skills to deal with those sorts of things!
This video is 8 years old and I'm still running a Hi-lift in my current van. 8 years later dudes have even less meaningful skills. I'm just a manual labor guy working with a bunch of 20 year olds and the dudes at my job don't even know how to change a spare tire or check their oil level.
@@JohnDrivesAnything Exactly! I know how to change a tire with the damn things, it's just good to watch people's videos of doing the same until mine gets here.
@@SeriousSchitt You're in New Zealand?
@@JohnDrivesAnything Yeah.
Check out Safe Jack they have a lot of great safety accessories for hi lift jacks
I need to get that sand base. Still have this on a different van build 7 years later
These, unfortunately, are very unpredictable jacks. An engineering improvement is needed on those climbing pins. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.
I only take it with me for off road recovery and so far haven't had to use it thankfully lol
@@JohnDrivesAnything , It is an unbeatable jack, but only when it works properly. I would rather see it priced a bit higher and work smoother.
Darwin assisters! LOL. Cracked me up! You do have to use some common sense and some safety sense on these. But they are used all over the place, not just for cars and trucks. They're used on farms all over the place too. Great tool!
Common snese isn't too common these days
very good improv, lifting by the wheel, except for one consideration: could be a little hard on the wheel bearings and/or axle, particularly in the 3rd member. Like he said, getting stands under it to take the weight off that wheel would be pretty imperative.
If your wheel bearing can't hold up the whole vehicle, it will never take hitting a pothole, or turning a corner. Best to identify this incredibly pansy wheel bearing right in the driveway. Why just today, I was doing 60 mph, and counted on my left front wheel bearing to turn my vehicle and take a big hit from a pothole. Thank god it was up to the task. My coffee cup didn't perform as well, but I knew I was risking it with an open cup.
Lots of horror stories of these things in message boards .I don't feel any impending doom using it.
There's a off road accessory to give it a fatter base so that it's more stable and doesn't sink into dirt or sand. Once I get out to the desert again I'm picking it up.
Hi-Lifts are cool I like them, maybe people googling them will find this video and see they aren't too bad.
Just what I did, thanks for sharing!
I can see how this jack could be dangerous in the wrong hands, but I agree as long as you se it correctly, you should be ok.
Reminds me of an old bumper jack but more high tech.
Why do you turn the spring clip before lifting ??? You'd better keep it allways in front of the rail, so it can clip the lever in the upper position in case of problem !
Appreciate the tip
Yeah, I like the ramps too if possible. My blue Cobra has been on jack stands now for the past 2 months straight. I guess it is a good endurance test for my jack stands. I can't imagine dying from a car falling on my chest. Ouch!
According to the US Government, every year up to 70,000 people are injured in jack related accidents. Usually the accident could have been prevented if the vehicle had been chocked to prevent it from moving which causes the jack to fail. The first thing to do is chock at least the wheel diagonal from the wheel your lifting. Then as you pointed out, a jack stand should be used to support the load. This is true of Hi-Lift or any other type jack. Safety first!!
Damn that;s a lot of injured people!
Jesus, do you troll every jack related TH-cam video with the same "US Government..." random statistic? This is literally the 3rd exact verbatim post I've caught from you over the last 4 months or so. I'm curious, how is "up to" 70,000 people an actual fact? Its either a specific number done by survey or pure speculation.
Deathproof, any number from negative infinity to 70,000 falls in the "up to 70,000" range. In fact, I have up to $70,000 dollars in my pocket right now. It might only be five or ten, but it's up to 70,000. And who exactly speaks for the US government? If the guy sweeping the floor at the post office says it, is that "according to the US government?" According to my lower torso, Richard is full of crap.
4 out of 5 dentists agree. 20% of dentists are stupid and should be executed.
This is a safer version of the bumper jacks that came with all cars from the 1960...
you need to block the tires, as lifting with a any narrow jack the car can roll.
I would never get under any load carried by any jack of any type without stands or blocks.
if it can move it will move.
I use jack stands even when I use a floor jack. Better to be safe then dead.
If there is anything unsafe about this jack its just that there seems to be potential for a lot of unorthodox/hillbilly type usage.
And the fact that it does lift so high that should the vehicle move its more likely to become unstable than a lower jack.
I dont see an issue with it if you use common sense.
I can't even watch hi-lift fail videos, brutal!
Well done sir!
What are the Size (dimensions), Make & Model of your Wheels please?
th-cam.com/video/1ZLl0egMQ9A/w-d-xo.html
There you go man
i jack my vehicle but dont have a hi lift i just rub the exhaust pipe is that ok too
RedesCat yeah that's ok
Oldie but goodie
I was actually leaning to the left when watching this video. lol
+Tom Marshall
It's like you were there =P
You’re a brave man
There's some brutal accident videos on this thing on youtube
Darwin needs more assistance 🤪 this would have saved my rear in the dessert. I just carry a 3ton . It’s not for of highway 😵💫
Man my old van did look good in the back with rims! I got this stuck in the desert when it was stock height. Took me 4 hours to shovel it out. Since then I roll with a hi-lift. The hi-ift on my bumper is this very same hi-lift from my first build
Thank you sir
It looks like them old bumper jacks on old cars.
Love the Darwin references! LOL
This thing looks dangerous. You would think people would be extra careful around it
I’ve been around them my whole life. Learned young to respect them.
They can be deadly if not respected.
@@harryballzack I see some nasty injuries in recommended video suggestions
Yup! “Basic common sense or Darwin will take you out.”
THE BEST WAY TO SAY IT!
I'm thinking the way you lift by rim holes? Scares me as far as potential to damage a rim? Especially cast aluminum rims? I mean I don't know for a fact but I just don't like it!
I wouldn't use it as a go to method of lifting.
Quick flat tire change I''m not to worried. If I'm stuck somewhere I'm lifting from the tow hitch.
Don't use cast aluminium rims. They're hazardous by themselves.
Any machine used without good sense with safety in mind can kill. You don't stand under a load, right?
Never forget:"Stupid is SUPPOSED to hurt." Some learn by doing stupid things, some learn by watching others do stupid things.
+john hanrahan
That's why chainsaws have warnings to not put your hand on the blade when it's on
+AutomotiveVlog Well, as Ron White says,"Ya can't fix 'stupid'".
But, how do you change the wheel when the jack is hooked to it?
Jack Stands
AutomotiveVlog Jack stands on the trail?
If you wheel often it's just wise to have another jack point like rock rails or use the receiver hitch. On road just do this technique and jackstands.
If you're changing a wheel, here's an idea, use the jack that is made for changing the wheel. Your rig came with one. These are awesome offroad tools, but as noted, don't get under the thing. If you aren't clever enough to change a tire, you definitely should not be offroading, and you should not be using a hi-lift. It's very dangerous. Stay in town, stay where you have cell phone coverage, and keep a smart friend on speed dial.
My van didn't come with a factory jack. I'm guessing the previous owner sold it to get candy money.
Let's see you change that tire now...
Ok doing it right now
other than working on suspension what use is this jack?
Lifting your vehicle off the ground high enough to slide boards under your vehicle it it's stuck in the sand or dirt.
They are a fantastic offroad jack, for getting yourself unstuck. You can take a high-centered rig and do a complete 180 with only 2 feet more width than the vehicle is long. You can jack it up and put things under the tire. You can jack it up and push it over to move sideways. They work as a hand winch (although I consider them a backup since it's clunky). When you've peeled a bead and are stuck, you can get the tire up so your compressor can reseat it. They also pull fence posts out of the ground. Very versatile.
You can use it to press exhaust pipes apart. You can use it to winch a vehicle. You can use it to straighten a truck frame. You can use it to spread a vehicle roof to get someone out of a rolled car. You can use it to break tire beads for dismount. You can pull posts and even some trees out of the ground.
is he changing the tire
No I'm just doing a demo on how this works.
much rather use a floor jack. much easier, faster, and safer. Plus if you need to change a tire this is useless with the lift mate thing. Even without that its hard to find a place to jack on newer cars with these, too much plastic. or even better for what he seems to be trying to accomplish use ramps, a lot safer than any jack.
+the stig mach 1
Floor Jacks are way safer. PRoblem is the sand is brutal to them. Ruined a floor jack when I got stuck in the sand once. That and they are very heavy.
+AutomotiveVlog that is very true. same with mud. hi lift Jack's do have their place but maintenence in the driveway isn't one of them.
the stig mach 1
For sure. This was just a demo to show that it can lift a pretty big vehicle. Floor jacks all the way for driveway jobs.
thestigmach1 You wouldn't use a floor jack to tweak a frame in the driveway. :)
That's total bulldust! Used with some common sense and you can't beat them.
People lack common sense even though it's common
he proving nothing who needs it if you cant change a tire and i would not hook up to my rims
No point in owning one if you're not going to use it in a emergency.
i did it improperly, and it only broke an arm.
+Trent Nelson
Get well soon sir
AutomotiveVlog this was years ago.
Trent Nelson So you'd rather he wished you got worse? Or, how about Have a monotonous day.
But I'd like to think your brain got stronger. I'm a kinetic learner too. I learn when something hits me.
dont jack me around lol
Only thing unsafe about it is trying to film while having a seizure.
Hope you had your seizure meds next to you while watching this buddy.
Are ya Canadien, eh?
No sir
A+
common sense.... you said it,
and yet it's not a common trait to have.....
NEVER TAKE YOUR HAND OFF THAT HANDLE UNLESS YOU KNOW THE JACK IS LOCKED IN AND THE HANDLE IS VERTICAL AGAINST THE SLOTTED BAR!! NEVER... IT WILL KNOCK YOUR TEETH OUT IF YOU DON'T. Always safety check it. Worned LOCK ASS'Y should be replaced ASAP if the lock isn't locking properly.
Hi-Lift accident videos are freaking brutal!
It’s only as dangerous as any other tool you use incorrectly.
Appreciate the comment. How did you find this video. TH-cam was pushing it hard 5 years ago and the last 5 years I don't think it's gotten any views.
Yeah if you're safe they are fine. but if you have a car fully lifted and start beating the jack with the tire iron yeah shits gonna happen
Common sense is not so common
True. Hey i just used one of these on my truck to change the leaf spring. to get the weight off the frame. i was nervous at first but it turned out to be very stable actually and made the job way easier.
Cool man, what did you lift?
1993 F-150 it weighs 3 tons but it was the back leaf spring. so it wasn't really lifting that much.but i had it pretty high. i had too because they were so rusted together it was almost impossible to get them apart. two broke so i just replaced those 2 in the middle so i wouldn't have to deal with the rusty shackle and bracket.
just kidding
Widow makers? More like Darwin award identifier. Amirite?
The Tide Pod of automotive tools
sketchy
How so
First
Sorry... I think that if you can't show viewers how to do things the right way you shouldn't put a video that's based on safety. You using the Hi-Lift Jack with one hand and then posting on the video that to be ever "Safer" you should use the Jack with both hands is wrong. Just because it's a Demo and you're filming with your other hand doesn't make it OK, to do it. Isn't that the point of the video. Having it titled "The Widow Maker and Dangerous" and you end up doing something that people have claimed has killed or injured others is Hypocracy.
Appreciate the input
lol Darwin
jaymanxxxx j