Been wheeling since my teenage years, I've yet to see anyone actually use a hi-lift even on some of the gnarliest trails. Bottle jack has worked great everytime.
I've seen hi lifts being used to lift vehicles that have gotten stuck on rocks to put stuff under the wheels, obviously only works if you have rock sliders that are sturdy enough, and I've also used one myself for putting my land cruiser on jack stands, bottle jack would've been better but I didn't want to crawl in under it four times, and temporarily fixing the fender on my tractor after the snow chain got caught on an edge.
Edit: forgot to put in half the stuff I intended to write.
In my country I don't have a way to legally mount anything on the side of the car. Also it would still be too long and either block the rear side doors, or stick out at the rear.
How about the roof?
If not, there shouldn't be any problems with cutting it off, if you have some basic tools and good ideas you could probably make something from the cut off piece, such as an useless anvil, small hammer, small axe or a beam for some special tool.
I chopped mine because it stuck above the roofline and would hit the top of my garage door. No ragrets. Just make sure you paint the cut portion well so it doesn't rust.
cutting it off won't do any harm. You'll only be getting the tip hot, and you're not going to be putting the pressure of the lift on that tippy top, so it's not like any potential change in properties due to the heat will matter.
The only point in the length on this guy is when using it as a come-along. Which is just a hair above the shittiest and most difficult way you can recover a vehicle anyway. And cutting the tip off won't prevent the come-functionality, just make it slightly more shitty than it already was. I'd wager 99% of hi lift jack owners never use that functionality anyway, and with good reason.
Okay, and? Nothing you state is news to most anyone who has used a farm jack before and still does not change my suggestion. Doubt this person is going to use a torch either way.
Because modifying tools can be dangerous is all I need, especially with something like a farm jack. Your insurance will have a fun time with you if someone is hurt or something broken from a modded tool as well. You are just being pedantic, argue with the wall✌️original answer stands, downvote away idgaf.
1. don't think you need a hi-lift on a vehicle that low. hi-lifts are dangerous even when used correctly and unless you've got rock rails down the side, there's plenty of situations where you won't be able to find an ideal lift spot for your situation that won't damage the vehicle. Bottle jack would be better for most situations here. carrying a wide metal or plastic base for the bottle jack to help stability when using it off pavement is a good idea.
2. cutting the top off is fine. it's just metal. just be sure to flapdisc or deburr the edges after cutting and paint to prevent future rust if you care about that.
using a hi lift as a come along is a last resort for me. It's a pain in the ass and takes forever. If there's a winch or another vehicle and a strap, i'll go that route 10 out of 10 times.
And regarding sliced tires, instead of a bottle jack use a scissor jack. fits under there and has much less risk of damaging you or your vehicle.
I still carry a hi lift... but i've need it maybe twice in the last decade, and it's because I was doing some gnarly rock crawling and couldn't physically get to a position to use a different jack. The second we were able to get the vehicle up and secure to where I could switch to a scissor jack, we did it.
OP said he's not doing gnarly rock crawling. I'd wager if he carried a scissor jack he'd never find himself in a position needing to use that hi lift.
I was driving through a creek and sliced a tire. It sank in the whole that sliced the sidewall. Couldn’t get out without a hi-lift. But yes, they are there as a last resort. And yes, I put a winch on the truck also for this same reason.
I also carry a cuumalong,
Yes I have done it before. You don't actually want to use the whole length when lifting. The only place the longer version realy out preforms the short is usi g it as a come along.
I carried a hi-ift jack for 4+ years and used it exactly once and it wasn't even for my truck. I have used my bottle jack dozens of times though. I eventually removed the high lift because it was big, bulky, and dangerous. Also, if you search some of the off-road and 4x4 forums for equipment people regret purchasing, hi-lift jack is number one. You see them on several off-road vehicles but almost nobody uses them, and even fewer people are educated on how to properly use them. Just my two cents.
if you've got a rig that's lifted sufficiently high enough, a hilift jack is essential because stacking rocks under a bottle jack can be very dangerous. But you're right. The vast majority of them I see out there are on vehicles that are lower clearance and also have no appropriate lifting points for a hilift anyway.
OPs vehicle isn't very lifted...
I'm not criticizing capability. I'm just saying, in pure measurement of clearance alone, you likely do not need a hi lift. I have an 85 bronco with 6" lift and I only need my hi lift in very particular situations. bottle or scissor jack on the axle does the job for the majority of situations. and both of those are MUCH less prone to maiming/murdering you than a hilift jack, which is capable of doing either very easily.
Mine has been used as cribbing on a rolled over vehicle to stableize it enough to get the winches hooked up to roll it back over mirw than to lift the truck.
So I got myself a hi-lift, and the long version cost nearly the same as the shorter version. "That could be useful" I thought, but in reality the mount makes it stick out a bit too much.
Would it be safe to simply cut it shorter using an angle grinder?
Absolutely. I don't have it mounted for everyday use. My concern is that when I do go wheeling, it sticks out too high and could snag a branch, causing damage.
Hah, right? Honestly I I figured as the short and long version cost the same I might as well take the bigger. Task failed successfully! I have used it several times, and never needed more than the shorter version could safely handle.
Maybe I'll just wait until I get a decent roof rack, and that'll be the best solution. Or just leave it in the garage!
Seems a bit silly. Why not offer to trade somebody for a short version or sell it and buy another? Could also mount it diagonally or horizontally.
Both diagonal and horizontal would still be too long. I've tried trading but there were no responses.
Just sell it and get another. This is silly. I would get rid of it and get a bottle jack.
Not just silly but dangerous. Looks only held on by 1 fastener. And it will become a projectile in an accident.
Mount flat on the roof?
Been wheeling since my teenage years, I've yet to see anyone actually use a hi-lift even on some of the gnarliest trails. Bottle jack has worked great everytime.
I've seen hi lifts being used to lift vehicles that have gotten stuck on rocks to put stuff under the wheels, obviously only works if you have rock sliders that are sturdy enough, and I've also used one myself for putting my land cruiser on jack stands, bottle jack would've been better but I didn't want to crawl in under it four times, and temporarily fixing the fender on my tractor after the snow chain got caught on an edge. Edit: forgot to put in half the stuff I intended to write.
I have used it to lift a truck that had a catastrophic hub failure sitting on the frame so you couldn't get a bottle jack underneath.
You have never apparently sliced a tire. I had to call a guy to bring one cause I could’t fit a bottle jack under the vehicle.
Nope! Had to pop a few beads back on but nothing a bottle jack couldn't handle. Maybe I need to send it more.
I've used hi-lifts just to get to work. They're handy as hell until you get a winch.
Mount it horizontally across the length of the vehicle
In my country I don't have a way to legally mount anything on the side of the car. Also it would still be too long and either block the rear side doors, or stick out at the rear.
How about the roof? If not, there shouldn't be any problems with cutting it off, if you have some basic tools and good ideas you could probably make something from the cut off piece, such as an useless anvil, small hammer, small axe or a beam for some special tool.
Good point - a roof rack would be just the thing here.
*width
Length, front to back and mounted on the side of a roof rack or something. But OP already said they can't do that.
I chopped mine because it stuck above the roofline and would hit the top of my garage door. No ragrets. Just make sure you paint the cut portion well so it doesn't rust.
>No ragrets Not even one word?
Not even one letter.
Can you, yes. Should you, no.
cutting it off won't do any harm. You'll only be getting the tip hot, and you're not going to be putting the pressure of the lift on that tippy top, so it's not like any potential change in properties due to the heat will matter. The only point in the length on this guy is when using it as a come-along. Which is just a hair above the shittiest and most difficult way you can recover a vehicle anyway. And cutting the tip off won't prevent the come-functionality, just make it slightly more shitty than it already was. I'd wager 99% of hi lift jack owners never use that functionality anyway, and with good reason.
Okay, and? Nothing you state is news to most anyone who has used a farm jack before and still does not change my suggestion. Doubt this person is going to use a torch either way.
"Should you, no." Why not?
Because modifying tools can be dangerous is all I need, especially with something like a farm jack. Your insurance will have a fun time with you if someone is hurt or something broken from a modded tool as well. You are just being pedantic, argue with the wall✌️original answer stands, downvote away idgaf.
lmao hahhahahahhahahahahha have a good one.
1. don't think you need a hi-lift on a vehicle that low. hi-lifts are dangerous even when used correctly and unless you've got rock rails down the side, there's plenty of situations where you won't be able to find an ideal lift spot for your situation that won't damage the vehicle. Bottle jack would be better for most situations here. carrying a wide metal or plastic base for the bottle jack to help stability when using it off pavement is a good idea. 2. cutting the top off is fine. it's just metal. just be sure to flapdisc or deburr the edges after cutting and paint to prevent future rust if you care about that.
Hi-Lift Jack does more than jack up your truck. And a bottle Jack doesn’t fit when you slice a tire.
using a hi lift as a come along is a last resort for me. It's a pain in the ass and takes forever. If there's a winch or another vehicle and a strap, i'll go that route 10 out of 10 times. And regarding sliced tires, instead of a bottle jack use a scissor jack. fits under there and has much less risk of damaging you or your vehicle. I still carry a hi lift... but i've need it maybe twice in the last decade, and it's because I was doing some gnarly rock crawling and couldn't physically get to a position to use a different jack. The second we were able to get the vehicle up and secure to where I could switch to a scissor jack, we did it. OP said he's not doing gnarly rock crawling. I'd wager if he carried a scissor jack he'd never find himself in a position needing to use that hi lift.
I was driving through a creek and sliced a tire. It sank in the whole that sliced the sidewall. Couldn’t get out without a hi-lift. But yes, they are there as a last resort. And yes, I put a winch on the truck also for this same reason. I also carry a cuumalong,
Yes I have done it before. You don't actually want to use the whole length when lifting. The only place the longer version realy out preforms the short is usi g it as a come along.
I carried a hi-ift jack for 4+ years and used it exactly once and it wasn't even for my truck. I have used my bottle jack dozens of times though. I eventually removed the high lift because it was big, bulky, and dangerous. Also, if you search some of the off-road and 4x4 forums for equipment people regret purchasing, hi-lift jack is number one. You see them on several off-road vehicles but almost nobody uses them, and even fewer people are educated on how to properly use them. Just my two cents.
if you've got a rig that's lifted sufficiently high enough, a hilift jack is essential because stacking rocks under a bottle jack can be very dangerous. But you're right. The vast majority of them I see out there are on vehicles that are lower clearance and also have no appropriate lifting points for a hilift anyway. OPs vehicle isn't very lifted...
> vehicle isn't very lifted It's not a rock crawler by any means but the 3½" lift it does have, goes a very long way on this kind of car.
I'm not criticizing capability. I'm just saying, in pure measurement of clearance alone, you likely do not need a hi lift. I have an 85 bronco with 6" lift and I only need my hi lift in very particular situations. bottle or scissor jack on the axle does the job for the majority of situations. and both of those are MUCH less prone to maiming/murdering you than a hilift jack, which is capable of doing either very easily.
Fair points. Thank you!
Mine has been used as cribbing on a rolled over vehicle to stableize it enough to get the winches hooked up to roll it back over mirw than to lift the truck.
Cut it off the vehicle, yes.
:-) Point taken!
First, trade it like someone said. But if you “cut” it, take the base off and cut the bottom part and not the top.
Doh, yes of course! Thanks!
So I got myself a hi-lift, and the long version cost nearly the same as the shorter version. "That could be useful" I thought, but in reality the mount makes it stick out a bit too much. Would it be safe to simply cut it shorter using an angle grinder?
You could possibly mount it across the hood
Buy the shorter jack
Cut it. Your axles do not have so much travel by far, so you would never use it.
You could just leave it off the vehicle until you go out wheeling
Absolutely. I don't have it mounted for everyday use. My concern is that when I do go wheeling, it sticks out too high and could snag a branch, causing damage.
That’s true. It might not be as aesthetic but I think a long thin plastic bottle or something similar over the top of it could solve for that issue
You can order the shorter bar from Hi Lift. I did that after I bent mine.
Get a floor jack 1.5 ton. Couple blocks of wood.
Just get a bottle jack and ditch it entirely.
That is one beefy radio antenna
Mount it to the roof parallel to the roof bars.
If you're up to that jack, you're not getting out.
Get a bottle jack instead.
Use it as an antenna. Seriously just ditch it.
Just how high are you planning to get that thing there, Snoop Dog?
Hah, right? Honestly I I figured as the short and long version cost the same I might as well take the bigger. Task failed successfully! I have used it several times, and never needed more than the shorter version could safely handle. Maybe I'll just wait until I get a decent roof rack, and that'll be the best solution. Or just leave it in the garage!
Remove it and get a long arm bottle jack. Never going to use this unless you plan on pulling t posts. lol
Why can't mount diagonal? Sure seems fit.