mhead said:
I have a hi-lift and have jacked my '88 at various points. I installed rock rails (tublar kind) and have jacked from both the front and rear of the rails. The rails bend upwards a little and impact the body slightly so there is a little damage. Once done, these seem OK jacking points.
I also jacked via the rear bumper. This doesn't work well for two reasons: first, the only point I could find that looked like it could take the load is the point where the bumper bolts to the frame. There is a bolt head here so the jack slips. I made a 'U' bracket to keep the jack from slipping sideways. It lifts OK with this addition, at least no bending occurs. The second problem is that the jack tends to raise the entire rear of the vehicle. The very instant both rear tires clear the ground the rear end falls to one side or the other despite my best efforts to block the front wheels.
Another worry about the jack is that the vehicle weight tends to be towards the outer end of the jack platform. This puts a net rotational force on the jack so the base must not only hold the jack vertical but also resist outward rotation. On one lifting trial the base shot out from under the jack and dropped the vehicle. Only a test however and I never took the tires off. No damage.
I've installed a 2" tow receiver on the front of my '88. Jacking under this receiver works well and both front wheels come off the ground. Vehicle doesn't fall to either side since the rear wheels can be made immobile via the emergency brake.
In all jacking cases except my 'u' attachments there is an excellent possibilty that the jack platform will slide sideways unless very careful attention is paid to getting the jack vertical and weight of the vehicle at 90 degree angles to the surface where the jack contacts.
After all the above I must report that I've never actually used the hi-lift for anything but tests. I'll use it only as a last resort.
So hi-lifts are definitely a dicey thing....
I was actually going throu this thread, trying to see if someone has had the same experience I had. And I absolutely second the above.
When I lifted my XJ, I also got a Hi-Lift jack, having read all those ... life-saving stories.
According to Rusty, who sold me the Hi-Lift, I could use his tow-hooks to lift the front. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't figure out how to do it, so I called him and he said "Oh yeah, you need a special attachement". So I guess, I need to fab something for that end.
At the rear, my truck has a hitch. It is not your USA-typical, regular hitch with the square tube, in which you slide the part with the ball. It is just an iron bar with a ball at the end, but the whole thing is massively built and strong. So I tried to lift from the plate which supports the ball. Well, the whole XJ started going left and right, to the point that I lowered it on its wheels. I was frightened it might slip off the jack and fall, with various damaging effects.
I do not know how you guys manage to lift your trucks with the Hi-Lift, but even if I put on some rock rails, I do not know how to avoid slipage. Maybe I should put some U-shaped pieces underneath the bars, welded upside down, so that the jack's tongue goes in these?
I do not know, I just do not feel comfy with that thing. Not that there are many alternatives, especially in the dirt, but.....
