Jim:
Please warn your readers of the potential dangers of using a Hi-Lift jack (a.k.a. farm jack [or Sheepherder’s jack]). I am a member of a local Jeep club and while we require each Jeep have one on outings, we don’t allow anyone to use theirs unless they’ve been trained in their use. People have been killed by these crude (but necessary) machines and many, many, many have been injured. A fellow in our club had his jaw broken and cheekbone fractured years ago when lowering his Jeep after doing a trailside repair. When raising a load do everything to prevent your head or body from being directly above the handle. Make sure you move the handle through the entire range of travel and watch the “dogs” or pins to ensure they are engaging the beam holes and walking up the way they should. When you reach the desired height, leave the handle in the fully up position. Use a bungee cord to secure it in this position. Lowering a load is probably the most dangerous process of using the jack. Again, keep your head and body out of range of the handle. Once the handle “clicks” into position at the bottom of the stroke the entire load will literally be in your hands. Anticipate an immediate load pushing the handle upward! This is where most injuries occur. Work the handle through the entire range of movement and keep watching those pins to make sure they are engaging properly. Keep in mind too that these jacks aren’t terribly stable, do everything you can to help brace and/or support the load before you ever consider getting under a vehicle while using one of these. I suggest some experimentation with these jacks at home, on a level driveway, etc. before ever attempting to use one in the field. Furthermore, I recommend you buy nothing but the actual Hi-Lift brand jack manufactured by Bloomfield Manufacturing Co. You can download a safety brochure in .PDF format from their site. Don’t risk your life using some cheap Chinese jack sold at a discount tool shop (good luck getting replacement parts for these anyway). Bloomfield makes rebuild kits and replacement parts for all their products – always keep a Hi-Lift rebuild kit in your rig. In addition to lifting your vehicle, these jacks can be used in combination with tow straps/tree straps and used as winches. They can also be used as big clamps, presses and spreaders. Regards, – Tanker
JWR Adds: Thanks for sending those tips. In addition to vehicular use, we have found our aging but still quite serviceable pair of 47″ Hi-Lift jacks to be indispensable around the Rawles Ranch. Most frequently we use them for pulling old fence posts. Bolting on a two-foot length of heavy chain just below the lifting surface (using a large Grade 8 nut and bolt) adds tremendously to a jack’s versatility for tasks like fence post pulling. I agree that it is important to keep a factory (white box) rebuild kit handy. But the most important thing to keep in mind is to keep the jack’s pair of pins well lubricated. Typically, people abuse their jacks–leaving them out in the rain. The pins rust, and then then the pins get stubborn. If a pin gets stuck in the out position while you are lifting a load, it can be a very bad thing!