High-Lift Jacks

[marakasmalan]

The Humble Bottle jack can do amazing things, and is a reliable piece of kit if well maintained. If you get a 2tons or 4ton bottle jack and a carry a good 2" timber base board for it, you will probably get yourself out of crap 9 times out of 10.

Low tech, high impact!

[Grant]

Would not leave home with out my Hi Lift Jack. Have used it to take tyre of the rim and like Oupa Mac says you will need it only when you deceided not to pack it in. Lastly if you have a 76 mm exhaust or bigger, the air jack as they are will not work . Found this out when I got my Takla air jack.

[Peter Connan]

I am a big believer in the high-lift jack, but it does have severe limitations and without proper preparation it's a flippin dangerous piece of kit. On a heavy car like the Patrol, it's flippen difficult to use and you really need three or four people.

The biggest danger (apart from switching the change lever with the main lever in the dow position, in which case it'l swing up and break your jaw) is that it is by nature unstable, but this is at the same time it's biggest advantage.

I have used a high-lift jack to right a vehicle that had fallen into a hole and was lying on it's side, and I can't think of another jack that can achieve that.

In my opinion the hi-lift jack's biggest advantage is that it can be used to move the vehicle, rather than just to lift it. For example, in a situation where the middleman is too high or one wheel has fallen into a hole, you can basically put the vehicle down next to the obstacle.

It has numerous other advantages too, such as that it can be used as a winch, vice, tire de-beader and numerous other jobs.

However, if you want to change a flat, use something else. Furthermore, it's nearly useless on it's own. You need at the very least several points on the vehicle to jack up on, one in the middle both front and rear, and preferably also at each corner as well as on the running boards. You can only really use it to change wheels if you have lifting points on the runner boards. Secondly you need a large footplate, otherwise it is useless in sad or mud. A wheel buddy or several straps are also usefull.And to use it a s a winch, you will need cables or chains as well.

On the Patrol, the spare wheel on the door as a huge problem when using a hi-lift jack.

As a recovery tool, it can't totally replace a spade, but in those jobs where it can work, it's a helluva lot faster and easier.

[Aries66]

Peter ek stem volkome saam met jou oor die hi lift jack. Dit eerste wat ek seker maak is in as ek ry, dit het my al uit menige situasies gered. Weet hy kan 'n gevaarlike stuk toerusting wees, maar hanteer hom vir dit waarvoor hy gemaak en ontwerp is en ken jou eie perke en die van die "jack" en julle sal beslis die nut en voordeel sien.

Dit maar my

Groete
Louis

[dieselfan]

You can also push a vehicle off the air jack like we do with a Hi Lift, but with less risk as the jack doesn't wack you or your car...I honestly think more people should try the air jack. Slap on to the exhaust NO effort from you, just idle and within seconds your car is up.

In the caravan example, I put it under the A Frame, connected it to exhaust as it lifted I unhitched and move it to the side, then remove it from exhaust and it drops SLOWLY (I didn't lock the one way valve), push it under my car and lift again. It's just SO SO easy.

I've put mine under the bash plate and lifted both front wheels in one go, no articulation issues. When stuck in sand, chuck it under the spare wheel (yup mines a Pathfinder ;)) and lift up the entire back in 10 to 15 secs once again NO SWEAT no fuss.

When you in the desert at 40C you really don't want a Hi Lift. Your french flows just as smooth as your sweat.

The air jack / bag is also very light. Sometimes though I get confused between it and my wife WWW

[dieselfan]

When I first got it years ago, I put it under the side of my chassis and lifted my car to around 30 degrees. I left the car like that for two hours and measured the height not 1cm drop. So I wouldn't get under the car but it's safe enough to change a tyre infact both at the same time.

[Russ Kellermann]

Couple questions

How would an Airjack affect the motor in terms of excess exhaust back pressure?
Could that not be detrimental to the motor?
Does one need to keep the motor running or would one turn off engine once inflated?
How robust are these things, i always imagine them bursting?
Can they be inflated say 30% pr 60% or do they have to be inflated 100%

[Grant]

Russ,

The best unit on the market is the Takla air jack. Best is to call Takla themselves. Sold many of these and never a comeback.

http://www.takla.co.za/prod03.htm

[dieselfan]

Couple questions

How would an Airjack affect the motor in terms of excess exhaust back pressure?
Could that not be detrimental to the motor?
Does one need to keep the motor running or would one turn off engine once inflated?
How robust are these things, i always imagine them bursting?
Can they be inflated say 30% pr 60% or do they have to be inflated 100%

They work on a TON rating, I bought two initially and broke the one testing it. Both were rated to two tons, I reckon thats fine for HALF the car? I tested it to +-5 before bursting.

The second I kept. If it bursts it's not a sudden deflation.

It has a lock to prevent leakage once full ie one way valve. This is what I tested for two hours.

Not sure about back pressure but they are volume based not very high pressure. The idea is lots of air over a larger surface area. Some have schrader valves in addition so it should be easy to check pressure. Mine doesn't and is and old unit when the first came out, NOT Takla.

You start your motor, it has a funnel on one end, you hold that on your exhaust - some leakage around the exhaust but it pumps in seconds - rpm doesn't even change. Then when high enough (+-15 sec maybe less, rev it and its 3) you release off exhaust, you HOLD it there so you can feel any pressure. The fitment on the exhaust is not air tight. It's very calm and controlled.

First time I used on my Golf...bliksem.

Like I said it unhitched a bloody heavy caravan in the worst sand ever. Then deflate, move and inflate not even 60 secs. I've got bruises and sore muscles from my HiLift but from this just black hands

[Peter Connan]

Roy, I am sure the air jack is a magic piec of kit, but to my mind (while it is certainly less effort than any other jack) it is still not as usefull, and it is quite bulky.

Since space is one of my major constraints, I can only choose one of the two.

Marnus, do not discount the "farm jack" sold by Adendorf's. It is nearly as good as a genuine (I have owned both and the South African equivalent, which is in many ways the best of the lot but not made anymore) at half the price.