The Basics of Hi-Lift Jacks and How to Safely Use One

Every experienced off-road adventurer knows that at one point or another, you’re bound to get stuck in the middle of nowhere. For those who are unprepared, it’s a deal-breaker that ruins the experience, while for those who are prepared, it’s just part of the excitement that comes with the journey. That being said, you always want to be prepared for such occasions by carrying recovery equipment. But which tools fall under the category of recovery equipment? When browsing a 4×4 accessories store, you’ll come across a wide range of tools suitable for the job, including winches, Hi-Lift Jacks , recovery tracks, a wide range of recovery straps, and more. 

The winch is often the preferred choice by many adventurers, but those who are on a tighter budget tend to stay away from it. After all, is it worth paying thousands of dollars just for one piece of off-road equipment? Outfitting your rig with all the parts and accessories can end up costing several thousands of dollars, that many of us can’t afford to dedicate just for the occasional weekend of fun. Recovery tracks, on the other hand, while affordable, require a lot of effort to work. You’ll probably have to dig around your tyres for a while, which can be burdensome, especially if you get stuck knee-deep into the mud. It would require you to get your hands and feet dirty. For that reason, a lot of off-roaders end up purchasing hi lift jacks – a completely mechanical tool that is considered the middle-ground between winches and recovery tracks.

While 4×4 jacks also require some manual effort to pull your 4×4 out of a sticky situation, it’s far less than what you’d need to do with recovery tracks. The fact that off road jacks are 100% mechanical pieces of equipment means that there’s no room for any electrical failures, which isn’t the case with winches. However, on the downside, 4×4 jacks can be quite dangerous if not used properly. Since they put the entire weight of your vehicle on them, one wrong move can result in all that weight getting on top of you, resulting in serious injury, or worse. For that reason, knowing how to safely use a jack, and which accessories you should get alongside the jack, is essential to safely and successfully recover your vehicle.

Basic Workings of Hi-Lift Jacks

Hi-lift jacks, also known as high-lift jacks, have the same working mechanism since their inception about a century ago. Why fix something that ain’t broken? These useful tools take advantage of a ratcheting system that allows them to lift loads gradually. You do so by moving the handle either up and down to raise or lower the sliding mechanism along its central l-beam. The l-beam features holes that serve as a ladder to pin the mechanism. After every lifting or lowering stroke, the pin locks into one of the holes to secure the load. 

Types of Hi-Lift Jacks

Up until recently, hi-lift jacks came in a single iteration. The only difference between models was their maximum lifting height. However, that changed just a couple of years ago. The new type of hi-lift jack is basically a hybrid that uses a hydraulic mechanism rather than a mechanical mechanism for safer lifting. 

How to Safely Use a Hi-Lift Jack?

As briefly aforementioned, high-lift jacks can be very dangerous devices if used improperly. The higher something is lifted, the less stable it is. In the case of 4×4 vehicles, it gets even more dangerous, as more often than not, you’ll be on top of uneven ground. What many people don’t know, is that you can use jacks for a wide range of tasks, such as winching, spreading, pulling, clamping fence posts or stumps, and much more. However, since this article is focused on using jacks in off-road scenarios, I’ll stick to lifting vehicles. 

1. If possible, park your 4×4 on level and dry ground. Chances are this won’t be possible in off-roading scenarios, though.
2. Put chocks against the tyres, opposite of where you’ll be lifting the vehicle from. This will prevent rollbacks. If you don’t have chocks, take advantage of nearby logs or rocks.
3. Inspect the jack for damage or debris that might get in the way of the ratchet mechanism.
4. Place the jack under the designated lift points on your vehicle, or under your steel bull bar. If you don’t have designated lift points, or a steel bull bar, visit a 4×4 accessories store to get either-or. 
5. Place the base plate of the high-lift jack on an even, firm surface. If the surface is uneven, even it up as much as you can, or use a high-lift base attachment. 
6. Raise the handle on the sliding mechanism of the high-lift jack until it’s into the “up” position.
7. Start pulling the handle down and away until the clip spring releases. There shouldn’t be any tension on the handle when there isn’t a load to support.
8. Push the ratcheting mechanism with the handle or handle socket up the beam until the lifting tongue is secure on the lift point.
9. Ensure the area around the vehicle being lifted is clear.
10. Pull the handle down using both hands, and make sure your body and head are away from the gap that’s between the beam and handle.
11. The handle will be under tension once the jack starts supporting the load of your vehicle, so you have to keep a tight grip. If you let go of the handle, it will get back to the upright position very quickly. Keep pumping to raise your vehicle upwards.
12. When the 4×4 is at the intended height, place the handle upright again and secure it to the beam with the handle clip.
13. Before you start working on your vehicle, you should transfer the load to jack stands, which should ideally be placed as close to touching the support points.
14. Place the reversing latch down to the lowering position.
15. Hold the handle and slowly start pumping up and down to lower your 4×4 back to the ground.