SAFETY FIRST
The damage that a high-lift jack can do to you and your vehicle can often put people off using them. There are a few points to remember to ensure your safety.
1 HAND PROTECTION
Even if you’ve got tougher hands than Kiewiet from Kakamas who catches porcupines barehanded, it’s smart to wear gloves when you’re using the high-lift jack. Not only will it help keep your hands clean, but if your finger gets stuck in one of the moving parts of the high-lift jack, chances are better that you’ll just have a blue nail, instead of a missing finger.
2 CHIN UP (AND AWAY)
If you’re using the lever to pump the jack up and down, always stand with your head and jaw far away from the arc that the lever moves in. If you are lifting a vehicle, the force is concentrated in the downward-motion of the lever. If you are lowering your vehicle again, the force is concentrated in the upward motion of the lever. Should the lever slip out from under your hand, there is a large amount of the vehicle’s weight moving the lever up and down, and you can just imagine how much damage such a lever could do to a jawbone or wrist that gets in its way. A handy tip to ensure that you keep all appendages out of the danger zone is to bend your back and knees when pulling the lever, instead of using your body weight to push or pull it up or down.
3 STAND UP STRAIGHT
When you’re finished lifting the vehicle and you aren’t using the jack, stow the lever away in the upright position. You can even use a rope or strap to keep it there. The lever just needs the slightest touch to fall, and if that happens you can get pinned under your vehicle. NEVER work under a vehicle that has been raised with a high-lift jack. It’s a very unstable type of jack, but there’s a reason for that (we explain why on the next page).