TORQUETALK
The high-lift jack was invented 115 years ago and originally called a farm jack or railroad jack.
AS four-wheelers we refer to them as hi-lift jacks these days and generally consider them to be an off-road jack, however they have many uses, and not just off-road. I recently used my own hi-lift on the farm while repairing a gate hinge that had been bent.
How the gate was damaged is another story but it got me thinking about the versatility of the high-lift jack or as it was originally called, a farm jack and here I was using it on “the farm”.
These days the hi-lift jack is a popular item in any good off road recovery kit for four wheel drivers but can be a deadly item if used incorrectly. Like the ‘ farm’ jack, invented in 1905, a hi-lift jack consists of a steel beam with a series of equally spaced holes along its length, and a hand-operated mechanism which can be moved from one end of the beam to the other through the use of a pair of climbing pins. Typical sizes for the farm jack are four feet (1.2m), five feet (1.5m) and six feet (1.8m) referring to the length of the beam. Yes, the lengths are still listed as imperial even in today’s metric world.
The jack works with two climbing pins on the high-lift runner that alternate up the bar’s series of holes. One pin holds the load as the other is freed and moved to the next hole above when raising or below when lowering. As you pull down on the handle of a hi-lift jack, the bottom pin is held in position and the top pin moves up the bar. As you raise the handle the bottom pin climbs to the next hole.
A hi-lift jack is simplistic in operation and, when maintained properly, can last a lifetime, but can also be a very dangerous piece of equipment in use with the potential to cause smashed fingers, missing teeth, and concussions. That doesn’t mean that you need to be afraid of these tools. You just need to have a healthy respect for them and learn how to use them properly.
The trick is to learn the easy way and not the hard way.
I have witnessed a friend get hit in the side of the face with the handle when they didn’t have a good grip of it in use jacking up a vehicle 30 plus years ago. He was lucky with the injury limited to bruising on the side of his face and a massive headache.
The hi-lift is so versatile that it can be used to lift a vehicle to change a wheel, to pack under the wheels or to lift a vehicle and then push it over to one side to get clear of ruts; it can be used as a winch, as a clamp or for simple pushing and pulling. It is this versatility, along with the long travel it offers and its relative portability, which make the farm jack so popular with 4WDrivers.
Over the years I have used the hi-lift jack as a hand winch to get out of trouble, either to recovery backwards when on my own, or for a vehicle without a fitted winch. A good snig chain is ideal so that you can adjust the length as the pull is only as long as your jack’s beam before you have to reset. Don’t be tempted to use the snatch strap to winch with as the stretch in the rope will invariably exceed the length of the jack beam as well as being extremely dangerous.
There are many different types of farm and/or hi-lift jacks available these days but they are not all equal with some using a steel beam and others cast. Some of the cheaper brands have been known to bend under load.
When jacking up a vehicle with a hi-lift jack the vehicle can quickly become unstable but you can use this to your advantage to slew the vehicle sideways out of deep ruts although a couple of ‘helpers’ each side of the vehicle to steady it until you are ready to swing the vehicle sideways and let the jack fall are always handy.
Obviously many modern vehicles don’t have bumpers suitable to jack off but there are ways to still use the high-lift jack with an attachment hook that hooks onto the spokes of a wheel. On one occasion I used the toe in the removable tow hitch after the hitch had been removed.
Due to their size many owners mount their jacks on the outside of the vehicle either on the back or on the roof rack. Good handy locations for access when you need to use it , though these also leave the jack vulnerable to dirt and seizing up the mechanism.
Quite often I have seen people get their jack out for it to be stiff or for the pins not work at all , so regular maintenance is very important, especially if its outside the vehicle.
When not using the jack ideally keep it inside or if outside use a hi-lift cover. Keep the jack clean from dust and dirt and regularly oil or lubricate the mechanism and climbing pins. Inspect the pins and springs for wear and if worn replace them. There are service kits available with replacement components.
The hi-lift jack is a versatile tool to have whether four wheeling or around the farm and will last you many years if looked after. Both of mine are around 30 years old now.