WTF is up with big jacks on jeeps and trucks prominently displayed?

[Viva]

I still have my original Hi Lift. Could use it on my Bronco and first Ranger due to the solid steel bumpers. Always stored inside, though. Currently it's stored in the tool box of my Toyota pickup. Haven't used that jack since June 1992. But it's indespensible should I flat on the trail ever again.

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[SB]

You should watch some off road video's First time you get high centered on a rock, log, roll over. you will understand.

You use them to lift your vehicle and kinda roll it off whatever your hung up on

Also used to change a tire and as a come along if you do not have a winch. They also are great fence post pullers.

[lifelinksplit]

I've used mine twice in the last month(on other people's rigs) but ya know I actually go off roading. Poor man's winch.

But yeah most of what you see are "overlanders". Slightly less annoying than #vanlife and much less annoying then fucking man buns.

[El Chupacabra]

FYI for those who have old Hi Lifts and insufficient modern bumpers - they sell a wheel adapter that lets you lift up a vehicle by the wheel. It has two hooks that latch onto the wheel spokes. Not ideal for changing a flat, but it'll help if you're high centered.

I don't understand why anyone would mount a Hi Lift externally without using a jack cover, which they also sell.

Mine lives in the space between the camper and truck bed, with a wheel adapter, in a jack cover, so it won't rust into uselessness. The factory jack on my truck isn't strong enough to lift it with the camper on board. The Hi Lift is.

[frorider]

Poor man’s winch is right.

For tire issues etc, I was taught years ago that a decent bottle jack with extensions and a baseplate was much more effective than a hi lift. https://safejacks.com/collections/bo...th-bottle-jack

I see all kinds of rigs with shiny shovels and jacks attached. Doesn’t bother me particularly. Most drivers are under equipped (winter driving with no emergency gear etc) so if some posers are driving around over equipped it may come in handy that one time they’re in the boonies.

[that dude who did that thing]

Sometimes that hick runs into his own troubles where they come in handy.

Attachment 226108

I do think dudes that use grade 3 bolts to hold an 80 lb steel missile to their hoods a couple feet from their heads are morons.

PS. They are also good for pulling t-posts.

Strong work on loading that trailer. The guys who keep shiny jacks on their hoods would have had their camping gear spread out all over that mountainside. But to their unintentional credit, they'd have had an easier job righting their empty trailer.

[El Chupacabra]

Strong work on loading that trailer. The guys who keep shiny jacks on their hoods would have had their camping gear spread out all over that mountainside. But to their unintentional credit, they'd have had an easier job righting their empty trailer.

Rollover praise from the master!

[that dude who did that thing]

Rollover praise from the master!

I'm sure you've seen the bumper stickers "If you can read this roll me over." When I see those I think "fuckin' amateur."

[Name Redacted]

Are these people getting flats all the time? Do they stop and do brake work at rest stops? Or is it just a way of saying, I'm a rugged dude, pussy?

Don't see many Hi Lifts in the east coast burbs eh? Once again, Benny tries to fit the world into his paradigm.

[Ottime]

Yeah, it's a lot like having the shovel handle on the outside of your pack.



Fuck man buns.

Yeah. Totally. Well, except, of course, if that is how your pack was designed. Or you pack is full and you decide to use an external sleeve. Or you prefer your handle on the outside. But otherwise, totally they same. Except shovel handles don’t rust and become useless. And you might want to grab it quickly.

Maybe you mean the guys who wear their beacon into the lodge. Unless, of course, they just forgot.

But I see your point.

Fuck man buns.

[Name Redacted]

And how do you mount a big chunk of metal like a Hi Lift to the outside of a truck discretely? I know! Throw it in the Thule Box !

[zartagen]

Yeah. Totally. Well, except, of course, if that is how your pack was designed. Or you pack is full and you decide to use an external sleeve. Or you prefer your handle on the outside. But otherwise, totally they same. Except shovel handles don’t rust and become useless. And you might want to grab it quickly.

Maybe you mean the guys who wear their beacon into the lodge. Unless, of course, they just forgot.

But I see your point.

Fuck man buns.

Except that packs designed to carry any safety equipment on the outside are retarded. This has been discussed here numerous times.

And that guy with his hood mounted "AR-15" is a total fucking poser. Too shiny, all show.

[AdironRider]

I have one to off road with my Jeep, which has proven handy, but I use it more often to move shit around my property landscaping. They are sketchy as fuck though so I try not to use it unless required.

That all being said I mount mine on the back of my Jeep for a couple reasons. 1) They are pretty big and beefy, I don't want that kicking around the cabin. 2) It weighs a decent amount so the less moving of it the better for my lazy ass.

It does bring out the bros though at gas stations. The number of conversations I have had with someone drinking a can of Monster has increased 10 fold.

[old goat]

Except that packs designed to carry any safety equipment on the outside are retarded. This has been discussed here numerous times.

And that guy with his hood mounted "AR-15" is a total fucking poser. Too shiny, all show.

That Jeep looks like it's never been out of his driveway, let alone off road. Looks like it's parked on a brick patio or something.

Speaking of which--people who never wash the mud off their truck so you know they've been off road. (CHP guy I know was washing the Idaho mud off his truck after a hunting trip. I told him playa dust was a lot harder to get off.)

[Name Redacted]

That Jeep looks like it's never been out of his driveway, let alone off road.

Speaking of which--people who never wash the mud off their truck so you know they've been off road. (CHP guy I know was washing the Idaho mud off his truck after a hunting trip. I told him playa dust was a lot harder to get off.)

You realize that those to statements contradict each other right?

[that dude who did that thing]

It does bring out the bros though at gas stations. The number of conversations I have had with someone drinking a can of Monster has increased 10 fold.

so, you're saying "big improvement in dating life."

[hatchgreenchile]

Speaking of which--people who never wash the mud off their truck so you know they've been off road. .)

Guilty. A few years ago, we were camping north of Vail and there is plenty of red mud up there. I wore that grime all summer.
The jacks, shovels and dual jerry cans don't bother me, but I get a chuckle out of the rigs with huge cargo racks on the roof. Usually they are empty.

[Jong Lafitte]

Oh, these are awesome. Had one for the old CJ7 (4" spring lift, 33" tires).

Useful for:

1. Driving wood into the mud. Yes, driving wood into the mud. Here's how you do it: step one: get stuck in muddy ruts. Step two: scrounge the area for a wooden base that you can put under the jack and will prevent the jack from being driven into the mud and instead lift the vehicle. Step three, put that piece of wood under the base of the jack and proceed to drive it deep into the mud while the vehicle doesn't move at all.

2. Shackle breaker: Step one: get stuck in mud. Step two: use the waaaaaaaay too short tow straps to fashion hi-lift into come-a-long-mode and locate anchor point which will always be no rounder than a 45 degree angle from the front of the truck and start "winching." watch in awe as the truck gets pulled sideways, into the sides of the ruts and not out of the mud in any meaningful fashion, until at least one of the spring shackles breaks.

3. Winch buying. Step one: attempt shit with hi-lift that is better done with a winch one too many fucking times. Step two: buy winch. (Ramsey 12k).

But, yeah, you pretty much have to have one. Changing tires, technical extractions, up-righting etc...

[CountryFunk]

Attachment 226172

Concealed carry ...

[old goat]

You realize that those to statements contradict each other right?

Actually, one leads logically to the other, with several steps in between. I was always in trouble in school for not showing my work. I'm sure you can figure it out, although it's not worth the effort.

[splat]

Hi Lift jacks don't work well if rusted from being stored on the bumper or roof. They can be dangerous if not functioning properly.

Most of the ones you see are poser jewelry.

Bingo. In the west, if you spend a shitload of time camping out in Bumfuck Desert or the mountains, AAA probably can't be reached by phone. So if you know what the fuck you're doing, you'll have a good jack and spare. I personally prefer fix a flat for cactus punctures cause I'm lazy. You'll also see shovels and water cans on many such vehicles because high fire danger laws require a shovel, ax, and pick out in Bumfuck. Most guys that make the gear a fashion accoutrement for their jacked off 4x4s couldn't find Bumfuck without google maps and there's no google maps there.

[snoqpass]

Bingo. In the west, if you spend a shitload of time camping out in Bumfuck Desert or the mountains, AAA probably can't be reached by phone. So if you know what the fuck you're doing, you'll have a good jack and spare. I personally prefer fix a flat for cactus punctures cause I'm lazy. You'll also see shovels and water cans on many such vehicles because high fire danger laws require a shovel, ax, and pick out in Bumfuck. Most guys that make the gear a fashion accoutrement for their jacked off 4x4s couldn't find Bumfuck without google maps and there's no google maps there.

So what you’re saying is hi-lift jacks are like avalanche beacons

[Conundrum]

A good Handy Man will last you a life time. I've had mine for 20+ years. I also have my grandpa's and I have no idea how old it is. I gave my dad's to a buddy and that one is pretty old too. It's saved me a lot of money for the trouble it's gotten me out of. And it's pulled a lot of fence posts, leveled decks, etc. It's like a lot of tools a man's man owns. There just are not good substitutes for those kind of tools. For $80ish dollars, I don't know why more people don't have them. Every rancher I know has one rattling around in the back of every truck they own.

For the "overlanders", I just wish more people would at least watch a youtube on how to work one before strapping it on their truck. I have no idea how many times I've pulled up to see people doing really stupid things and putting themselves in harms way with them. The older I get, the more I want to let evolution run its course.

You can barely see it in this pic of pic from the throwback machine. My redneck roots run deep.

[splat]

So what you’re saying is hi-lift jacks are like avalanche beacons

Sure. But for some people they might as well be a stud finder.

[thebirdhunter]

I don't know why anyone even responded to this stupid thread.
A Subaru driving, east coast city boy who's never been camping in his life and who doesn't even know what a bald eagle looks like will never understand.