Those high lifts always seemed precarious to me but many others do use them. If you look around you'll find pics of the stock MB jacks, for comparison.
I have a few 2' lengths of 4x6 and 6x6 with a 20 ton bottle jack. I have never had to change a tire on a slope or a rocky trail though. It is dead flat here. The blocks alone have been handy on a few occasions.
While a handy man/hi-lift jack may have it's place, IMHO, I think you probably would end up looking like something that came out of the "Three Stooges". Just be careful if thats what you decide to use.
MUD
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Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Beer in one hand - Blonde in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming Wooooo Hooooo what a ride".
i own several hilift/handymans...they scare the crap out of me....perhaps thats why ive never been hurt by them...they have there place(in the back of the tool shed) i must admit, there are, however, times where they can be ...well..."handy"
Smart choice, the bottle jack! Just in case you ever get buried in the slop and still have to change a wheel, get someone else to crawl under with the bottle jack (LOL) or, carry a short length of chain with which to chain the axle to the frame. That way you can lift the frame with a Highlift (preferably the 60" one) and the axle will lift too. Otherwise it's really hard to get the wheel off the ground because the axle will sag so much.
Those Hi-Lift ones...They remind me of the old bumper jacks from the 70's. I saw one of those kick out from under a dodge dart and punch into the cedar lap siding of a house once. It missed my friend by less than 1 foot and me by 2 feet or so.
It would have been ugly. I don't think there is anything in me tougher than that cedar siding .
I use the hi-lift to get some frame weight off the axle then use the MB bottle jack under the axle; it just seems like a lot of weight to use the bottle jack alone.
I think you're asking for instability by doing that. Put all the weight on the bottle jack, it's designed to lift it up. If you can't pump it because it's overloaded, get a bigger jack. I have a 50 ton jack just because it was cheap at harbor freight and makes jacking the truck a simple affair. Get a couple large wooden blocks to block the jack if it doesn't reach.
The last thing you want to do is have the high lift to "help" the bottle jack and have the fu*ker slip off and then also fall off the bottle jack too. If you're under the truck in the wrong spot you will not be coming back out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by michimogan
I use the hi-lift to get some frame weight off the axle then use the MB bottle jack under the axle; it just seems like a lot of weight to use the bottle jack alone.
Sufficient and safe are 2 different things. I would only use a high lift on a mog-
1. If there was nothing else available
2. AND if the ground was flat, and mog chocked, in gear etc....
Big wood cribbing, bottle jack, and chocks are the way to go. When you look at it, the Hi-Lift sort of looks like a crutch. (exit with subtle hint)
Still working on a jack that plumbs into the stock hydraulics, and mounts to the frame front or rear, sort of like a removable outrigger. If it pins solidly, you can't tip Sounds lazy I know, must be getting old.....
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Seth
71 416Mog, 92 fj80 (worst fuel pig EVER), new 85 300tdt for dad, 2000 KLR650, 84 300td STOLEN!
Sounds lazy I know, must be getting old.....
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