FJ Cruisers of Northern California

What Hi-lift jack should I buy ?

I am looking for a Hi-lift jack and there are a bunch of them. Wanted to know what everyone would recommend ? Thanks for the help.

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Permalink Reply by opg4759 on July 7, 2011 at 9:47am

First what kind of Mods have you done

Do you have?

Sliders?
Aftermarket front bumper?
Aftermarket rear bumper?

The reason I ask is if you don't have at least one of these mods a Hi-Lift is really quite useless since there is no where on a stock FJ to use as a jack point. If you try to use it you will just cause body damage?

That being said A 48" Hi-lift the correct height. The 60" is way too tall for a FJ Cruiser.

It the depends on how much money you want to spend the Cast/Steel is the best bang for the buck and the X-treme is the most expensive but has the bling factor.

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Permalink Reply by PRS TiFJ on July 7, 2011 at 10:14am

Not entirely true... have used a hi lift with the wheel adapter to get stock rigs out of high center situations many times. Useless for changing tires on stock rigs, but not useless all together.

http://www.hi-lift.com/accessories/lift-mate.html

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Permalink Reply by opg4759 on July 7, 2011 at 10:55am

I still stand by useless since I have seen people try to side jack without a lift-mate and cause body damage.

While I have and have used a lift-mate that alone doesn't justify having a HI-Lift if you don't have jack point on the rig. If you don't have jack points you really only have a expensive one use tool that you can better spend money on other things.

It also comes down to a Hi-Lift is a dangerous tool and should only be used when only necessary (personal opinion)

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Permalink Reply by Bz on July 7, 2011 at 10:56am

True but Josh has a point sliders make it easier

that said the 48" high lift is good for most anything a FJ will run into

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Permalink Reply by caddo on July 7, 2011 at 11:09am

cool I was wondering about what size hi-lift to get too, thanks for the info.. now I can ask for one for birthday :-)

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Permalink Reply by jr vong on July 7, 2011 at 10:57am

I have the wheel adapter for the hi-lift if anyone needs it. pm me an offer or a case of beer ;) ... I have no use for it anymore. I did used it for my fj when it was stock. Oh, and go for the 48" X-treme... so pretty

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Permalink Reply by Rodriguez on July 7, 2011 at 11:39am

Thanks for all the input. Right now I only have a 3" lift with 33" mud grapplers but i do have Demello sliders being ordered for my birthday. Where can i find the 48" X-treme on the internet and will the Demello jack clamps hold this jack?

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Permalink Reply by Bozly on July 7, 2011 at 12:43pm

Just go with the regular one. Demello is running a group by on the jack and the mounts right now and if memory serves, the 48" jack is only like 55 bucks. Cant remember what the mounts are but they are a good deal.

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Permalink Reply by Rodriguez on July 7, 2011 at 1:03pm

Right on, thanks Bozly.

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Permalink Reply by GRM on July 7, 2011 at 11:40am

I'd get a 60" all cast high-lift. Other than storage issues, there is no reason not to go bigger. I also don't think the x-treme high lift is worth the extra money, as the top piece is only about 1/2 as useful as a Jack Mate.

After you get it, I recommend buying a D shaped hitch pin to hold in the handle & foot, and buy a handle isolator, Rescue 42 Jack Mate, wheel adapter and bungee cord.

Remove the cotter pins on the handle and foot and install the cotter pins. Replace the top clamp with the Jack Mate. Install the handle isolator to keep the handle from rattling. And use the bungee cord to keep the foot and jack mate from rattling.

Am I biased? Yes. Thats because I have been using this exact setup for 13 years without any issues. Not once have I wished it was a 48" high lift. I also own every hi-lift accessory made, but only use the jack mate and wheel adapter.

This combination lets me adapt the hi-lift into many different situations, and I am sure will keep me happy for another 13, or 20, or 50 years.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Pope on November 10, 2013 at 7:07pm

just bought and picked up a brand new all cast 48" Hi-Lift locally for $50. I am going to see if they sell parts for the Xtreme version and if so buy the "Unique Winch-Clamp-Spreader Attachment that replaces the clamp-clevis of standard Hi-Lift". If not, I guess I'll buy the Jackmate as it looks like the slot for the 3/8ths inch chain would be quite handy for reeling in the long main chain. Might get the Wheelmate too. What do you think? I want to be able to winch when stuck in mud with it. I still have two snatch blocks, some tow hooks, a tree protector and some chain from my 87 Jeep YJ days. Let the winch go with it. Wondering if there is a way to double the pulling capacity with these items as there was with the winch cable?