Farm Jack Storage
- Thread starter JEEP GC
- Start date
Oh my, you have opened a big big big can of worms,
most of the folks here don't really have any use for the Farm/Hi-Lift Jack's. Personally mine sits in the corner of my shop, unless when @Jerry Bransford get relocated to Florida and decides he needs one.Out of the 40 years of wheeling and off roading, I have used a Hi-Lift 3 maybe 4 times and then 3 of those I wouldn't have needed it if I had had a winch or come-a-long.
Mine sat in the garage 99.99999% of my Jeep driving time... when I moved back to PA, I finalized the additional 0.000001 and gave it away before leaving AZ 
Mine resides in the corner of my garage as a sort of "artificial reef" for spider webs.
I have three of them. In the corners of different sheds on the property. I gotta say I actually used one of them a few months back. Breaking the back bead off a beadlock rim. I had driven onto it without success. So I used the Jack, and truck to bust the bead loose.
Bottle jack under the axle
Bottle jack or some sort of compact floor jack.
With the down travel of most Jeep's suspension, especially lifted ones, you will be lifting for days with a farm jack on the body or bumper before the suspension hits its extended limit and the tire just starts to come off the ground.
The factory jack works fine up to 35" tires and 37" in a pinch. Lift height doesn't matter, my TJ has a 4" lift and this is my factory jack lifting my 35" tire off the ground nearly 4".
I stopped carrying my Hi-Lift nearly 20 years ago when I discovered it was never, for me, the right or best tool for the job.
nathanotis
TJ Enthusiast
Back when I kept a Widow-Maker in my Jeep, I mounted it with a couple clamps between the roll bars in the rear. Never interfered with the operation of the top.
After a few years, I realized I never used it on my Jeep, or the International Harvester or... to lift the corner of the barn to level the concrete pad...
IMO: They're overkill for what we do. Emphasis on the *kill*.
For tire changing, I go with block of wood if you got the room to carry one and stock bottle jack. Even made a long extension that connects to my electric impact. The old snap on has just just enough to get the tire off the ground.
I stay clear of hi-lifts ever since I took the handle to the face. Couldn't eat solid food for a week. They come in handy though when you need one. Would recommend inside storage so its better protected from the elements. They become a real pain to work with when they get rusty.
I stay clear of hi-lifts ever since I took the handle to the face. Couldn't eat solid food for a week. They come in handy though when you need one. Would recommend inside storage so its better protected from the elements. They become a real pain to work with when they get rusty.
I would advise that fastening something as heavy as a Hi-lift jack inside the cab area will turn it into a killing missile in the event it comes loose in an accident. It's hard to believe how badly things ricochet around inside a vehicle during a crash. And as others have remarked, the simple factory jack is more than enough to change tires up to 35" providing it has a good surface to jack from.
derekmac
TJ Addict
If you are looking for something with a more sturdy base, these are a great jack to use. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...tkaJ4QflGLdYh7hBxlGDZyKaLrdkmPWMaAtdwEALw_wcB
Don’t feel too bad about wanting a farm jack. Many of us (myself included) at one time believed that having a farm jack was necessary and cool but thankfully it has been demonstrated that bottle jacks are superior and safer in nearly every way.
If you no longer have your factory jack or it doesn’t suit your likes, factory Toyota Land Cruiser bottle jacks are extremely well made and lift about 3 inches higher than the Jeep jack. I got mine on Craigslist for cheap.
If you no longer have your factory jack or it doesn’t suit your likes, factory Toyota Land Cruiser bottle jacks are extremely well made and lift about 3 inches higher than the Jeep jack. I got mine on Craigslist for cheap.
Same here, one of the first things I bought for my TJ in 1996 or 1997 was a Hi-Lift jack when I thought it was a basic requirement. It was 7-8 years later when I finally learned that was not the case and stopped carrying it.
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