Jacks

Kings Cross would be a good place for a starter, but no my choice would be the Exhaust Jack , it has no steel handle that's going to smack you in the chops,
Had a salesman in a TJM store say to me when I was enquiring about one .... he said a high lift would be better,what if the engine won't start , I just told him ...well if the bloody engine won't start why would you want to jack it up. No answer .....lol.

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What's wrong with the normal hydraulic jack? Add a base plate to stop it sinking in the mire and you'll avoid all the pitfalls of both the exhaust and the hi-lift....


Cheers


Brian

Provided you've got some aftermarket barwork (which I know you're about to get BTW), then I would definitely go the high lift. They are much more versatile and robust.

The few times I've been in a group and the bullbag was produced for a recovery, it was either already holed and useless, or became holed during the recovery (due to the fact that many 4bys have sharp bits underneath (ok if you've got a VW Toureg etc with a flat bottom). Even on the one occasion when I was watching a driver trainer demonstrate the use of one of these things (he'd used old bits of carpet above and below to avoid holes etc), the damn thing just wanted to skew out to one side.....to me they are a most ungainly bit of kit.

The high lift can be used in a number of different ways.... if needed, you can even turn a 4by 180 degrees on it's own axis (but you'd have to be desparate...hahaha). You can also use it as a come-along/hand winch and lever posts out of the ground etc.

Having said all that, I sold mine a year or so ago, because the type of travelling I do means that I only used it once in the 15 years I owned it. Typically, since selling it, there have been a few occasions when I've regretted the decision.

Roachie

I have a high lift jack and have used it in anger.

I also bought a hydraulic truck jack a few years ago. Lifts higher than a normal car jack, and, with a base plate, have found it capable of giving me sufficient height to pack rubble under wheels when it has been bogged. I usually carry both (plus my standard car jack).

Jack (no pun intended).

For tyre changing... neither. Use your bottle jack, in the location recommended by your vehicle's manufacturer, take allong some hardwood pieces as a base plate, and you are in business...

for un-bog-ifying, if you really, really feel that you must, AND if you have jacking points, then get the hilift. Don't buy it to use as a handwinch, there are better options that won't see the handle break your jaw!

be sure to wrap it with something, we have ours in a half bag, on the wheel carrier, and even with the reasonably regular use that ours gets, it is still always caked with dirt and needs work before it can be used.

I'm not a fan of either, but If i had to choose, I'd take a hi-lift.

G'day Bevan

I have both as they each have their own pros and cons.

As other responses have stated the exhaust jack tends to wobble about a bit and despite the best preventive measures they do get damaged...but under the perfect recovery / jacking situation they are a breeze to use (however do we ever get the perfect situation is real life uses ?)

Having said that the hi lift can be dangerous if not used correctly...but an excllent jack when used for the purpose for which it was designed......it can also be used in the horizintal position as a hand winch.... steady and slow but feasible........ and most importantly of all you need to know in advance what / where your jacking points will be......no point in heading bush without having ensured you have the preparation and knowledge of where it will be placed on the vehicle in the time of need

If you click on my display photo you be able to see a purpose built jacking point I have cut and welded into the bull bar on both sides just to the rear of the fog lights....there is a also a point welded at the rear of the tray on both sides.........so when I go to use the hi lift I know where I am going to use it and secure in the knowledge that it is a safe lifting point....there are also commercial webbing straps available for hooking into wheel rims and free wheeling hubs...pretty versatile jack

Having said i have both I have stopped carrying the exhaust jack in recent years and rely on the hi lift and a good quality 10t hydraulic

cheers bungarra

G'day Bevan,

I haven't used an exhaust jack so can't give any advice there.

The high lift is a very versatile item as said above. Use it safely and it can achieve many tasks. It can also severely slap stupidity.

I have straightened bar work, lifted the vehicle high enough to put on chassis stands and winched with it (slow and painful but good in an emergency).

Is easy to store on the back of one of the spare wheels (I always travel with a can of WD40 so easy to blast out the mechanism for smooth operation, don't have a cover for it).

Cheers,

Ross.

I've thought about getting an exhaust jack, I can see where they would be useful, and have added up the pro's and con's with them and I happy to have a High lift jack,I believe it will serve me better.
I've never had to use my High Lift in anger yet, 'touch wood'.
I guess having said that , next time I get stuck, is the time I am going to need one.
I think it's got something to do with Murphy's Law.

Which ever you choose, the trick is to use it to the best of your ability in the circumstance that you find yourself in.

This where I mounted my High Lift Jack
I have checked and double checked with the RTA that it is legal. It is behind the Bullbar Although they will not give written approval for it.

Bevan

Not quite sure what your question is, because there's not too much detail.

Exhaust jacks are totally bloody useless in my experience.

A Hi lift jack is good to have, provided the car is set up with anchor points. Meaning that you’ll need a suitable bull bar at the front and, aftermarket rear step to attach the neck to.

Hi lift jacks are very unstable in a lot of situations, so you need to be careful.

If your question relates to jacking up the car to remove the tyre, then I’d recommend a good quality hydraulic jack, which will cost you around $100-150 depending on the weight of the car.

In my case, I carry two hydraulic jacks and three 75mm wood blocks.

If you’re worried about getting bogged, then I’d recommend MAXTRAX. Not cheap, but they work very well.

Regards

Kim

I see alot of people advocating the need or acking points on the bullbar/rear bar for hi lift.
My experience with bar mounted points on live axle coil sprung vehicles is that the hight of barwork mounted jacking points combied with the suspension travel means you will be working at the very top of the jack - if its long enough even.
Hublifters are a far better proposition for use with a high lift

Bevan

I carry a Hilift Jack mainly for use with the trailer (i.e. joickey wheel problems)

I carry a 1.8T Trolley Jack for changing wheels. I also carry the normal Nissan wind-up Jack

I have an Exhaust Jack as well but haven't used it in anger yet and seldom carry it with me.


Cheers

I have OE bottle jack but have been caught out with it because when the tyre is deflated and the track surface is anything but perfectly flat the bottle jack will not fit between the road and the banjo housing.
I also have a hi-lift sling accessory for my Hi-lift that hooks on to the alloy spokes or the slots of a steel wheel. It is very safe and simple to use. Jack the wheel until the flat tyre clears the ground wind out the bottle jack to the appropriate height and place it under the banjo. let the hilift down on it change the wheel then wind the bottle down. Covers all bases.
Pinko

i think i might invest it both, i was asking more for recovery purposes, in the snowy i was bogged for 6hrs and everything i put under my bottle jack sunk and finely someone came past and pulled me out. i was thinking that the exhaust jack would have been perfect for that, i have seen people use high lift jacks and almost lose there heads, have had no experience with either. normally travel in a group or 2-4 vehicles. that was until i moved up to Mackay and have no one to go out with. thanks for all your help guys. will just practice with both on the front lawn before trying under pressure.

They are different pieces of kit. I have used both and for changing a tyre I would use the factory jack. The exhaust jack can be a problem as you usually need some sort of protection on the ground and on the car end. I have been told they should not be used on turbo vehicles. Do not know if this is true through. There is meant to be a new exhaust jack coming out that has the end protection built in and can be operated by either exhaust or compressor. The biggest problem I had was that when loaded it would not lift the vehicle. When the vehicle was empty it was a breeze to use.

Hilift jack has many uses. I have used mine as a bead breaker, jack and winch. This is potentialy a dangerous bit of kit and needs to be used with caution. It also usually needs a bit of WD40 to get it working correctly.

Steve

After reading this thread - anyone wanna buy a perfectly good, unused exhaust jack ?

Cheap. Real cheap.

Bevan

I have owned and used my air jack a number of times they are great when stuck in soft sand or mud. Since buying my camper trailer I have invested in a high lift jack and as stated earlier they are great when you have a problem with the jockey wheel, leveling the trailer or changing a wheel.If you do buy one don't go for the half size one get the 5ft.one.

Peter