A Hi-Lift widow maker demands respect, but can be a useful tool for those who use caution.
With training and common sense, the Hi-Lift is a great tool.
Jason
Bill Burke was my hero from the Camel Trophy days. He's provided good instruction on lifting and winching, but it's also funny to watch him break the rules...
I carried one in my stock trailer for 20-25 years.Every time I needed it which was darn few, it would never do the job I needed done. I finally threw it in the trash.Piece of junk.Might be ok for light weight work like jeep or such, but sure are useless for heavy pickups or trailers
If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
One will lift the entire front end of a diesel pickup BUT you have to have the strength and body weight to push it down without getting whacked. Not many can do that. I won't try it. The limiting factor is your arms. I've used one to chain up front axles many times but that's just lifting 1 side.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
I carried one in my stock trailer for 20-25 years.Every time I needed it which was darn few, it would never do the job I needed done. I finally threw it in the trash.Piece of junk.Might be ok for light weight work like jeep or such, but sure are useless for heavy pickups or trailers
I disagree. I know of a few examples where a Hi-Lift was successful with heavy trucks.
One time, I found some flat landers stuck up to their frame rails in snow near Hell's Canyon. Diesel crew cab loaded with people. It was around June or July, hot and sunny, but some areas don't clear until late July. Cascade Concrete, or basically being stuck on a giant snow cone.
Do the mire resistance calc for that one, and there was no pulling them out with my little SUV. Or winching them out with most equipment.
Guess what? Easy recovery with my Hi-Lift and Lift Mate. Lifted the rear end, threw some rocks and logs under the tires and they were unstuck. I made them do the work
Another time, my buddy found a diesel crew cab stuck up to his frame rails in mud during spring turkey season. Tried winching, but pulled down several trees. Once a suitable tree was found, the wire rope broke. Twice.
What got him out? A Hi-Lift. Made a believer of the Hi-Lift, out of my bud.
Another time, I had my 3/4-ton GMC slide off a snow covered gravel road. Cascade Concrete again. No trees to winch from. A buddy tried pulling me out with his Taco. That wasn't worth the time or effort, as it just didn't have the ass or traction. Again, Hi-Lift to the rescue.
A Hi-Lift isn't the end-all, be-all tool. It's handy when used within it's capability. And sometimes, there aren't many other options available Now, if one gets hurt using one, then that is the fault of the operator and not the tool.
Getting others unstuck can be dangerous. Some years ago, a guy here took his car and a utility trailer up to cut firewood. He was loaded and for some unknown reason, he tried to cross a small creek and buried it in the mud. A macho guy with a big pickup got out his elastic strap and for lack of anything better, they tied it to the car's front bumper and to the pickup's front tow hook. Then he hit the gas. The strap stretched nicely, pulled the bumper clear off the car and threw it through the windshield of the truck, killing the driver.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
about 30/35 years ago a guy that my boss knew had the front of a late 70s pickup jacked way up to take his big tires off after hunting season .it slipped and the inside edge of the bumper took a big piece of his scull and brain . said he most of flopped around before he died. blood and brains were all over the place when his wife found him
I think I managed to smash my pinkie finger to pulp about %50 of the times I’ve used a Handyman. Split it in half longways from the start of the nail out to the tip once, it was gruesome and hurt like a mofo.
They surely have their uses but I don’t like them unless absolutely necessary.
Dad made me use one to pull 100+ fence posts one summer in high school. Never heard it called Handiman before though.
I've used them for that but if you have that many posts to pull, spend $40 and get one of these things. It's half the weight and much easier to use. It's just 1 of several on the market that are better for that job than a Hi-lift.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
Except for maybe the receiver hitch,there is no place to lift new trucks with one of these jacks. A good hydraulic jack lifting up on the outside of the wheel rim will do the job at times when stuck. I tried to lift the corner of my 22 ft flat bed with one and although I could work the jack,it wasn't stable enough to keep it vertical which is the problem in most cases.These jacks are anything but a glorified bumper jack that use to come with vehicles.Guess why they got rid of them?
Although one piece of gear won't work in all cases, I prefer to invest in a good winch,extra cable and some snatch blocks for getting things unstuck and a good hydraulic jack to lift things.Heck of a lot safer
If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
Dad made me use one to pull 100+ fence posts one summer in high school. Never heard it called Handiman before though.
I've used them for that but if you have that many posts to pull, spend $40 and get one of these things. It's half the weight and much easier to use. It's just 1 of several on the market that are better for that job than a Hi-lift.
Sure that might've worked. However Dad already had the HiLift, it was 1982 and damned if he was the kinda man that would buy another tool when he already had one that worked and the strong like bull smart like tractor son to use it.
"Maybe we're all happy."
"Go to the sporting goods store. From the files, obtain form 4473. These will contain descriptions of weapons and lists of private ownership."
The post puller works the best but it you're going to use the Hi-Lift, one of these gadgets is fast and easy to use with it. This is one of several variations.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.