Fencing, pulling posts, jacking up tall lifts, maybe even jacking up the truck?

Maybe. If you can find a spot stout enough on a pickup to use it.

Yeah, bumpers are made of tin foil these days.

I used to lift from the bumper, but anymore I use the Lift Mate wheel attachment. Easier and faster since you are lifting the wheel directly, and not dealing with suspension droop.

Or, I lift from the receiver. Preferably with a receiver shackle.

Useful as a winch in a pinch also.

If you're new to them...they get dirty riding in the back of a pickup or hanging in a carrier. If the mechanism gets real dirty, the pins will hang up and you can't get the jack back down. ALWAYS keep a can of WD40 or something similar in the pickup. A quick spray will have the jack working like new in a hurry.

Good point Chuck. Standard operating procedure should be to spray before using.

I recommend wd40 in a pump bottle, not an aerosol can. If the propellant bleeds off under the pickup seat, you can end up with a full can that won't spray.

I've been known to use oil off the dipstick

I said WD40 OR SOMETHING SIMILAR. When the jack's stuck, oil is similar enough. I've used it, too. But later you need to use a solvent to get the oil off or it gums up with dirt worse than ever.

Not this ARB.......

If I keep my Tundra, I will most likely get an ARB front bumper. Just not sure how much longer I'll keep the truck, or what I'd buy for a rear bumper.

Ain't no tin on this bumper. Rio7

Grew up around HI-LIFT jacks on the farm. Spent many hours using them to lift farm equipment, fixing fences, jacking up pickups to either get them unstuck or changing tires. That being said, those are one of the most dangerous tools around. I know at least 3 people who have had teeth knocked out, one broken arm and one broken leg from those jacks. Not saying it is all the jacks fault, but you have to have hands on those things all the time. you just have to have a lot of respect for them. My dad had one come back and bite him one time and he said that when he woke up the sun was a lot further west than he last remembered.

I had one smack me in the jaw once. Stayed conscious but was seeing stars for a spell.

Keep one in the cj7 and one in the ram 1500, front tow hook work great on the truck for the hilift

A Hi-Lift widow maker demands respect, but can be a useful tool for those who use caution.

That said, a bottle jack or exhaust jack can be handy too. And less dangerous for those who don't understand the risk(s) of this type of jack.

With training and common sense, the Hi-Lift is a great tool.

Jason

Some guys at work used one to chain up a twin screw truck. They got it up but it was too heavy and they couldn't get it down. We had to scrounge up a couple big bottle jacks to lift it to get it down.

they scare me....................

The maximum load for one is 7000 lb. When getting up toward that, the handle gets a bit stiff. It's not a powered lift that just powers out. You can keep adding more muscle until something gives.

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've seen guys under trucks held up only by a Handiman. Stoooopid!

Never heard them called a handyman before. Most people here refer to them as jawbreakers. 😀

Hi-Lift is the official name but everyone and anyone around here calls them Handyman. I don't know where the name came from.

I haven't been caught on the jaw yet but have been whacked on the shoulder.

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

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.

Have a couple, and hate using them. Yep, took a handle to the jaw a couple years ago, didn’t make me like em any better.

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.

Dad made me use one to pull 100+ fence posts one summer in high school. Never heard it called Handiman before though.

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.

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.

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

I don't remember paying $75 for mt T post puller........

maybe try Harbor Freight.......or just use your tractor......

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tarter-t-post-puller-tpp?cm_vc=-10005

Here's that one I posted on Amazon for $51. I've been using this one for years. POST PULLER

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.

Fatcity we belong to the same club.

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.

We call them jeep jacks, Hi - lift use to make the best jeep jack. They make a excellent come a long for stretching fence, one nan can plum a heavy gate with one, the handle works good to tighten chain binders down, or to knock a big drunk out. I've used a hammer and gas to get them working, but never had one hurt me. You got to be smarter than what your working with.

I have the same T-post puller as rockchuck. But I use a short piece of chain and a loader bucket.....

Same here

Source for this one?

I got mine at BigR....

Can you give me dimensions and thickness? Might just try to cut one out of plate.

I pull posts with a welded ring on a chain to a hook on the bucket. It does slip some, but gets it done sometimes after a couple tries.

One of these is mo betta.

https://www.southerntoolandsupply.com/Allen-Tool-Company-Metal-T-Post-Puller-At-677.htm

Amazon has a similar one. T-POST PULLER PLATE

This one can be used with a chain or just hook if over the lip of the jack.

They look simple enough to make?

I use my snow plow... fug it

You learn to respect them real fast and carry a can of oil with you.

We used one to winch our pickup 20 yards up a steep lake access during the winter... 3 foot at a time.

Not as dangerous as railroad jacks we used on crawler tractors

I grew up with them and they have saved my bacon a few times where I didn't have a winch. I have pulled truck back up onto the road, 30" at a time, I have pulled trucks onto trailers and fixed many a flat tire. They are dangerous if you don't use some common sense.

I do not oil mine ever- I carry a can of teflon dry lube. when I tried oil, all i did was attract dust which there is plenty of in Arizona. Dry lube spray is the miracle lube for Handyman jacks. I have an old one somewhere that still says " Handy man" on it. My current one is a High lift. I usually keep a rebuilt kit on hand to replace pins and springs to keep them safe. I have also had occasions where there was no place to hook one. That tire video looks like it would be pretty slick. I usually carry a 12x12" piece of LVL to set the foot on in soft stuff.

dennis,

The tire lifting attachment is slick as heck. You lift the tire directly, instead of lifting the body and suspension, then the tire.

Jason

I've seen a lifting strap that goes around the tire rather than hooking into the spokes. Many trucks don't have spoked wheels so the strap with hooks doesn't work.

Never found this item locally. My feed store can get the plate from her supplier for $16.

I have two coming.

didn't pay this much.....

maybe Harbor Freight ?

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...cm_vc=-10005&st=tpost%20puller%20tpp

pull T posts ?

tractor bucket & chain...done deal

But that doesnt build character !

Swift

I’ve done that with a welded ring on the post end, but slips. What kind of chain are you using? Not been able to get it to bind.

One of these. It's called a Speeco Post Puller

Posted above. I have two coming via local feed store.

You need to take about three wraps around the post, not a single. Ir won't slip then.I suse a1/4" chain about 4 ft long. I put a hook on the top of the bucket to latch the chain into

Thanks, Vince.

Yup. Pulled a lotta posts T and wood with a bucket. It's easier with a helper who can hold the tail of the chain, but I've had to get down and readjust plenty But if you throw a half hitch with the chain it's usually easy peasy.

That is slick. Need to get one.




They all need watching and care, but hte farm jack is in a class of its own, sure enough.

Nice tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPLrHw2At7s



Cheater bar for the win. Though if pushing the limit of the cheater and you let slip, that cheater bar could go into low earth orbit right quick.

Before all the accessories were available,

And back when I used to 4 wheel a lot I'd carry a old steel car wheel. Lay it face down on the ground, & set the base of the Hi Lift down in the back side. That saved a lot of busted shins, or worse. Have sometimes, when jacking really high, I've taken a strap or my tow chain & wrapped around the jack & the bumper to try & save teeth.

I didn't even watch the video. Seen too much stupid stuff in person.