High-Lift Jack problem

[Hedgehog]

First off it does say High-Lift on it, at least it's cast into the mechanism, but evidenly it isn't really a High-Lift. I don't truly know because I got it with my Jeep. Unfortunately it doesn't actually work. The jack climbs up as expected, but won't climb down. With weight on it it won't go down at all, remove the weight and it falls down. Has anyone had this problem and has anybody fixed it? Yes I know I can buy another jack, I probably will in the end, it would be nice to fix this one though.

Michael

 

[Old Dog]

Happens all the time
Oil it up good, and make sure the pin is sliding as you work the handle, the pin is what usually binds up. You may have to hit it the first few times.

 

[mtnwhlr]

Happens all the time
Oil it up good, and make sure the pin is sliding as you work the handle, the pin is what usually binds up. You may have to hit it the first few times.

I use WD40 works like a champ

 

[73CJ]

Work the pins back and forth.

Lube it generously.

Keeping it out of the rain just sitting they will rust up.

 

[IOPort51]

Beat it into submission with a two pound shop hammer!!!:laugh::laugh:

Play with it long enough and you will understand how it works and then you can see why it doesn't. its a Zen thing. welcome on to the path to enlightenment.

 

[Hedgehog]

I probably should have mentioned this right off. This isn't my first Hi-lift jack. I've had a couple stolen and sold one with my first CJ5. We also had them on the farm but we called it a Sheep Herders Jack back then. Unfortunately its been 23 years since I last had one and I can't quite remember the details.

I've oiled the heck out of this thing, at first it was sticky, but is now as loose as possible. I understand how they climb up, but I'm not quite sure what is happening when they climb down. This jack doesn't seem like it's lifting high enough to unload the bottom pin when going down, so it isn't resetting into the next hole down. You know what I mean, the typical up then down action on all jacks of this type. I can't quite see what is happening or where the action is going wrong.

 

[hole]

Try putting some weight on it first, then see if it will lower the vehicle. Thats what I did to get mine working after it had sat in a military wrecking yard for many years.

 

[Hedgehog]

Tried that. With no weight the jack simply falls to the bottom when switched to the down position. With weight it doesn't move at all. The bottom pin doesn't seem to disengage .... or is it the top pin .... Hmmm welll one pin doesn't engage and the other doesn't disengage. It seems like the traveling pin doesn't engage to take the weight off the weight bearing pin ...... Hmmmm never really thought about it that way. But going up the thing travels exactly the way you'd expect. Could it be the bar that does the switching?

 

[hole]

Id have to go out and watch mine in action,its been almost 2 years since I've needed it. I'll post up later after using it.

 

[hole]

Well of course after 2 years mine would act up... Again, PB Blaster was my friend. It went up no problem, but down was a no go at first. Was able to determine that it was the top pin that wasnt moving, and sprayed the bejebas out of it and gave it a love tap to make it work like a charm again. Even after watching it Im not sure I could explain it in written word that could explain how the darn thing works . Sorry, I suck as a helper

 

[BusaDave9]

The Hi Lift jack: The tool that can do 1000 jobs but it can't do any of them very good.
Jacking up a vehicle is one of things it's not very good at. I used to have a Hi Lift long ago and it worked better than the one I now have. I don't know if they are getting worse.
I never use oil on my jack. It may help once but it attracts dust and next time it will be worse. I just use water as a lubricant.
I can jack up my jeep but every time I try to lower my jack I have to bang on it in the spot that I put a blue line and a blue arrow pointing to it.

Of course this one is in the up position. You have to move the red part down.
So each time I jack once to lower I bang on that part with the blue line.

Each time you move the handle the part with the line moves up and down pulling the pins out one at a time. It also helps to pull them out with a screwdriver.

Hi Lift jacks are junk but everyone uses them.
I really think they used to be better. I bought a rebuild kit but it didn't help at all.

 

[Hedgehog]

EXACTLY - You have helped me greatly. I went out to the garage, snapped the lever to the down position, I gave it a smack with a hammer where you showed and it worked. Not perfectly, but it did work.

Without a doubt the older jacks were better than they are today. The sheep herders jack ( another Hi-lift jack) we used on the farm NEVER failed to work properly and on occasion it worked hard. It was loose in all the right places, loose enough to ignore most mud and dirt. My jacks of 25 years ago were similar.

I've read and read about how dangerous and frightening these jacks are. Why I'm not sure. Yes they are powerful, yes they need to be man handled, yes they are heavy and they do lift a vehicle to insane heights which can be frightening all in itself. But for lifting fence posts, for winning an argument with a tree that's hung up when cutting it down, for winching when nothing else is available, for stretching wire, and 95 other uses few tools do it better.

 

[Hedgehog]

When foolingh with my jack this weekend I noticed that the proble could be with a weak spring. There is a spring way down deep that is designed to push DOWN on the part you smack with a hammer. I've got to dig the darned thing out and look for a stronger spring. Natrually while doing that clearances and inappropriatly bent parts will be taken care of.