How To Use A Hi-Lift Jack Safely

A high lift jack is a must-have accessory for almost any truck or SUV that’s actually driven offroad, and even those who aren’t if the suspension is too high for a typical factory-installed jack to safely lift. While they’re pretty straightforward, using one can be dangerous, so we wanted to share this excellent how-to video from the ExploringNH YouTube channel.

Since they’re often stored on the outside of the vehicle, keeping your jack clean and lubed up is always a good idea, as our host points out at the beginning of the video. After spraying his jack down with penetrating lubricant (think WD-40) he walks us through the individual parts and components of the jack to make sure we know which pieces he is referring to while he demonstrates how to use the jack.

Once it’s time to get to work actually jacking his Jeep, our host walks us carefully through each step, pointing out some helpful tips and safety issues that should be observed at all times while using the high lift. As he points out, while you’re getting the jack into position, you want to put your hand between the main bar and the body of your ride to keep from accidentally banging into the body, but as soon as you get the jack into position and get some tension on it, get your hand out of the  way because if the jack were to slip, it could easily crush your hand.

From there, the only real thing to do is get to work jacking. Pull the lever down until the climbing pins click into place, then reload the lever, allowing the other climbing pin to click into place, and give it another pull. Once you’ve gotten enough leverage that the wheel is off the ground, you can change it, assuming you’re changing a flat, then flip the reversing lever and ease the jack back down using the exact same process, except in reverse.

A little caution and common sense should make this a painless process, but then again, common sense isn’t so common these days.