I have a Hi Lift I purchased in 1980, my jack saved my life in the Colorado mountains one fall when my jeep went off a mountain trail. I was up hunting deer, it was cold and snowing at the time, to walk out I and my friend would have frozen to death had we not had one. I cleaned it and totally rebuilt and repainted my Hi lift 4 years ago its ready for another 40 years.

I bought my HyLift jack in 1970 when I bought a used International Scout. Since that time, I’ve had the Scout, a Bronco, a Blazer, a Tahoe 4WD, a Chevy 4WD truck and four Ford FX4 trucks and ONE HyLift Jack. The jack has been used and abused on every vehicle, on trailers, rebuilding two docks, one barge, dropped into the Laguna Madre, used in salt water and sand. It is beat up, almost no paint on it, but still works every time. My best use of it was during Tropical Storm Allison in Houston. I had a Ford F-250, drove the front tires onto the sidewalk at a Convenience store, put the HyLift into the trailer hitch and jacked the back end of the truck, the full height of the jack. Kept the truck from flooding. When there were cars floating by me. That is one tough JACK. Learn to use it, take your time, align it properly, keep any extra body parts away from the handle no you will love this jack. I am ordering a Jeep 4xe Rubicon, and it will have my HyLift jack on it. I do plan to paint it and do a little maintenance.

Dad bent the shaft on his jacking up his pickup and pushing it off the jack to get out of the ditch 30+ years ago. It's still doing it's job, just has a good story to tell now, that's all.

you answered one of my questions as i just got hold of one and it had the top jaw. had no clue what it was for till now

Great video. I have subscribed to your channel and due to your reviews have actually purchased many of the products you have reviewed and I absolutely love them. Great reviews keep up the good work. Thanks

Hi lift Jack's are awesome I have had mine since the early 80's still works like it did when I bought it.

I bought mine back in 1988 and it still going strong...I've pulled engines, winched, busted tires off the bead, and used it to jack up my truck to put a lift on and changed a few flats...I would recommend that any 4x4 gearhead to make it near the first if not the first upgrade...

I wished I had gotten dad's. It was from the early 70's. From what I recall of it, it was still the same as your 90's version.

I always keep a Hi Lift jack in my truck , great tol to have!

You made me dig my early 90's Hi Lift out of shed and clean it up Lol

I have the high lift Jack extreme with a fire rescue base and it came in handy to pull bush stumps up

So same thing but different price. Ive had a smitty built one for like 6 years and it never lets me down. I just keep it oiled up with some WD-40 and it always works. Great video!

I got one with red handle in the 90's for my Jeep. We used it to raise my 12x24 barn shed . We lived at the beach and i did not like how low they set the shed when i got it.( Flooding ). Now I live In S.C Got a new 12x24 shead and the guy setting it used one of these Hi Lift Jacks. If mine ever brakes i will get another one.

I have a hilift from the 1950s that was built in the Bloomfield Indiana plant under the name "Harris handyman" the bolts might be a different size, other than having a wooden handle, it's exactly the same.

most of the people who talk about the jacks must not have grown up when cars had bumper jacks much more dangerous the handle would fly out if you let go and go 20-30 feet and the handle had a lug wrench on one end and a sharp chisle point to remove hubcaps. but thought would tell you if you didn't know (Safe Jack) has some really nice accesories for the jack that helps safty

I have a early 80;s hi lift still going strong.

FYI: Your old jack has miss matched parts the base is from a stamped steel Hi-Lift and clamp from cast one. I noticed that as soon as I seen it, the extreme version does have better end for clamping and other uses. I think that Hi-Lift put that out due to the Jack-Mate one being sold. I've got 3 Hi-Lifts 2 ar 48 in stamped and 60 in cast one and have added the Jack-Mate. And storage box. A good thing to have on hand is a rebuild kit for one to replace climbing pin(s) when needed if stored outside. The handle from one of them got me home a few different times from trails. Many times used clamping, winching, pushing and bending.

i love hi-lift jacks i would never be caught with out one.

Great review comparison, cheers .

I got hurt by a farm jack. Harbor Freight special. It was on display and I was going to try out the functions. First I tried to push the lever to the down position and the lever managed to give me a nice blood blister somehow in the blink of an eye. The more I read about Harbor Freight's farm jack bad reviews on its own page, the more I realized it wouldn't be suited for my Jeep Wrangler needs. So I went and bought a Hi-Lift Jack and am waiting for it to come in the mail from the Military Exchange Auto Parts Store.

I have several - one from the ‘50’s or ‘60’s I’m guessing, one from the ‘70’s or so and one from the mid-80’s. I can’t tell any difference in them except that the oldest one has a sort of toothed cam with cog teeth on the foot of it, which I’ve been told was used to hold fencewire for stretching fences. I carry it with me when I tow my boat, in the event I have a blowout on the trailer or something similar. I saw my dad lift a lot of mighty heavy equipment with his when he was farming yard ago. He carried one continually on the back of his truck.

I have an older one im going to cut down and get a new base for. It was left in a bucket since brand new and forgotten behind a shed for years, owner forgot where he put it and thought it was stolen until i tore the shed down for him. Still works but the bottom is hashed

You're right about the jacks! That's why i own two of them, They're great tools when going offroading.👌😎👍

You are correct in saying those that are against the hi lift won't be convinced BUT! The bottle Jack and the hi lift Jack are like chalk and cheese! There is nothing dangerous about the hi lift if it is used correctly and with some caution. Treat it like it should be treated and it will look after you for years, mine is over 20 years old and works like new. Thanks for the vid. Cheers.

I hit an cow in my 85 Toyota pickup and it pushed the whole front end in. The radiator was pushed into the fan. I put may Hi-Lift between the firewall and the front and used it to straighten the front end. I drove home with some fresh beef.

my father has a hi lift jack serca. 1980's and used it for hunting it was perfect up until last year when we used it to uproot a 40' tree root ball it did not brake! but it bent about 4" im estimating we put 10 ton of pressure to bend it. love the vid.

Read the pros and cons on The High Lift Jack. Was convinced by what I read NOT to carry it. Got stuck on the beach the day after Christmas. My buddy carries one Thank Goodness. Tide coming up and Buried to the axles, I was a little concerned about losing my 71' Bronco to the Ocean. With a plank and a little digging we lifted enough to get wood pieces under the tires and get unstuck. Currently looking for a good place to mount My High Lift Jack. Learned how to use it that day and will NEVER be without one again!!!

The older model can clamp as well if you turn the top piece 90 degrees. I got duped into buying the extreme because of the clamping ability, but compared it to my existing jack and it is able to clamp as well. I do like the wing nut better though.

I love my hi lift and still use my 1955 one awesome jacks

Paint your rusted Hi Lift Jack: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ms-GqNadmJzMoXU.html

You didn't respect the potato....

Mine is the wooden handle model, this jack is a good example of “if it works don’t fix it”

Hi Lifts have saved me a few times!

I have a red cast 48" hi-lift i bought in about 1999. I bent the bar on it and thinking about replacing it since it's only $30 for a new one. But now i noticed the sheer bolt for the handle is bent and who knows what condition the climbers are in, maybe i will just buy a new one.

Good video Cris we can hope if the new one last 20 years like the old one

I use both on and off trail, they each have a specific use.

Yeah they haven't changed. My Hi-Lift is pre-WWII and it is identical to every other. Still functions as well as it did when new.

Interesting, I have basically the twin to your old jack, but my top lug is punched out of a piece of 3/16 plate. Yours appears to be a cast piece. It was my understanding that the red and black jacks had steel bases and top lugs and the all red jacks were all cast. My steel one bent trying to tension a conveyor chain. My solution was a Jack-Mate. Other than that mine has pulled stumps and fence posts lifted everything from a Chevy LUV to Ford F-150s. Never a glitch, no batteries and no oil. It works upside down and underwater. Just don't put your face above the handle when lowering a load and don't put you fingers or toes near the base!

It drives me crazy that I can’t just buy the new top clamp for my regular hi lift jack!

I bought my first one in 1980, still works like a charm! no other jack for the trail, and I would like to see the haters use a bottle jack to get unstuck in 3 feet of mud

During long periods of storage, are you suppose to have the up/down lever in the up or down position? In the down position I notice it puts a lot of stress on those climbing pin springs.

We’ll hell I bought my first one, a 5’ in 1975, I still have it. I think I have 4 or 5 now, the last one I picked up at the dump a month ago,it just had to be oiled up. I wouldn’t be without one.

High lifts are dangerous, you should use a bottle jack. Great video, interesting comparison

I'm sorry but this is what came up in top five of price of Hilyft jacks so I was wondering what the price ranges are and what's one's are two cheap to even consider because of failure

I have a Hi-Lift jack and it's probably from the mid-1990s. No one type of jack is perfect for everything. Sometimes a scissor jack is the only option, sometimes a hydraulic bottle jack is necessary, and sometimes you need a "farm jack" like the Hi-Lift.

I'd love to see a comparison of a 1905 vs a 2017 HI-LIFT jack. They are still well made jacks, I have two Patriot version jacks, and a cast and steel model.

Just rebuilt my 1997 version great tool! the cast foot is not an upgrade but a down grade it's cheap to save money in production! it will crack under pressure get rid of it as quick as you can.jim

My top cast clamp piece broke when the jack fell over, hit the pavement and snapped off. I never replaced it, and that was in 2000. The top hole is big enough for a fair sized clevis.

I own two Hi Lift Jacks, The HL-485 all cast model and the 60" Extreme, I would not trade them for the world, No 4x4 is complete without one.

Nice video! Been using the same Hi Lift from about the late 80's myself, great and very useful tool for many purposes. From about 1:00 to about 1:30, great, and nice, way to explain why Hi Lifts are not as dangerous as some seem to think they are. I've heard it said as "Hi Lifts are only dangerous to stupid people," LOL. You have a much better way of saying it. Nice video Thanks for posting.

I've been using the high lift Jack's for about 6 years now, no problems at all. If you don't like it and think it's unsafe, you ain't using correctly.

They don't look like the same model numbers. I know they have different capacities depending on weather it's a cast steel vs cast iron. But look virtually identical. I say that becaof the different feet and end accessories. Great jacks either way.

They have their place, and work just fine

I have one with a different lifting bar hole pattern to the new models. anyone ever seen this?

hey - you didnt cover the MAIN problem parts - the jacking pins and their sockets. i have liked my hi-lift for 50 + years but i keep a can of WD40 with it just to flood the jacking pins. thanks.

I have one from the 80's and it's almost identical to yours from 95.

Great vid, but they scare the heck out of me. Also had one since the 90s. Where did you get that hat?

Hi-Lift are the only way to go for almost all jacking work. Yes use your head and if you are a little-limited mentally be safe and call a tow service.

Cast is an upgrade?

Where was the old one made, where is the new one made ?

my only complaint with the jack is that thesmall pins that move lifting pins bend and then the jack won`t push lifting pins out of holes

The 95 version looks a lot like mine from the late 70s which looks a lot like ones I remember from the 60s.

I'd appreciate yours and anyone elses input. I just purchased my first ever hi lift jack. I went with the 60" high lift extreme. When I was tinkering with it I swapped it to the downward/reverse position and it dropped down to the bottom instantly. Do these have to have weight on them to prevent this?

A hi-lift jack along with other jacks all have specific uses that no other jack can do. All jacks are dangerous if used improperly. All jacks are safe when used properly. Those who say hi-lifts are dangerous are those who used them or seen them used improperly resulting in injury.

As the saying goes, if it's not broke don't try to fix it.

i dont understand why anyone would think cast iron is an upgrade over steel? i break these jacks all the time, they always snap at the handle socket, it needs to be made of industrial steel.

See them on BSF Recovery all the time

Call High lift jack company. They will send u a new piece. I had mine bend when it was hit. They sent me a new shaft. In shipping it was bent. Looked Like the ups tri k ran it over. Made another Call and they sent me out a new shaft after 6 years. My Extreme one is 54 inches not 48. Good thing. I have used all 54 inches on a Sandy beach. Jack board split 3/4 in plywood. Love the jack.

The only I find in new Jack's compared to old is the metal is alot softer and bend alot easier

I don't like the idea of being under a vehicle like you would have to be in most cases when using a bottle jack. If the vehicle would move, you would be in a world of hurt. I have used a hi lift jack to get me out of some deep ruts when I had both axles high centered, and it worked well. The main trouble with an hi lift jack these days is just about all vehicles come with bumpers that do not give you a point to jack from so you would need to do an upgrade on the bumpers.

I do like the video

both jacks have never been lubricated! 😂

The high lift style were all that came with cars in the old days. They called them bumper jacks. Think 70’s they phased out and went scissor

My old jack had a cast foot. Hi lift Jacks are incredably useful on a off road vehicle and around the homestead. They are safe as long as you think through what you are doing, never get under the load and keep the up down lever and handle in safe positions. If you are a drunk idiot they will KILL you with your own stupidity. There ain't no way I'm crawling under a high centered truck with a bottle jack. It violates the first rule of all jacks. Don't get under a unsecured load.

Sorry, but you don't know JACK! Hi Lift has made two versions of each length jack since at least the 1990's. They offer a stamped steel one that uses stamped steel for the part the handle mounts into, and the base is also stamped steel. The upgraded one, uses a cast steel base and part the handle mounts into is also cast steel. I own a half dozen Hi Lifts, most in 48 inch, but two in 60 inch. I try to buy the ones with the cast steel parts, as they are a bit stronger. If you look in the store, you can see both kinds sold right next to each other, its amazing. I own some from the 1990's also, and just bought two 60 inch versions last year. They are identical.

Chris, I know this is an older video but I actually got my Hi lift Xtreme back in 2005 or 2006

GREAT FU***NG TOOL!!

DAMN Potatoes!!!!

I made the comment but you just verified my comment about the Hi Lift jack. Thanks. If you like them then that is your choice.

Not certain but I THINK you might be wrong about your top piece being "broken" because I dont think it supposed to have a lip on both sides ....otherwise IF it had a lip on both sides? HOW could it be turned 90 degrees? Are you SURE it is broken? does not compute

This jack is the 1911 of jacks. Why mess with a good thing?

WE MUST Pull together and BAN ALL High Lift Jacks and POTATOES !!!!

High lift jacks are dangerous. You should use a bottle jack. 🤭 Seriously - Why would you prefer the cast base over the steel base? Cast will fail with no warning where the steel will bend first. 🤜🤛

Start at 2:45.. First two minutes are a waste of time.

You shouldn’t have made a video comparing different models. You can still buy the same model as your old one. The new all cast is virtually identical except for the foot. It’s still bolted on though. The Xtreme is designed for winching/clamping. The older design cast model is still good, just doesn’t have those features.

its not about if you get hurt... its when

it amazes me how many equipment show offs wear flip flops....

3 minutes yapping ...please get on with it..

Might be made in china nowadayz

Attitude problem.

i have one from 70s thing is way better bomb proof 10 lb heaver

Don't buy it unless it's American made or you might get a counterfeit. Believe me' chinese steel is no deal as just like when I once bought a 4' ft wrecking bar thick & heavey, made in china 'yet it bent like licorice on the first time I used it, I was only but prying off a 2"X6" footing board. The same with their screws, they too will break, strip, bend, snap & round off when tightening the screw down level. It's as though made of soft lead. there no good for anything. Don't waste your hard earned dollars but rather spend an extra dollar buying American 'as those foreign goods most are not worth the box they come here in. L.O.L or be it your loss & suffer silently. In any & all cases' bring America back home to be home grown!

No need to fix what isn't broke...

Hi lifts are the best. its only dangerous to idoits that don't know how to use it

Everybody Loves Raymond?

High lift is dangerous and you should use just kidding

lol bottle jacks kill people

3 minutes in and still no real content besides apologetics?

YOU SCARED SAY YOU ARE SCARED,HIGHLIFTS RULE IN THE WOODS.

Hi lifts are dangerous and you should use a bottle jack. Dont tell people how to respond to your video.