Q's for those of you with a Hi-Lift Jack.

[XJ_in_Canada]

I was inquiring about a Hi-Lift the other day and was told that it has difficulties lifting an XJ from the bumpers.

Has anyone experienced this?
Is there an add on that would assist in lifting from the bumpers?

Would I need to fab a lifting plate for the jack?

[Matthew Currie]

A plate would probably help, although the bumpers are still a little weak for lifting the whole vehicle. Hi-lift also sells a hook accessory for bumpers that aren't flat enough on the bottom, although I think this is with the assumption that the bumper is strong enough for jacking.

http://www.hi-lift.com/home.htm

[Big Al 331]

I have a 48" and have lifted mine a couple of times. I can see where it would be a problem in off camber situations. I lifted mine in the driveway.

Lift plate or lift hole might be a good idea.

Good luck

[Eagle]

I would not trust the stock bumpres with the weight of one end of the vehicle. The jack will lift it, that's not the problem. The problem is what you do after the bumper crumples and falls off the vehicle.

[RichP]

Second that, no bumper jacking. I seem to remember reading in the FSM that the bumpers are not a lifting point. If you buy the high lift then you will also need new bumpers, set of rock rails, skid plates and might as well throw in a winch too :D
Step one to building any xj is armour armour armour....

[juicexj24]

I would also say that the bumpers are a no no. But you can (only of flat ground) lift the jeep up if you place the jack under the bumper mounts. I just changed out two driver side tires on the PA turnpike over July 4th weekend. PITA. I was scared that the rear bumper was going to rip the tail lights off and god knows what else with it. So I put it on right under the mounts, not problems but make sure that I had everything ready to go once it was in the the air. Quick work is the key. Juice

[DaveWV]

This is my experience. I'd say the rear bumper is a stronger than the front. I have lifted my XJ from the bumpers many, many times with no damge to the rear bumper and a little damage to the front. Its also probably the wieght difference. Lifting the Jeep on flat even ground most likely won't hurt the front bumper. I bent my front bumper getting myself out of a bumper deep mud hole with my hi-lift jack.....alone. Sounds fun huh. If dumb enough to off road by your self, like me, and you don't have a winch, a hi-lift is you best bet.

You can kinda see the damage here
http://picturecenter.kodak.com/image/2199924742_400_2.jpg?dropshadow=4,40,102,102,153&ext=.jpg

[XJ_in_Canada]

Originally posted by RichP
Second that, no bumper jacking. I seem to remember reading in the FSM that the bumpers are not a lifting point. If you buy the high lift then you will also need new bumpers, set of rock rails, skid plates and might as well throw in a winch too :D
Step one to building any xj is armour armour armour....

Originally posted by DaveWV
You can kinda see the damage here
Picture is not available:confused:

Maybe I will lift it by the bumper:D :D Then I can tell the wife I need to get a better one, one that I will be able to mount a winch.:cool: :cool:

Would I beable to lift the back from the tow bracket?

[Matthew Currie]

A final caution, especially noticing that the original poster is from Canada: the rear bumper mounts are notorious for rusting out. The bumper will stay on for quite a while, until they are so weak that it falls off, but jacking will find that weakness very fast. If you have the factory bumper hitch, there's no problem. It will hold the bumper on even when the regular brackets have totally disappeared.

You should be able to lift from either the receiver hitch or the factory bumper hitch, which is actually much stronger than you'd expect.

[Kejtar]

factory bumper hitch????

[Matthew Currie]

Originally posted by Kejtar
factory bumper hitch????

Yes, the OEM Jeep class 1 bumper hitch. I think Eagle's 88 has this. My 87 had it too. It came without any suspension or cooler modifications. It has a body resembling a lightweight receiver hitch, attaching via the same nut strips, with a reinforcing plate between it and the frame as well, plus a crosspiece that attached to the bumper and the rear crossmember below the hatch, and a bracket that bolted to the face of the bumper. It is pretty strong, in other words.

I once tried to yank a very very stuck Chevy pickup out of a ditch with a chain using that hitch. The pickup did not budge. The hitch did not break. Both rear axle shafts bent.

[Kejtar]

oh... that little dinky thing....... :D

[XJguy]

My bro towed a 75 Cutlass with two 455 engines in it and a tow dolly with that little factory hitch at top speeds for a few hundred miles not one slight problem..it was pretty strong a hitch in spite of its rating.

XJguy

[XJ_in_Canada]

Originally posted by Matthew Currie
A final caution, especially noticing that the original poster is from Canada: the rear bumper mounts are notorious for rusting out. The bumper will stay on for quite a while, until they are so weak that it falls off, but jacking will find that weakness very fast. If you have the factory bumper hitch, there's no problem. It will hold the bumper on even when the regular brackets have totally disappeared.

You should be able to lift from either the receiver hitch or the factory bumper hitch, which is actually much stronger than you'd expect.

I know the front bumper is still attached, I can stand on it without it budging. tip the scale at 210 lbs. I know the weight of the xj while in the air would be much more than this but, I will most likely use it in the driveway just to get stands under it.

ThanX for all the ideas.

[wek91xj]

when i need to lift from my bumper... i posittion my jack under the bumper caps/guards only until i can get a stand underneath

[mhead]

I have a hi-lift and have jacked my '88 at various points. I installed rock rails (tublar kind) and have jacked from both the front and rear of the rails. The rails bend upwards a little and impact the body slightly so there is a little damage. Once done, these seem OK jacking points.

I also jacked via the rear bumper. This doesn't work well for two reasons: first, the only point I could find that looked like it could take the load is the point where the bumper bolts to the frame. There is a bolt head here so the jack slips. I made a 'U' bracket to keep the jack from slipping sideways. It lifts OK with this addition, at least no bending occurs. The second problem is that the jack tends to raise the entire rear of the vehicle. The very instant both rear tires clear the ground the rear end falls to one side or the other despite my best efforts to block the front wheels.

Another worry about the jack is that the vehicle weight tends to be towards the outer end of the jack platform. This puts a net rotational force on the jack so the base must not only hold the jack vertical but also resist outward rotation. On one lifting trial the base shot out from under the jack and dropped the vehicle. Only a test however and I never took the tires off. No damage.

I've installed a 2" tow receiver on the front of my '88. Jacking under this receiver works well and both front wheels come off the ground. Vehicle doesn't fall to either side since the rear wheels can be made immobile via the emergency brake.

In all jacking cases except my 'u' attachments there is an excellent possibilty that the jack platform will slide sideways unless very careful attention is paid to getting the jack vertical and weight of the vehicle at 90 degree angles to the surface where the jack contacts.

After all the above I must report that I've never actually used the hi-lift for anything but tests. I'll use it only as a last resort.

So hi-lifts are definitely a dicey thing....

[DaveWV]

For years my hi-lift was the only way I had of lifting my truck to work on it. I now have a floor jack for this purpose. I agree that the hi-lift is not the best way to lift the truck for repairs, but, IMO if you do with it a little common sense it is OK( do not crawl under the vehicle though with JUST the hi-lift). The damage done to bumper in my picture above was done while extracting my XJ out of a bumper deep mud hole. There is alot more strain on the bumper with all the mud and the suction that comes with it. Plus you cant always get the jack on the best points of the bumper in that situation. I never did any damage to the bumper while performing repars in the driveway. ----------------Dave

[SV1CEC]

Originally posted by mhead
I have a hi-lift and have jacked my '88 at various points. I installed rock rails (tublar kind) and have jacked from both the front and rear of the rails. The rails bend upwards a little and impact the body slightly so there is a little damage. Once done, these seem OK jacking points.

I also jacked via the rear bumper. This doesn't work well for two reasons: first, the only point I could find that looked like it could take the load is the point where the bumper bolts to the frame. There is a bolt head here so the jack slips. I made a 'U' bracket to keep the jack from slipping sideways. It lifts OK with this addition, at least no bending occurs. The second problem is that the jack tends to raise the entire rear of the vehicle. The very instant both rear tires clear the ground the rear end falls to one side or the other despite my best efforts to block the front wheels.

Another worry about the jack is that the vehicle weight tends to be towards the outer end of the jack platform. This puts a net rotational force on the jack so the base must not only hold the jack vertical but also resist outward rotation. On one lifting trial the base shot out from under the jack and dropped the vehicle. Only a test however and I never took the tires off. No damage.

I've installed a 2" tow receiver on the front of my '88. Jacking under this receiver works well and both front wheels come off the ground. Vehicle doesn't fall to either side since the rear wheels can be made immobile via the emergency brake.

In all jacking cases except my 'u' attachments there is an excellent possibilty that the jack platform will slide sideways unless very careful attention is paid to getting the jack vertical and weight of the vehicle at 90 degree angles to the surface where the jack contacts.

After all the above I must report that I've never actually used the hi-lift for anything but tests. I'll use it only as a last resort.

So hi-lifts are definitely a dicey thing....

I was actually going throu this thread, trying to see if someone has had the same experience I had. And I absolutely second the above.

When I lifted my XJ, I also got a Hi-Lift jack, having read all those ... life-saving stories.

According to Rusty, who sold me the Hi-Lift, I could use his tow-hooks to lift the front. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't figure out how to do it, so I called him and he said "Oh yeah, you need a special attachement". So I guess, I need to fab something for that end.

At the rear, my truck has a hitch. It is not your USA-typical, regular hitch with the square tube, in which you slide the part with the ball. It is just an iron bar with a ball at the end, but the whole thing is massively built and strong. So I tried to lift from the plate which supports the ball. Well, the whole XJ started going left and right, to the point that I lowered it on its wheels. I was frightened it might slip off the jack and fall, with various damaging effects.

I do not know how you guys manage to lift your trucks with the Hi-Lift, but even if I put on some rock rails, I do not know how to avoid slipage. Maybe I should put some U-shaped pieces underneath the bars, welded upside down, so that the jack's tongue goes in these?

I do not know, I just do not feel comfy with that thing. Not that there are many alternatives, especially in the dirt, but.....

[bryansny]

I used rocker panels next to the wheel that you want to jack up. It never did any damage to my XJ