Southern California Club Xterra
Southern California Club Xterra => SCCX General Discussion => Topic started by: JFanaselle on November 13, 2015, 03:59:38 PM
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As some of you already know, my harbor freight "farm jack" was donated to the cause and helped get CHUSA home safely following his recent trailer mishap. That $40 piece of junk never worked right anyway, and I'm happy that it sacraficed its life for a good cause because I was seriously looking to just throw it in the trash and replace it with a real hi-lift. Lesson learned - always save up and buy the right gear the first time, because the cheap stuff that you THINK you're saving money on just ends up being pi**ed away in the end. Plus, when it does fail, it happens on the trail when you need the item the most. I learned this lesson with a HF winch and HF air compressor as well (in all, that's about $400 spent on junk that I ended up replacing with full-priced higher-quality products).
That being said, I finally have an excuse to purchase the new jack, but I'm really torn between the 48" and the 60". My question to the experts is - is there any DISADVANTAGE to running a 60", other than the larger size that I need to find space for? It'll easily fit on my roof rack where my old one was, and the 60" hi-lift extreme is actually less expensive on amazon right now than the 48" version ($108 vs. $114 - strange, I know). I just don't want it to be too cumbersome to change a tire with because it's unbalanced or too long or anything like that. Thanks in advance for the advice!
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I have that Extreme model and have been really happy with it. Mine is attached to the front of my bumper so it's easy to take on and off and found it stays out of the way. What I asked myself before I bought it is what I may possibly use it for so that answered my question for the model I bought. I haven't noticed any issues with a little higher jack and think it's wise to have the added height especially for uneven ground and holes etc. I sure wouldn't want to stack rocks and then try and use the Hi-Lift if I could help it. So far I have got a good amount of use out of mine mainly getting un-stuck and trail repairs.
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One thing if worse comes to worse, you can always chop the 60" down to the size you need. :) I have the 48" one, and I have yet to max out the length, but I could see the 60" being helpful out on trails with deep holes/ruts.
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all depends on if you can store it, i bought the 48 because i didnt want it to stick up above the roof when mounted to my tire carrier, i cant really think of a time where the 48 would work and the 60 wouldnt. go for the biggun.
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Thanks for the advice everyone. I've put a little more thought into it and I think the only time I'll regret having it is if/when I get a tire carrier rear bumper that the jack can mount to. As knightrider said, it'll stick up about a foot above the roof line in that case. But for now, mounting it sideways along my roof rack, the extra foot won't matter a bit. I suppose I can always trade someone if/when I get a bumper, or just keep it on the roof.
60" it is. ;D
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Or cut it down if you need to later
Sent from my rooftop tent while stargazing
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One other consideration...the 60" weighs a bit more Joe.
Sent from Cygnus X-1
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One other thing to consider that I forgot to post earlier. The smaller jacks make it easier to drive off of the jack if you get hemmed up somewhere. If you have a longer jack it will hit the body of the truck damaging it. Also true as you start jacking them up and weight and angle changes sometimes the tops of the jack will impact your vehicle as you raise it up. I've often thought as a group we should be setting aside practice days for recovery/winching etc. especially since they can really get you into a bad way if you aren't careful.
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I run with a 60" standing straight up on rear bumper. It's comes in handing being that tall for the trail the few times I used it. Also when it's on my X it was where I flew my 3x5 flag on. But now I wonder if my 60" is gonna be too short ;)
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I run with a 60" standing straight up on rear bumper. It's comes in handing being that tall for the trail the few times I used it. Also when it's on my X it was where I flew my 3x5 flag on. But now I wonder if my 60" is gonna be too short ;)
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Well there is that issue with the likes of those who run 37's and make them look like 31's...
:)
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I ran into this dilemma recently as well, just bought a tall trailer and put new OME leaf springs on the X. Was worried that the standard jack wouldn
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My vote is for the 60"
which ever way you go shoot me your home address in a PM.
I have a little something that will fit your Hi-Lift jack.
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Well there is that issue with the likes of those who run 37's and make them look like 31's...
:)
Can't help that ::)
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