ford 1720 stuck in mud

[Shmudda]

Darwin award what Ya mean!!! This is one of the designed uses of the jack, to be used as a winch. Only problem is the attachment of the chain. They have redesigned the way the chain is attached in the new "original high lift" jack so that you should use the "off road kit" for chain attachment. Use this link for a video of its use...YouTube - Hi-Lift Off-Road Kit. Many of the non "original Hi-Lift" jacks still provide a hole in the lift hook for a clevis. I have been recently been checking the various manufactures since I need to use my Father-in-laws this weekend!

Jeff

Jeff,

The process and use of the jack in the pictures is wrong no matter how you look at it, even it was designed for the activity. They were not pulling in a straight line, and surely didnt have the added tools or add on hardware to pull in a straight line. And to be honest, with all the fiddling around I saw in that video, a come-a-long would be so much easier to set up and use. I have one of those jacks too, and while some on here swear by their usefulness, I swear at it for its design and how useless it is to me.

To each his own I guess with the tools and equipment one uses and purchases.

All I know if that chain was under a lot of tension and that jack let loose, that old timer sitting in the seat of the Ford would have had his head taken off. I wouldn't put anyone I cared for in that situation.

Craig

 

[Jon Heron]

we found a high lift jack.(Most people we asked didn't know what a high lift jack was).

I have never heard the term "high lift jack" used for one of those, maybe that's why nobody ever heard of one! Up here they are called jackalls and bumper jacks, an indispensable tool none the less!
Glad you got her out unscathed!

Craig,
It sounds like you are lacking experience in using chains for winching and hauling. Chains don't snap back, ropes and straps do. The driver of that tractor was in no danger of getting hit by the chain in my opinion, the nylon strap... maybe. What type of come along are you referring to, a chain, cable or strap? What makes you think a come along would be safer than the jackall in the above scenario?
Jon

 

[Shmudda]

I have never heard the term "high lift jack" used for one of those, maybe that's why nobody ever heard of one! Up here they are called jackalls and bumper jacks, an indispensable tool none the less!
Glad you got her out unscathed!

Craig,
It sounds like you are lacking experience in using chains for winching and hauling. Chains don't snap back, ropes and straps do. The driver of that tractor was in no danger of getting hit by the chain in my opinion, the nylon strap... maybe. What type of come along are you referring to, a chain, cable or strap? What makes you think a come along would be safer than the jackall in the above scenario?
Jon

Jon,

I am quite experienced in using chains, slings, and straps....trust me on that one, thats why I posted my comments! Everybody knows something, but nobody knows everything!

I have worked in the steel industry practically my whole life and have seen everything fail at one point. Have you ever seen a 3/4" chain fail??? Well buddy, I have, a few times, and there are holes in the roof and gouges in the floor to prove it from the links flying like shrapnel....like I said to each his own.......

As for what type of come along, I personally would have used a cable type, along with the chains and or straps, and then once the tension would have gotten so great I would have thrown a big heavy blanket on the whole thing somewhere to knock the thing down and dampen the reaction if something did fail.

Remember this, cables and straps let you know when they have had enough, chains on the other hand fail quickly without warning.

Trust me, I'm not the safety police here, and like I said to each his own as I'm just pointing out the obvious in my OPINION......

Craig

 

[Jon Heron]

No I have not seen a 3/4" chain break but I have witnessed many smaller chains break with out much backlash at all. I am an electrician who has been involved in allot of heavy rigging and wire pulling and have seen many failures, the most deadly being rope. I worked with an old timer with only one good arm due to a rope breaking while skidding a transformer, the rope came back and removed all the muscle and flesh from his arm as well as pulverizing it! That's why we use chains to avoid the big risk of snap back's.
Not to say that I doubt you but in my experience with chains they fail slowly as the week link opens up and the chain drops, hardly even makes a bang as apposed to a rope or sling.
Regardless of that, in the above pictures that appears to be a 3/8" chain and that jackall could never in a million years begin to put any kind of stretch into that chain to cause any kind of concern.
In my opinion of course!
Regards,
Jon