Just a heads up - From
over on WeldingWeb:
Back to quoting CBW from here:And my own comments: I have two old Hi-Lift jacks. (The US original that the HF Farm Jack is a copy of). Both are unsafe, apparently due to wear, since I have occasionally cleaned both. They lift safely - but often fail to ratchet up to the next step. Shifting to Down is scary. I've had the jack fall all the way to the bottom instantly after a couple of clicks in the Down position. This may be a function of excessive wear - I think Dad obtained both long ago at yard sales.
Incidentally a lightweight tube handle (conduit?) was standard on these. One of mine is bent about 20 degrees; the other is replaced with heaver water pipe.
I used to use these 30 years ago to unstuck my Willys Wagon. Just hook under the trailer hitch, raise it 3 ft high, then tip the jack to the side to let the Willys fall into fresh undisturbed ground. Under 5 minutes to get moving again. I used one last fall to raise my (disconnected) rotary mower to pressure-wash underneath before storage. It fell on the way down.