Hi-Lift Safety

[dazza85]

The identity of the individuals involved in this exercise is totally irrelevant.

What is IMPORTANT is to learn from what we see.



Looking reasonably closely I can not see any other support under the vehicle on the High-lift Jack and the gentleman has his head in the wheel well.

The thing to think about is what would happen if the jack slipped while he is doing what ever he is doing under there .

I believe that it is good practice to stick something under the chassis to prevent you being hurt if things go wrong.
The most obvious choice is the wheel that you have removed.

Constructive coments please.

If you want to Tread jack this topic please copy it to a new topic in off topic .Thanks

[Jerry]

The vehicle in this case was supported by the Tyre rim on the leaf springs(of the tyre that came off) which can be clearly seen in another photo I took, I took the photo and was the Trip leader and was happy with the way it was supported (and you know how fussy I am )


your point is valid though as any working under the highlift should be supported by the rim , logs or even suitable rocks or something, if you don't have leaf springs then you can stick the tyre under your chassis rail.

[mike]

I saw the tire straight off when this was posted but it might not be so obvious to all. A tire is your best thing for supporting vehicles. I've seen 4 LR SAT wheels (two each side) hold a 20 ton loader up while the transmission was pulled apart

Mike

[kiwipete]

Just my 2c here, but if the jack was to slip, there is nothing preventing the body from crushing the person between it and the axle.
While a step has been taken to support the suspension, nothing has been done to support the body, where all the load is?

[Jerry]

Please see my redited post, I have a pic of it

[Cloggy_NZ]

Constructive coments please.

Most importantly:
Don't jump to conclusions

[curly12]

Also the left handside wheels were supported to stop any movement of the vehicle

[Jerry]

Just my 2c here, but if the jack was to slip, there is nothing preventing the body from crushing the person between it and the axle.
While a step has been taken to support the suspension, nothing has been done to support the body, where all the load is?

The vehicle in this case was supported by the Tyre rim on the leaf springs(of the tyre that came off) which can be clearly seen in another photo I took, I took the photo and was the Trip leader and was happy with the way it was supported (and you know how fussy I am )

your point is valid though as any working under the highlift should be supported by the rim , logs or even suitable rocks or something, if you don't have leaf springs then you can stick the tyre under your chassis rail.[[/img]

[SMOKEY]

kiwipete, I'm with you on this one, I think the replies after your one missed your point, there is one hell of a head ache potential if that jack slips. Never work under an unsupported load. The axle is supported but in this case it's not the load.

SADAM GOOD TO SEE YOU HAVE PLENTY OF HELPERS,

FITZY.

[dazza85]

Constructive coments please.

Most importantly:
Don't jump to conclusions

Fair comment but as I said at the start

The identity of the individuals involved in this exercise is totally irrelevant.

The whole point of this thread was to raise awareness of safety when using Hi-Lift jacks for newbies.
Jerry, Thanks for the extra photo, it helps people see what they can do, to keep safe.

[Jerry]

Regarding the falling comment, we used the highlift to put the vehicle on the rim and the Rim was taking most of the weight, and the highlift was dropped down a bit.

[wopass]

just to add to it, if you look closely you can see the curvature of the spring is much the same as the opposite side so therefore the bulk of the weight is actually down on the wheel,if the jack slipped/fell off then the body would maybe come down an inch if that,so no problem

on a side note what are you actually doing in that photo sadam ? checking your brake pads ? or is it something more sinister

[dazza85]

OK I think that I could have worded my original post better

But what it has done is teach me (and maybe others) a little more about using Hi-Lift jacks safely.

So come on you guys that have had them and used them for a while.
What should we watch out for ???

[Jerry]

Always hold the handle when putting it up or down otherwise you are most likely to give yourself a nasty smash on the head

[Sadam_Husain]

lots of good comments there and pete and fitzy are right that although the front axle is supported the body was still suspended on the hilift and the result of the jack slipping would have been the remaining body weight coming back down onto the leaf springs

hilifts are effective at jacking but they are at the bottom of the scale for stability. the truck wasnt jacked up where it broke, it was shifted into the bottom of a small hollow (photos never show much in the way of angles and stuff) to minimise the risk of the vehicle rolling off the jack

OK I think that I could have worded my original post better

Nah, good post :thumright:

on a side note what are you actually doing in that photo sadam ? checking your brake pads ? or is it something more sinister

If you want to know what was going on under there then press here