Farm Jack 1 - Little Finger Nil

[bill van snorkle]

Yes I've been knocked out by the handle of a Jackall Hi lift as well. Before activating the down latch always load the handle in the fully down position and the handle won't flail up and down, or the load/vehicle suddenly drop all the way down.

But the mechanism is a very poor design for rough use. Keep them well lubricated and dust and mud collects around the workings and when you need it to work straight away it doesn't. Keep it dry and it doesn't work either, until you give it a good spray with wd40 or similar. I like the standard issue 110/Defender bumper jack but instead of the ratchet handle would prefer it to have a right angle drive to operate it in a continuous rotary motion like the similar but shorter old Austin 1800 sill jack that i still have.

bill.

[Steve King]

Nope. Error message for me too.

Sorry I accidentally set the album to private, which explains why you were not able to view it. Squashed_Finger

I can't attach the pic in this post because I get an error message about dynamic links not being allowed.

Steve

[LandyManLuke]

Yup! Ouch!

[nige90]

Yep, see it now...... Yowch !

[john cranfield]

Oooooooooooooooooooooo Yes

Made "things tighten down below" with a intake of breath

Evil things High lifts

Ta for the piccie, feel like I have a "Soul Mate" on the forum.

Nige

The crushing of a little finger was a minor high lifting jack injury.

I spent 15 days in hospital, lost an eye and had facial reconstruction involving metal plates to replace the eye socket.

The jack was dry of lubrication and one of the pins failed to lock in when lowering. The jack dropped to the next pin and as it did so the handle was forced up very violently striking me in the face. It was only due to the attendance of a doctor, an emergency nurse and a paramedic at the event that I survived.

There was nothing machanically wrong with the jack but the owner who knew better used it "just this once" whithout properly lubing it.

My advice to the owner of the "farm" jack is to cut it up throw it away and buy a Hi-Lift or JackAll . These two are well made the cheap replicas are not.

Before each use use lots of good spray lubricant such as Fluidfilm (NOT WD40 which is not a lubricant)

Yes I do still use my jacks but I'm damned caeful now.

John

[ThreeSheds]

.....

Before activating the down latch always load the handle in the fully down position and the handle won't flail up and down,

.....

bill.

Is this right? I haven't seen the instructions for ages, but I am pretty certain that it (hi-lift) said to have the handle clipped in the UP position before activating the down-latch... And that's the way I always use it...

Tell me quick... I don't want to die!

TwoSheds

[BogMonster]

Is this right? I haven't seen the instructions for ages, but I am pretty certain that it (hi-lift) said to have the handle clipped in the UP position before activating the down-latch... And that's the way I always use it...

Tell me quick... I don't want to die!

TwoSheds

That's how I have always done it and how I was taught to do it - handle up against the rack in the vertical position. The logic being that with the handle down the weight may suddenly go on to the handle and make it whack upwards if you haven't got hold of it.

[ThreeSheds]

That's how I have always done it and how I was taught to do it - handle up against the rack in the vertical position. The logic being that with the handle down the weight may suddenly go on to the handle and make it whack upwards if you haven't got hold of it.

Phew!

Thanks BM - I'm about to go out and use it now so thanks for the timely reply!

After reading about John Cranfield though I will be extra-extra careful! And John, you have my sympathy; And my respect for the matter of fact way you talk about something that would devastate most people.

TwoSheds

[treebloke]

I am sure I have seen some where a device that connects two jacks together which in turn will lift either an end or side completley.

[jwriyadh]

There is indeed such a device.

Use two farm jacks and double the chances of being smacked by the handle.

The merits of a farm jack lie in it's instability, why on earth would you want to use for lifting a vehicle for repair or wheel change. Use a crane, block and tackle or trolley jack.

I know it's quicker with a farm jack but speed kills.

I used mine for years to cast the lightweight out of sand stucks, I got nipped, smacked and trapped enough to know that a farm jack is not the tool of choice to lift a heavy vehicle to a stable position. Then I learnt the safe art of unsticking in sand and the farm jack was left at home.

jw

[Anglo-Frenchman]

Ouch! THAT is really going to hurt in the morning. You have my sympathy from one who is watching a black thumb nail grow out from a bizarre accident involving a fire poker and my mantlepiece.

[bill van snorkle]

That's how I have always done it and how I was taught to do it - handle up against the rack in the vertical position. The logic being that with the handle down the weight may suddenly go on to the handle and make it whack upwards if you haven't got hold of it.

How much sense does that make ? If you have the strength to jack the load up in the first place, then you have the strength to stop the handle whacking upwads too. After knocking myself out once and a few near missesin the early days of jack usage, this is the most foolproof way I know of operating one. Ps , maybe I worded my first post slightly innaccuratly. With the 'up/down catch in the ''up'' position, you push the operating handle all the way down as if lifting higher.Whilst maintain down pressure on the handle you then you flick the latch to the down postion and operate the handle to lower the load.

I'll bring a spoon next time LOL

Bill.

[john cranfield]

? If you have the strength to jack the load up in the first place, then you have the strength to stop the handle whacking upwads too.

Bill.

No you most definately do NOT. When the handle flies up it will crush what ever body part is in the way before you have time to react.

Any time you are not activly operating the jack the handle must be vertical. The reason I prefer the JackAll brand is that their jack has an overcentre position to securely hold the handle up, the others rely on some pretty cheesey clips.

John

[Steve King]

Is this right? I haven't seen the instructions for ages, but I am pretty certain that it (hi-lift) said to have the handle clipped in the UP position before activating the down-latch... And that's the way I always use it...

Tell me quick... I don't want to die!

TwoSheds

The instructions with my jack say that the handle must be in the upright position before tripping the reversing lever to lower the load.

John, my injury is nothing compared with yours!! I will certainly be more careful next time. When the jack failed to lower at least the load was stable. I should have called the RAC to come and give me a hand. My efforts with the bottle jack were stupid and dangerous.

Certainly this sort of jack isn't normally my first choice for a wheel change as you have to lift the body higher than you would by using a bottle jack on the axle because of the suspension travel - it was just a case of wanting to try the jack out for the first time.

Finally I am pleased to report that my finger is healing up nicely. My finger was dressed and the butterfly stitches removed whilst I was in hospital last week suffering with a particularly nasty bout of asthma.

Steve

[bill van snorkle]

No you most definately do NOT. When the handle flies up it will crush what ever body part is in the way before you have time to react.

Any time you are not activly operating the jack the handle must be vertical. The reason I prefer the JackAll brand is that their jack has an overcentre position to securely hold the handle up, the others rely on some pretty cheesey clips.

John

Sorry, but if you have the handle pushed all the way down so thay you are actually lifting, and then trip the up and down catch, the handle cannot fly up,BECAUSE YOU ARE HOLDING IT DOWN. If you cannot stop the handle from flying up then you wouldn't be in the position to want to lower the vehicle, because you wouldn't have been strong enough to jack the vehicle up in the first place.I have had 3 Jackall brand jacks stolen and have owned and used a cheap Chinese copy without drama probably more than 300 times whilst cycling my suspension system when I was building up my rig. I am convinced that the method I described is the only foolproof way of safely operating these things. Dodgy brand or well used good quality hi lifts can suddenly drop the load if you trip the down catch with the handle in the up position. And WD40 is a good enough lubricant to get a dry jack working again. Hell I have even dipped a dry jack in a water puddle and got it going again in a pinch.

Bill.

[BogMonster]

How much sense does that make ? If you have the strength to jack the load up in the first place, then you have the strength to stop the handle whacking upwads too. After knocking myself out once and a few near missesin the early days of jack usage, this is the most foolproof way I know of operating one. Ps , maybe I worded my first post slightly innaccuratly. With the 'up/down catch in the ''up'' position, you push the operating handle all the way down as if lifting higher.Whilst maintain down pressure on the handle you then you flick the latch to the down postion and operate the handle to lower the load.

I'll bring a spoon next time LOL

Bill.

I know what you meant, and maybe that is safe, but personally I have always put the handle up and flipped the catch down from a safe distance with nothing important in the way of the vehicle, because that would be what my father taught me 20 odd years ago and that would be what he had been doing for the 20 odd years prior to that. So far we both still have all our fingers and teeth etc and neither of us has been knocked out

Plus I have never ever seen one come crashing down with a load on it when doing this though I keep everything out of the way when doing so just in case. If the load bearing pin is in good condition it shouldn't move with a ton of weight sitting on it...

It is the lapses in concentration that usually get people - a bit like winching your finger into a fairlead.

[Mark90]

personally I have always put the handle up and flipped the catch down from a safe distance with nothing important in the way of the vehicle

...or jack handle.

That's the way I do it to.

Also when lifting the foot of the jack up to the sill (I find it much more stable jacking fron sill than bumper or rear crossmember) to position it for jacking I have the direction lever in the up position rather than the free moving down position. This means the pins have to work their way up the ladder and helps to make sure they are not sticking.

And my genuine hi-lift which came second hand with my first 90 is still working fine even with a slightly bowed ladder after Jez went a bit mental with it trying to straighten Moglite.

[BogMonster]

...or jack handle.

That's the way I do it to.

Also when lifting the foot of the jack up to the sill (I find it much more stable jacking fron sill than bumper or rear crossmember) to position it for jacking I have the direction lever in the up position rather than the free moving down position. This means the pins have to work their way up the ladder and helps to make sure they are not sticking.

And my genuine hi-lift which came second hand with my first 90 is still working fine even with a slightly bowed ladder after Jez went a bit mental with it trying to straighten Moglite.

Me too - also it makes a really nice brrrrrrrrrrrrrt noise as you pull it up the rack

Simple things please my simple mind

[Mark90]

Tis a very satisfying sound. I guess I have a simple mind too

[bishbosh]

You guess......???????

[john cranfield]

Sorry, but if you have the handle pushed all the way down so thay you are actually lifting, and then trip the up and down catch, the handle cannot fly up,BECAUSE YOU ARE HOLDING IT DOWN. If you cannot stop the handle from flying up then you wouldn't be in the position to want to lower the vehicle, because you wouldn't have been strong enough to jack the vehicle up in the first place.I have had 3 Jackall brand jacks stolen and have owned and used a cheap Chinese copy without drama probably more than 300 times whilst cycling my suspension system when I was building up my rig. I am convinced that the method I described is the only foolproof way of safely operating these things. Dodgy brand or well used good quality hi lifts can suddenly drop the load if you trip the down catch with the handle in the up position. And WD40 is a good enough lubricant to get a dry jack working again. Hell I have even dipped a dry jack in a water puddle and got it going again in a pinch.

Bill.

I'll stand well back if we are ever together while you are using a jack , with 999 on speed dial.

John