Optional Jack?

[Iron Hauler]

When I bought my 71 4x4 the old timer that had owned it since new told me he had bought an optional jack at the dealership. The story was his wife would be using the truck for church functions at times and he wanted a safer jack that did not require getting under the truck just in case she had to use it. It was suppose to be some kind of hydraulic bumper type jack, he said it worked great but after using it once he put it in the bed insted of behind the seat and it was stolen while in town. Anyone seen or know anything like this?

[Longhorn Man]

it wouldn't have been an option... a dealer accessory.
I've never seen any kind of bumper jacl for these trucks, nor a bumper jack that was in any way safe to use.

[cdowns]

i think it was a story he made up to tell his wife way back when and it has been so long that he's even starting to believe it himself

[Palf70Step]

I have see jacks like that. We always called them High lift jacks. Most of what I saw were not hydraulir or air type, but I have see a couple in my time. For whatever reasons, back then a lot of folks preferred the bumper jacks (why I have no idea) over the bottle style jacks. This is what the non-hydraulic style looks like.

[WAAF]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

I have see jacks like that. We always called them High lift jacks. Most of what I saw were not hydraulir or air type, but I have see a couple in my time. For whatever reasons, back then a lot of folks preferred the bumper jacks (why I have no idea) over the bottle style jacks. This is what the non-hydraulic style looks like.

because when the vehicle falls off a bottle jack your screwed.. jack is most times stuck under vehicle..
falls off bumper jack you still can get at jack and bumper to relift them..
when used correctly they are safe.. the fail is when the jackie lifts both tires off ground.. and a big rig goes by.. and rocks it off the jack..

[webfoot]

I always called those handyman jacks, aka widowmakers.

[bbadfred]

Well being an old guy!! I remember bumper jacks when all cars had them as standard equipment!! They were safe if properly used and for only lifting one corner at a time! using the emergency/parking brake or leaving your stick shift car in gear or blocking the back or front wheel whichever end you were changing the tire! There were no cheap hydralic floor jacks available then. We did have small bottle jacks but if a tire was flat you could not get it under the car or truck.

[Longhorn Man]

a traditional bumper jack can shoot out when the car rolls forward. When this happens, it can take out whatever, or whomever is standing right behind it. The typical mistake was doing it on even the slightest of hills with no chock block. Lifting the rear of a rear wheel drive was the most common for disaster.

While a bottle or sizzor will topple easily, it isn't as sensitive as a bumper jack since the point of contact is lower and is more stable. The bumpers of cars made after 73 had the bumper 'shoks' in there and would move around when jacking, the frame only goes up and doesn't wiggle. Plis when the tire rolls one inch, the frame only goes one inch, yet the bumper will move a tick further causing more of a lean on the bumper jack.

The red one seen above is a common piece for 4 wheel drive trucks with lifted suspention and/or oversized tires. Since most bottle/sizzor jacks won't lift high enough, and a traditional factory bumper style jack would be very unsafe, this is one answer to roadside emergencys. (a floor jack is about the only other answer) I always thought those red ones (sky jack is one brand I think) had a real large foot/base to help with stability.

As with most anything, knowing what you are doing is the best way to avoid disaster with ANY jack, be it a sizzor, bottle, bumper, or even a large floor jack. They are all great tools when used properly. Yet, they can all kill you if used wrong.

[Dunenutt]

For anyone that has not been around a Hi-Lift jack...

I have used Hi-Lift jacks for many years, and own several of them. There are a few need to know items about them. If you use one with wild abandon, the jack will kill you black flag dead!

Hi-Lift jacks work great for "LIFTING" 4x4's, and other large machines. Make sure to buy the chain hook (as shown above) if you are lifting a truck with chrome bumpers. Once it is lifted, support the truck with something else.

The mechansim uses two sliding pins to hold the jack. If these pins do not engage fully, it will do one of two things.

#1- Drop

#2- swing the handle upward at the speed of light.

The second one got a good friend of mine. The jack had been holding the truck for quite a while. The handle was left in the down position (never do this, EVER). He was about to grab the handle to let the truck down, when it released. It hit him under the chin, knocking him out cold. He ended up in ICU with a shattered jaw, broken teeth, concussion, and whiplash. After weeks recovering with a wired jaw and a neck brace, he went through months of getting brand new screw in chompers.

The jacks will also slip, jump, pop, lean, and many other unexpected things when you turn your back on them. Consider them posessed by the devil himself!

Other than that, they are perfectly safe.

[Longhorn Man]

LOL @ "other than that they are perfectly safe" !!!

Like any other tool, they can be used with no issues if you know how to use them. Thanks for the info on that, I have personally never used one.

Lifting a vehicle of any type with any kind of jack should be taken seriously. Even once it is on jackstands, you need to push and pull and shake the vehicle to make sure it is secure.

[ChevLoRay]

I grew up with bumper jacks.

My first car, a '54 Ford, developed a problem when the fulcrum inside the bell housing broke loose and I had no way to disengage the clutch. I got it to a buddy's house and my dad and I went the next day to pick it up...yeah, I should have driven it but I was younger then.....and wiser.


Anyway, it was a rainy day and ground was muddy. I jacked it up so the drive wheel was off of the ground. Dad then gave me a push as I quickly jerked the shifter into low gear and I was off. He retrieved the jack....I drove it to where it was to be fixed. I reckon he stood to one side as he shoved me off.

[Longhorn Man]

you couldn't just put it in gear and fire up the engine?

[68gmsee]

As most old timers have mentioned, these bumper jacks were pretty much the norm back in the old days before the mid to late 60's. Some car bumpers even had small holes where one could hook a bumper jack specially made to fit them.

To be honest, I don't remember very many under the car bottle jacks being carried because people considered it a pain to get under to jack it up and flats were a lot more frequent back then.

One thing I do agree on, they were quite a bit more dangerous and subject to slipping, teeth not engaging and basically popping of if not used properly.

As for a hydraulic jack, seems like I do recall seeing one and not too long ago. They were fairly rare.

[mblackburnjr]

On a side side note....these old bumper jacks are great for breaking down tires. I was probably 15 before i found out they made a machine for this...lol

[Dunenutt]

There was a hydraulic bumper jack after all. I found this on outintheshop.com, and kinda borrowed it for illustration purposes only

[Legolas894]

Originally Posted by Dunenutt

There was a hydraulic bumper jack after all. I found this on outintheshop.com, and kinda borrowed it for illustration purposes only

I'll take the tow hooks for $7.50/pr!!

[Longhorn Man]

Dealer accessery book though... not a factory option.
Posted via Mobile Device

[mrein3]

I use my Hi-Lift jack all the time. As others have pointed out, with a 4x4, there really isn't much other option.
My 1972 Chevelle - my first car that I purchased in 1984 - had a bumper jack. Being 16 with no money of course I had to deal with changing crappy tires all the time. Flats, putting snow tires on for the winter, you learned how to run a bumper jack pretty quick.

I suppose if you are an idiot the things are dangerous but they work better in my opion than the modern scissor jack. But not as good as a good old floor jack.

Hi-lifts also come in handy when your truck breaks through the ice next to shore or your fish house needs another block or two of wood under it.
I've also used it to lift my pontoon boat off the ground to get a trailer under it in the spring.

Another good place for a hi-lift or bumper jack - what do you do when you have a flat on the side of the road and the tire is down on the rim? You can't get a jack under there but you can catch the bumper.

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by Legolas894

I'll take the tow hooks for $7.50/pr!!

The last pair like that I bought were $10/pair and they are bolted to the side of my fish house. These aren't the 'factory style front tow hooks' that folks are asking a mint for. These are still available at your local auto parts store for about $10 or $20. Chrome too.

[68gmsee]

Originally Posted by mrein3

t.................I suppose if you are an idiot the things are dangerous but they work better in my opion than the modern scissor jack. But not as good as a good old floor jack....

I wouldn't say you had to be an idiot even though one had to be extremely careful with them. There were parts that would break internally or wear out and cause problems also.

Problems I experienced or saw:

Jack would suddenly start going down on it's own. I mean it looked like some invisible person was moving the handle rapidly up and down! Little up and down lever would break or wear out.

Slip and not engage the teeth on the jack? The working part would get worn and slip. The ratcheting action plain wouldn't work sometimes.

I've even seen where a bumper actually bent enough to cause it to slip of the bottom hook. Chain hooks like in the picture above were better if you happend to have one.

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by 68gmsee

I wouldn't say you had to be an idiot even though one had to be extremely careful with them. There were parts that would break internally or wear out and cause problems also.

Problems I experienced or saw:

Jack would suddenly start going down on it's own. I mean it looked like some invisible person was moving the handle rapidly up and down! Little up and down lever would break or wear out.

Slip and not engage the teeth on the jack? The working part would get worn and slip. The ratcheting action plain wouldn't work sometimes.

I've even seen where a bumper actually bent enough to cause it to slip of the bottom hook. Chain hooks like in the picture above were better if you happend to have one.

You're right. Idiot is a poor choice of words. Ignorant is a better word. I mean, you can hurt yourself with a screwdriver if you are ignorant in how it is used.

The invisible man thing is easily avoided. If you take a stock bumper jack, lift a car, put it in "down" mode, and let it down a click without hanging on to the handle after the click, it will bounce up and go back down and start a cycle that won't end until the car is down. Take the "handle" out of the jack and there usually isn't enough energy stored in the mechanism to get it cycling.

Like with all tools, you have to be careful.

AND NEVER EVER GET UNDER A CAR THAT IS BEING HELD UP BY ANY JACK. Use jackstands or a good old stout hunk of lumber before rolling under a jacked up car.

[Iron Hauler]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

it wouldn't have been an option... a dealer accessory.

Sorry guys, I'll try and watch the way I word things. I meant he bought it at the dealership, not the factory.

[Iron Hauler]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

Dealer accessery book though... not a factory option.
Posted via Mobile Device

Again, Sorry about that

[Iron Hauler]

Originally Posted by Dunenutt

There was a hydraulic bumper jack after all. I found this on outintheshop.com, and kinda borrowed it for illustration purposes only

Thanks, that looks like it may be the one, its exactly as he described.

[Gumby]

bumper jacks were awesome back in the day for making a man out of you

Took some balls to jack a car up really high with one.

trick was to angle the jack forward or back so when it did roll forward or back a little, it was then straight up and down.