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Hi-Lift Jack Rebuild

Hi-Lift Jack Rebuild

Part #:

From the Hi-Lift® Jack website.
The Hi-Lift® Jack is a rugged, highly versatile jack that puts you in command of situations requiring lifting, pushing, pulling, winching, and clamping. Although light in weight and easy to maneuver, the Hi-Lift® Jack offers a rated lifting capacity of 2 1/3 tons (2114.74kg).

Specifications:
• Approximate weight: 30lbs (14 kg)
• 4,660 lbs (2113.74 kg) rated capacity
• Climbing pins of specially processed steel with 125,000 PSI tensile strength and 100,000 PSI yield.
• Steel bar is manufactured of specially rolled extra high carbon steel with 80,000 pound minimum tensile & carbon .69 to .82.
• Steel handle of 14gauge high-yield structural tubing with minimum yield of 55,000 PSI. 1 5/16" diameter x 30" long.

Features:
• Every Jack comes complete with an adjustable top clam clevis for use in clamping and winching.
• Safety bolt is designed to shear at 7,000 lbs. (3175 kg)
• For speedy disengaging, lifting unity automatically drops away when load is removed.
• 4 1/2" (11cm) long lifting nose for positive contact with load.
• Steel bar can be reversed for extra long life.
• Low pickup of 4 1/2" (11cm).
• 28 square in base plate.

Most of us that do any off roading or even landscaping, I have a buddy that uses his for his fencing company, he used to make these Jacks. If yours is anything like mine you have used it for more things than just working on the vehicle off road. We carry them on the front bumper, rear bumper, roof racks, the hood, etc… All the time exposing them to the weather, dirt, sand and then hope that they work when we really need them. Well mine has seen many years of being left outside. It has gone from being a nice read color to kind of a molted rusty brown. I figured it was time to give the jack an overhaul and see if anything is really wearing out on it. Now I haven’t touched the jack since the start of last years Hurricane season down here, of which the jack weathered everyone outside. I wasn’t really confident that the jack actually operated smoothly. I did grease it up really good last time I put it on the front, and I do carry grease and WD-40 to loosen it up, so I wasn’t to worried about having to use it. So I pulled the jack off the front bumper and gave it a try. Things were looking up since it actually worked fairly smoothly. So now was time to take it apart. If you need any additional parts other than the FIX-IT-KIT, you can call Hi-Lift® Jack Company at (800) 233-2051, or (812)384-4441 from outside the USA.

Additional Parts:
Rust converter
Primer
Spray Paint
Hi-Lift FIX-IT-KIT (FK-1)
WD-40
Alcohol
Rags
Anti-seize

Tools Needed:
Wire wheel
Drill
Ratchet
1/2” Socket
3/4” Socket
1/2” Combo Wrench
5/8" Combo Wrench
11/16" Combo Wrench
3/4” Combo Wrench
Needle nose pliers
Drift Punch
Dremel

 
Installation:
1. For those of you that still have it attached. Remove the foot piece from the bar by pulling out the cotter pin. I have a regular snap pin in mine since I store the foot piece in the back of the Jeep. You will need a pair of pliers for this.
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2. Remove the Top Clam-Clevis by removing the Top Clam-Clevis Bolt with a 3/4” combo wrench and a 3/4” socket. It’s easier if you can clamp this in a vice, but I managed to lock a leg around it and get it to come free.

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3. Remove the bar from the Running Gear assembly by just running it all the way to the ground and just pulling the bar out.

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4. Disassemble the Running Gear assembly.

5. Remove the Handle by pulling out the cotter pin from the Handle Socket. You will need a pair of pliers for this.

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6. Remove the Climbing pins using a drift punch and a hammer to drive the cross pins out.

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7. Remove the Climbing Pins and Climbing Pin Springs. Be careful with the springs since they will find the most inconvenient place in the garage when they pop out.

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8. Remove the Cab Screw and washer holding the Reversing Latch with a 1/2” Socket.

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9. Remove the Reversing Switch Cam Bar and Spring.

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10. Remove the Hi-lift® Shear Bolt that holds the Pitman to the Small runner. This will require a 1/2" socket and combo wrench.

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11. Remove the Hex bolt that holds the Handle socket to the Large Runner. Use a 11/16" and 5/8" combo wrench.

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12. Tap out the Pitman Pin that holds the Pitman to the Handle Socket.

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13. Lets not forget the handle. Remove the Handle Spring Clip from the Handle. If yours is like mine, you won’t need to try very hard, it just kind of snaps apart and falls off.

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14. Now that you have everything apart, take a close look at the Climbing Pins, Climbing Pin Springs, and the Hi-Lift® Shear Bolt. My springs were rusty, but didn’t seem to have lost any force. The Climbing Pins were a little rusty, so I hit them with the wire wheel. Note: Do not hold the pin with your finger, it will most likely end up with you trying to figure out where the pin went after you drop it. I looked at the Hi-Lift® Shear Bolt and saw that it was bent. Obviously, after all the years of use I had managed to bend it, I probably came pretty close to shearing it at one time. With this being bent, even though the springs and Climbing Pins looked good, I won’t take the chance for safety reasons. If I had stressed 1 part, I may have others that are stressed. I will replace all the parts.

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15. I looked at all the parts where pins or bolts go through and made certain I didn’t have any burrs, or obvious damage.

16. Take a wire wheel and clean off all of the dust, dirt, grime and rust. I was able to get inside the holes on the bar with a dremel wire wheel. You might be able to get in there with a small wire brush.

17. Wipe down the jack with some degreaser and alcohol to clean off any foreign material.

18. Spray a coat of rust converter on the jack pieces to catch any rust that you weren’t able to get with the wire wheel.

19. I lightly sanded the jack pieces again to get rid of any of the inevitable dust/ fuzzy’s that seem to be attract to anything freshly painted. I then sprayed a coat of red paint on the jack. Once this dried, it was time to reassemble. DSC03783
 
NOTE: When you reassemble the Hi-Lift® Jack you will need to lubricate the following parts:
Lubricate the Jack using white lithium grease, light penetrating oil, or a silicon or Teflon spray at the following points:
Steel Bar:
Keep the front and back edges of the steel standard (bar) lightly lubricated and free from dirt and rust.
Pitman Pin:
Keep the pitman pin lubricated or it will damage the handle socket and pitman.
Shear bolt:
Keep the shear bolt clean and lubricated to keep it from wearing out.
Climbing Pins and Springs:
Keep both climbing pins and springs lubricated and free from dirt and rust.
I found that in addition to what Hi-Lift® recommends you should also lubricate the Hex Bolt and Cap Screw w/ Washer. I also put a little grease on the insides of the Large and Small Runner.

Do not use motor oil or grease to lubricate the jack.

 
Reassembly:  
1. Assemble the Running Gear first. Lubricate and tap the Pitman Pin that holds the Pitman to the Handle Socket in. Now mine was a little loose after cleaning up all of the rust on the old one. Don't worry, once it's installed in the large runner it can't come out.
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2. Lubricate and install the Reversing Switch Cam Bar and Spring into the Large Runner.

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3. Slide the spring inside of the large runner. DSC03913
4. To get the cam bar to slide into position you will need to pry back the spring. I used a flat tip screwdriver through the center of the bar to pry back the spring.
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5. Install the Cab Screw and washer holding the Reversing Latch with a 1/2” Socket.

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6. Install the Climbing Pin and Climbing Pin Spring. Install the spring in the larger runner.

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7. Insert the climbing pin into the larger runner. The beveled side of the climbing pin goes towards the top (towards the reversing latch). DSC03923

8. Install the Cross Pins into the Climbing pins using a drift punch and a hammer. Be careful you don't catch the wire of the spring. Once you have the cross pin in you can rotate the spring until just the bottom is under the cross pin.

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9. Install the Climbing Pin and Climbing Pin Spring into the small runner. The climbing pin bevel goes towards the front (top) of the small runner as position in the picture. DSC03910
10. Install the Cross Pins into the Climbing pins using a drift punch and a hammer. Be careful you don't catch the wire of the spring. Once you have the cross pin in you can rotate the spring until just the bottom is under the cross pin. DSC03911
11. Install the Hex bolt that holds the Handle socket to the Large Runner. Use a 11/16" and 5/8" combo wrench. The bolt goes through from the reversing latch side this will ensure that the latch clears the bolt.
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12. Position the small runner over the Reversing Switch Cam Bar. There is a notch in the small runner underneath the cross pin that the bar slides through. push the small runner up enough that it can slide into the notch in the large runner.
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13. Install the Hi-lift® Shear Bolt that holds the Pitman to the Small runner. This will require a 1/2" socket and combo wrench. The bolt goes through from the reversing latch side. DSC03930
The assembled running gear. DSC03931

14. Install the Handle in the Handle Socket and install the cotter pin.

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The bar may have two different ends to it.
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Bottom end
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Top end

15. Install the Clam-Clevis by installing the Top Clam-Clevis Bolt with a 3/4” combo wrench and a 3/4” socket into the top end of the bar

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16. Now reinstall the Running Gear Assembly back on the bar. I ran the assembly all the way up to show you how it should look against the Clam-Clevis.

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17. Install the Foot Piece on the bar and insert the cotter pin. The longer side of the foot goes forward on the Jack. DSC03937

The completed rebuild.

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Don't forget to test the Jack. Ensure that the reversing latch is latched and just operate the jack. It should move up smoothly, and when you release the reversing latch should go crashing to the floor. Remember there is no weight against it at the moment. DSC03943

You will need to lubricate the following points on the Hi-Lift.

  • Steel Bar
  • Pitman Pin
  • Shear Bolt
  • Climbing Pins and Springs
 
Daystar Handle Holder

During my recent overhaul of my Hi-Lift Jack I snapped the old rusted handle holder.  Not much of a loss really, I had been using some bungee straps to hold the handle from rattling and flailing about.  I looked around for another way to hold the handle.  Hi-Lift makes a holder and so does Daystar.  I was able to get a Daystar holder for really (free) cheap so I decided to use it on my Hi-Lift Jack.  There is a difference between the two holders.  With the Daystar you need to remove the top clamp slide the holder on and then reinstall the clamp.  With the Hi-lift holder, you can slide it right over that top clamp. 

NOTICE:  IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE HANDLE-KEEPER TO BE REMOVED DURING JACK USE TO ALLOW THE HANDLE TO BE PLACE IN THE FULL UPRIGHT POSITION AS STATED IN THE HI-LIFT SAFETY INSTRUCTION MANUAL.

Here is what it looks like. You can get them in various colors. Yellow, Red, Black. If I remember correctly.

1. Remove the Top Clam-Clevis by removing the Top Clam-Clevis Bolt with a 3/4” combo wrench and a 3/4” socket. It’s easier if you can clamp this in a vice, but I managed to lock a leg around it and get it to come free.
2. Slide the handle holder down over the top of the bar.
3. Slide the handle holder over the handle.
4. Install the Clam-Clevis by installing the Top Clam-Clevis Bolt with a 3/4” combo wrench and a 3/4” socket into the top end of the bar
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Remember every time you need to use this Hi-Lift you will need to remove that top clamp and remove the holder. With that in mind I would recommend going with the Hi-Lift holder if you consistently use that top clamp.  I have the Jack Mate, so I only have the clamp on for the pictures.

Hi-Lift Jack instruction manual
(From the Hi-Lift Site)

Hi-Lift Jack Company
P.O. Box 228
Bloomfield, IN 47424
www.hi-lift.com

  N-m Ft. Lbs. In. Lbs.
       
       

This page last updated: 16-Apr-2008

Content and Design © 2002-present WanderingTrail,  Ronald Seegert
Common Sense and Safety should always be observed when working on your vehicle or doing modifications. Jackstands, wheel blocks, disconnecting the battery are a few of the basic safety precautions that should be used and may not be mentioned in the write ups on this site. You are responsible for your own installation, these write ups are a helpful guideline and should not be taken as an official installation instruction. My write up may be different from the kits currently out there, so alwasy double check the manufacturers installation instructions when installing anything. I try to keep the site up to date with changes that have occured as I discover them, but may not have the latest unless someone lets me know. If you feel that an install is above your capabilities after reading my write ups, I recommend getting together with a club and getting some help. Only a few times have I needed to employe some actual help from a shop to get something done. Usually welding or A/C work. While I have spent many years working on mechanical systems, I am not an expert, nor do I pretend to be one. I hope these write ups have been useful to you.
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