Lazy-Ferret
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2012
- Messages
- 5,217
We were told to be on standby for snow, some of the local soothsayers seem to be convinced that we are going to get some in the south by Christmas, to the extent they have even put money on it.
Anyway, we have recommended kit, so I have loaded the car up "ready".
A few years ago, I purchased a high lift jack, then read all the horror stories about them, which were kind of scary... I make a point to keep it well maintained, and it's only been used for odd jobs, like pulling fence posts, straightening bent metal, lifting the trailer, and a few jobs where I wanted the car lifted up so I can stick something under the wheels, to allow me to get right under it safely. To this end, I purchased the "Wheel Lift" attachment, which has rubber covered hooks that fit onto the spokes of the wheel, then attaches to the foot of the jack, which in theory means you can lift the wheel about 3 foot off the ground, should you so desire.
I always thought it would be a handy bit of kit to take out when driving in the snow, as the great thing about the High Lift is you can not only use it as a jack, but as a puller and pusher, as well. So while it might not be as easy to use as a winch, it costs a lot less, and I already have it, so in an emergency, it could be useful.
The problem is, it's a real pain to stick in the car, as it does not fit anywhere nicely. I looked at fitting it on the outside of the car, but again, it does not seem to want to go anywhere, so I never pack it, and there have been a couple of times it would have been useful to have had.
This year, I decided I would have another go at making a temporary way of sticking it on the car for the snow period, While in Wales in the summer, I found a guy selling some heavy galvanised metal brackets left over from when they built the local power station, at a boot fair, and bought a few, as they are the sort of thing that "Might come in handy" someday. Using some of these brackets, I have made up a temporary Hi Lift mounting, that fits onto the tow bar, using the extra length of the the tow ball bolts sticking through the nut.
Now I can just stick the jack on when I need it, and take the whole bracket off when I need to use the tow ball again.
Anyway, we have recommended kit, so I have loaded the car up "ready".
A few years ago, I purchased a high lift jack, then read all the horror stories about them, which were kind of scary... I make a point to keep it well maintained, and it's only been used for odd jobs, like pulling fence posts, straightening bent metal, lifting the trailer, and a few jobs where I wanted the car lifted up so I can stick something under the wheels, to allow me to get right under it safely. To this end, I purchased the "Wheel Lift" attachment, which has rubber covered hooks that fit onto the spokes of the wheel, then attaches to the foot of the jack, which in theory means you can lift the wheel about 3 foot off the ground, should you so desire.
I always thought it would be a handy bit of kit to take out when driving in the snow, as the great thing about the High Lift is you can not only use it as a jack, but as a puller and pusher, as well. So while it might not be as easy to use as a winch, it costs a lot less, and I already have it, so in an emergency, it could be useful.
The problem is, it's a real pain to stick in the car, as it does not fit anywhere nicely. I looked at fitting it on the outside of the car, but again, it does not seem to want to go anywhere, so I never pack it, and there have been a couple of times it would have been useful to have had.
This year, I decided I would have another go at making a temporary way of sticking it on the car for the snow period, While in Wales in the summer, I found a guy selling some heavy galvanised metal brackets left over from when they built the local power station, at a boot fair, and bought a few, as they are the sort of thing that "Might come in handy" someday. Using some of these brackets, I have made up a temporary Hi Lift mounting, that fits onto the tow bar, using the extra length of the the tow ball bolts sticking through the nut.
Now I can just stick the jack on when I need it, and take the whole bracket off when I need to use the tow ball again.
It is actually about 4" behind and just above, but I will take it for a run and check just how hot it gets. That was the reason for the gloves.
