How would you use a High-Lift Jack on a Deli?

[Erebus]

If not used properly the handles can recoil up and if they hit you in the head, kill you. The lucky ones just get a broken jaw. That's probably good reason for any employer to remove them from the general workplace, irrespective of their motives for doing so.

Anyway, this is probably straying from the original question, so I'll leave it there.

I don't think that this is straying from the subject. I'm going to assume that the High-Lift I have is very similar to Jack-All, so I very much appreciate the warning, and will be very careful when using it -- something I actually hope never to do.

[fexlboi]

If you want one they are on sale @ Princess Auto starting Jan 27 for $ 70. ( 48 " )

Are this the original Hi-Lift Jacks or some copy cats?

[Erebus]

If you want one they are on sale @ Princess Auto starting Jan 27 for $ 70. ( 48 " )

Are this the original Hi-Lift Jacks or some copy cats?

The original Hi-Lift 48". Usually $90. 4,660 lb rated capacity. Just FYI it isn't the version that has the thingy at the top so you can use it as a spreader or giant clamp.

[JMK]

Thanks Erebus, I suspected a voice or reason would surface, and I'm not suprised it was from you withal.

Ironically, my prevalent memory of a JackAll was when it contributed to saving a life. While attending the scene of an MVC on the Trans Canada all I could do to offer the trapped victim assistance was manual C-Spine Immobilization and reassurance that I had radioed for EMS and the Jaws of Life and they would be arriving as soon as possible. The wreck was such a shintangle I couldn't even get the KED behind the victim so I could better prepare for extraction. As we were 40km from Banff it was going to take awhile. Then a farmer from Saskatchewan pulled up. After silently assessing the situation, he looks at me in a matter-of-fact way and says 'I can help'. Without saying anything else, he walks back to his battered pickup, tells his kids to sit quietly, removes a jackall and a small canvas tarp, and returns. He then jacks the door pillar and collapsed dash frame off the victim's crushed femur. He then helped me stabilize and get the KED on the victim. I remember noticing his rough hands as he buckled straps on the KED. I can still picture them in my mind today in fact. EMS arrived ahead of the Fire Dept. Minutes were saved because EMS did not have to wait, and could Load and Go. In the busy period that ensued, the quiet farmer that had stolen the Fire Dept's thunder, faded away much like he had appeared, and to this day no-one really knows who the farmer with the jackall was that may have saved that victims life.

I'm not interested in paranoid diatribes about the ills of the Nanny State and about how cars and trucks kill more people than the Jackall. That is simply childish and offensive (to me at least). I'll bet that farmer wasn't either. What is of importance for those that may not have heard, is that the danger inherent in the Jackall is not so much that it can fail and have the vehicle fall on you (true of any jack), but what is unique to it's engineering is the danger of the handle. Keep your head away from it, and use your head with it!

Want to point out the dangers of every day items VS the jackall? In fact the humble winch would be a more fruitful analogy.

[Erebus]

is that the danger inherent in the Jackall is not so much that it can fail and have the vehicle fall on you (true of any jack), but what is unique to it's engineering is the danger of the handle. Keep your head away from it, and use your head with it!

If I'm reading you right, then this weird issue is only for a Jackall, that the Hi-Lift don't have this problem? Is that right?

Never having seen any of either make in use, but owning a Hi-Lift, this noob wants to know.

[JMK]

Sorry, I should have been a little better in explaining.

I don't know much about the Hi-Lift, but when I saw it the mechanism looks similar to me (holes in the stem, spring loaded pins) to the point where it looks to me like a modified Jackall.

Where the problem can occur is when you flick the levered switch over to the 'lower' position. Somehow the pins for some reason can slip the holes and then slam into the next hole with such force the handle recoils upward with tremendous force. Because you commonly are standing over the handle, it's trajectory can take it up through your jaw and into your skull, jarring your expensive gold crowns loose and giving you a memorable headache. If the pins catch into the holes, it will stop at that point, if not the whole works simply does not stop until it hits bottom. Because no-one crawls under a vehicle when it does not have axle stands and is only supported by a jack (do they?), it's more probable that the handle will be the more common danger.

Some possible ways to address this specific concern:

- Don't use an old jackall that is in bad shape and worn out.
- Keep the spring and pin mechanism well greased or oiled.
- Treat it like a chainsaw, stand to the side so that recoil will not be on the same plane as your head.
- Keep both hands firmly on the handle, and arms at a greater than 45 degree angle to the handle, especially when lowering so you've got enough leverage to resist a kickback.
- Don't imitate Bugs Bunny in Heat: Lower slowly and deliberately.
- Try not to jack past 3/4 of the way up the stem. If you need more clearance, lower onto blocks and then reposition the Jackall back down to as close to the bottom as possible.

Edit: Now you see why this was removed from our workplace. How many Civil Servants do you know that could be mindful of so many rules all at once?

[loki]

you took my post the complete opposite of how it was intended, easy to do I suppose, tone of voice doesn't work of the internet very well :). What I was trying to say is that lots of things are dangerous, especially if you don't use them correctly. There are safety precautions that should be taken. Because people don't read the instructions or heed the many warnings bad things happen and then the device they where using incorrectly gets the blame.

[JMK]

I take your point and appreciate what you say.

An analogy springs to mind in thise regard: the CSA.

While the CSA could be viewed as an agent propagating the views of the Nanny State and hindering the operations of the citizens, it's mandate is to use its powers of regulating for the supposed enhanced safety of the citizens. While they may not ban a dangerous vehicle for being inherently so, they can ensure the safety devices in the vehicle (such as air bags), achieve a certain minimum standard.

I have no idea if the Jackall has ever been scrutinized by the CSA. My suspicion is not, I further suspect it would not pass, but that is pure speculation on my part.

OHS is a ponderous top heavy entity that may well be deserving of criticism, I simply felt that the criticism leveled at it in this particular instance was undeserved, inappropriate, and not relevant to the topic at hand. If just one of my incompetant co-workers is spared injury from a device that is similar to a chain saw in that the operator should be trained before using it, I will certainly stand behind them.