Well I thought I wanted a winch for my truck... but I couldn't justify buying one in my mind and didn't want to mess with electrical loads, grounds, etc.  What I really needed was a more durable jack for my truck than the stock scissors jack, one that had more vertical lift and one that could be used for other purposes, like pulling me out of stuck spots.  So when I came across a Hi-Liift on Craigslist for $20 I jumped on it.  I went to my local Tractor Supply yesterday to see if they had any of the poly handle holders.  They did.  They were on clearance for $12.99 and when I went through the register it rang up for $4.99.  Score!  When and if the Hi-Lift needs repaired I can purchase rebuild kits with pins and springs for $25-$35 bucks.  Just need to keep a can of spray lube in the truck to lube it up and keep it working free.

So... where to lift on my 2nd gen truck without crushing sheet metal?  On the front I have a beefy crossmember on my brush guard to use.  On the rear:  nothing.  So I took some 3/16th angle iron, fabbed some 'pockets' for the lift of the Hi-Lift to set into, gusseted them and then welded them to each side of my trailer hitch, which is also 3/16th or 1/4" steel and firmly held to the frame with four bolts.

The last piece is where to carry the jack.  They aren't light.  I could carry it in the back of the truck easy enough, but my 4-legged grandson would be falling all over it  all the time so I decided to mount it externally off of (above)the lift points installed on the tow hitch.  I finished it today, except for coating the metal with some Herculiner to reduce rust accumulation, then adding some rubber bushings to prevent rattle, a couple castle nuts to hold it in place and adding my lock to keep honest people honest.  My friend Dave made me a small cable out of aircraft cable, really small stuff but rated at over 1K lb tensile strength.  I will loop it through one of the loops on my hitch for my trailer chains then through the Hi-Lift and secure with a small padlock.

Next I'm using some 3/16th box steel to make a sleeve for the jack's shaft, tapping a hole thru the middle of it and inserting a grade 5 bolt and nut through it to hold it in position on the jack shaft when winching and another piece of box steel for the lift point on the jack, welding some tabs onto them, attaching some hefty chain to them with a hook on one end... and with the recovery chain I already have I'll be able to pull myself (3 feet at a time if necessary) out of stuck spots.  Hi-Lift sells their recovery set for $69 bucks, but I think I can make the same for around $15.  I already have straps, clevices and recovery rope and my Non Hi-Lift gloves work fine.

Nice work nprecon. Looks great!

My high lift has got me out of a few jams!  I was thinking of getting the setup (forget what its called right now) where you can winch you way up a length of chain using 2 sets of hooks and chains.  But come to think of it 3 feet at a time would work for most situations. 

What is in your recovery kit exactly?

That is the Hi-Lift recovery kit I was referring to.  Do a search (or see below) for it and you will find a couple small chain legs (as described in para 4 above) plus a tree strap, clevis, a pair of gloves and their bag =$69.

The  gear I currently carry is a 20 foot strap, two clevises, a 14 foot tow strap, a 25 foot chain leg, a pintle hitch, a looped 2 ton lift strap, gloves and my jack.   I trashed my rope dragging logs out of the ravine.  I need to replace it yet.  Once I have the two pieces tabbed with chain legs and hooks I can use the Hi-Lift as a recovery winch, relatively safely. To date EVERY time I have gotten stuck a 3 foot tug got me free.  Each recovery pull using the Hi-Lift is limited to the length of the jack, then you anchor the jack (purchase the winched distance with the bottom chain leg attached to the bottom of the jack frame) then reset your jack and pull again.

I'm finally back at home now and found a link for that Hi-Lift recovery "kit" I was referring to.


http://www.autoanything.com/winches/76A5478A0A0.aspx

Not a fan of carrying them outside of the vehicle, at least down low.  Easy to bang into something and very exposed to the elements.  When I lived in Michigan I heard quite a few stories about posers or well intentioned wheelers who kept their High Lifts mounted to their vehicles 24/7...only to learn after a winter or two that the large, all steel, not well painted lumps had turned into rusty lumps.  One guy had to use a 3lb hammer to free his handle and still had to soak the mechanism.

When I had one years ago I just kept it on my roof rack and strapped it on good every time I went out.  The rest of the time it was just unneeded weight that I just kept in the garage.

All very good points, AJM. Everything mechanical takes periodic maintenance if you honestly expect it to work when you actually need it. 

Thanks for posting the link...I am sold on that kit for sure.  I keep my high-lift behind the passenger and driver seats (on the floor).  If there are passengers in the back they have to put their feet on it. I have seen people keep them in a sheath when mounted to the outside.  But as mentioned you need to keep them cleaned and lubricated anyways. And KEEP BOTH HANDS ON IT AT ALL TIMES it feels like its not a lot of force at the handle until it starts bouncing and ratcheting itself faster and faster!

Yeah, even though it is supposed to be rated at 7K, I seriously doubt I will ever stress it with that much weight unless it would be a life or death situation.  I have all the respect in the world for both electricity and the crushing ability of weight.