Why do some people not carry Hi-Lift jacks?

Off the rear shackle on the bumper.
It's what we ended up doing after fighting with the bottle jack for 30min.

Not in my experience. We needed to reset a bead recently. The bottle jack went right under the axle and lifted a few inches enough to get the tire off the ground. A little cleaning and some air and we were done. Took about 10-15 minutes from pop to driving again. There was no fight.
 
I remember my the jack in my dad's early 70s Ford Galaxie was a hi lift "type". I assume that was the standard type of jack back then?
I had one of those Jack's with my 72 Gran Torino. Had to change a flat on i-65 in Kentucky. One of the scariest parts of that road trip..
 
I had one of those Jack's with my 72 Gran Torino. Had to change a flat on i-65 in Kentucky. One of the scariest parts of that road trip..
And those were jacks with heads that actually FIT the bumper.
But accidents, claims, liability, insurance and the industry got rid of them.
Just like most companies with Workers Comp have done with the farmer jackall.
Only a few of us rednecks insist the user is the problem.
 
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plus my parents spent thousands on orthodontic work when I was in school and I'd hate to see all that money spent in vain when the highlift jack handle does what it does best

cartoon-boxer-being-hit-loses-tooth.jpg
 
I used them in the fire service for creating openings and jacking up cars for cribbing before air bags and holmatro tools became widely available. Not having to start any pumps or motors made for quick deployment, but we always used them with a partner who could watch out for issues. Hi-Lift has a first responder version now, and some of the videos show just how intricate a safe set-up can be. I've toyed with getting a new 42" Hi-Lift as opposed to a new winch, but I just don't feel comfortable using them solo. For farm work (tensioning fences, dragging out logs and boulders) a 2-ton come along works fine for me.
 
It’s a useful tool, just as a chainsaw, or a coil spring compressor. They can all hurt you if used carelessly. If you don’t trust yourself to use one safely, then don’t. I’ve used them for the past 25 years. I also carry a bottle jack. Each has their time and place, and sometimes they are used in conjunction. I expect California to be outlawing these crazy, dangerous jacks any day now 🙄
 
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I almost never carried a Hi-Lift on any of the CJ's I owned, which covers a period of about 46 years. I did keep one mounted on my offroad trailer, "just in case," which I have lent to others but only used once or twice myself during all that time. As I noted in another post someplace, my Hi-Lift handle has been used as a sleeve to keep bent tie rods straight more than it has been used as a jack handle.

I have been carrying my Hi-Lift on my LJ, again "just in case" and because I already have a slick, low COG Hi-Lift mount on my Rock Hard 4x4 rear bumper. My thought process was nothing more sophisticated than "why not?" However, I am now considering removing it because a 48" Hi-Lift weighs 31.5# and the accessories weigh another 12.5#, for a total of 44#. That makes my Hi-Lift the heaviest single item in my jeep besides myself and the 10 gallons of extra fuel/water that I carry on extended trips. It represents almost 10% of the total weight of the gear and extra fuel/water.

Since my Hi-Lift handle has been used more than the jack itself and then only for trail side tie rod repairs, and because a 32" piece of 1" angle iron and some hose clamps can do the same job as the jack handle and weighs less than 3#, I think that is what I will carry instead.

YMMV
 
That HiLift handle is great as a breaker bar when extra leverage is needed. Thats about all I have used of my HiLift jack as well.