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