ADD Custom Bed Rack, "BigJ" style

[BigJ]

Hey Big J,

Awesome write up and from the looks of all the stuff going on in the bed of your truck, I think it's safe to say that there are some really great functional thought processes going on in your crainial vault.

Based on that assessment, I have a quick question for you, or anyone else who has experience in the following area:

What locations exactly are you using for jackpoints when using the highlift jack?

I bought a highlift and ended up getting rid of it for lack of good, stable, chassis based, jack points. I do most of my off roading in deep sand and I didn't want to ding up my truck by having the highlift lean into it.

I have a custom built baja style front bumper which prohibits setting the jack in a good close vertical position at the front of the truck. The rear bumper is stock and seems too weak to use for a jack point.

I was considering having 4 jack extension recepticals attached to the frame; 1 behind each of the front fenders and 1 in front of each rear fender, then attaching an extension of some sort to the highlift so it would reach under the truck and slide into the recepticals on the frame.

Any advice or photos of highlifts in action would be greatly appreciated.

I was in the exact boat as you are RAP. So I decided to work with Hefty Fab Works to kill two birds with one stone. Take a look here for all the details: http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f5/sliders-skid-plates-oh-my-warning-pic-heavy-9665/

The bottom line though is that these sliders replace the OEM steps and provide a true HiLift point. I haven't had to use it in the real world yet but in practice they perform perfectly. Give 'em some thought...

I remember seeing a pic of these big balloon things that you can air up under your truck to lift it off the ground. May be a good application for you in the deep sand?

Yeah Madcow, I have looked into those. A couple of draw backs. 1) They hook up to your exhaust, so you have to run your truck to fill them. 2) They don't pack down too small... too bulky. 3) I just don't feel comfortable trusting a fabric bag as a primary means to get me out of a jam. I'm looking for more of a mechanical, hardened-steel solution.

I have to agree. They're an innovative solution for sure, but ultimately I decided they're just not for me.

 

[cbs001]

Yeah Madcow, I have looked into those. A couple of draw backs. 1) They hook up to your exhaust, so you have to run your truck to fill them. 2) They don't pack down too small... too bulky. 3) I just don't feel comfortable trusting a fabric bag as a primary means to get me out of a jam. I'm looking for more of a mechanical, hardened-steel solution.

Sorry we are hijacking your thread Big J. Raptile have you thought about using the Hi-Lift Lift-Mate which allows you to lift from the wheel and is rated to 5000 lbs? For $35 it gets the job done.

 

[BigJ]

No worries at all. This kind of discussion is what I hope posts like this spark.

FWIW, I carry a Lift Mate myself. Its an awesome option and tool: Amazon.com: Hi-Lift Jack LM-100 Lift-Mate: Automotive


Which reminds me though... how is everyone using their HiLift to change a tire? That's one area I'm nervous about using it for. We've got (relatively) so much travel, that getting it up that high with a HiLift is down right scares me. Thoughts?

 

[cbs001]

No worries at all. This kind of discussion is what I hope posts like this spark.

FWIW, I carry a Lift Mate myself. Its an awesome option and tool: Amazon.com: Hi-Lift Jack LM-100 Lift-Mate: Automotive


Which reminds me though... how is everyone using their HiLift to change a tire? That's one area I'm nervous about using it for. We've got (relatively) so much travel, that getting it up that high with a HiLift is down right scares me. Thoughts?

Big J that is the problem in an off road environment. I have read previous posts about the mythical collapsible jack stand, Slee Offroad Prototype Portable Jack Stand - YotaTech Forums .

I spoke to Slee off road today, and they stopped development because of weight approx 65-70 lbs. They did think about making them from Aluminum but they do not think there is a large market for them. I wonder what the interest would be from Raptor owners?

 

[BigJ]

I'd be in for one. Right now, I don't know how'd I'd change a tire in the dirt or sand or rocks. That's just about the only glaring hole in my entire setup that I can think of. So far I've been lucky and it hasn't been an issue. No doubt my luck will run out someday...

---------- Post added at 03:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:28 PM ----------

Edit: I should clarify a bit. If/when I need to swap out a tire, I plan to use the Lift Mate to pull the flat up off the ground (after breaking the lugs). Then, find something to lower the suspension onto that still allows for enough height to keep the tire off the ground. Pull it off, put the replacement back on, snug it down, relift with the Lift Mate, remove the 'thing' holding it up, lower back down and tighten the lugs back down. Its that 'thing' I'm rolling the dice on being able to find out in the wild.

My other thought is to carry this: Powerbuilt® 3 Ton Jack & Jack Stand - 1160455 | Tractor Supply Company

Between the first idea and that bottle jack stand, that *should* get the job done. In theory.

 

[RAPTILE]

Sorry we are hijacking your thread Big J. Raptile have you thought about using the Hi-Lift Lift-Mate which allows you to lift from the wheel and is rated to 5000 lbs? For $35 it gets the job done.

Yes, cbs001, thought of that too. Problem with that solution is too many moving parts and too much inefficient energy.

1. ******** lift mate
2. lift truck
3. insert jack stand
4. lower truck onto jack stand
5. remove lift mate
6. remove flat tire and wheel
7. install spare
8. ******** lift mate
9. jack truck off jack stand
10. remove jack stand
11. lower truck to ground
12. remove lift mate

What I want to be able to do is pull out my highlift jack, lift my truck to the point where it is high enough off the ground and stable enough to use my aircompressor and impact tools, then change the friggin' tire and be back on the road (or trail) quickly. Might have to go the same route as Big J's awesome set up and spend some $$$ on replacing the stock running boards with rock sliders.

 

[CineSLR]

For those with tube bumpers and sliders these make a lot of sense...

Slider Adapter

If you find yourself using your hi-lift a lot, some extra footing could come in handy. I have not personally used his "big foot" yet but it seems like a good idea in theory.

Big Foot

 

[Madcowranch]

Yep I usually throw in a foot long piece of 2X8 to use as a base with my hi-lift and a 6X6 chunk to block the wheels.

 

[DirtNasty]

Yeah Madcow, I have looked into those. A couple of draw backs. 1) They hook up to your exhaust, so you have to run your truck to fill them. 2) They don't pack down too small... too bulky. 3) I just don't feel comfortable trusting a fabric bag as a primary means to get me out of a jam. I'm looking for more of a mechanical, hardened-steel solution.

I wouldnt worry about their ability to lift our truck, i would worry about them not having enough size/lift to lift it enough.

---------- Post added at 01:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:58 PM ----------

Big J that is the problem in an off road environment. I have read previous posts about the mythical collapsible jack stand, Slee Offroad Prototype Portable Jack Stand - YotaTech Forums .

I spoke to Slee off road today, and they stopped development because of weight approx 65-70 lbs. They did think about making them from Aluminum but they do not think there is a large market for them. I wonder what the interest would be from Raptor owners?

I would be in for one! that looks like a bloody godsend if having to do any sort of "oh shit" trail repairs.

 

[JRASIK_Cdub]

I feel like I have a good perspective on this since I work outside in the open desert and the Imperial Sand Dunes. I wouldn't call myself an expert on any of the gear but I have changed more tires in the desert and self-rescued and tugged out more vehicles than I can count.

I'm not a fan of high lift jacks. Sure they can lift the truck up pretty high to get unstuck or change a tire but the risks involved and how unsteady they can be outweighs the advantages. My work truck used to have one but it's never been the only solution- I've done whatever it is I needed to do with a floor jack, bottleneck, and digging or stacking rocks. Also we had too many injuries and damages to the vehicles from them.

The floor jacks are the way to go. Stable and easy to use, they've always gotten the job done. Can't get the tire high enough for whatever reason? Dig underneath it after you've raised it a bit! If you want a larger footprint to help with the stability a small piece of thicker plywood is perfect- also you can use it for traction in soft sand by placing it behind a wheel.

To each their own though. I know people who swear by their high lift jacks, but like I said for me I can do the same job with a floor jack, a piece of plywood and a shovel. The one thing I will give high lift jacks is that they are way better for jacking up the entire rear end of a vehicle up so you can pile rocks, wood, whatever underneath for traction.

I've only changed a handful of tires on a Raptor (none on mine so far *knocks on wood*), but we ran into the same thing with the droop. We ended up digging underneath the tire to get the clearance (lol, deepest tire hole I've ever dug). I'm sure that there's a good mounting point someone knows of though. I told myself I'd ask on here to figure it out for later but I completely forgot until now.

5/1 EDITED TO ADD A POINT BELOW AND CLEAN UP THE POST WHERE I TRIED TO QUOTE SOMEONE AND IT CAME OUT MESSED UP:

I forgot to add that I/we (coworkers) tend to slide the flat tire under the frame just after we remove it- usually just in front of where we took it off. That way if the vehicle does fall the frame will come to rest (after scaring the cr*p out of you) on the tire and the exposed axle will still be floating and not hit the ground with possible damage somewhere.