what Jeff says is true, but I have been stuck a couple of times where
a bottle jack would not have been useful. Once in muddy ruts, no space
under van to get a bottle jack in (although I could have dug a hole).
The other time was in a river, gravel bottom. Water was about mid calf
deep, would have been annoying to use a bottle jack then.

I agree also that winching with a hi lift is not great.

alistair

On 10-May-11, at 2:32 PM, Jeffrey Vickers wrote:

> Hey Rocky,
>
> Before you get a Hi-Lift you might want to try one. They are not the
> easiest device to use and they are insanely dangerous if you screw up
> and the handle whacks you in the face. I prefer a good bottle jack and
> foot-long sections of Trex decking (not  wood) underneath the jack.
>
> If you are getting stuck in deep sand and want a tall jack to get out,
> there are alternatives. If you are thinking that the HiLift would make
> a good winch, I would recommend either buying an actual winch or
> something like a Black Rat hand winch: http://www.expeditionswest.com/equipment/general_equipment/black_rat_winch.htm
> . Using the HiLift as a winch is a slow and painful process. There
> are also 12V winches that are hand-mounted to either the front or rear
> of your vehicle as needed - instead of having it bolted to the front.
> Strips of carpet work wonders in soft sand as well.
>
> Getting unstuck depends on a variety of circumstances - what you are
> stuck in and what's nearby can be a big factor. If you travel alone
> (one van) in wooded areas, a winch -either mounted or portable - might
> be your best friend.
>
> cheers,
> Jeff In Marin
>
>
> On May 10, 2011, at 12:35 PM, Automatic digest processor wrote:
>
>> Date:    Tue, 10 May 2011 08:15:36 -0700
>> From:    Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject: Re: Lockers -- how hard to install LLSD?
>>
>> Okay, fine. Yinz* have talked me into it. I'm-a gonna have the tranny
>> pulled and hauled over to German Transaxle to have the stock auto
>> trans
>> differential replaced with a Peloquin torque biasing diff. That,
>> plus a
>> Hi-Lift jack, a bunch of other recovery bits, and a lot of studying
>> of
>> this video I just got, "Getting Unstuck with Bill Burke," and I
>> might be
>> able to avoid the messy and embarrassing pickles I got myself into
>> last
>> year.