X-BULL Hi Lift Jack Mate Lifter Farm Jack 4WD Wheel Lifter 4x4 4WD Recovery

Rock sliders, plastic bumpers and side steps leave a high-lift jack nowhere sensible to sit, and a buried tyre is exactly when a jacking point is needed most. The Lift Mate takes the jack away from the body altogether and hooks it into the wheel, so the tyre comes up even when the chassis offers nothing to lift from.

Lifting from the wheel instead of the body

The bracket slides over the lifting nose of a Hi-Lift style jack, and two hooks pass through the wheel spokes to take hold of the rim from the inside. Raising the jack then lifts that wheel directly. On a bogged vehicle this is often what is wanted anyway: get the tyre clear of the hole and pack rocks, timber or a traction board underneath it before letting the weight back down. It also solves the modern problem of a vehicle whose only factory jacking points are buried behind bar work.

Manganese steel under a nylon skin

The core is high-manganese steel formed on a 600-tonne hydraulic press and then carburised. Carburising drives carbon into the surface so the outer skin hardens while the core stays tough, and that combination is what keeps a hook from straightening out under load rather than simply snapping. Over the top goes a nylon coating on the faces that touch the wheel, which keeps bare steel off painted or machined alloy rims. The whole thing weighs 2 kg including its box, so it rides in the recovery bag without being noticed.

Key features

• Wheel-mounted jacking point: hooks into the rim so no chassis or bar jacking point is required.
• Nylon-coated contact faces: keeps steel off the rim finish during the lift.
• Carburised manganese steel core: a hard surface over a tough centre.
• 2 kg and 310 mm long: small enough to keep permanently in the recovery kit.
• Suits Hi-Lift style jacks: fits over the standard lifting nose.

Specifications

• Lift capacity: 5,000 lb / 2,273 kg as quoted by the supplier; the basis is not stated
• Size: 310 x 85 mm
• Weight: 2 kg including box
• Material: high-manganese steel, hydraulically formed and carburised
• Coating: nylon
• Jack: not included

Jacking safety

• The jack itself is not supplied. This is an accessory for a Hi-Lift style jack that you already own.
• High-lift jacks are the most dangerous tool in most recovery kits. The handle kicks back hard and fast — keep your head and body out of its arc and keep both hands on it through the whole stroke.
• Never put any part of your body under a vehicle held up by a jack. Use axle stands or rated supports before going underneath.
• Chock the wheels still on the ground, leave the vehicle in gear or park, and apply the handbrake before lifting.
• Check both hooks are properly seated in the wheel and pulling squarely before taking the weight. Hooks can slip out and alloy rims can be damaged by a bad seat.
• The supplier's capacity figure carries no stated basis. Treat it as an outer limit rather than a target, and never convert or scale it.
• This is a lifting accessory only. Do not use it as a recovery point, a tow attachment or an anchor.

Worth having in the kit for any vehicle where the factory jacking points have disappeared behind sliders, steps or an aftermarket bar.