Jack Mount Install

I just installed a farm jack (think Hi lift) in my CJ5. Maybe this will help someone. I bought a mount off ebay for about $35 that is supposed to mount the jack upright on the rear. It's generic and will mount on any flat surface. I mounted it on the rear, passenger inner fender, because I don't really want things hanging on the outside of my Jeep. Colorado trails can get narrow, and stuff will get bashed. Just ask my hardtop & spare tire mount.
The mount is decent quality, and only needed minor mods. The brackets holding the jack into the mount needed minor bending to line up. Might not need to for a real Hi lift jack. The bolt for the swivel holding the upper bracket only had a regular nut. Should be a locking nut so you don't bind the bracket & hope the nut doesn't back off from vibration. I didn't have the correct size lock nut, so I double nutted. The bolts with plastic knobs to hold the brackets needed work. I added a spacer about 3/4" between the knob & bracket. Without the spacer, I was hitting my knuckles when tightening. Then I cut about 3/4" off the ends. They were too long & stuck out. Plus, I could barely start the bottom bolt since the knob hit the jack. That's it for mount mods.
I had to mount it at an angle to clear the roll bar and fit between the passenger seat and door frame. Mark & drill 2 holes, then done. The jack is 48", which sticks out too far. If I ever had a passenger, they would hit their arm on it. I cut about 6" off the top. If it's still a problem, I'll make a soft cover for it. I have a winch, so I will rarely need the jack for recovery.
Other than that, I fixed rust on the top, painted the top, replaced turn signal lenses, new wiper blades, and bought new tires that I will mount tomorrow. Still waiting for the winch mount.

 

Good work. I am considering mounting mine in the same area but tying it to the roll bar.

 

many years ago . I made some brackets and mounted it behind back seat on top of fender wells
but when I redid the jeep a few years back . took out back seat and brackets
kids are all grown up and gone . jack is in corner of garage
the only action it sees nowadays is the occasional fence post duty

 

That worked out nice but gaud I hate those jacks and there will never be one in my early Jeeps. I have two Hi-Lifts I use around the ranch all the time-from pulling fence posts in in-accessible areas (most of the place) to straightening out bent machinery. But a good winch and a bottle jack are what is in/on the Jeeps.

 

Tough to get a bottle jack under a jeep in deep mud, etc.

The hi-lifts are scary/dangerous, but the large range can get me up-and-out in crazy ways.

But yes, a PTO winch is the best. And I never leave home in any vehicle without a come-along, although I once used a hi-lift as a puller to escape a deep waterhole.

 

I thought about the roll bar, but couldn't clear the seat. I need everything mounted so I can take top on & off. Last summer, I went into a water hole and got hung up on the front diff. Nothing in front or behind to pull off of. Only option was to move the truck sideways. Hooked my come-along with a strap to a tree. Jacked up the truck with a Hi lift. Then pulled it over. Alternated front & rear until I was free. Bottle jack can't do that. Not a Jeep, but here's the truck.

 

Very true, but also true is that you can do that easily with a lot less fuss with a winch and a snatch block. BTDT And I don't wheel anything that doesn't have a reliable winch attached. But one can still do something not very smart, like figure eighting your extra winch cable around the front bumper and then find said bumper crammed into the bottom of a mud hole. My friend Chris never did get it loose and I winched him rearward out of that. North Meadow/McKelvey Lake trail, 1993. This hole was at the bottom of the switchback above the Frisbee Mine boarding house for years.

 

I carry a hi lift and a scissors jack, for all the reasons posted above.

 

Always a Hi Lift. And I've seen more than one tie rod get sleeved with the handle after it was bent.

 

Love me an early 'Yota. Looks like it's been bobbed too.

 

Winches aren't always in the budget. The cost on the Yota (bought 4 years ago) was about the same as a new winch (not Warn). You make do with what you have. I haven't had a situation where straps, come-along, and Hi lift couldn't get me out. But man, Duffer, that stuck couldn't have been fun.
I love my Yota. It's a 1980 w/20R & 4spd. Frame & drivetrain are stock except for 2.5" lift springs. The PO must have been tall. He extended the cab 6" and bobbed a later bed to fit. It's hard to get it stuck and refuses to quit going until I get it home.