TECHNIQUE4X4 RECOVERY: PART 8164 http://www.4X4australia.com.au1 JACKS are designed for lifting, not
holding. If you want to swing your legs
under your 4x4, ensure it’s sitting on a
stand, not a bag of hot air.(^2) Unless your idea of a fun weekend
is a lungful of exhaust gas, you’ll need
to be careful both inflating and deflating
the jack.
(^3) Things can go pear-shaped when
performing any recovery. Keep everyone
out of the 4x4 and the immediate areas,
especially if working on a hill.
(^4) Despite their ability to lift massive
weight, exhaust jacks will rarely handle
more than 10psi.
(^5) 4x4s can and will fall off jacks, no
matter what they’re made of. If you’re
lifting a 4x4, it needs to be chocked.
TIPS FOR
SAFER
LIFTING
STEPS >
SAFETY FIRST DOWN SHE GOES BACK ON SOLID GROUND
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IT SHOULD go without saying: Don’t ever trust a
bag of hot air with your life. If you’re planning
on working on the 4x4, position axle stands
under the lifted corners to hold the weight.
Alternatively, if you’re lifting a wheel to get it out
of mud, snow or sand, now is the time to pack
harder materials under the tyres.
WHAT goes up must come down. And just as
lifting your 4x4 should be a slow and controlled
process, the same goes when dropping it. In the
hose you’ll have a one-way valve that allows
gases to travel into the jack, but not back out.
Grab the valve and slowly twist it open to defl ate
the jack. You’ll want to crack it just enough
that if the vehicle begins lowering in an unsafe
manner you can quickly stop the fl ow of gases
and halt the descent.
WITH the vehicle back on solid ground, give
the jack another thorough visual inspection
before packing it away. Keep an eye out for
any new damage and clean off any mud or
debris it may have collected. Over time, even a
small patch of mud can dry out, rubbing the
material and weakening the bag in the
process. When back home, give the jack a
thorough wash with warm water before
leaving to dry out of direct sunlight.
When you do get them off the ground
they’re so unstable a stray breeze could
see them come crashing down – not good
news for any unsuspecting legs that
happen to be underneath. Enter the
exhaust jack.
Exhaust jacks are designed as a simple
and safe replacement for the trusty high-
lift jack, a means to get your 4x4 off the
ground without the risk of breaking your
jaw with a wayward jack handle. Another
plus is that an exhaust jack has a much
larger, sturdier base.
The jacks can get you out of sand or
mud in a recovery situation, or lift a flat
tyre off the ground. Plus they’re touted as
being one of the simplest bits of recovery
gear money can buy.