How to Attach Hi-Lift Jack to Leitner Designs’ Active Cargo System

If you’re hitting the trail, going into the backcountry, or simply want to ensure you have every vital piece of off-road equipment on your truck, you’re going to want to carry a Hi-Lift Jack. These big, long, heavy pieces of steel can be just the tool you need to get unstuck in the backcountry. However, contrary to popular belief, the Hi-Lift Jack is not a good tool for a tire replacement or repair on the trail. Let us explain.

Though certainly strong enough to lift a heavy 4x4 truck, Hi-Lift Jacks are prone to falling over, often with lightning speed and with the force of a 6,000-pound 4x4 falling to the ground, which can be incredibly dangerous. If a Hi-Lift Jack were to fall while holding a vehicle, it could harm the vehicle or — worse yet — injure or kill people. We have all heard the stories of off-roaders losing teeth to a falling Hi-Lift Jack. Don’t be that guy.

Rather than use to lift your vehicle up for prolonged periods for trailside repairs, the best and, really, only way to use your Hi-Lift Jack is for vehicle recovery. The primary purpose of a Hi-Lift Jack is to lift your vehicle’s wheel up off the ground just enough to, say, wedge a MAXTRAX recovery board beneath it. Another use is to use the Hi-Lift Jack as a man-powered winch. However, this too can be dangerous.

We can’t overstate this enough: Don’t use your Hi-Lift Jack to lift your vehicle feet off the ground and rely on it to hold your vehicle while you change a wheel and tire. You want a much more secure bottle jack for this. Bottle jacks are relatively inexpensive. Carry one for trailside repairs that require lifting the vehicle.

That said, if a Hi-Lift Jack is your last line of defense against being stuck, though, it’s a nice tool to have.

With that advisory preamble out of the way, let’s talk about the storage of the Hi-Lift Jack. Though you may not need it often, when you do need it, you’ll want to make sure that your Hi-Lift Jack is close at hand. That’s where Leitner Designs’ Hi-Lift Jack Bracket comes into play.

Active Cargo System

Bernhard Leitner, Leitner Designs’ founder, chief designer and engineer is an avid off-roader. With multiple off-road trucks in his garage, Bernhard loves to push his trucks to the extreme every weekend. That means Bernhard has firsthand experience with the frustrations and pain points that come with relying on your rig in the backcountry. That’s why he founded Leitner Designs. Bernhard created the Active Cargo System (ACS) because no other company made the rack that he wanted for his trucks. So, Bernhard designed his own with the features he knew any self-respecting rack should have.

Leitner’s patented Active Cargo System (ACS), engineered and built to welcome all active lifestyles, is the toughest, most functional modular rack-based cargo solution available today. With its ergonomic eye-level storage, adjustable sliding rear load bar and full line of accessories, the ACS delivers the ultimate in versatility, performance and durability.

Attaching the Hi-Lift

Bernhard designed the Hi-Lift Jack Bracket to mount to the inside rail of the ACS where it can be easily accessed in a pinch. Bernahard chose this location this for several reasons. First, beyond ease of access, this location is key to safety. It ensures the long and very heavy Hi-Lift Jack was mounted in a place where it could be stable. The last thing anyone wants is a 45-pound Hi-Lift Jack to come loose on the road or trail.

More than just making it secure, the powder-coated steel and zinc-plated hardware of the Hi-Lift Jack Bracket has two padlock holes to prevent theft and wing nuts to prevent rattling. It’s the ease of access, stability, and anti-rattle design that distinguishes the Leitner Designs ACS Hi-Lift Jack Bracket from other offerings in the space. It makes it quick to get at, secure when stored, safe from thieves, and — critically — not prone to annoying rattles that drive even the most zen off-roader a bit mad.

Conclusion

Whether choosing the original ACS Classic, the sleek ACS Forged or the adaptable ACS Tonneau, Leitner Designs makes the finest bed racks for backcountry and off-road adventures. To learn more and see how owners are using and living with their ACS racks, please follow Leitner Designs on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

For more information on the Hi-Lift Jack please visit www.Hi-Lift.com