Lift on hitch?

Can you lift/raise the vehicle on the hitch with a hi lift jack to change a rear wheel out? I'm guessing not, as it would well exceed tongue weight (in reverse).

 

I don’t exactly see why you wouldn’t be able to but then again I haven’t tried lifting my truck by the hitch

 

While I am NOT advocating for doing this - However I highly doubt you run into any issues. At best you are only putting half or so of the total trucks weight onto the hitch if you were to try this. Remember that engineers have to take into account everything else when designing tongue weight specs - namely rear shocks/springs/as well as the tremendous loads put on because towing a trailer is a live load which will generate increased weights inherent with towing over terrain and roads.

 

I think I have jacked on the hitch of every truck I’ve ever owned without any problems.

 

by sticking the hi lift jack into the receiver or underneath or with another jack type?

 

why not just jack it up by the rear

 

A hi lift won’t fit under the rear

 

I say try it, and get back to us...

The rear is much lighter than the front with engine bay!

 

I'd think the tongue weight is dictated by the chassis as a whole and the suspension's capacity. IOW, 650 lbs or whatever is how much the truck can take straight down on the hitch before the rear springs are overloaded or something like that.

I'd think the hitch would take quite a lot more force that that, but it's only designed to tolerate a lot of force parallel (applied, shear) to the ground, not at a right angle (normal) to it. So you can't say for sure how much than tongue weight it will really take.

But one thing I would really think about is a Hi-Lift in the receiver is going to be pretty unstable so be really careful and use jack stands!

 

I have a reciever hitch in front, and Hi-Lift mine from both ends.

 

You can lift it for sure. But it will most likely shift/fall sideways when the wheels are off the ground

 

To put the strength of the hitch into perspective. A little over a year ago I got rear ended by a Ford Explorer (I was stopped at a red light, they were going probably 15-20mph, no major damage to me) but the hitch took it like a champ, it did bend a little but not an immediately noticeable amount.

 

Especially the front end.

 

Just curious if anyone knows for towing if the 650 lbs tongue weight is specified at some length? If it's something like say 2 feet moving the force in to 6 inches would mean you could apply 4 times the force and create the same moment (1,300 pound-foot) on the hitch receiver.

 

We lifted my truck with a hi-lift in the hitch, but be careful, as the jack will want to fall to one side or the other, especially if you are on uneven terrain.

 

When using a hi-lift, safety is always a concern. Always maintain atleast 3 solid contact points.(tires) by using the hi-lift on your hitch, you're only maintaining 2 solid points and can be very unstable if both rear tires are lifted of the ground.

Years ago, I almost put my truck thru the garage wall doing this when the jack kicked sideways.

 

I’ve done it with hi lift and floor jack. Lifting more than one wheel at a time with a hi lift is definitely sketchy though

 

Yes you can do that. But hi-lift really a "last resort / recovery" tool. It's sketchy as hell to lift two rear wheels with a high lift as it can easily move to the left or right. Lifting one side with a hi-lift with vehicle in gear / brake on / is a lot less sketchy, but still not the best way if you have a real jack. Use a floor jack & axle stands to change a rear wheel in your garage, hi-lift if you have no other options on the trail.

 

My OP question was more based on hypothetical if I have to change a wheel out where I hunt in a wildlife management area with rough unmaintained mountain roads. I have no lift, suspension mods, or aftermarket wheels. I only have a hi lift and the stock jack that came with the truck. Any suggestions for best option to change out a busted tire in the backwoods on a rough rocky road at angles would be appreciated...

 

I carry a board so I can use my stock bottle jack on less durable surfaces. That's what I use whenever I can. If that for some reason won't work and I have to use a Hi-Lift I guess it's another reason to have sliders on your truck. They are unstable enough jacks that using a center point like a hitch is really sketchy.