The 8 Best Off Road Jacks
This wiki has been updated 30 times since it was first published in March of 2018. Every Jeep meets its match once in a while, but getting stuck is part of the fun of off-roading. If your wheels are spinning, a tire has popped, or your rock crawler is pointing straight toward the sky, you'll need some kind of mechanical help to get back on the trail. Certain jacks work better than others for 4x4 environments, so we've gathered the best options for your adventures. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Hi-Lift X-treme
2. Cooke Pro Eagle Extreme
3. Strongway Stubby
Editor's Notes
February 22, 2021:
There was a handy, all-in-one kit called the Sergeant from Safe Jack, but it's tough to get ahold of now, and was overpriced for the components included, anyway, so we no longer recommend looking for it. We also replaced a larger Cooke Pro Eagle with the Cooke Pro Eagle Extreme not just because of availability issues, but also because this slightly smaller version is just that much more portable, as normal floor jacks are often prohibitively bulky for use in off-road vehicles. The Extreme's lack of standard wheels also means it can fit in tight and awkward spaces more easily. Depending on the terrain you're traversing, though, you could also consider the Cooke Pro Eagle Talon, a slightly lighter-duty model with durable, off-road casters.
At the end of the day, though, the Hi-Lift X-treme and Hi-Lift Cast/Steel are still the go-to choices for many rock crawling enthusiasts. They aren't suitable for most garage work, but they're relatively easy to mount, and about as weight-efficient as they come. Alternatively, the Strongway Stubby is the best low-profile bottle jack on the market, and considerably less bulky than the Hi-Lift options.
October 04, 2019:
There are a lot of different means for getting your 4X4 unstuck in the wilderness. Traditional bottle jacks like the Torin Big Red work okay, but you might get better use out of a low-profile model like the Strongway Stubby. The Powerbuilt combines a hydraulic bottle jack with a fixed jack stand, which adds a greater level of safety when working in the field. Cooke's Pro Eagle line offers more mechanical advantage than most thanks to its traditional floor jack design, though it is considerably expensive. The Sergeant is also pretty costly, but it's a high-quality kit that would make an excellent gift for the off-road enthusiast in your life.
Then there are the non-hydraulic options, of which there are a few great ones. The Bushranger is a novel choice, as you blow it up using your vehicle's exhaust, and it's surprisingly effective as long as you don't let it get damaged by any hot pipes. For most users, though, the Hi-Lift jack in one of its multiple variants will satisfy not just your lifting needs but in many cases your power pulling and even winching desires as well.
Special Honors
Radflo Hydra-Jac If you're already heavily invested in off-road racing, you'll understand why the Hydra-Jac commands both its premium price tag and its quality reputation. It's about as streamlined as they come, and combines a farm-style ratcheting jack with reliable hydraulic technology to deliver one of the best-performing racing jacks on the market. radflo.com
4. Hi-Lift Cast/Steel
5. Cooke Pro Eagle Talon
6. Bushranger X-Jack
7. Torin Big Red
8. Powerbuilt All-In-One
Building PCs, remodeling, and cooking since he was young, quasi-renowned trumpeter Christopher Thomas traveled the USA performing at and organizing shows from an early age. His work experiences led him to open a catering company, eventually becoming a sous chef in several fine LA restaurants. He enjoys all sorts of barely necessary gadgets, specialty computing, cutting-edge video games, and modern social policy. He has given talks on debunking pseudoscience, the Dunning-Kruger effect, culinary technique, and traveling. After two decades of product and market research, Chris has a keen sense of what people want to know and how to explain it clearly. He delights in parsing complex subjects for anyone who will listen -- because teaching is the best way to ensure that you understand things yourself.