Jack Stands...

Quite right.

Although the "lift and tip" technique is one way to get out of a mudhole, not only woodpiles!

 

I have a 60" High-Lift and those can get sketchy fast. The wide add-on base for the jack helps with stabilization. On my Nissan I built in rectangular tube "slots" into the front and rear bumpers to accept the lift tang on the jack to help ensure that it would not be able to slip off.

 

Who remembers using a bumper jack? As an 8 or 9 year old (1962 0r 63) I remeber being in the back seat when my dad made a very sudden U turn and went screeching up to a parked car with a bunch of men around it. Turns out some one was working on a car parked at the curb. He had it jacked up with a bumber jack and was working under it. As my parents were driving past the car it came down on the man working under it. I have never trusted bumper jacks and a high lift just reminds me of them too much.

 

The rafters in my garage do a really good job of holding my highlift up for me. I rarely take it in the Jeep anywhere. It takes up a ton of space and I've found a standard scissor type jack to be much more useful, you can get decent lift ones out of full size pickups in the junk yard. Harbor Freight carries a decent one as well.

As for Jack Stands. I won't work under anything without them. If I'm not going tobe under it and just swapping a tire or something I'll just used my floor jack and make it quick.

 

i've been told to ALWAYS use jackstands when a vehicle is jacked up, if possible. depending on the vehicle (obviously this doesnt work on high clearance vehicles) you can put the tires under the rocker panels in case it falls.