The 8 Best Off Road Jacks
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
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.