American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) Hi-Lift/Pull-Pal Mount

I remove my American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) Hi-Lift/Pull-Pal Mount when I’m not using it. I didn’t always. My first one got bent when I forgot to take the Hi-Lift off the Jeep and took it through a car wash. One of the brushes got tangled in the Hi-Lift and pulled the bracket out of alignment. When I used to leave that one on the Jeep all the time, the “U” bolts and powder coat got rusty… rain and winter conditions (road salt) do a number on metal car parts. So, this is my second one; I made the decision with this new one, that when I’m not using the Hi-Lift, I would remove it. To install it’s simply 2 “U” bolts and 4 bolts. It’s a very easy process and only takes about 5 minutes. Removing it and saving the powder coat makes sense considering the time and ease of the install.

This mount is a great place to store your Hi-Lift/Pull-Pal. I do not have a Pull-Pal, and sadly, storing the Hi-Lift is always an issue. You want to have it in a secure location as it is very heavy and in an accident can do a lot of damage if it went flying. Having it outside the Jeep is a great spot for two reasons: 1.) After using it, it might be muddy or dirty and you don’t want to drag that inside the cargo area, and 2.) You don’t want to have to dig around the Jeep when you need it quickly. I once had it mounted on the bottom of the roll bars in the cargo area, and that was good location – easy to get to – but I would bring mud and dirt inside the cargo area.

I also just bought a Grypmat tool tray from Amazon. This has a ‘sticky’ bottom finish without being ‘tacky’. It stays in place when put in odd positions and on odd surfaces, i.e. fenders and tires. Using this has made working on the Jeep so much easier by allowing me to throw wrenches, bolts – you name it – in places where you usually can’t put them within reach. Just don’t forget about it if you’ve put it atop a tire or other unusual place; you don’t want to run it over!