Hi, Jim. I bought my hi-lift jack in 1974, when I got my CJ-5. I spent about 15 years surf fishing. I used it primarily to get other folks unstuck, one or two a year.
One of my favorites was a couple of dudes in a short bed 4x4 Ford truck with monster tires and a lift kit that tried to cross a slough behind the beach between Sargent and Brown Cedar Cut. My (future) wife and I were on our way down the beach when we saw a Bronco with two women and a bunch of kids coming back. A little further on, there were these two bozos waving us down with the truc in the slough.
They asked if I could pull them out. I looked, and the top of their monster tires were sticking out about an inch out of the 2" of water and who knows how deep mud. The diff must have been at least a foot under. So I told them I couldn't pull them out, but could get them out. We tried once with my 50' 3/4" nylon rope, no go. Duh.
Here's where the jack comes in. I had them get in that stinky bog, and started dragging in driftwood. The procedure is keep pumping boards into the bog with the jack. Luckily they had a big brush guard so something was high enough out to receive the jack. It took about an hour, and many boards, but finally the jack started to take a load. It looked like the brush guard was going to bend, so I had them stop, then take another bite.
Finally, there was a little sucking sound, and the front tires came up less than an inch. We kept at it until the front was up and they got boards under the tires. Then I went back to the rope and yanked them out first try.
After, they asked what they owed, and I said I didn't care. They were black mud head to toe. One of them dug in his pocket and handed Brenda a wad of mud and money. Then they told us that as soon as they got stuck, their wives and kids turned around in a Bronco and left. Ouch.
We had a nice meal at Gaido's on that money after Brenda washed it off. Don't remember catching any fish that day.
Pete Keillor