Go Rhino El Gato Hydraulic Jack Review

In terms of off-road jacks for making trail repairs, you have a few options. First, there are off-road floor jacks like the Pro Eagle or Harbor Freight’s budget-friendly Badlands variant. Then, you have farm jacks (such as Hi-Lift) and hydraulic options which serve mostly the same function (outside of using it as a manual winch, etc.) but in a very different way. Technically, you can also use bottle jacks and get creative with wood blocks for added lifting height, but that’s more of a last resort.

The 4Runner’s cargo space is limited once you load it up with gear, and those off-road floor options take up a ton of room. With more traditional ones, call me a wimp, but their horror stories make me not want to use them. So, I decided to try RealTruck’s (they own Go Rhino) El Gato jack, which is more or less a mixture of both.

What’s Is It?

These work similarly to a mechanical jack in that it attaches to your rock sliders or bumper to lift your vehicle on the trail. However, there are some important safety improvements.

The first big change is the lifting mechanism. Instead of manually lifting with a large lever and relying on physical notches in the jack’s frame (which could cause it to slip under pressure), the hydraulic jack lifts your vehicle with ease using gas/fluid pressure. This also allows you to gently lower your vehicle when you’re done. Think of it like the lovechild between a bottle jack and a Hi-Lift – you get the lift height of the latter with the effortless operation of the former.

A second important improvement is the ability to swap out the lifting point for an (optional) extended tooth version or tire hooks. That’s a lot safer than Jerry-rigging something with wood or chains out on the trail. I would argue that the extended tooth accessory is a must.

In my opinion, the El Gato is a much more versatile tool that doesn’t require you to “get creative” on the trail, which ultimately translates to being safer to use.

Specifications

• Min Lifting Height: 6″
• Max. Lifting Height: 48.5″
• Travel: 21.5″
• Lifting Range: 27.5-48.6″
• Maximum Capacity: 4,400 Ibs.
• Compressed Height: 36″
• Extended Height: 58″
• Weight: 25.6 Ibs.
• Inches Per Stroke: 1″

Features

• 6062 T6 aluminum with gray (charcoal) anodizing
• Cast aluminum handles with black powder coat
• Protected and easy to use relief valve
• Does not require maintenance
• Several available accessory add-ons
• 5 year warranty!

How To Use

I won’t lie, this is still a bit intimidating to use compared to a floor jack. Albeit, I don’t have any experience with this type of jack. Also, the one downside is that you need rock sliders and/or a steel bumper to use Hi-Lift-style jacks. Fortunately, I have both of those.

The extended tooth accessory and pivoting base provide reassurance while operating. The latter helps it adapt to uneven surfaces and keep the load evenly distributed across the base. You can adjust the starting position of the lift along the stout locking points via two clamps on the side of the collar.

Once you’ve determined your lifting point on the vehicle and have the collar locked into position, a few pumps of the handle effortlessly lift your vehicle. That’s all there is to it.

To lower your vehicle, press the purge valve with the integrated lever. One attention to detail that I appreciate is that the pump lever has a small guard to prevent the purge valve from being pressed when the vehicle is lifted.

Important: Always practice safety measures such as placing a wheel under your vehicle, just in case.

Cost & Value

Is this hydraulic option cheap? No. However, larger name-brand variants cost a few hundred more. That’s not to say this jack is worse quality, though. While I don’t think this is intended for commercial use with a recovery service that’s using it multiple times a day, it’s a great option for the weekend warrior who wants to bring this for peace of mind.

The all-aluminum anodized construction is pretty nice and exceeds my expectations given that it’s just supposed to lift your vehicle. This also helps save on weight without sacrificing capability. This is not just a piece of cast steel that’s powder-coated.

One important consideration is the weight of your rig. With a maximum capacity of 4,400 pounds, this isn’t meant to lift a decked-out, full-size diesel like an Earth Roamer. By comparison, traditional Hi-Lift jacks have an average weight capacity of 7,000 pounds (though I’m still not sure I would want to lift that much weight with one of these). Hydraulic jacks are, however, plenty strong enough for a mid-size build like the 4Runner or Tacoma.

A generous 5-year warranty is included for peace of mind. I appreciate that given that this jack has a lot more moving parts than a simple Hi-Lift.

Accessories

There are several accessories available for the El Gato. In my opinion, the most notable ones are the extended tooth and tire strap. These would cover most of your bases for trail repairs and can be swapped with the primary lifting tooth in about a second.

There are also a couple of mounts available to secure it to your roof rack or cargo area.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I think this is a great addition to my recovery gear. Previously, I relied on a 4-ton SafeJack with its proprietary extensions. While that would still get you out of a pinch, it can get sketchy pretty quickly once you start using it on uneven surfaces.

There is no play in the components, which is a very good thing when you consider it will be supporting thousands of pounds. At about 25 pounds, it feels substantial enough that it’s up to the task while not being unwieldy.  It’s also far more compact than a farm jack.

Without beating around the bush, this is a luxury piece of recovery gear. Yes, you can perform the same function with a manual jack for a fraction of the cost, but this is much safer, easier to use, and more compact. It also won’t rust. Those benefits come at a premium, much like any other piece of gear.