Rear ladder (recommended): The DVA Hi-Lift Jack Carrier mounts a 48" Hi-Lift to the factory rear ladder using three 3" clamps and M8 hand-knobs — no drilling, full rear door swing, ladder still climbable. Side panel (no-ladder builds): The DVA Side Accessory Carrier uses four OEM M8 bolt points on the body side; a 48" Hi-Lift fits within its rail length with a strap or clamp. Neither mount requires drilling or permanent modification.
The Hi-Lift jack is the single most-debated recovery tool in Grenadier communities — not because of its usefulness, but because nobody quite agrees where to put it. The Defender 110 crowd used to zip-tie them under the rear bench. The Grenadier has no under-seat cavity deep enough for a 48" jack, which means it goes outside, and "outside" has exactly two clean options: the factory rear ladder or the body-side panel carrier system.
Both options are bolt-on. Both preserve door clearance. But the ladder mount and the side-panel carrier serve different build profiles — and if you're also thinking about how you'll actually use the Hi-Lift on a Grenadier once you need it, the jacking point question matters as much as the mounting decision.
Why Grenadier Owners Mount the Hi-Lift Externally
The Grenadier's cargo area is generous — 40 ft³ with rear seats up, 71 ft³ folded — but a standard 48" Hi-Lift jack is 1.2 m of steel bar that won't lie flat without occupying the full floor length. In the Defender 110, owners ran them under the rear seats, secured with zip ties. That approach doesn't work in the Grenadier's cabin layout.
I used to keep one under the back seats of my Defender 110, zip tied to the seat frame, obviously that's not an option in the Grenadier… When I can find a ladder, the Hi-Lift will go one side and my rigid tow bar on the other.
— jeremy996, Forum Moderator · TheIneosForum #12417066, Nov 2024
The forum consensus hardened around 2024: the Hi-Lift goes on the ladder or the side carrier. Every other option — roof rack rails, cargo net inside, bungeed to a tow bar — introduces rattling, interferes with other gear, or requires more engineering than either bolt-on carrier solution.
Looking for advice on mounting a Hi-Lift jack on the side of the roof, using the tie down rails. Has this been covered in another thread? My searches for past threads have turned up empty. Any advice is appreciated.
— marinlands · TheIneosForum #12415747, Jun 2024
The roof tie-down rail approach (L-track side bolts) can work with a custom bracket, but it moves 4–5 kg of steel high and outside the vehicle centerline, which shifts the weight distribution more than a rear or side mount would. The two practical solutions — ladder and side carrier — both keep the jack below roof height and within the vehicle footprint.
Option 1: Rear Ladder Mount (Recommended)
The DVA Ladder-Mounted Hi-Lift Jack Carrier is purpose-built for the Grenadier's factory rear ladder. It uses three 3" mounting clamps that grip the ladder's horizontal step bars, secured with M8 hand-knobs — no tools required for removal, no drilling, no permanent modification to the vehicle.
Why step bars, not vertical rails
One of the earliest forum discussions on this topic settled an important installation detail: clamping to the horizontal step bars is more secure than the vertical rails. The reasoning is straightforward — if a knob ever loosens on the trail, a jack riding on a vertical rail can slide downward and swing into the rear door. On a step bar, loosening just means a small rotation, not a full drop.
I want to mount on the horizontal bars (the steps) as it seems like a more secure location and if a screw ever wanders loose I think there is less risk that I'll smash the Hi-Lift into my trunk door.
— parb · TheIneosForum #12417066, Nov 2024
The DVA mount positions the jack horizontally across the step bars — centered on the ladder so both sides remain climbable. The jack doesn't block roof access because it sits below the roofline, against the ladder's face rather than protruding behind it.
Specs: DVA Ladder Hi-Lift Carrier
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Jack compatibility | 48" Hi-Lift jack |
| Mount location | Factory rear ladder (all Grenadier models with ladder) |
| Clamps | 3× 3" versatile mounting clamps |
| Fasteners | 3× M8 hand-knobs (tool-free removal) |
| Drilling required | None |
| Rear door clearance | Full swing preserved |
| Ladder usability | Fully accessible with jack mounted |
| Rear ultrasonic sensors | No interference |
Real-world confirmation
Within weeks of the DVA mount shipping, forum members who'd been searching for a solution reported back. The Lake Tahoe test is particularly notable — moderate off-road with trail chop, which would expose any rattling or clamp migration:
I'm pretty happy with my mount of my ladder using the DVA mechanics bracket. Going up to Lake Tahoe this weekend and will be out bouncing in the mountains, I'll let you all know how it holds up. And it was asked by someone — there are no issues with rear ultrasonics at all.
— parb · TheIneosForum #12416497, Nov 19, 2024
The ultrasonic sensor note matters: rear proximity sensors on the Grenadier read objects behind the vehicle. A ladder-mounted jack sits against the ladder, not protruding rearward beyond it, so the sensors don't trigger false alerts.
Install sequence: slide the three clamps over the chosen step bars (use the top, middle, and bottom rungs for span), position the Hi-Lift bar-side down for the lowest center of gravity, hand-tighten M8 knobs firmly. No torque tool needed — M8 hand-knobs are rated for trail vibration. Total install time: under 5 minutes.
Option 2: Side Accessory Carrier Mount
If you ordered your Grenadier without the factory rear ladder — or if your ladder is already carrying a recovery board carrier, jerry can, or spare tire — the DVA Side Accessory Carrier (Gen 2) provides a second mounting location on the body side panels.
How the side carrier bolt points work
The Grenadier's body sides have four OEM M8 bolt points per side — designed for factory-option accessories and exposed after removing the plastic cover plates. The DVA Side Accessory Carrier (Gen 2) mounts directly to these bolt points using M8 hardware at 25 Nm, no drilling. The carrier's extruded aluminum rail runs along the body side and provides a track system for gear carriers.
A 48" Hi-Lift fits within the side carrier's rail length. You can secure it using the carrier's track slots with a strap-and-clamp system. There is no dedicated Hi-Lift side bracket in the DVA lineup (the ladder carrier is the purpose-built product), but owners with no-ladder builds have used the side carrier rail with aftermarket bar clamps or recovery strap loops to carry the jack flat against the panel.
Side carrier vs. ladder mount: key trade-offs
| Consideration | Rear Ladder Mount | Side Carrier Mount |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose-built Hi-Lift bracket | ✅ DVA Ladder Hi-Lift Carrier | ⚠️ No dedicated DVA bracket (use clamps) |
| Requires factory rear ladder | ✅ Yes — all standard-ladder Grenadiers | ❌ No — works on any Grenadier |
| Drilling required | None | None (OEM bolt points) |
| Door clearance impact | Zero — jack is rear-facing | Zero — jack is body-side-facing |
| Weight position | Rear center, below roofline | Body side, below window line |
| Ladder access with jack mounted | Fully accessible | Not applicable |
| Expandable to other gear | Pair with Ladder Accessory Carrier | Pair with Side Jerry Can Carrier, recovery boards |
For most Grenadier owners with the factory ladder, the ladder mount wins on every axis — it's purpose-built, eliminates guesswork, and leaves the side carrier free for recovery boards, jerry cans, or a shovel. The side carrier option is the right call when the ladder is already full or when the vehicle didn't come with a ladder.
Using a Hi-Lift to Actually Lift a Grenadier
Mounting the jack is only half the question. The Grenadier's chassis geometry — high ground clearance, inboard jacking points hidden behind the sill panels — trips up a lot of owners who assume the Hi-Lift works the same way it did on a Land Rover or Jeep. It doesn't. The foot won't reach under the chassis without an adapter or an anchor point.
Three reliable jacking methods
As people have said, there are plenty of ways to lift a Grenadier with a Hi-Lift: from the OEM slider (anywhere along the length), from aftermarket sliders that are rated for it, with something like the Hi-Lift Lift Mate (assuming your wheels are compatible), or by just tossing a tree-saver strap around the back of the tire and lifting that way. The best part about a Hi-Lift is that it is so much more than a lifting tool.
— anand · TheIneosForum #12418466, Apr 2025
- OEM rock sliders — INEOS's factory rock sliders are explicitly rated for Hi-Lift jacking. Per INEOS's own documentation: "They also provide a step for getting in and out. And for loading or unloading roof cargo. As well as an anchor point for the Hi-Lift Jack." Place the Hi-Lift foot under the slider tube at any point along its length.
- Hi-Lift Lift Mate (wheel adapter) — The Hi-Lift Lift Mate threads a strap through the alloy wheel spokes (or wraps steel wheels) and lets the jack pull from the wheel center rather than the chassis. Works on both alloy and steel Grenadier wheels.
- Tree-saver tire wrap — A recovery strap looped around the base of the tire can be clipped to the Hi-Lift's lift arm. Field expedient; effective on soft ground where the jack foot would otherwise sink.
What doesn't work
The Grenadier's factory chassis jacking points (the four OEM round indentations on the rocker panels) are designed for a hydraulic floor jack, not a Hi-Lift foot. The Hi-Lift foot won't reach them without drilling or a bespoke sill adapter. If you don't have OEM rock sliders, the Lift Mate wheel adapter is the cleanest field solution.
If you have alloys then the strap adaptor that you put through the spokes can lift a wheel. Beyond that there is nothing to put the foot under unless you have suitable rock sliders.
— shopkeep · TheIneosForum #12418466, Apr 2025
The DVA Grenadier Accessory Carrier Platform
DVA's Grenadier accessory system is designed so the ladder and side carrier work in parallel, not in competition. The typical recovery-ready build stacks multiple carriers across both mounting systems:
Recovery gear build sequence
- Rear ladder: Hi-Lift Jack Carrier (center) + optional recovery strap loop bracket (side rail)
- Rear ladder or side: Ladder-Mounted Accessory Carrier for shovel, tow strap, or additional hard gear
- Side panels (driver or passenger): Side Accessory Carrier Gen 2 for recovery boards (MaxTrax MKII fit confirmed) or 20L NATO Jerry Can Carrier
- Roof rack (if fitted): overlapping with the Vehicle Utility Systems roof layer — solar, lighting, tent mount
The ladder and side carrier bolt points are independent of each other, so you can fully load both without one interfering with the other. The Hi-Lift stays on the ladder. Recovery boards go on the side carrier. Jerry can goes on the opposite side. This is the standard DVA "full recovery kit" layout for Grenadier overlanders.
All carriers in the DVA lineup use extruded aluminum construction — not CNC-machined plate — which means they're lighter than equivalent steel carriers while handling the same trail loads. The ladder-mounted Hi-Lift carrier handles 48" jacks without rattle at highway speeds, confirmed by forum owners after multi-day trail runs.
Browse the full DVA Side Accessory Mounts collection for the complete carrier lineup.