One can NEVER use the Hilift alone for maintenance except things you can do without getting underneath, like changing a tire. Everybody needs to be clear that you can never put a body part in harm's way when only the Hilift is supporting the vehicle.
I lifted the Roadiemobile up by the Curt 31055 once for a test. Didn't deflect enough to make we worry. My custom bumper has almost zero deflection, but I asked the designer to make it strong enough in that direction to lift the front.
The way I usually use the Hilift is to lift just a wheel (with the lift-mate) or the sliders (using the WabFab adapter), to get out of a rut or fill in underneath with rocks or the sand ladders. A benefit of the tippiness of the HiLift, and a way to avoid the high risk of lowering the full weight of the vehicle (where the handle might get loose from your hands and turn into a killer flailing bat as the vehicle ratchets down), is that you can often drive right off them. Especially when I'm alone, this is a useful tactic. If you aren't sure you have enough traction yet, just get in and try to drive. Note: This is a bad tactic if you've just used the Lift-Mate adapter on your wheel. (I haven't done this, but I almost did once.)
Here's how I got traction on snow in Montrose, CO (just before I broke the diff).