The MaxJax Portable 2-Post Lift

[Ryan]

When the MaxJax lift was announced in our forums a few months ago, I decided I had to have one. It's compact size was perfect for my low shop ceilings (9') and I figured its portable posts wo...

To read the rest of this blog entry from The Garage Journal, click here.

 

[volvo]

.
. . Sure wish I had one... Unless it has a mattress label on it, could it be as easy as to drill some more holes at your desired hight for additional lock stops??



......
At the top hole, the car was too high and the heavy ****** was awkward to lift. At the bottom hole, the car was too low to smoothly slide the ****** in and out. We solved the problem by breaking all kinds of international laws (I’m sure) and just lifted the car to the needed height while ignoring the safety bars for a few minutes.....

 

[Tman]

Cool, that would work in my shed!

 

[bazar01]

.
. . Sure wish I had one... Unless it has a mattress label on it, could it be as easy as to drill some more holes at your desired hight for additional lock stops??



......
At the top hole, the car was too high and the heavy ****** was awkward to lift. At the bottom hole, the car was too low to smoothly slide the ****** in and out. We solved the problem by breaking all kinds of international laws (I’m sure) and just lifted the car to the needed height while ignoring the safety bars for a few minutes.....

I also have a 109" high ceiling. I was about to drill another set of hole in between the first and second set of holes as well, but I hesitated because want to make sure the warranty will not get void if I do so. Also. the new holes will hit the safety procedure and warning label. Time to call Danmar.

 

[xs-style]

looks like a nice setup. For those of us who will be currious... what was the total cost involved here?

 

[Ryan]

I also have a 109" high ceiling. I was about to drill another set of hole in between the first and second set of holes as well, but I hesitated because want to make sure the warranty will not get void if I do so. Also. the new holes will hit the safety procedure and warning label. Time to call Danmar.

Would love to hear about what you think of the lift. Thoughts? Same as mine?

looks like a nice setup. For those of us who will be currious... what was the total cost involved here?

Just under $2k.

 

[Junkman]

I spoke to Gabe about drilling additional holes, and he told me to hold off until the engineering department decides on the safety issues. Personally, I don't think that there would be a safety issue, but today, with the way people sue at the drop of a hat, companies must cover their ****. If you drill without them saying it is OK, then you will void any warranty on the unit. Manufacturers don't like user modifications..

 

[PCW]

Ryan,

How did you get blue posts? All I have ever seen is black???

PCW

 

[UPSHIFT]

Ryan,

How did you get blue posts? All I have ever seen is black???

PCW

Great Question !

This unit is one of four prototypes, and we decided on Black and Yellow for Production units to match our existing product line.

Gabe
Dannmar

 

[babzog]

I like the blue better, but that's just me.

What do you do to cover, seal or otherwise protect the mounting holes when the lift is not in position and you're driving in and out on a daily basis, dropping stones, dirt, water, road salt, snow, ice (we northerners have that particular cross to bear)?

 

[Junkman]

Ryan,

How did you get blue posts? All I have ever seen is black???

PCW

Great Question !

This unit is one of four prototypes, and we decided on Black and Yellow for Production units to match our existing product line.

Gabe
Dannmar

I do believe that I got cheated. The blue one has more safety labels on it than my black one. I want a refund or more labels.............

 

[Ryan]

There's irony... I like the black!

 

[Uncle Buck]

There's irony... I like the black!

I think it is just that "Grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" thing myself.

BTW: I think the blue one looks nicer too.

 

[G-force]

Black is the new blue

 

[Nick-NY]

I personally like the blue, it stands out a little more so no one walks into it by accident.

 

[FlameOut]

Great Question !

This unit is one of four prototypes, and we decided on Black and Yellow for Production units to match our existing product line.

Gabe
Dannmar

You mean Black and Gold, right?
(Steelers, Pens, and yes, the Pirates)

 

[WVBrady]

Great Question !

This unit is one of four prototypes, and we decided on Black and Yellow for Production units to match our existing product line.

Gabe
Dannmar

Black and yellow
Kill a fellow,
Black and red
Not to dread!

Bad JuJu!

 

[427HISS]

This is by far,....the best tool I've ever bought. I can take out my engine and transmission out at my home rather than trailering it to my buddy's auto shop. Everything from major work to simple cleaning can be done with the MaxJax. I even have laid a sheet of plywood on the arms for a large work bench. All of this can be at a height that I'm comfortable at.

Thanks Dannmar and Ryan !
Kevin

(more pics later)

 

[chrislehr]

psst - your blog post is showing your hamb

 

[chrislehr]

How deep is your slab, btw?

 

[427HISS]

4" slab in good condition.

 

[cultcar]

You know, it was my initial intention to move the MaxJax into place whenever I needed it. As it turns out, it isn't that obtrusive. So, I find that I will leave it in place and move it only when I have to. I even removed the wheels so that it could more easily fit within my modified floor tiles (1/2" thickness) that I cut out to accommodate the floor plate.

 

[Broncostile]

I wish they made a MaxJax XL for those of us that want a little more lift and have 10' ceilings.

I know there are lifts that will fit bit I don't want a floor plate. I love the portability and clear floor of the MaxJax.

 

[weicm3]

I wish they made a MaxJax XL for those of us that want a little more lift and have 10' ceilings.

I know there are lifts that will fit bit I don't want a floor plate. I love the portability and clear floor of the MaxJax.

You can consider Mohawk A7 in your situation. It costs a lot more though.

 

[Broncostile]

Yes I got excited when I saw the Mohawk. I got the price and I can't remember what it was but it seems like it was in the 7-10k range. I'm thinking more in the 2k range so its way out of my price range.

I'm sure something will come up eventually.

 

[alpinems]

You know, it was my initial intention to move the MaxJax into place whenever I needed it. As it turns out, it isn't that obtrusive. So, I find that I will leave it in place and move it only when I have to.

Same here. I "share" the garage with my wife's car. At the end of the day, her car needs to be inside on "her" side. I was planning on leaving just the outside column up and taking down the middle (shared) side column. As it works out, it's not a problem I just leave them both up at all times. Makes life a lot easier for me.

Here's another vote for more holes. I use my lift for working on the racecar. The first thing I do when working on it - with jackstands or the lift - is taking off the wheels. Right now I'm doing a head replacement on the car. If I was going to use the first hole I would have to use a step stool to reach into the engine compartment. What I did was set some jackstands up as backups and lower the car onto them while working over the fender. Would be nice if I could have another hole or two. One lower and one more in the middle.

That said, even this arrangement is great. I'd be working over the fender, walk over to the unit, pump it up to the next stop and pin it, get under the car,detach the starter, unpin it and lower it back down. With floor jacks and jackstands that's a PITA, with MaxJax, piece of cake. I'm loving mine.

 

[amishman]

I wish they made a MaxJax XL for those of us that want a little more lift and have 10' ceilings.

I know there are lifts that will fit bit I don't want a floor plate. I love the portability and clear floor of the MaxJax.

I actually have a 10 foot ceiling and still figured for me, the MaxJax takes advantage of my full height. I thought the max height lift is 4 foot. My tallest car is about 6 foot tall. So are my VW buses. About 6 foot. So, lifting 4 foot I should just about hit ceiling at 10 foot. My only short cars are my New Beetle and Thing so I would have a little more room there but oh well, I think the MaxJax will be perfect.

Just sit and work as needed.

tj

 

[weicm3]

Yes I got excited when I saw the Mohawk. I got the price and I can't remember what it was but it seems like it was in the 7-10k range. I'm thinking more in the 2k range so its way out of my price range.

I'm sure something will come up eventually.

A7 MSRP should be about $4-$5K and depends on where you are, you might get a better deal thru their local sales rep. But check craigslist. I've seen a couple posts in the past asking for $1500 to $2500.

 

[PCW]

Yes I got excited when I saw the Mohawk. I got the price and I can't remember what it was but it seems like it was in the 7-10k range. I'm thinking more in the 2k range so its way out of my price range.

I'm sure something will come up eventually.

I almost pull the trigger on the Mohawk A-7, the price I was quoted was 4995.00 OTD and that included install. The Mohawk is IMO the Cadillac of lifts, weights a ton, huge base plates (footprint), posts are rotated 30 degrees to allow the doors to almost open completely and also the cars can be off center on the lift. Nice lift, but my problem was, my door opener would have to be removed and with 10'6" ceilings, I couldn't get it to fully raise to it highest point. It would be like at 5'7", well I'm 5'10" and that just won't work. So I decided the Maxjax would be better, less expensive, use a stool instead of crouching under the lift, better option for me. No question, if I had higher ceilings, I would have gotten the Mohawk.

PCW

 

[babzog]

Think my earlier Q got lost in the chatter.

What do you do to cover, seal or otherwise protect the mounting holes when the lift is not in position and you're driving in and out on a daily basis, dropping stones, dirt, water, road salt, snow, ice (we northerners have that particular cross to bear)?

 

[Ryan]

Think my earlier Q got lost in the chatter.

What do you do to cover, seal or otherwise protect the mounting holes when the lift is not in position and you're driving in and out on a daily basis, dropping stones, dirt, water, road salt, snow, ice (we northerners have that particular cross to bear)?

That's a good question... Mine didn't come with anything, but I haven't notice any debris getting down there. Of course, I live in Texas - we don't get nasty weather.

 

[Junkman]

Think my earlier Q got lost in the chatter.

What do you do to cover, seal or otherwise protect the mounting holes when the lift is not in position and you're driving in and out on a daily basis, dropping stones, dirt, water, road salt, snow, ice (we northerners have that particular cross to bear)?

That's a good question... Mine didn't come with anything, but I haven't notice any debris getting down there. Of course, I live in Texas - we don't get nasty weather.

I had this same conversation with Gabe, and suggested that Allen Head screws would be the best way to seal the holes. Then just a blast of air if the Allen heads got clogged with dirt would clean them out. I even thought about damaging the upper most thread slightly, so they couldn't screw down beyond a certain point. If you are not clumsy or worried about a tripping hazard, then even putting the bolts back in is a possibility.. I am also going to install one threaded insert where the posts are going to be located, just to make sure that no one knocks a post over. The posts are very stable, but my dogs manage to knock a lot over when they are in the garage...

 

[Huskysm510r]

i looked on their site and emailed them but havent gotten a reply yet... just wondering where these things are made... it would be awesome if they were made right here in the U.S.A.

Thanks

 

[tatra]

good reason to drill right thru the concrete.........also if they do get damaged, knockem thru and appliy new ones............

 

[Junkman]

i looked on their site and emailed them but havent gotten a reply yet... just wondering where these things are made... it would be awesome if they were made right here in the U.S.A.

Thanks

The lift is made in China, and the hydraulic pump is by SPX Stone Hydraulics a Company with an excellent reputation for quality in the lift industry with an Emerson motor that says assembled in Mexico. All the rest of the hydraulic items are USA made by Parker the best that I can tell. The only part of the hydraulic fitting parts that is stamped China is the 3/8" x 3/8" pipe fitting connector. This is a high quality tool that is made to the exacting standards of the BendPak company.

 

[C G]

I just cant get my head around this thing. Id really like one but I don't know if I have the nerve to get under a car that's on one. I just have a hard time trusting a few bolts glued into the cement to keep those things from pulling out and tipping inwards. Plus the rides I would use em for are my 41 and 56 Caddy's. Or my 71 K20 truck or my 69 C10 panel. All large and heavy. Gives me the willies just thinking about it.

 

[bazar01]

I have the same scary feeling even after lifting a few cars a few times and even after leaving the car on the lift for 3 days with no incident. I had to wake up in the middle of the night to check if the car is still up in the air. It all comes down to the concrete quality and whether the bolts reached the req'd 100 ft-lbs of tightening torque with the top of anchor still below the concrete surface.
I am still scared to work underneath the car, to be honest. I had put a machine level on the column vertical surface to monitor the change in vertical plumb with the load. But so far, it's been holding up pretty good. I will be working under the car confidently probably in another month of testing.

 

[wachuko]

Ohhh, why not! A few photos:

Lifting the bike:

And lifting a few cars:

 

[wachuko]

I had this same conversation with Gabe, and suggested that Allen Head screws would be the best way to seal the holes. Then just a blast of air if the Allen heads got clogged with dirt would clean them out. I even thought about damaging the upper most thread slightly, so they couldn't screw down beyond a certain point. If you are not clumsy or worried about a tripping hazard, then even putting the bolts back in is a possibility.. I am also going to install one threaded insert where the posts are going to be located, just to make sure that no one knocks a post over. The posts are very stable, but my dogs manage to knock a lot over when they are in the garage...

Great idea. Need to search for allen bolts for mine.

Also saw your post on drilling another hole. Any response back?

It really needs one more set of holes, at least mid point from highest lift point and mid point. I find myselft leaving the lift just halfway in between... that is, until I move the motor for the garage door out of the way.

 

[e-tek]

I just cant get my head around this thing. Id really like one but I don't know if I have the nerve to get under a car that's on one. I just have a hard time trusting a few bolts glued into the cement to keep those things from pulling out and tipping inwards. Plus the rides I would use em for are my 41 and 56 Caddy's. Or my 71 K20 truck or my 69 C10 panel. All large and heavy. Gives me the willies just thinking about it.

Don't worry - one gets that feeling even with a 4-post. It's just holding a car up over your head that kicks in your flight-or-fight mechanism!!!