Alternative to MaxJax

[apk1111]

For those of you looking for a portable two post garage lift, I have found an alternative to the MaxJax. National Auto Tools makes the Chrome C-7000.
It's a portable two post lift, rated at 7,000 lbs. The columns are 7'11" high, and the best thing about this lift is the lifting height is 72". That is 3 feet more than the MaxJax. It also has built in stops every 3 inches. So for those of you that have enough clearance in your garage ceiling, this might be the answer. I have asked for the literature to be sent to me, and it should arrive by next wednesday. Then I'll make a decision. Today, I got confirmation that I could still get the 2012 SEMA price of $2399 delivered (normally $2599).

 

[joe_padavano]

Unfortunately, neither one makes any mention of being US made, so I assume both are Chinesium. MaxJax is $100 less at Costco, but the added height of the Chrome is nice (for me anyway). Good find.

 

[evildky]

I just don't see paying more than a standard 2 post for less access, I think the initial pricepoint of maxjax was on point but since the price has raised I just can't justify it

 

[apk1111]

Yes, both lifts are manufactured in China.

 

[apk1111]

The standard two post lifts usually have a top or bottom cross piece, and are not portable. I'm guessing their higher price is due to them being the only two out there that are portable. For me and my small garage, it's worth the price.

 

[bullnerd]

Why is the 9000lber cheaper?

 

[apk1111]

Cause it's not portable

 

[pipsters]

How portable is a 8' column? The beauty of the Maxjax is that it truly is portable, and easily stored out of the way.

 

[p_mori7]

nice lift. thanks.

 

[joe_padavano]

The standard two post lifts usually have a top or bottom cross piece, and are not portable. I'm guessing their higher price is due to them being the only two out there that are portable. For me and my small garage, it's worth the price.

I have the same problem. Due to the size and configuration of my shop, a fixed two post lift will block access to large portions of the floorspace. In addition, there will be times when I do not want the lift columns in the way of what I'm doing. The smaller, portable lifts like the two discussed in this thread provide me the flexibility to get them out of the way when I don't need them. Both vendors claim 10-15 minute setup once you have the anchors installed in the floor. I've also looked at a couple of forklift-style lifts (used ones for sale locally) but they have the problem of taking up a lot of floor space for storage.

 

[bullnerd]

Cause it's not portable

Woops....didnt think of that!

 

[Air_Cooled_Nut]

A link is always nice: http://www.nationalautotools.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=190

 

[Jvvmusme]

For those of you looking for a portable two post garage lift, I have found an alternative to the MaxJax. National Auto Tools makes the Chrome C-7000.
It's a portable two post lift, rated at 7,000 lbs. The columns are 7'11" high, and the best thing about this lift is the lifting height is 72". That is 3 feet more than the MaxJax. It also has built in stops every 3 inches. So for those of you that have enough clearance in your garage ceiling, this might be the answer. I have asked for the literature to be sent to me, and it should arrive by next wednesday. Then I'll make a decision. Today, I got confirmation that I could still get the 2012 SEMA price of $2399 delivered (normally $2599).

I called today and they do not seem to know what they are selling. They do not have a brochure. I asked about the safety stops and they told me that Everything was on the website and in the video. .the video does not show nothing. Ali certified ?
They video does not show how a 1 man operation can install the lift in 10 minutes.
So far i would stick with the maxjax.

 

[AKSean]

Looks like a nice lift, but the video isn't even the portable model

 

[Dan Babb]

Looks like the guy posted here just to spam his lift.
4 posts total and they're all about this lift.

So nice of him to register here just so he could tell us about a 'great lift he found'.

 

[Slick111]

I wonder If this guy is related to ole Pole Barn Bob

 

[Bender78]

Looks like the guy posted here just to spam his lift.
4 posts total and they're all about this lift.

So nice of him to register here just so he could tell us about a 'great lift he found'.

Last activity 11/12/2012. Looks like you're right.

 

[gordyy]

I have followed up on these lifts to find more about them. I called asked a lot of questions, found one of them a couple hundred miles away that someone had bought, managed to be in the neighborhood and called the guy offered to bring the pizza and beer to look at it. All in all I was impressed he even took one post loose so I could see how easy it rolled.
I ordered one today so in a week or two maybe 3 depending on the snow I will hopefully have it up and running with pics!!

I went with this the idea behind it I can use it in my short garage carefully in the winter and pull it outside in the summer to use as a full hoist. A fairly spendy hoist but with an 8'2" ceiling and a lot of expense to raise the roof I felt it was my best option

 

[AbitNutz]

My garage ceiling is exactly 117 inches from the floor. The 9000 lb lift shows a height of 109 inches. That is the shortest post height I have seen. Does anyone know of one less than 117"?

I've never heard of National Auto Tools and I am really concerned about never hearing from National Auto Tools after I pay for the lift or if I ever need service.

 

[jacobsed]

I'm seriously considering this lift. Did you get installed? Pics? Thoughts and comments? I would really appreciate it.

 

[gordyy]

I was seriously considering it and did contact them they were very cooperative.
This past week I decided before ordering it to mock it up with my different vehicles in the garage for post placemant to be able to use it with all the different vehicle.
I ran into a problem as there is one large crack in my concrete in the garage, and of course it would be right under where the perfect placement for the lift is! So this idea has been scratched for the time being.
And upon further discussion with the boys (I have 2 sons both truck mechanics professionally and we are all heavy into 4 wheeling mud running and snow playing.
It has been decided that in the interest of my bad knee we are going to go with a poster that way I never have to get all the way to the floor to work on things!!

 

[jacobsed]

I was seriously considering it and did contact them they were very cooperative.
This past week I decided before ordering it to mock it up with my different vehicles in the garage for post placemant to be able to use it with all the different vehicle.
I ran into a problem as there is one large crack in my concrete in the garage, and of course it would be right under where the perfect placement for the lift is! So this idea has been scratched for the time being.
And upon further discussion with the boys (I have 2 sons both truck mechanics professionally and we are all heavy into 4 wheeling mud running and snow playing.
It has been decided that in the interest of my bad knee we are going to go with a poster that way I never have to get all the way to the floor to work on things!!

Thanks for the reply. What was your impression of the C-7000 when you saw it installed? Did it seem easy to move the post around? Did the customer have any feedback about nationalautotools.com? I assume that is where it came from being in Texas. I'm just worried about the lack of reviews on the lift and then if this is a stand up company that support me if I have any issues. Thanks again!

 

[1949 caddyman]

Thanks for the reply. What was your impression of the C-7000 when you saw it installed? Did it seem easy to move the post around? Did the customer have any feedback about nationalautotools.com? I assume that is where it came from being in Texas. I'm just worried about the lack of reviews on the lift and then if this is a stand up company that support me if I have any issues. Thanks again!

I'm also very interested in this lift. It will fit where I need it, but find little feed back on it but it is new!

 

[jacobsed]

Just dropping a quick follow up. I have the C-7000 now. So far the customer support is great and the unit seems like good quality. Unfortunately my slab is exactly 4" thick and that's not thick enough for the anchors.

Here are the anchors it comes with.

http://www.powers.com/product_6312SD.php

The anchors are for 3/4" bolts, are 3-3/16" inches long and require a 4" hole. I drilled the holes exactly 3-3/16" hoping I'd have enough concrete to pound against to get them to expand but the concrete just blows out the bottom.

So this past weekend I saw cut the floor 2' x 2' and undercut the existing slab 3" all around and dug down 12" for each post. So its basically a 3' x 3' x 12" footer for each post held down with re-bar and the surrounding slab. Need to wait 24 more days before anchoring.

I purchased 3/4" Wej-It Power-Sert epoxy anchors to finish the job.

http://www.toggler.com/wejit/power_sert.html

 

[Bad Hammer]

Looks like a nice lift, but the video isn't even the portable model

Actually, it is the portable model.
The rollers are clearly visible up until 0:51, and then they apparently removed them for some reason.
The bolt holes for the rollers are still visible though, so it is apparently the same lift.
They claim a lifting height of 74" .... impressive if true.
All in all it looks like a pretty good lift for a portable.

 

[jacobsed]

The lift in the videos was one of their prototype lifts before going to production with it. I talk to the guy who designed and built them.

 

[rodmanprc]

Does anybody close to South Carolina have one of these C-7000 portable lifts?

 

[DrBaker]

I like the MaxJax, but it will only lift half my vehicles due to the weight capacity. This C-7000 (7,000LB) model would work great if only it had more feedback. That's a lot of dollars for something that hasn't been proven.

Are there any other portable style lifts that can handle 7k?

 

[Wangstang]

The lift in the videos was one of their prototype lifts before going to production with it. I talk to the guy who designed and built them.

I've been emailing with the manufacture today. Five email exchanges in one day. I'm impressed.

My first questions were about how their pricing compared to MaxJax and if they could meet the price points of the recent MaxJax Group Buy here at GJ.

Here's the response I got:

Other than being cable-less this lift is nothing like the MaxJax, it's heavier, stronger, and build to meat California storage lift restrictions. I cannot even get close to that price.

We offered it for 2499[shipped] on our eBay store, and I cannot go any lower.

If we could get our price point down to what the MJ is we would have to make sacrifices in quality. That's not to say the MJ is low quality, it is not, it is just built a lot different.

Ours is chain-over with 7'10" height able to lift to 72". It is built with 9000lbs carriages and 11000lbs at ripple telescoping arms. The locks are automatic and welded in and rated for storage up to 7000lbs.


I hope this explains my answer and you can understand why we cannot gouge the price like the MJ

After a few more email exchanges here's a bit more info on them:
In some of the photos the lifts are Blue and Yellow so I asked if that was an option...

We only offer this lift in Purple and Black. The one in the video was the number two prototype.

Are there any wear parts in this design, like plastic blocks and such? If so, do you stock parts and can you provide pricing?

There are rub blocks that we keep in stock. Typical wear cycle is 3-5 years

The rub blocks a full set (16pcs) is $220.

Where are these lifts manufactured:

We are the manufacture if these lifts and they are imported from China, Canada and Mexico parts.

I've got information on group buy pricing and it's pretty darn good, better than the $2499 shipped ebay price. I've started a thread over in the Questions section of the board asking what I'll need to do to comply with the rules to organize a group buy. In the mean time, feel free to PM me if you're interested and I'll pass along what I know.

Thanks
Wes

 

[32krazy!]

try to remember that it doesnt matter if the lift will go to 5 ft if you ceiling is 8 ft high your car can only be 3 ft tall. how many cars are 3 ft tall?

 

[Wangstang]

try to remember that it doesnt matter if the lift will go to 5 ft if you ceiling is 8 ft high your car can only be 3 ft tall. how many cars are 3 ft tall?

MaxJax tops out at 4' of lift and the C7000 tops out at 6' of lift. So yes, there's only so much lift you can use with 8' ceilings.

As is shown in this video of a MaxJax system, since both systems are portable and can be setup in less than 15 minutes if you already have anchors in place, you can have a set of anchors mounted in an outdoors concrete pad at the entrance to your garage for temporary use and then take it back down once you are done with the car work:

Pretty slick!

In addition, since both systems are portable, you can move the lift from one garage to another with very little cost and effort, which means you could find an opportunity to use that extra lift ability of the C7000.

In addition, the MaxJax system extends lift cylinders from the top of the posts as you raise your vehicle. The C7000 uses a different design so you don't have that issue. You'll see that a member here ran into a issues with those cylinders extending on his recent MaxJax install:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=220639

Given the C7000's extra weight capacity and lifting height, it would appear to give you the most bang for your buck.

Wes

 

[HemiRambler]

I've hammer drilled MORE than my fair share of holes in concrete and I know exactly what you are talking about. Depending on how close you are to getting it to work you might want to look into CORE DRILLING - it's a drilling process that does NOT hammer (no blow out on bottom of hole) and it drills a near perfect hole EVEN if you catch some rebar -it goes STRAIGHT thru and does not get affected by the rebar whatsoever. Uses water - no dust to speak of -pretty much the Cadillac process when it comes to drilling holes in concrete. DOWNSIDE: the rig is EXPENSIVE!!! I would bet you might rent one though for not too much money. I'm only familiar with Hilti since that's what we use at work. It's a super sweet setup. Something that might be worth looking into.

Just dropping a quick follow up. I have the C-7000 now. So far the customer support is great and the unit seems like good quality. Unfortunately my slab is exactly 4" thick and that's not thick enough for the anchors.

Here are the anchors it comes with.

http://www.powers.com/product_6312SD.php

The anchors are for 3/4" bolts, are 3-3/16" inches long and require a 4" hole. I drilled the holes exactly 3-3/16" hoping I'd have enough concrete to pound against to get them to expand but the concrete just blows out the bottom.

So this past weekend I saw cut the floor 2' x 2' and undercut the existing slab 3" all around and dug down 12" for each post. So its basically a 3' x 3' x 12" footer for each post held down with re-bar and the surrounding slab. Need to wait 24 more days before anchoring.

I purchased 3/4" Wej-It Power-Sert epoxy anchors to finish the job.

http://www.toggler.com/wejit/power_sert.html

 

[Znatural1]

I was really interested in the c-7000. I called and asked for a local referral and never got a call back. I purchased a maxjax during the group buy due to lack of communication. I didn't want to be a guinea pig.

 

[thomascreation]

My garage ceiling is exactly 117 inches from the floor. The 9000 lb lift shows a height of 109 inches. That is the shortest post height I have seen. Does anyone know of one less than 117"?

I've never heard of National Auto Tools and I am really concerned about never hearing from National Auto Tools after I pay for the lift or if I ever need service.

Dido...

 

[olytdi]

I could see this as a preferable solution for those with vehicles heavier than 6K and with higher ceilings.

If those aren't your needs, the Maxjax has proven to be more than capable. Personally, I like sitting on my roll stool under my rigs vs. standing. Maxjax has been awesome and my friends and I use it regularly.

 

[Wangstang]

Expect to see group buy pricing and a new thread posted over in the Hot Deals section tomorrow night. I'm waiting for the finalized pricing conformation but if we can get enough buyers, we maybe able to make the MaxJax group buy look expensive for what you got!

Wes

 

[Wangstang]

Expect to see group buy pricing and a new thread posted over in the Hot Deals section tomorrow night. I'm waiting for the finalized pricing conformation but if we can get enough buyers, we maybe able to make the MaxJax group buy look expensive for what you got!

Wes

Final pricing is in and I started a new Group Buy thread with tons of details on this lift system for those who are curious:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=224636

Wes

 

[flyinb501]

Final pricing is in and I started a new Group Buy thread with tons of details on this lift system for those who are curious:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=224636

Wes

How long will this group buy be available? Looks like a pretty sweet deal!

 

[Gerald O]

I'm very interested in this lift. Was leaning toward the MaxJax as a portable solution but I'd prefer the option of being able to go higher. I've got an 11' ceiling--too low for a clear-floor lift , but plenty high enough to get my cars up a lot higher than 4'. I'm also going to have a 4-post for storage, but a 2-post is better for some of the restoration work I'll be doing. With a portable system I could fit both into my 24x32 garage.

I'd like to see a thread or poll of those interested to see if the group buy will be good enough for me to do it right now rather than wait till later.

 

[Geezershop]

Just dropping a quick follow up. I have the C-7000 now. So far the customer support is great and the unit seems like good quality. Unfortunately my slab is exactly 4" thick and that's not thick enough for the anchors.

Here are the anchors it comes with.

http://www.powers.com/product_6312SD.php

The anchors are for 3/4" bolts, are 3-3/16" inches long and require a 4" hole. I drilled the holes exactly 3-3/16" hoping I'd have enough concrete to pound against to get them to expand but the concrete just blows out the bottom.

So this past weekend I saw cut the floor 2' x 2' and undercut the existing slab 3" all around and dug down 12" for each post. So its basically a 3' x 3' x 12" footer for each post held down with re-bar and the surrounding slab. Need to wait 24 more days before anchoring.

I purchased 3/4" Wej-It Power-Sert epoxy anchors to finish the job.

http://www.toggler.com/wejit/power_sert.html

Could you give us a review now that it is up and running? does it work well? A video or some photos of the lift in use would help me pull the trigger and place order. Thanks