Maxjax Installs: Post Here

[In My Garage]

The user manual states that the fittings are currently NPT 3/8"

All except the fitting that screws into the hydraulic cylinder.

That fitting is a reducer from 3/8 NPT female to 1/4 NPT male.

Its the one on the far left...

Also they have Stainless steel fittings and Steel fittings. There is quite a price difference between the two. Which one to get?

Steel is all you need. Stainless is all very nice but it tends to gall if you ever wanted to take them apart.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

SUCCESS!!!!!! Holes drilled and quite clean so far. I'm cleaning the holes very thoroughly now.. brushes, vacuum, air..etc. Turns out my concrete in the garage was 5" - 5 1/2" thick. I was honestly thinking it was going to be around 3"... sooo happy it's not!

Thinking.. do I really want to do this:

Guess it's too late...

-Nigel

 

[In My Garage]

SUCCESS!!!!!! Holes drilled and quite clean so far.

-Nigel

Nigel, those look as perfect as they can be.

Did you break through or is your concrete floor that thick?

Did you have some helpers eyeball the drill bit to make sure the holes were straight?

 

[NewShockerGuy]

Alex,

My concrete is anywhere from 5" to 5 1/2" thick on all the holes. It actually seemed MORE like 7" on the edge of the wall... because I drilled the other holes first when I got to the last 3 I said wow... thse are taking longer...lol

I had two laser levels aimed at the drill bit. My wife was looking at the one while I was overlooking the other. I told her you have to MAKE sure the red line is on the center of the bit... if it wasn't she would tap me with a broom handle and I would stop and then figure out I was off a hair and then continue.. The drill and bit went through the concrete in about 1 minute per hole... I was quite surprized at how fast it went. But again I think it's because of the two that I picked..

I'm actually VERY glad I saw the picture of the other member using the two levels with lasers because I wasn't going to use it at first. I said I can drill a straight hole, so first I just put the bit in the base plate and mocked like I was drilling holding the drill as I would imagine it being straight down... turned the levels on and saw that I would have drilled the holes eaisly at a very right angle...lol I'm now in the process of cleaning the holes and going to put epoxy all on the inside of the hole and anchor and set it, let it cure for 48 hrs then put the posts back and tq the bolts down and see what happens...

In the mean time I can now begin mounting the pump on the wall and paint the plywood so it matches with my color scheme going on in the garage.




Like a breath of fresh air, I was DREADING drilling into the concrete and expecting the nightmare that others saw of having concrete that was not thick enough....

-Nigel

 

[regguy1]

Looking great..wasn't so bad right

 

[In My Garage]

I had two laser levels aimed at the drill bit.

-Nigel

I was wondering what that red line was on the drill bit.

 

[les_garten]

SUCCESS!!!!!! Holes drilled and quite clean so far. I'm cleaning the holes very thoroughly now.. brushes, vacuum, air..etc. Turns out my concrete in the garage was 5" - 5 1/2" thick. I was honestly thinking it was going to be around 3"... sooo happy it's not!

Thinking.. do I really want to do this:

-Nigel

Holy smokes! How long is that bit? That's a big one!

Also, nice looking Drill you got there.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

Looking great..wasn't so bad right

It wasn't too bad at all... I was shitting my pants on the first hole honestly, like PLEASE don't be too thin, please, please!!..lol

I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me last week about it honestly!

EDIT:

I'm setting the anchors and it appears NON of them are biting at all... I pound them in 5/8" below the surface. Take te bolt out. put the washer so then it's washer first, nut on top adn then bolt through both.. .put it back in the anchor. Take my breakerbar with socket and hold it still. Turn the nut and tighten it 3-4 turns... is it supposed to get tighter??? Because it's not at all. And the anchor comes right at the surface?
The one I did 5 turn and it still wasn't tight. I can then tap it back down in the hole....???

Two of them are like this... does this mean it's a no go??? God

I put epoxy in the hole first and on the anchor could this have ANYTHING to do with it? I read that it's fine and also called wejit and they said epoxy on the anchor is fine but the ancor has to BITE...

-Nigel

 

[les_garten]

Two of them are like this... does this mean it's a no go??? God

I put epoxy in the hole first and on the anchor could this have ANYTHING to do with it? I read that it's fine and also called wejit and they said epoxy on the anchor is fine but the ancor has to BITE...

-Nigel

What size bit is that?

 

[NewShockerGuy]

It was a 7/8" masonary bit. I drilled in one step.

I was able to get 2 anchors to bite on the right post and 3 anchors to bit on the left post.... So I have 5 anchors total I still need to somehow get. I pounded those anchors that would not bite directly in the ground.... But now I have to order some epoxy anchors... Also there is like a 6-7" of void below the hole I drilled,,, what should I fill it so that when I use epoxy it doesn't just run out the bottom of the hole?


OR.. do I buy more wejits from amazon and try it again? I just don't want to buy 5 of them and run into the same stupid problem..

Thanks,
-Nigel

 

[GPM]

Quick question for those with their, Maxjax, outside. How does it hold up to rain, snow, and the heat?

 

[les_garten]

It was a 7/8" masonary bit. I drilled in one step.

I was able to get 2 anchors to bite on the right post and 3 anchors to bit on the left post.... So I have 5 anchors total I still need to somehow get. I pounded those anchors that would not bite directly in the ground.... But now I have to order some epoxy anchors... Also there is like a 6-7" of void below the hole I drilled,,, what should I fill it so that when I use epoxy it doesn't just run out the bottom of the hole?


OR.. do I buy more wejits from amazon and try it again? I just don't want to buy 5 of them and run into the same stupid problem..

Thanks,
-Nigel

Any idea how they could have got wallowed out? Do you know what PSI your concrete is?

Seems to me you could fill the hole with something like foam bits or neoprene or cardboard or something. On the off chance that you are pounding through again. You just need something to hold the epoxy in place.

 

[97dynaglide]

..... do I buy more wejits from amazon and try it again? I just don't want to buy 5 of them and run into the same stupid problem..

Thanks,
-Nigel

I would not buy any more Wej-it's. Go with the epoxy anchors.

You said that there is a 6 inch void below the hole you drilled, does this mean that the hole is 12" deep, or 6" from the top of the floor?

If it's only 6", the epoxy anchors are 6", so you will need at least another 1/2 to 1 inch of depth. You'll be fine, just follow the epoxy directions.

One thing I was worried about was the sand 'moving' when I set my epoxy anchors. The sand was so compacted that I had a hard time driving down the Wej-its in order to use epoxy anchors. (I ended up repouring a section of my floor due to it being under 3 1/2")

If the hole is 12", then put some sand, stone, or other filler to make it 6 1/2, then follow the epoxy directions.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

I would not buy any more Wej-it's. Go with the epoxy anchors.

You said that there is a 6 inch void below the hole you drilled, does this mean that the hole is 12" deep, or 6" from the top of the floor?

If it's only 6", the epoxy anchors are 6", so you will need at least another 1/2 to 1 inch of depth. You'll be fine, just follow the epoxy directions.

One thing I was worried about was the sand 'moving' when I set my epoxy anchors. The sand was so compacted that I had a hard time driving down the Wej-its in order to use epoxy anchors. (I ended up repouring a section of my floor due to it being under 3 1/2")

If the hole is 12", then put some sand, stone, or other filler to make it 6 1/2, then follow the epoxy directions.

No meaning all the holes I drilled I could see spaces, nothing was compacted... like the slab was floating in a way? If that makes sense...

I think I might go the epoxy route.. I started stuff the hole and filling the void, plastic, old shop towels...etc But the hole itself is 6" and I drilled all the way through.

I was mistaken because I so pissed, I was able to anchor in the wejits of 3 per side.. so really I only need to redo two anchors on each post. No clue how I wolled out the hole possibly... I do know that I stopped a couple times when my wife said that the laser wasn't centered in the bit... so perhaps be correcting when I should have just kept going with it was the problem? No clue what the PSI rating is on the concrete... all I know is after I drilled the hole and cleaned it about 100 times with my wire brush and vacuum it was EXTREMELY smooth inside.., not gritty or choppy at all.

Now when you look in the hole you don't see the bottom because I stuff so much stuff in there, but I made sure to use a screw driver that is longer and I have 6" before hitting the stuff I stuffed in the hole...

Just ***** that I only need 4 of them but the epoxy anchors come in a set of 10... seems like a waste of money, had I known this I would have just gotten and used them first..hahah

-Nigel

 

[les_garten]

No meaning all the holes I drilled I could see spaces, nothing was compacted... like the slab was floating in a way? If that makes sense...

I think I might go the epoxy route.. I started stuff the hole and filling the void, plastic, old shop towels...etc But the hole itself is 6" and I drilled all the way through.

I was mistaken because I so pissed, I was able to anchor in the wejits of 3 per side.. so really I only need to redo two anchors on each post. No clue how I wolled out the hole possibly... I do know that I stopped a couple times when my wife said that the laser wasn't centered in the bit... so perhaps be correcting when I should have just kept going with it was the problem? No clue what the PSI rating is on the concrete... all I know is after I drilled the hole and cleaned it about 100 times with my wire brush and vacuum it was EXTREMELY smooth inside.., not gritty or choppy at all.

Now when you look in the hole you don't see the bottom because I stuff so much stuff in there, but I made sure to use a screw driver that is longer and I have 6" before hitting the stuff I stuffed in the hole...

Just ***** that I only need 4 of them but the epoxy anchors come in a set of 10... seems like a waste of money, had I known this I would have just gotten and used them first..hahah

-Nigel

I would not have tried to correct a hole that was underway. The main thing is to use the Lasers because as you are standing up and holding the drill, you can't tell plumb from above. The lasers help you start out straight . Once the hole starts if it drifts off angle, just continue that angle.

Does that make sense?

I think if you tried to make a correction, that would be a problem.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

I would not have tried to correct a hole that was underway. The main thing is to use the Lasers because as you are standing up and holding the drill, you can't tell plumb from above. The lasers help you start out straight . Once the hole starts if it drifts off angle, just continue that angle.

Does that make sense?

I think if you tried to make a correction, that would be a problem.

Makes pefect sense! Probably exactly what I did :-( Would trying the mechanical anchors again even work or should I go the epoxy route? The insides of the holes do have some epoxy lining in them now since I put it on the anchor and pounded it through..., it's not all jagged either like a small layer in the hole... Only thing I can think of is that the wejit anchor would then maybe anchor it self to the wall since it might be a little narrower now compared to when it was no epoxy in the hole?

-Nigel

 

[les_garten]

Makes pefect sense! Probably exactly what I did :-( Would trying the mechanical anchors again even work or should I go the epoxy route? The insides of the holes do have some epoxy lining in them now since I put it on the anchor and pounded it through..., it's not all jagged either like a small layer in the hole... Only thing I can think of is that the wejit anchor would then maybe anchor it self to the wall since it might be a little narrower now compared to when it was no epoxy in the hole?

-Nigel

I would go to the epoxy. A lot of folks have done that after having unsuccessful anchors. I wouldn't try to rely on the epoxy as a substrate for the normal anchors. You have no way of quantifying how much substrate you have to lock onto.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Nigel

 

[artrem]

Nigel-

That's a really nice large workspace you have; I'm jealous! Nice job mounting the MaxJax pump in the wall. I actually planned on doing the same thing, since my MaxJax columns stay bolted down next to the walls. However, with my tiny 12' x 24' garage I found that I really don't have a good space to mount the pump in a location where I wouldn't be between the car and the wall while it is being lifted and I don't think that's necessarily a good idea.

How high is your ceiling in the garage? From the photos it looks like you could almost fit a full-sized lift in there and be able to stand under the car and work.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

Thank you, It's exactly 440sq ft...I believe 21'x21' so it's really not large enough, The ceilings are 11' 5" tall. And you are probably right a full lift would have worked from everything that I started reading about. I got this though at a decent deal and I think once we rent the house having a large lift in the garage would actually steer people away and I wouldn't want it as a libility type thing.. Not to mention moving it out if we took that road.. I can pretty much take this where ever we go and use it which is nice. Once we build in the future I will have a full size lift no doubt but just having this now I'm so excited to use it.

Mounting on the wall wasn't too bad at all. I asked a couple questions on here and got some great ideas. I will have to take a picture of how I routed the lines, other than what you see on the wall, all the rest of the lines are pretty hidden so it's not an eye sore.. I was initially going to run the line up the ceiling and down, but then I would always have a line hanging down and figured this would be silly. Ended it routing it on the bottom wall and can wind up the hose and hide it. I need to create some type of a hook to hang the hose from on my workbench.. hopefully this weekend I will finish that along with getting the car up.

-Nigel

 

[In My Garage]

IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Nigel

Not till you have a car on it and post a YouTube video of a lift.

 

[skamp]

IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Nigel

It is about freaking time!! Well done. I know you have put a lot of thought and work into this. One thing I noticed is you have a standard garage door opener. What is the height from the floor to the opener? If you need more clearance you may want to raise the tracks a bit and use a jackshaft opener like the Liftmaster 3800. In my garage I had to do that as my ceiling is only 9'.

Steve

 

[NewShockerGuy]

K so got some pictures:


Lowest Hole that I made:

Factory lowest hole:

My second hole I made between two factory points:

Highest Factory setting:

Neighbors walking by were like wtf...lol

Now comes the weird part. As I am lifting the car towards the middle part of it the car starts bouncing a little bit... Not a good sign to me. I took a video and posted it below.

I have concluded that one side is lifting higher because I confirmed this by swapping the hoses. At first it the left side will rise to the top and then I have ton continue to hold it to get the right side to follow so I can put the safety bar in.. Seems to be making some odd noises?

Maxjax going UP.

Maxjax going down.

Any input would be great.

Thanks,
-Nigel

 

[skamp]

K so got some pictures:


Now comes the weird part. As I am lifting the car towards the middle part of it the car starts bouncing a little bit... Not a good sign to me. I took a video and posted it below.

I have concluded that one side is lifting higher because I confirmed this by swapping the hoses. At first it the left side will rise to the top and then I have ton continue to hold it to get the right side to follow so I can put the safety bar in.. Seems to be making some odd noises?

Maxjax going UP.

Maxjax going down.

Any input would be great.

Thanks,
-Nigel

Is it bouncing or chattering a bit? Mine chattered a bit and I added some of the Cat anti-chatter. After a few cycles it is super smooth.

Ok, I watched the video and that is the same thing mine did. Add the Cat anti-chatter. I added 1/2 the bottle.

Steve

 

[NewShockerGuy]

Steve,

Excllent to know.. I couldn't tell if the ground was shaking, the cylinders were bad..etc. I was like this should not be bouncing..lol

Where does one get Cat anti-chatter? I just searched and couldn't find a store that sells it? Not even amazon.

Thanks,
-Nigel

 

[JTSmithson]

Is it bouncing or chattering a bit? Mine chattered a bit and I added some of the Cat anti-chatter. After a few cycles it is super smooth.

Ok, I watched the video and that is the same thing mine did. Add the Cat anti-chatter. I added 1/2 the bottle.

Steve

^^ THIS^^ he said go down to your local Hydraulic supply or place that uses a bunch of hydraulics and ask for a cup of the stuff, he said that's all you'll need.


Spoke to Dannmar, they said the exact same thing, the seals at the "top" or bottom of the actuator are very stiff contributing to the chatter. he said unless you're going up and down a couple times a day you're gonna get a bit of chatter.

 

[skamp]

Steve,

Excllent to know.. I couldn't tell if the ground was shaking, the cylinders were bad..etc. I was like this should not be bouncing..lol

Where does one get Cat anti-chatter? I just searched and couldn't find a store that sells it? Not even amazon.

Thanks,
-Nigel

Find a local Caterpiller dealer and get part 1U-9891. It is like $20.00. It looks like this.

http://www.petersoncat.com/sites/all/sites/default/files/files/hydraulic_oil.pdf

Steve

 

[NewShockerGuy]

Awesome!

Just called the place and it's about 30 miles away... going to visit them perhaps over the weekend.

So since I have the resovior filled to the max, I have to drain some of the fluid out... Any problems with that and then adding the same amount of the antichatter in?

Thanks again!

-Nigel

 

[skamp]

Awesome!

Just called the place and it's about 30 miles away... going to visit them perhaps over the weekend.

So since I have the resovior filled to the max, I have to drain some of the fluid out... Any problems with that and then adding the same amount of the antichatter in?

Thanks again!

-Nigel

That is what I did. I used a syringe like deal to pull about 1/2 a quart out of the reservior and added in 1/2 quart of the anti-chatter. I then cycled a few times without load and then with load. All was smooth after that.

Steve

 

[In My Garage]

I was like this should not be bouncing..lol

-Nigel

Nigel, did you apply white grease to the columns where the blocks slide? It makes all the difference.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

Alex,

I actually have a tub of axel bearing grease, and that did help but think the anti chatter will help a lot as well.

-Nigel

 

[In My Garage]

Alex,

I actually have a tub of axel bearing grease, and that did help but think the anti chatter will help a lot as well.

-Nigel

It might be the variances in the hydraulic oil. I used Shell S1 M 32. Mine is smooth going up and down. It did make some sounds initially before I applied the white grease.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

Welp, picked up the anti chatter fluid today from Cat. Drained a some hydraulic fluid out and then poured about 3/4 of the bottle in, cycled it 3 times without load, then cycled it twice with the car on the lift and zero chattering at all.. .nice and smooth. Car doesn't go bouncing up from the middle to the top which scared me at first.. was like what in the hell!??!...lol

My ONLY complaint is that the right side doesn't reach full lift height like the left one does, I have to hold the button for about 1.5-2 seconds so the right side comes up to full height. I hope that isn't straining the system or anything, but overall much smoother now and zero chattering! It's very cool!

-Nigel

 

[skamp]

Welp, picked up the anti chatter fluid today from Cat. Drained a some hydraulic fluid out and then poured about 3/4 of the bottle in, cycled it 3 times without load, then cycled it twice with the car on the lift and zero chattering at all.. .nice and smooth.

My ONLY complaint is that the right side doesn't reach full lift height like the left one does, I have to hold the button for about 1.5-2 seconds so the right side comes up to full height. I hope that isn't straining the system or anything, but overall much smoother now and zero chattering! It's very cool!

-Nigel

Glad you got that worked out. As far as the uneven lift, that is pretty common. Mine is about 1-1.5" off. You may need to bleed a bit more due to the extra hose. Also you may want to try to bleed under load. If it still is uneven you may want to call Gabe at Dannmar and get one of the restricters which may help to make it more even. I think I am going to try one to level mine out as I think 1.5" is a bit much.

Steve

 

[In My Garage]

My ONLY complaint is that the right side doesn't reach full lift height like the left one does, I have to hold the button for about 1.5-2 seconds so the right side comes up to full height.

Air in the system or the hydraulic flow divider. Although it shouldn't be, the latter is typical based on what I've read.

 

[BellyUpFish]

What would be the minimum garage height you guys would use this in? Will 10' ceilings be plenty?

 

[BellyUpFish]

x2 for more info

Me too... GP any time soon?

 

[les_garten]

What would be the minimum garage height you guys would use this in? Will 10' ceilings be plenty?

It's made for 8' or better.

 

[skamp]

What would be the minimum garage height you guys would use this in? Will 10' ceilings be plenty?

Mine is 9' and can put a honda pilot at the highest setting with about 2" to spare.

Steve

 

[BellyUpFish]

Excellent. Thanks guys. I've got 10' ceilings.