Jvvmusme
Well-known member
Cleaned things up a bit:
To be copied soon. Awesome installation !
Maxjax Installs: Post Here
- Thread starter G-force
- Start date
To be copied soon. Awesome installation !
Denwood
Well-known member
Thanks JV. Copy away 
shortykorte
Well-known member
MaxJax was delivered Monday. The metal shipping rack sure is a lot better then the earlier method of shipping. Only a few screws missing. Boy with the inconsistency in the inventory list and the two exploded views I can't wait to get to the instructions. I guess a proof reader is out of the question. The stuff was packed very well though. I'm going to get new disconnects before doing the install.
Attachments
Mr onetwo
Well-known member
Make sure to inspect the welds on the lift carriage. Triangular gussets on top should have full welds all around. Vertical piece should have full weld all the way around top plate and 4 welds in corners of bottom plate. I got this straight from Dannmar yesterday. I think you should get some Caterpiller Anti-Chatter additive to prevent cylinder stiction...this has been discussed elsewhere.
HemiRamOn22s
Well-known member
You can buy a 9000lb 4 post lift for what you guys pay for one of these maxjaxs. And you dont need to bolt them to the floor
megalo
Well-known member
How does that help those with small, short garages?
HemiRamOn22s
Well-known member
Build a bigger garage or raise the ceiling. If you're garage is really that small then you shouldnt have a lift in it anyway. My 22x22 garage on my house i cant even fit my truck in. So i know the pain. Its only big enough to hold two jetskis and my lawnmower.
Seriously?
Mr onetwo
Well-known member
This thread is for MaxJax installs.... not ridiculous ,critical comments. We would all love to build a huge garage...these lifts solve the problem for those that can't afford to or have the room to. Roll your 22's somewhere else!
Don't be discouraged by those naysayers fortunate enough to have large spacious work spaces. I have a MaxJax in my tiny 12x24 converted carport. See post #770 in this thread.
I've made dozens of lifts and it was worth every penny. The only problem with my setup is that I can't walk behind the columns and can't do anything like axle changeouts, etc. but for working under the car it works great.
I've made dozens of lifts and it was worth every penny. The only problem with my setup is that I can't walk behind the columns and can't do anything like axle changeouts, etc. but for working under the car it works great.
HemiRamOn22s
Well-known member
Man you guys are some up tight babies in here. All i was saying is there are other options then these maxjax lifts. But you guys seem to be the experts so have at it.
I like Denwoods setup, i looked at your garage build. nicely done.
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Rossco
Well-known member
Looking into the 'Max - Jax' for my garage. I got 10' door / ceiling height.
I have two pick ups. 04 F150 project that's 5000lb wet and an 08 SCREW that's gotta be 5600lbs. Measured 45" from cab to ceiling. I could fit an Atlas 8000lb two post in there but it's not mobile and is still limited to ceiling height.
Wodda you guys think? Anyone lift a full size pick up? Iam leaning towards an in-ground scissor but its concrete and jack hammer territory.
I have two pick ups. 04 F150 project that's 5000lb wet and an 08 SCREW that's gotta be 5600lbs. Measured 45" from cab to ceiling. I could fit an Atlas 8000lb two post in there but it's not mobile and is still limited to ceiling height.
Wodda you guys think? Anyone lift a full size pick up? Iam leaning towards an in-ground scissor but its concrete and jack hammer territory.
Rossco
Well-known member
Oh really. Never heard of that lift (Have now) So that's like a beefed up Version of the max-jax?
It looks perfect for my needs, Thanks for the heads up, appreciate it
Dolfan
Well-known member
So funny!
Well I one of the original folks who stared with the MaxJax and did this extensive write up.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=75488
And I'm lucky enough that I also have a 4 post lift that I documented here.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=121855
My garage is decent size with 11' ceilings but I can tell you this, if you asked me to give up one of the lifts, I'd wheel the 4 post out the door!!!!. A 2 post lift is so much more versatile for working on the car. The strong point of the 4 post is storage.
My race car comes home and goes directly into the bay with the MaxJax and I can't imagine not having it. Would it be nice if it went up another 6-12", Maybe but its a great tool for folks with limited space.
And I've got no space on my property to build that other garage!
Oh really. Never heard of that lift (Have now) So that's like a beefed up Version of the max-jax?
It looks perfect for my needs, Thanks for the heads up, appreciate it
No problem, I almost sold my max Jax for one, but couldn't justify the extra cash for it seeing the max Jax is working for me. I just like the idea of locks every few inches and the heavier duty build of it.
Rossco
Well-known member
Yeah for sure. Iam almost exclusively lifting 04-08 F150's so 7000LB's is advantageous and the multi lock system, etc.
Only problem is getting a hold of the unit, Even the threads in GJ seem to be closed / deleted / dead ending.
Thanks again
RAYJAY
Well-known member
Denwood
Well-known member
Last pics I promise Finished the floor finally so a few updates:
Finished the floor finally so a few updates:
In My Garage
Well-known member
^ Now that is a garage. Clean and bright!
Denwood
Well-known member
Thanks Alex. My slab retrofit for the install started with your thread I really wanted a smooth white floor. Turns out after the the first exposure to snow/salt/dirt tonight that a quick mop up was all that was required. My goal would be to keep it clean by staying very organized.
I really wanted a smooth white floor. Turns out after the the first exposure to snow/salt/dirt tonight that a quick mop up was all that was required. My goal would be to keep it clean by staying very organized.shortykorte
Well-known member
Wow very nice Mr D
petee_c
Well-known member
Denwood, that is a nice space. Mine's a cluttered h*ll,with stuff and junk all over the place.
In My Garage
Well-known member
Thanks Alex. My slab retrofit for the install started with your thread
What a difference from your initial pics of your garage where it cluttered. I have a garden shed for my gardening tools, ladder, lawn mower and snow blower.
Tip: if you want to keep your garage floor clean and salt and snow free, park some motorcycles in it and a summer car. That way you won't have space for a winter car.
Denwood
Well-known member
Thanks Shortee and Pete
Alex, that's precisely why we have a couple 40ft storage containers. First time ever that my shop is really a shop. Part of the garage project was organizing the 10x12 shed to not only swallow up seasonal stuff, but also to relocate my compressors. That freed up a lot of space.
I wanted to make sure that with a 16ft wide shop, there would be plenty of space to walk around the columns if left in place. It takes all of 45 seconds (using impact for removal only!) to pull the column bolts and roll them to the wall when in wood working mode.
Alex, that's precisely why we have a couple 40ft storage containers
. First time ever that my shop is really a shop. Part of the garage project was organizing the 10x12 shed to not only swallow up seasonal stuff, but also to relocate my compressors. That freed up a lot of space.I wanted to make sure that with a 16ft wide shop, there would be plenty of space to walk around the columns if left in place. It takes all of 45 seconds (using impact for removal only!) to pull the column bolts and roll them to the wall when in wood working mode.
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shortykorte
Well-known member
Re: Happy Maryland Customer
The one thing to consider is wheel base. I put my maxjax at 130". I have a 95 SL320 and swinging the arms from the outside (180 degrees apart) was problematic. I just realized that the arms should point the same direction then swing under car then center car to post. Hope this helps.
The one thing to consider is wheel base. I put my maxjax at 130". I have a 95 SL320 and swinging the arms from the outside (180 degrees apart) was problematic. I just realized that the arms should point the same direction then swing under car then center car to post. Hope this helps.
I started a new thread because I didn't see this, but I'll repost it here:
Finally finished the lift. Added a bottom safety lock location for tires, brakes and fluid changes.
Ceiling is 96" and the door is in the way when it's open if the car is nose in, but the middle safety lock position on the posts is more than high enough for 99% of the stuff I do with my track car.
I ended up going with the epoxy anchors because I'm paranoid and I have to daughters and a wife. All of them hold 95 ft/lbs without issue, no pulling up or spinning. I love it. At one point I had a small piece of concrete spall under one of the bolts thanks to the plate not being 100% smooth/flush to the concrete, but that was a small piece that doesn't concern me much. The thickness of the slab was exactly 4" with a void, so I was forced to use hardware cloth. I regret using 1/4" because the epoxy was able to flow pretty easily through the openings (in the end, it worked just fine) so if I add any extra holes to allow for wider cars (I purchased extra anchors) I'll be using 1/8" hardware cloth.
I decided on higher quality fittings as well as skid steer quick release fittings and custom lines from Discount Hydraulics. The lines turned out great, but I went with connectors that don't swivel which quickly made running the hydraulic lines a bit of a challenge, especially when trying to connect two lines to a 90* elbow.
After an order for some 90* swivel fittings, I was on my way.
I routed the lines up and over since I won't be moving the posts much and I wanted a wall mount solution for the pump. I borrowed a similar design I found here that I liked and went with that. Works like a charm.
Great product and the quality of life improvement over having to throw down jackstands and use a jack is worth it, no question.
Thanks to all the posts/threads here on Garage Journal, they were incredibly helpful during the install process.
If anyone is interested in buying my spare hydraulic lines, hardware and wedge anchors that came with the kit, please let me know. I don't need them and they're just taking up space in the garage for the time being.
Finally finished the lift. Added a bottom safety lock location for tires, brakes and fluid changes.
Ceiling is 96" and the door is in the way when it's open if the car is nose in, but the middle safety lock position on the posts is more than high enough for 99% of the stuff I do with my track car.
I ended up going with the epoxy anchors because I'm paranoid and I have to daughters and a wife.
All of them hold 95 ft/lbs without issue, no pulling up or spinning. I love it. At one point I had a small piece of concrete spall under one of the bolts thanks to the plate not being 100% smooth/flush to the concrete, but that was a small piece that doesn't concern me much. The thickness of the slab was exactly 4" with a void, so I was forced to use hardware cloth. I regret using 1/4" because the epoxy was able to flow pretty easily through the openings (in the end, it worked just fine) so if I add any extra holes to allow for wider cars (I purchased extra anchors) I'll be using 1/8" hardware cloth.I decided on higher quality fittings as well as skid steer quick release fittings and custom lines from Discount Hydraulics. The lines turned out great, but I went with connectors that don't swivel which quickly made running the hydraulic lines a bit of a challenge, especially when trying to connect two lines to a 90* elbow.
After an order for some 90* swivel fittings, I was on my way.I routed the lines up and over since I won't be moving the posts much and I wanted a wall mount solution for the pump. I borrowed a similar design I found here that I liked and went with that. Works like a charm.
Great product and the quality of life improvement over having to throw down jackstands and use a jack is worth it, no question.
Thanks to all the posts/threads here on Garage Journal, they were incredibly helpful during the install process.
If anyone is interested in buying my spare hydraulic lines, hardware and wedge anchors that came with the kit, please let me know. I don't need them and they're just taking up space in the garage for the time being.
Vegaman_Dan
Well-known member
I'd love to run one of the hydraulic lines overhead, but I'm clueless on the types of connectors. If you happen to have the part numbers you got at that online supply shop, it would be muchly appreciated. Getting lines made up would be fantastic.
What did it run you for the lines?
What did it run you for the lines?
They are just 3/8" NPTF
I suggest paying a little extra and getting the swivel fittings though and not the MP-06-06 and FP-06-06...
EDIT: Those are MPX-06-06 and FPX-06-06 respectively for the swivel fittings.
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I originally picked up some door defender pads to protect my door from dings, but there isn't enough space between the posts and the cradle that lifts the arms. I was considering using a band saw to shave them down some...
Anyone have an elegant solution to protect their car door(s)?
Anyone have an elegant solution to protect their car door(s)?
working on my install now
my friend Technician117 on here gave me a hand and brought home a new toy
IMG_20150424_164622_932 by nogiba, on Flickr
Posts in place - I still need to plan their width, spacing, and location fore/aft before I commit. Due to the slope of the floor I will be having new pads poured to support the columns. Still undecided on whether I'm doing one long width, or two smaller pads.
_DSC3749 by nogiba, on Flickr
I rolled the daily into place for an idea of how columns will line up
IMG_20150425_190930_898 by nogiba, on Flickr
Things are moving along on Project Dig to China
First off, I needed to finalize placement of the columns, which was easy enough using existing vehicles. I just kept tweaking the location of the columns and rolling in each of the vehicles to make sure the lift points would line up and the car would reasonably fit. However, I wanted to plan for a future vehicle that I might buy in the next few years that had some awkwardly placed lift points, so I slapped together a quick wooden frame as a template to mock up the lift points.
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
Once the columns were in their final location, I measured where they stood in relation to each other and in relation to other points in the garage that would not move. Initially I was basing my measurements off one of the central joint lines in the slab, but something didn't look right there - turns out the joint line did not run even close to perpendicular to the wall, so I re-measured and placed using the front edge of the slab (by the garage door) as my starting point, and everything fell into place. I cut up a sheet of plywood to use as a template and laid some heavy parts on it to stop it from moving, and spray painted my edge to show where the cut had to go.
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
After a long weekend in Boston for a wedding, I came back and rented a nice Makita 14" gas saw with diamond blade and went to town. The water kept the dust to a minimum and the diamond blade cut through like butter. I ended up making multiple longitudinal and transverse cuts in the slab to be removed, so that I could remove it piece by piece. It went easily and there was no need for a jackhammer.
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
I finished the initial cut and got this,
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
After staring at it I realized that I would be tying my new slab into a very short section of slab that was near the control joint. I had avoided cutting along that joint because of a drainage pipe running along underneath it, but after measuring the depth of the pipe from inside the drain, I found that the pipe had been buried deep enough and would not be disturbed if I pulled off that last section of concrete. So, that section was removed too, which worked out for the better in that there were a few cracks in that section by the wall that got removed at the same time.
After some more cutting, I now have two very large and stable slabs in like new condition that will be used to tie in the new one.
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
Removing the broken up slab
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
After that I started excavating the stone to get to my desired depth - still have a ways to go as of last night. You can see the drainage pipe that I was worried about slicing.
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
My custom stainless steel baseplates and rods are getting finished up right now. Once I've removed enough stone I can set up the baseplates using a jig and start planning for the pour!
I got the stainless plates and rods in from a friend, so it was time to join them up. I have learned that nothing ever fits as well as it does on the actual workpiece, so I bolted the rods to the stainless plate and column baseplate assembly to make sure they fell into place.
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
The extra set of holes were a result of trusting a manufacturer drawing that was not actually correct, lesson learned.
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
Time to burn some metal
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
The final result, upside down:
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
Next steps:
-dig out more stone to a common depth (I think I'll go to 14" compacted depth from top of slab)
-level existing stone, add if necessary, tamp
-set up jig to mount and level plates
-set up rebar
-pour
skamp
Well-known member
Norbert,
Are you planning on adding anything to the mount plate to prevent it from pulling up. The tubes are pretty long but also very smooth. It would seem like a good idea to add some cross braces or something.
Steve
Are you planning on adding anything to the mount plate to prevent it from pulling up. The tubes are pretty long but also very smooth. It would seem like a good idea to add some cross braces or something.
Steve
Yes, thanks for asking, that was a shot of the work in progress. I spent a few hours on the MIG yesterday putting on the cross bracing (1/2" rod)
image by Norbert Ogiba, on FlickrAnd after a Rustoleum Flat Black Enamel
image by Norbert Ogiba, on FlickrRebar is next after I finish digging out more stone
skamp
Well-known member
Yes, thanks for asking, that was a shot of the work in progress. I spent a few hours on the MIG yesterday putting on the cross bracing (1/2" rod)
And after a Rustoleum Flat Black Enamel
Rebar is next after I finish digging out more stone
Nicely done! No way that bad boy is doing anywhere.
Steve
Denwood
Well-known member
Looking very nice indeed. While you're doing the slab, you may want to add conduit so you can run the hydraulic lines underneath your slab. Makes for a nice clean install, although you do have to extend one of the lines.
It's great that you have a drain already. I totally goofed in that I didn't install a floor drain while doing the lift retro slab. That project required more cuts and concrete a few weeks back.
Like this:
If you end up doing similar, make sure your conduit exits closer to the rear of each colunm so your lift arms don't contact the lines.
The end result is pretty clean:
It's great that you have a drain already. I totally goofed in that I didn't install a floor drain while doing the lift retro slab. That project required more cuts and concrete a few weeks back.
Like this:
If you end up doing similar, make sure your conduit exits closer to the rear of each colunm so your lift arms don't contact the lines.
The end result is pretty clean:
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^ thanks for the conduit tip. I may just look into that. I have been planning this install for about 2 years now, and yours was one of the threads I referenced. I plan on running the power vertically since I have an outlet directly overhead, but it would be nice to have no hydraulic lines to trip over. I don't plan on moving the columns around/out of the way.
Thanks! Yes, I made lots of progress this past week. Finalized plate locations and poured concrete.
lots of progress this past week, the hardest work is done
laid down some quikrete on the sides of the hole to prevent stone from falling out from under the existing slab
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
20 wheelbarrow loads later the stone pile is finally gone. my back still hurts thinking about it
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
supported it via jig on the rear set of holes. this was not too stable and it turns out the extra set of holes in the plate was a blessing in disguise.
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
I welded some nuts to the underside of the front most set of holes and suspended the plates evenly. much more stable!
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
From there it was a ton of time with a wrench and level setting the heights equal, and angles to zero
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
cut and laid in all the rebar
FourEyed's guy came and did the pour yesterday with a helper, it turned out nice. after it had taken a set, i removed the jigs so the guys could finish it more nicely.
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr
i wet down the concrete and put some plastic sheeting over it to prevent drying too quickly. while it dries over the next few weeks i'll be assembling the hydraulic stuff and doing a dry run off to the side.