Quick 2 post lift use questions...

[FunfDreisig]

...for those of you with a full size 2 post lift.

After reading about the new MAXJAX lift by BendPak that lifts a vehicle to about 4 ft I'm wondering...

How often (% of time) do you use your lift with the vehicle only part way up (e.g. about 4 ft) and work on it while sitting on a roll around stool?

What have you done on your vehicle(s) that absolutely required full lift hieght?

Thanks in Advance - Funf Dreisig

 

[clutch47]

Gents,
This question is exactly what will drive my purchase. I have 11'10" ceilings, and really would like to lift to full height... BUT do I need to??... I also work on Motorcycles. Garage is 22'X36'........ One car door....
Clutch47

 

[brockstar]

I'll raise the car up to about hip height to remove the wheels and if I need to access something in the top of the engine bay. Basically to avoid stooping or bending over and I do this maybe 20% of the time.

Otherwise, I put the lift as high as it will go. For me its all about getting the work to a comfortable working height. I never work from a seated position under the lift, but I have no need to with a full height lift. Trying to massage a ****** in place from a seated position doesnt sound too fun since my body position would be off.

Interesting lift idea though. With limited ceiling height, it would be a toss up between a mid rise scissor lift and this new lift..

So short answer, 20% at partial height for wheels, while working comfort dictates more height.

 

[pattenp]

I put my two post all the way up or most of the way up more than any other height. The only time I may have it low is when rotating tires or doing brake work. I though about getting one of the mid/low-rise lifts, but glad I didn't.

 

[JCByrd24]

Interesting lift idea though. With limited ceiling height, it would be a toss up between a mid rise scissor lift and this new lift..

Precisely...I'm looking at this one from Greg Smith, which to me appears much sturdier than a two post, and also no moving it around, just park on top.

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Atlas-6600-MRLX-Mid-Rise-Scissor-Lift-p/at-6600mrlx.htm

These photos of a similar bendpak is what convinced me it would work in my garage and for an upcoming ****** job. Note the bendpak is rated 600lbs less and goes only 26" up, hence why I'm going with GSE if I go scissor.

Sure is a toss up...

 

[SteveU]

...for those of you with a full size 2 post lift.

After reading about the new MAXJAX lift by BendPak that lifts a vehicle to about 4 ft I'm wondering...

How often (% of time) do you use your lift with the vehicle only part way up (e.g. about 4 ft) and work on it while sitting on a roll around stool?

What have you done on your vehicle(s) that absolutely required full lift hieght?

Thanks in Advance - Funf Dreisig

I have used mine at partial height for removing wheels, replacing brake pads & calipers, bleeding brakes, fixing rust on rocker panels. I have run it up overhead for exhaust work, replacing the rubber piece that goes from the filler tube to the gas tank, replacing oil pan & ****** gaskets & servicing rear differential on a RWD pickup. Main criteria is to put it at whatever height that is comfortable to work on it at. Having the ability to run it up & down is great VS having it on something fixed like a kwiklift. Latest example of this is when I did the O2 sensor in my wife's car, Murphy & his extended family was riding with me. Had the car overhead but couldn't get a socket to fit on the bolts holding the sensor in. Figure no problem, I'll just take the header pipe off & take it over to the vise & take them off with the Knipex which I did. When trying to take the nuts off the exhaust manifold studs both studs came out instead. Think no problem, will just screw them back in when I'm done. Replaced sensor & took header pipe & studs back to car, cannot get studs to screw back into manifold for love or money. Lower car down & pull exhaust manifold, holes where studs go are stripped & cracked so will have to order new exhaust manifold which I did. Had this been on something I couldn't raise & lower it would have been a bear changing an exhaust manifold with the car 6' in the air. I'm probably at about 50-50% high vs low but I think a lot of that is just the types of work I've been doing lately.

 

[pattenp]

JCByrd24 - Your comment "Precisely...I'm looking at this one from Greg Smith, which to me appears much sturdier than a two post, and also no moving it around, just park on top."

What kind of two post are you comparing to? Typical two post lifts are rated on the low end at 9000#/10000#, where as the low/mid rise lifts are 6000#/7000#. Also, I'm not aware of any two post that you move around.

 

[JCByrd24]

pattenp, click the link in the first post of this thread....my comments apply mainly to it. Also note that my post quoted a post about ceiling height, mine is only 10ft so I can't benefit from a "real" two post.

My garage is a regular 2-car, daily parking garage, and the open center scissor seems to fit the bill best. Two permanent posts are a definite no when I can only lift to 4-4.5ft due to ceiling height. The MAXJAX is an alternative, but again, either you have posts all the time or part of your routine is lugging the 300lb posts in to place. With the one I posted, you drive into your regular parking spot, throw the blocks in place, and lift.

 

[pattenp]

pattenp, click the link in the first post of this thread....my comments apply mainly to it.

I didn't look at the MAJAX, so I thought you were referencing a standard two post lift for comparason. I don't think I would care to have to bolt that thing in place every time I wanted to use it.

 

[FunfDreisig]

I didn't look at the MAJAX, so I thought you were referencing a standard two post lift for comparason. I don't think I would care to have to bolt that thing in place every time I wanted to use it.

AFAIK nothing requires you to ever move a MAXJAX. In that case you simply have a light duty symmetric 2 post lift with a limited lift height (45-48") and a lower price tag.

Funf Dreisig

 

[FunfDreisig]

I'm currently building a (25dx42wx12h') 3 bay garage. I had planned on installing a full height asymmetrical 2 post lift in the right hand bay which has a 6ft wide mechanics work bench/area beside it. Two of the bays will house two cars that are in the process of complete restoration. The third bay is for my hard working tractor and doubles as a non-mechanic workare (e.g. wood working projects, etc.) since it is separated from the rest of the garage by an interior wall. Of course, cars in full restoration rarely move on their own. So placing one of them in the bay close to the mechanics work area would require me to move it manually every time I wanted to use the lift.

So one of the things that is interesting to me about the MAXJAX is that by installing three sets of bolt inserts in the slab, it CAN be moved to any of the 3 bays. From looking at the website, it appears that I could even move the MAXJAX to a bay while a "restoration car" was still in that bay, assuming I was extremely careful not to drop it

Everything I work on is well under the weight specs for the MAXJAX. And I don't expect to use a lift everyday or even on very short notice. So those limitations are not important to me. BUT... I'm not sure how well I'd like the limitation of the 45-48" lift height Hence my questions in the OP.

Funf Dreisig

 

[pattenp]

AFAIK nothing requires you to ever move a MAXJAX. In that case you simply have a light duty symmetric 2 post lift with a limited lift height (45-48") and a lower price tag.

Funf Dreisig

True... that was my narrow minded thinking. I was thinking if I was limited on space and ceiling height the MAXJAX would be a good solution. The only down side I was thinking about in that situation would be taking it down after each use and putting it back up to use it. On a side note...I'm curious how the leveling is taken care of without having leveling cables as on a traditional two post. Can't say I saw any technical details how it works.

 

[pattenp]

... I'm not sure how well I'd like the limitation of the 45-48" lift height Hence my questions in the OP.

Funf Dreisig

IMHO, if I had the space and ceiling height I'd go with the full size two post lift. I just think at some point if you get the low-rise you'll wish you'd gotten a full height lift. Now... if you can afford to get both you'd be in happy land. Have you looked at the Challenger Versymetric Two Post Lifts?
http://www.challengerlifts.com

 

[Vicegrip]

If you have the hight a 2 post will let you stuff one car under another or give you floor space under the car while it is on the lift. I often use the lift at almost full hight while working on cars. it is nice to be able to walk under the car while draining fluids or working on the suspension inner points. Any lift is better than no lift. A full size lift is better than a shorty if you have the room. The new Bend-pac would be far better than any under the car lift IMO. The #1 problem with all of the mid rise lifts scissor or parallelogram id they are in the way under the car. Dropping transmissions,transmissions working on suspension, dropping a gas tank the lift is in the way...

 

[SteveU]

Just looking at the specs for the MAXJAX it looks like the ticket for guys that live in areas where HOA limit height to where a regular lift can't be used or those who move around a lot & want to take it with them. I personally can't see moving it and having to keep bolting & unbolting it for routine use but would set it up & leave it.
The fact that it needs to have holes drilled & be bolted down would limit taking it over to a non car guys house since it would 'ruin' the concrete. The scissors lift pictured looks very similar to what the local tire place uses & these are run up & down probably 20-30x/day.

 

[SteveU]

I'm currently building a (25dx42wx12h') 3 bay garage. I had planned on installing a full height asymmetrical 2 post lift in the right hand bay which has a 6ft wide mechanics work bench/area beside it. BUT... I'm not sure how well I'd like the limitation of the 45-48" lift height Hence my questions in the OP.

Funf Dreisig

For exhaust work the full height will be better though I have changed exhausts on jackstands & ramps which are 10" high. Vicegrip is correct in that any lift is better than no lift & my observation is that having one makes almost any job on a car easier. If you have the height, space & funds go for the full size one because you can always use the full size one at low heights but will never be able to stand upright under the small one & the older I get the less I like having to work stooped over on something.

 

[FunfDreisig]

...Have you looked at the Challenger Versymetric Two Post Lifts?
http://www.challengerlifts.com

Yes but frankly I never understood their pitch about "3 stage" arms etc. They really need to explain the benefits a lot better or make finding that info a lot easier

But the brand/cost of full scale 2 posts lifts is not what made me start thinking about the MAXJAX as an alternative. It was the flexibility of placing a lift in any of the three bays without shuffling the cars that can't move on their own power or maybe don't even have a suspension installed.

FWIW I've done major work under cars on simple jack stands in carports. For example, I've dropped/installed a 911 engine with nothing more than 2 bottle jacks, 2 cheap jack stands and the top of a wooden crate as an engine dolly. I've never owned a creeper since I couldn't get the cars high enough to get me and it under the car at the same time. I splurged on my first floor jack only a few years ago. A 2 post lift, like the MAXJAX, that would allow me to work under a car while sitting upright on a roll around chair seems like heaven

Funf Dreisig

 

[JCByrd24]

The #1 problem with all of the mid rise lifts scissor or parallelogram id they are in the way under the car. Dropping transmissions,transmissions working on suspension, dropping a gas tank the lift is in the way...

For the type I posted (open center, 2 separate lift tables) I'd say the only job that that is true is maybe the gas tank depending on it's location, obviously rocker panel work would be limited as well.

 

[Vicegrip]

For the type I posted (open center, 2 separate lift tables) I'd say the only job that that is true is maybe the gas tank depending on it's location, obviously rocker panel work would be limited as well.

The work is doable with an open center but the lift is still in the way if not to block completion then as a hassle factor. Many time I found the work right above one of the tables and had to work from the inside out or the outside in. The tables can also inhibit maneuvering components on roller jacks such as a trans or solid rear end. I have worked under open center, X center, 2 post above 2 post in ground, old school one post. IMO for under car work 2 post is the best. The best is not always the only way and for home use a good compromise is key. Being able to roll a parallelogram type out and under a car in the driveway is nice, as is being able to drive over, park and not have a big old post looking to ding a door. Each type has its merits.