Picking up midrise lift tomorrow- WooHoo, Was MaxJax VS Midrise car lift question Options

[GaroldShaffer]

Since I am not partner in teh shop anymore (long story) I'm back to working out of my garage at home. The only thing I miss about the old shop is teh 2 post lift we have there..

So I have been looking around at different lifts for home. My biggest isssue is I have 10ft ceiling in there so a standard two post lift won't work. I was thinking about a mid rise lift like I know some here have when I came across the MaxJax portable two post system.

I like what I see. It will work in my garage, portable, and easy to use. I like the fact that when not in use it can be removed and stored against the wall.

Here is the link to their website MaxJax

The more I look at it the more I like it over a midrise lift. Your thoughts?

[charliew]

Personally if money is not a problem I like the one like Paul put in that is flush with the floor.

[Mark Henry]

Looks real wimpy for 6000lbs.....I rather look around for a good used "made in USA" low rise.

Or you could do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBYkay_ruek...feature=related

[Mark Henry]

watch this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLUjq6ijvVc...feature=related

[Krieger]

Depending on what you want to do check out ezcarlift.com . I have had one for the last two years and I'm very happy with it. It goes up 27" and is truly portable. Sorry I forgot how to post link.

[avidfanjpl]

Here is the link, Andy.

I am impressed. I have a single car garage 2 deep.

This is pretty cool.

http://ezcarlift.com/index.html

I busted my ass today with jackstands doing the valve lash.

I am too tired yet to take the car out to try it.

2 hours and I am done with crawling at my age.

I am seriously considering this for $1995 plus shipping.

Weird thing is that they recommend a 48 or 62 inch set of crossbraces.

I will have to call them to check why there are 2 choices.

Which did you get?

Thanks!

John

[Krieger]

I got the 48". I roll it under with the aluminum pieces going from left to right under the car. I have room to roll it in from the side. In a "slim" single width garage you may have to have it standing on its edge to start to put in under the car. I think the entire unit weighs 120#s. Or you may be able to assemble it under the car. I love mine. I bought the detachable casters. They are very handy. I went to Canyon High a few years back.

[type47fan]

Looks good, especially for limited space, infrequent use situations.

[Krieger]

My (so called) track car has been on it for more than a year, sometimes I put the casters on it and move it. I was thinking for avidfanipl, or anyone that has tight space and can't slide it in you could build ramps to drive over this lift, instead of sliding it under. The guy who builds this told me it works for the miata guys to drive over the aluminum section, then lift.

[GaroldShaffer]

Personally if money is not a problem I like the one like Paul put in that is flush with the floor.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif) Well, that anit going to happen.

I like the ezcarlift. Does it lift high enough to drop a motor? I don't think 27" is high enough for that.

[r_towle]

What did paul put in? Can someone post a link or a pick of what you are talking about?

Rich

[brp986s]

The ez lift seems pretty limited for that price. It assumes the front and rear lift width is about the same. Might work on a 914, probably not a 911. It assumes the starting front height is the same front and rear - not always the case. The lift range is only 26 inch. It looks like you would have to lift front and rear separately, and probably incrementally to maintain stability, making it time consuming. The portability and caster features are nice.

I prefer the bendpak. Now 2100$ (up from 1600 delivered just 2 years ago). It has independant front and rear arms, lifts 48 inches, runs on 120VAC, and comes with various height lift blocks. It has 3 height lock positions for long term, although I don't do that here in earthquake country. My 914 clears it in the lowered position, but not my 911, nor my lowered boxster, so I made wooden ramps.

[PRS914-6]

More money and effort but worth it. See this thread

[avidfanjpl]

The bendpak would go through the roof of the garage for me!

I think I will think about the ezlift for Christmas for me! I will drive over it carefully and love that I have 2 whole feet of lift!

Might be too high for my short arms!

No one else buys me a damn thing, and with no one to buy for, I may make the budget!

"If you want something done, do it yourself!"

- Gary Oldman as Jean Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg in The Fifth Element

Thanks all!

John

[rfuerst911sc]

I am a old school kind of guy and because of that I am leery of many of these " new " lifts. Seems like many manufacturers/vendors are just being driven by cost/price. Remember guys you are going to be working under these things. My point is do your homework and get the best QUALITY you can afford. Don't rule out buying older used American made products. Craigslist, Ebay ect. have quite a few lifts listed for sale. I bought my Ammco scissor lift about two years ago and love it. All American made and it is a heavy duty commercial lift. She weighs 1000 lbs. they didn't skimp on the metal (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) . It lifts 48 inches and I payed $800.00 for it. Good luck with whatever you end up with and be safe !

[mskala]

My ceiling is 6" lower than yours and I have a full-size parking lift in there (4-post)
which works fine, and doesn't need to be stored away. Since a 914 is a short car,
you can park a reasonable size car under it.

[RattPack]

I too have been looking at the MaxJax and stumbled across this thread. Last week my thought process was hijacked by comments from armchair engineers posting their opinions. The only reason I registered today was so I could possibly save others like me a lot of aggravation, or provide further topic for debate. I've been sold on the MaxJax because of the free access underneath and the mobility, stow‘ability convenience. Oh yea, and of course, the obvious - the lack of a high ceiling.

I urge (plead) all armchair engineers. Is it factual or just your opinion?

• Has it ever been reported?
• Sources – remember, the more the better.
• Respect argument.
• Fallacies - aren’t or are?
• Summary

Although many of the mid rise lift options claim to be portable, I'd hate to try moving these behemoths around. And not just fore and aft – I can only imagine turning them around a cluttered garage. They may have what can be described as wheels, but portable? I laugh. The E-Z lift is probably the best thing to portable, but do I really want a lift that can be stowed in the truck of my car? And is the E-Z lift really in the same league as the MaxJax or other Mid-Rise options? 26-inches – really?

Accessibility - The MaxJax appears to be the obvious hands down winner. True, maybe the other mid-rise lifts are ready to go in a snap, but how much time is wasted trying to work around the lift structure(s). I have yet to work underneath a mid-rise scissors lift, but from the many photos I’ve gathered, they do appear to have quite limited accessibility from below. In addition, drive-over height for most mid-rise lifts seems to rear-its ugly head quite frequently - 2 x 8 planks becoming an overlooked necessity.

Portability – I’ve seen the MaxJax videos; I’ve seen Mr. Leno roll the thing around (with the arms attached); I’ve seen the beautiful girl roll it around - a girl that appears to weigh no more than 110 pounds wet. I have yet to see video of other mid-rise lifts that would come even close to the portability of the MaxJax. Can you say turning radius?

From an engineering perspective (I urge all of you engineers to chime in now), isn’t the moment loading on scissors type structures and components considerably greater than what can be assumed would be the worst possible moment loading on any part of the MaxJax? Maybe instead of focusing on concrete or anchors, we should be focusing on possible weaker links. Before putting pencil to paper however, I urge you to consider the moment loading from the get-go. What loads are these scissors components subjected to during the first few inches of lift? I suspect a helluva lot.

As the MaxJax appears to be quite literally a mini-two-post, I would be fairly confident in the design. From what I have read, most end-users are pleased at the robust quality - truckers and rodders alike.

I am leaning towards the MaxJax because I’m pretty confident that my residential concrete floor is equal to or better than any shop floor around these parts. I have seen dozens of full-rise two-post lifts installed on questionable concrete with cracks galore – lifts that appear to be in use for quite possibly decades.

This link provides valuable insight as well - definitely worth reading.

If I'm reading correctly, the worst case anchor bolt tension (pull-out) with the lift loaded to max capacity is 3238 lbs. The test report shows those anchors holding at over six times that.


Am I missing something? This is so frustrating.

[Mark Henry]

Hey newbie...you almost sound like a maxjax salesman to me (IMG:style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif)

[patssle]

Hey newbie...you almost sound like a maxjax salesman to me (IMG:style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif) You beat me too it, I was thinking the same thing!

How much does the maxjax system cost?

[mepstein]

Mark - I'm sure that just because Moorpark, CA (maxjax location) and Ventura CA are only 26 miles apart that it must be a coincidence. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)