QUOTE(914werke @ Dec 8 2020, 01:20 PM)
@vaccarabite Zach can you opine on the ease or speed of setup on the MaxJack(MJ) vs the QuickJack (QJ)?
I think for the $ the QJ is GREAT & damn speedy to get a car up on compared to comparable height Jack stands. I just wish it was a bit taller.
I was looking hard at a set of MJ's. Did you mount them permanently?
The first time you set up Quick Jacks, it will take an hour or two to put everything together and get your car in the air. I did this with Matt Plaskett several years ago, it was fun. I damn near bought a set as soon as I got home. If you don't think you want a 2 post lift, BUY THE QUICK JACKS! You will not be disappointed. Its more then enough height to get anything you want to get done on your 914 - and its really stable. Fantastic product.
All that said, I'm glad I spent the money and bought the MaxJax. And if my ceilings were higher, I would have bought a 9 foot 2post lift over the MaxJax.
I am just over 10 feet to the bottom of my joists. I can raise the 914 all the way up and not hit the ceiling. I can also raise my 4 runner all the way up and have about an inch to spare with the MaxJax. It. Is. Awesome! It may be the best tool I have ever bought for a car hobby, and I wish I had bought it 10 years ago. It is VERY stable. Any sports car is an afterthought on it. The position locks are crude but very strong and foolproof. You put a steel rod through holes in the frame and let the lift body sit on it. There are no ratchets that you would find on a commercial lift.
The MaxJax comes in a big crate on a pallet and it weighs a LOT. I set it up single handed over a weekend. It required renting a good hammer drill and bits - don't even consider trying to install this with a common battery handheld hammer drill. You are boring 7/8 inch holes into reinforced concrete - rent the right tools.
Honestly, the hardest part of installing the MaxJax was the mental part of laying out the anchors. It has to be square, or it will bind. I used string chalk lines to layout where everything was going to go, and checked it by driving the cars I wanted to lift between my markings on the floor - and then double checking by putting the posts into position for a mock up.
The second hardest part was unpacking it. They bolt the parts into the crate, and some of the bolts are hard to find. I'm fairly strong and a hidden lag screw had me questioning the usefulness of my lifting regimen.
Once that is done, its just moving things around and making leverage your bitch in order to move the heavy stuff into position. Or be smarter then me and give beer to friends so they will help.
With my MaxJax I set it up at (IIRC) 110 inches between the posts. Which is perfect for the 914, and I can get the 4Runner in there too - but I have to go out the back hatch. I eventually want to buy more anchors and put in another set of mounts so I can increase the width between centers.. Not at all hard, but I also have not done it yet.
Mine was the 1st gen MaxJax with only 2 locking points and not 6 like they have now. I did find an error in the instructions on laying out the anchors - so use common sense and mock that up before you start drilling holes.
Once using the MaxJax, the one thing you will wish is that the lines that run from the motor unit to the jack posts were about 4-6 feet longer. They work as is, but on larger vehicles (like my 5th gen 4Runner) the hydraulic lines get in the way sometimes. Its a small gripe - but its a gripe.
You can not get a 914 on to the pads of the MaxJax if you have the risers in place, and the risers are the difference between bumping my head on the engine cross bar and getting oil in my hair while rolling around on my stool. It is a very small price to pay, and one day I'll just get a slightly lower rolling stool.
So there is my opine on the two systems.
The Quick Jacks are really good, strong products easy to set up and easy to store.
The MaxJax is just better, though heavier and harder to store out of the way.
Zach