Max Jax 2 post Portable Lifts for 8' and under Ceilings

[240hoke]

Hey Guys,

 

I found this and thought it was pretty dern cool. Relatively easy to move if needed and gets the job done for garages with low ceiling heights.

 

http://www.maxjaxusa.com/index.html

 

 

 

I think they run around 1800 bucks. Might consider one when I have the money, would be really nice to move it from bay to bay and be able to install it yourself. The only real downside I see the that you can only lift it so high. Still way better then jack stands though.

[rturbo 930]

Does it bolt down or what? Doesn't look very stable...

[RB26powered74zcar]

I've been shopping around the net for lifts like that. I need a low lift, and the portability of that one just sold me....

 

Now, to sell something for $1,800 so I can buy one....

[ZZZeee]

I would add diagonal bracings running for and aft at the uppermost points of the frame and bolt them to the concrete too. If I had the room I'd even add another diagonal brace on each side running outwardly creating trangulated support to the main columns.

[RB26powered74zcar]

Here is a better description on another website> http://www.eautotools.com/Dannmar-MaxJax-7-000-Lbs-2-Post-Lift-Open-Top-and-p/maxjax.htm

[ZZZeee]

It looks like they're relying on lag bolts in the concrete. It's just not enough to guarantee the thing won't tip for or aft or callapse toward the center. I'm repeating myself, I know, but it really needs triangulated support. If I buy one I'm definitely making that mod.

[Evan Purple240zt]

Concrete anchors are how lifts are installed.. thats just the name of the game. The top or bottom plate is to cover up hydraulic hoses.

[ZZZeee]

Yes but those anchors are very beefy and are positioned in the wet concrete before it sets. And the concrete is (or should be) a harder commercial mix that can withstand the pressures. Lag bolts, especially in poor quality concrete, will never have that kind of strength.

[rags]

Hmm, thinking out loud here, maybe some angle iron secured to the upper end of the columns that goes up to the existing ceiling and secured to a single ceiling joist? There are obviously some garages where this would not be advisable but I'm thinking for some it could create some added stability.

 

Joe

[naviathan]

From the website:

Internally Threaded. Wedge anchor performance with the convenience of a drop-in.

 

See the attached pictures for examples.

 

The instructions say to drill 7/8" holes using the base plate as a guide. How strong do you think these anchors are?

[ckolander]

This one, http://www.eautotools.com/D-7X-7-000-lbs-4-Post-Vehicle-Lift-p/d-7x.htm, 4 legs is better than 2, and it's $3,000 cheaper

[ZZZeee]

MUCH better...

 

 

This one, http://www.eautotools.com/D-7X-7-000-lbs-4-Post-Vehicle-Lift-p/d-7x.htm, 4 legs is better than 2, and it's $3,000 cheaper

[240hoke]

You might want to read the specs on those drop in anchors before you bash them without any knowledge. You might be surprised what some concrete anchors can hold. A lot of industrial anchors are actually epoxy'd in a drilled hole after the concrete has set. If you guys took the time to read before posting you might surprise yourself:

 

From the website:

Key Features and Benefits

• Internally Threaded. Wedge anchor performance with the convenience of a drop-in.
  
• Safety Shoulder. Supports clip when anchor is under strain, eliminating bolt-end collapse and/or clip slippage under ultimate loading conditions.
  
• Rated load capacity (each anchor) - 14,800-lb. Tensile / 11,800-lb. Shear
  
• Zinc Plating ASTM B-633, Type III, SCI
  
• The Power-Drop anchor complies with the 1997 uniform Building Code (UBC) the 2000, International Building Code (IBC), and the 2000, International Residents Code, Data Test in accordance with the ICC-ES criteria for Expansion anchors in Concrete and Masonry Elements (ACOI) dated April 2002.

MaxJax™ drop-in anchors are rated for two types of loads - shear and tensile. Shear loads are caused when the loaded lift exerts force parallel to the surface of the concrete and tensile loads are caused when the exerted force is perpendicular to the surface. The MaxJax™ lift will exert a combination of the two.

Foundation and Anchoring Requirements

• Concrete must have compression strength of at least 3,000 PSI and a minimum thickness of 4" in order to achieve a minimum anchor embedment of 3-3/8".
  
• Maintain a 4-1/2" minimum distance from any slab edge or seam. Hole-to-hole spacing should be a minimum 4-1/2" in any direction. Drill each hole a minimum of 5-1/2" deep.
  
• DO NOT install on asphalt or other similar unstable surface. Lift is to be installed on concrete floors only. DO NOT install or use the lift on expansion seams or on cracked or defective concrete.
  
• If one column has to be shimmed to match the plane of the other column, use horseshoe shims or similar. Shim thickness MUST NOT exceed 1/8" when using the drop-in anchors provided with the lift. Adjust the columns plumb so that the lift pads or level with one another.
  
• If anchors do not tighten to 100 ft-lbs. installation torque, replace the concrete under each column base with a 4' x 4' x 6" thick 3,000 PSI minimum concrete pad keyed under and flush with the top of the existing floor. Allow concrete to cure before installing lifts and anchors - typically 2 to 3 weeks.

Do the math.

 

Fore and aft bracing wont do much for you, the load should be centered on the lift...

 

Furthermore for most people a 4 post lift is VERY impractical. They are mainly used as alignment racks and at greese n go places. A 4 post lift doesnt allow the easy service of suspension/brake components. And is very annoying to work under.... not to mention hard to get on and off of with a lowered car.

 

Im also not saying this is the lift for you. I found it and thought it was neat, thought I would share...a lot of us don't have high ceilings and the ease of transport in the event of a move or just because is a huge plus.

[JMortensen]

This one, http://www.eautotools.com/D-7X-7-000-lbs-4-Post-Vehicle-Lift-p/d-7x.htm, 4 legs is better than 2, and it's $3,000 cheaper

If all you're doing is exhaust work or alignments, 4 post hoists make a lot of sense. I'll take a 2 post hoist any day of the week. It's so much easier to pull transmissions or work on suspension or get at the bottom of the engine on a 2 post hoist.

[ZZZeee]

...

You might want to read the specs on those drop in anchors before you bash them without any knowledge. You might be surprised what some concrete anchors can hold. A lot of industrial anchors are actually epoxy'd in a drilled hole after the concrete has set. If yall took the time to read before posted you might surprise yourself:

 

I never surprise myself... only others.

 

From the website:Do the math.

 

Fore and aft bracing wont do much for you, the load should be centered on the lift...

 

Precisely my point. Mistakes and carelessness happen. Triangulated bracing will definitely help with for/aft support.

 

Furthermore for most people a 4 post lift is VERY impractical. They are mainly used as alignment racks and at greese n go places. A 4 post lift doesnt allow the easy service of suspension/brake components. And is very annoying to work under.... not to mention hard to get on and off of with a lowered car.

 

I'd rather be somewhat inconvenienced than squashed.

 

Im also not saying this is THE LIFT FOR YOU. I found and thought it was neat, thought I would share...a lot of us don't have high ceilings and the ease of transport in the event of a move or just because is a huge plus.

 

I intended no disrespect to you or your post. I'm sorry if my posts appeared otherwise.

[Drax240z]

There are thousands of 2 post hoists in use around the world with a similar mounting system... and no bracing to walls, ceilings, witches, or even very, very small rocks.

[Tony D]

All fore and aft bracing does on those arms is give the bracing more moment/leverage for pull-out ability. They won't 'stabilize' the stand unless you make them up so high that it interferes with access under the car.

 

Hoke is correct, the pullout for drop in or epoxy anchors is amazingly stout. There are anchors you can buy for FRAME PULLING MACHINES to allow you to use an epoxy-surface plated garage floor to act as your platform, and simply drop in anchors to bolt down your pulling posts. Start reefing on a 10 ton puller 4" above grade and realize if they aren't pulling out...likely you will break the FLOOR before the anchor will pull out!

 

A 1 ton Jib Crane with a 12 foot boom only requires a 6" slab with around a 3400# pull-out on a 2' base circle of bolts.

 

And going back ot earthquakes (in my part of the country at least): If the car starts rocking while you're working on it...GET OUT FROM UNDERNEATH IT!!! (same as if you are on jackstands!)

 

I like the 4 post units simply because I can move it around where I want it, but for the price, I would install a 2 poster permanently in a bay just for maintenance.

 

Being able to roll a four-poster out onto the driveway to drape the car and sandblast the underside with a pressure pot does come in handy. You can do it on a two post, but who wants to do it inside?

[ckolander]

Aw what the heck, I guess I'll just have to get them both. I'm gettin ready to pick up 6 1/2 acres for $12,000. The house I want to build is gonna cost me $150,000, and the garage/shop/man room is gonna cost about $45,000. Luckily for me this is all discounted because I work for the company that will be building my home and I'm taking care of all the prints. And heck, we can even pull about $10,000 back into my pocket for the paychecks I'll get while building my house.

So that's where I'm headed this summer, and that 4 poster would be so nice, no more laying on my back to change oil, or transmissions, or to figure out what my wife is talking about when she says, "It's making a noise."

[rxsleeper]

IMHO, two posts are more useful for working on the car. 4 posts are better for storing cars. If you have the ceiling height a 2 post is the way to go. In a new build, make sure you have 12' ceilings or build a high bay like I did with lifted scissor trusses and buy a used lift. Less than 2k installed for the lift but I made sure I had enough concrete under the posts.

[johnc]

What's more important then the anchors is the concrete floor. You need a minimum 6" depth of pad with 3,000 psi concrete. In my shop the pad was 4" to 5" so I cut out a 3' x 20' section and poured a 12" deep reinforced pad for a 2 post Rotary 10K asymmetric lift.

 

Another shop in the complex put the same lift in the existing pad and when a Jeep got pulled off one of the four arms one of the posts tore out and the whole mess collapsed sideways. The shop owner bought the old Jeep for $4,800 and then paid another $2,500 to repair all the damage. Luckily no one got hurt.

 

Pay very close attention to the installation instructions for a lift and if you can, add an extra margin of safety. That extra margin comes in handy when things go wrong, which they will at some point.