jschiller

I'm laying out my garage in antipation of installing the Maxjax lift soon. For those of you who have one, can you tell me the spacing you used for the posts and how difficult it is to enter and exit the car with that spacing? Thanks.

dr bob

Mine sits at 9' 1" between the mounting pads at the widest option. This is about as wide as I can make it and still get the pads under the 928 lift points without a lot of fussing with car position.

I installed an extra row of anchors inboard for each column, so I can move the columns closer together for other cars. So there are eight anchors set for each column. K's 4Runner with a real frame gets one of the columns moved in, so the arms can reach the frame and spread wide enough (fore and aft under the car) to maintain balance while working on it. My brother's Altima needs both columns moved in to reach its lift points. Longer arms on the lift would be nice but didn't happen.

Some search here on RL will net you some good discussion on all of this. I'd go take a picture of the hole pattern but there's a car on the lift right now.

dr bob

More --

If "laying out the garage" means designing the new garage and not trying to fit stuff into my existing space, be sure to allow walking space around the columns. If there are cabinets or workbenches between a wall and a lift column, allow space for the doors or drawers to open. I added overhead twist-lock outlets above the columns, and plumbed compressed air to the ceiling over the columns so I could drop down easily to a services console there when convenient. I've never used the air connection drops, but the electrical gets used a lot even when the lift is out of the way.

the flyin' scotsman

I designed the MaxJack layout so I could lift my 928s or Cayenne and it works perfectly.

Have had all sorts of other makes/models on the lift without issue (Audi A4, Ford Focus, Cayenne S, etc) all without issue. I can measure distance between columns later when in garage.

jschiller

Dr Bob, that's 9'1" as measured on the floor at the inside edges of the baseplates, right? That's what I needed to know. Thanks.

dr bob

Correct. That's the space I put between the inside edges of the column pads at the 928 spacing I use.

NickTucker

Not meaning to hijack the thread at all.... But what are the thoughts you guys have on the "Balance" of a 2 post jack? I mean that is terms of safety of a 2 post vs 4 post...

dr bob

Nick --

There's no doubt that having the car sitting on its tires on ramps supported by four corner posts is safer especially for storage. The problem for me is that I'd have the car sitting on its tires on ramps when I want to work on it, and have those ramps and the four corner posts even when I didn't. Yes there are jack trays and the like, and those I would consider essential if you plan to use it for anything but storage.

For my uses, the vast majority of tasks have the car up a foot or so. That takes care of wheel and suspension/brake work, changing a timing belt, changing oil, ATF or coolant, flushing brakes. I put safety stands under the carriages at exactly the height I want to work. Except for the timing belt, my little roller seat holds me at the right height. For timing belts, it's at a height that allows for the minimum bend-over for the technician (me). The car is plenty stable on the lift at any height, maybe more so at the lower lift heights. Reality for me anyway is that I don't work on the cars on the lift that often. If there are a dozen days a year with the lift in service, that's a lot. My roller jack's big duty is setting the car on and off safety stands for winter storage, else it pretty much gathers dust.

And [insert drum roll here...] the Max-Jax columns unbolt from the floor and roll completely out of the way when the lift is not in use. Four-posts and regular two-post lifts don't offer that option. Many have much less spacious work bays, where space and access are at a much bigger premium. Mine gets used for other projects where lift columns would be in the way.

A four post lift is a little more forgiving in that the posts don't interfere with car doors opening. If you don't live in earthquake territory as we did when I bought the lift, you don't need to bolt the lift to the floor. That allows you to roll most four-post lifts when needed, even outside if the driveway access is fairly level. The four-post allows you to safely stack-store another car or toy if the underneath car isn't too tall and you have ceiling clearance. I have a little over ten feet ceiling height, high enough to lift the Pilot or 4Runner DD's to four feet on the Max-Jax, but not much higher. On a four-post with the 928, the ramps would still sit below head-banging height with the car roof close to the ceiling.

I looked hard at an assymetric two-post lift before the Max-Jax. I had plenty of ceiling height in the last garage workbay. But when the Max-Jax came along, the option of having the columns completely out of the way made the decision process amazingly simple.

the flyin' scotsman

^^^.........what Dr B said + in my case the garage height and length Id barely fit any other kind of lift (2 or 4 post).

With the MaxJax I can work on a vehicle until my garage time is over, close the garage door and come back to the project time/parts permitting. In the winter I lift the 928 onto rollers, dismantle the MaxJax, storing it in front of the 928 and push the car up close to a wall so I can then park the Cayenne inside over our frigid weather.

If I had a bigger garage/shop i may consider a different lift but thats not on the cards today or future

jej3

There's a used one for sale in the DC area. No Affiliation.

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...861544696.html

Looks like it was used OUTSIDE (WTF?) I'd be offering 1/2 of new if I was in driving distance.

jej3

Another one for sale in Milwaukee.... No affiliation and comes with Motorcycle adapter.

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/tls...865356529.html

NickTucker

Malcolm and Bob,
Thanks for the feedback. I certainly get what you mean about all four tires and a four post lift, and likewise most of what I would use it for would be tire off situations or where a minimal amount of lift is really required.
It is a cool feature that you can unbolt it and move it out of the way.

Still on the fence, but think I am definitely leaning towards the Maxjax.

sendarius

I use mine a LOT, and I find myself agreeing with Dr Bob when he says that it is most useful at low lift heights.

I originally bought mine when I was height constrained in my original man-cave (a full height hoist would not fit), and kept it when I moved to the current place, even though I no longer have the ceiling height restriction.

I wear a padded round cap (no brim) when working under the car at full lift height, as I have lost count of the number of times that I clouted my head on some low-hanging part of the car.

For most jobs, just lifting the car enough to work from a creeper is easier on the shoulders and neck than working above my head anyway.

Obturate

Use jack stands. The Max Jax doesn't lift very tall and there are stands that are tall enough to use for safety.

dr bob

Um...

The Max-Jax lifts the car so the lift pads are four feet plus off the floor. Contrast with a full-height two post lift that adds two feet to that number. I'm not aware of any jack stands that will safely hold the car that high. If you are recommending normal 3T or even 6T stands instead of the Max-Jax, let me share with yiou that there is no comparison. I use jack stands for what they are good for. I use the Max-Jax for what it''s good for, which includes many of the things that jack stands are often used for.

Lifting a 928 onto four 6T stands is a several-step operation. As fun as that is, I'd much rather set the two columns, bolt them down and hook up the hydraullics to lift the car even if it's just to have the car up a foot or two. It's net easier, it's way safer and more stable than the car sitting just on stands. When I want to raise or lower the car to make accessing something a bit easier, it's a simple effort.

Jack stands are wonderful for people who haven't yet purchased a Max-Jax.