Doug_B_928

If so, what spacing do you use between posts? I see that the MaxJax is rated for 6000 lbs. The Cayenne at roughly 5500lbs meets the requirement, but I assume one would need to adjust the centre of gravity to account for the uneven weight distribution. Just wondering what folks' real-world experience has been.

Slow Guy

I have, unfortunately with the spacing (I wanted to get the engine/transmission as close to the center of the posts as possible) I wasn't going to be able to open the front doors so I slid the driver's seat back as far as possible and tilted it back and climbed over into the rear seats to get in and out. It worked fine.

Personally I think the MaxJax is a little small for the Cayenne application but it did work for me. What I did though is just raise the P!g up high enough to get my Essco (flat top) jack stands under the lift arms at the P!g's lift points and set the lift arms back down on the jack stands as soon as they were in place, the P!g spent very little time solely supported by the lift alone. I will do this again when I do the brakes this fall.

Realize your concrete pad thickness will be an important part of this operation.

Doug_B_928

Thanks, Bill. How far apart are your posts (backside of bottom plate to backside of bottom plate)? Assuming you're not at the maximum, if you drilled more holes to move the posts further apart for the Cayenne application would you still be able to have it positioned with engine/transmission as close as possible to the posts and be able to reach the rear lift points with the arms (i.e., would the extend far enough to reach the rear lift points)? I have asked Danmar about the weight distribution of the Cayenne and will report back when I get an answer.

Slow Guy

I'm not at the max but don't remember right off how far apart they are. I need to put the M3 on the lift for work in the next week or so, I'll try to remember to measure then. I'm not about to drill more holes, I had enough of an adventure the first time.

Doug_B_928

Bill, I would be interested to know the measurement if you have a chance. In the meantime, in your configuration did the arms reach the proper lift points on the Cayenne? Since you had the truck back relative to the posts to account for the weight distribution, I'm wondering if the rear arms reached the recommended rear lift points.
Thanks!

Slow Guy

No problem with the arms reaching.

Doug_B_928

I hadn't received an email reply from Dannmar regarding my queries so I phoned them. The guy with whom I spoke conferred with their technician and reported that it is safe to lift a Cayenne with the MaxJax. I explained the concern about the front weight bias and how the individual arms are rated at 1,500lbs each. He said that the flow divider in the unit re-distributes the weight. In fact, he said that it is not necessary to try to distribute the weight via vehicle placement, though it is a good idea. I'm not an engineer and don't pretend to understand how this system works, but to me it would seem that the flow divider would distribute between the two posts, but not affect/compensate for weight distribution front-back on the same post. He replied that the flow divider redistributes the weight and reassured me the technicians say that it is absolutely safe to lift the Cayenne with the MaxJax.

I also queried about the limit of only two holes for the locking rods and asked if they plan to produce posts with more adjustment points. He said that they are considering it. He asked his technician and reported back that it is safe to add holes as long as they are no less than 8" apart. I probably wouldn't do this unless it became a significant issue, but it's good to know that it is an option.

I'm not sure if I will eventually get a MaxJax, but it's good to know that Dannmar says it's safe to lift a Cayenne with it. I wouldn't even consider it otherwise.

Doug_B_928

According to the site below, the weight distribution is 52/48, so actually very well balanced and one would think that the balance shouldn't be a big issue.

http://www.newcartestdrive.com/revie...&ReviewID=4509

Doug_B_928

So I went ahead and bought a MaxJax. Below is a pic of the Cayenne lifted to the full height of the MaxJax. I left it up there for 6 hours with no problems.

Slow Guy

Wow! Great to know. I will most likely continue to use the Esco Jack Stands under the lift arms, I just feel better about it that way. If I had more faith in the (uniform) thickness of my garage concrete I might do it differently.

Hothonda

Congrats looks good!

What is your distance from outside/outside of the base plate of the posts?

Thanks...

Doug_B_928

I went with about 129". IIRC, max. is 130". The best way to determine the width is to test post placement with all of your cars before drilling any holes. It's counterintuitive because the Cayenne is my largest car, but it was the most tricky one because its lift points are more inset than on my other cars. 129" is the max the posts could be apart with the lift arms still being able to reach the lift points. At that distance I'm able to get in and out using the driver's door.

The lift can clearly handle the weight of the Cayenne. But, as Bill points out, the concrete has to be up to spec. Given that, the other key is correct installation and monitoring of the anchors.

Hothonda

Great, appreciate real world experience...very helpful!

Ideally I would like to leave in place all the time, but not a deal breaker if not. My SUV are MDX's.

Doug_B_928

If parking a car in that spot that gets used frequently it would be very annoying to get in and out with the posts in the way. The portability of the maxjax is its purpose. If I was going to leave it in place I'd get a different 2 post with more height.

Also note that, in my opinion, a key to safety with the maxjax is monitoring the anchors. This can only be done when the post is removed.

If you get one, budget extra time for the possibility of needing to order and install some epoxy anchors. I had to use 4 of these (2 because I hit re-bar and the extra drilling time created too much run-out and the other 2 because they inexplicably did not hold). In that vein, drill all the way through the concrete so the failed mechanical anchors can be pounded down to allow installation of the epoxy anchor.

Hothonda

OK.....question - the epoxy anchors generally are for threaded studs vs female
inserts. Drill the hole, clean the hole, squirt epoxy & insert the whatever.

What insert did you use or did you just epoxy the regular drop-in /flush shell
over again? Reason I ask, is normally those shells have smooth sides & not ideal to grip the epoxy.

I agree, mechanical drop-in anchors(stud or flush) do not like vibration or side to side movement (OK for pull out) , whereas epoxy has the ability to withstand
some of that because it can flex a bit.

THX