Interesting Portable Lift

Here is a link to a good garage site( the garagejournal.com) has alot of good customer info on the MAXJAX lifts..

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35763&highlight=post+lift

David

 

Been discussed here before. It's a neat concept, but it comes down to the strength of the concrete holding the bolts, and the skill of the installer drilling those bolt holes. The bolts themselves aren't at issue, but unless you have fresh slab spec'd for this purpsoe, do you know what you're concrete floor is rated at without drilling a core and sending it for testing?

I looked at it when getting my lift but felt there was an element of risk to it and so I went with a mid rise scissor lift.

I suppose if you're pouring fresh slab or footings, you can sink a receiving plate under the concrete to add additional integrity. But then you end up with a more "permanent" installed solution, and a purpose built two post lift would be better.

 

That thing is on top of my list for several time!!

 

My 65 years old slab had no integrity for that jack. I am happy with my 4 post, for parking and for servicing cars.

 

Just to provide an engineers perspective at the "risk" others have brought up.

The anchors provided by Danmar give you about a 400% margin of safety at the anchors when the lift is loaded to the maximum and with the arms at full extension when installed per the spec sheet.

The Wej-it anchors tension strength allowables used in the engineering calculations provided by Danmar use pretty conservative assumptions. For example the Wej-it anchors allow for a 33% percent load increase during a seismic loading (temporary overload) and the test results used to develop the allowables also have a margin of safety themselves. None of this was used in the safety calculations for the lift. Wej-it shows a permissible tension load of 12,000 lbs per bolt. Typical pull out tests for a 5/8" anchor (the size used) fail at something like 35,000 lbs or more. This would provide something like an actual 10 fold margin of safety.

A Maxjax lift, loaded in accordance with the specifications, with anchors installed per the specifications is very safe.

I have one and use it to lift my Ferrari often... and my 4Runner SUV and my 3/4 ton Dodge full size pickup.

I am not worried.

 

I looked at the MAT web site where they rebuild 308's and other cars. They us a scissor jack that rolls under the car and then lifts the whole car up. It looks to have free access to the engine bay and front end, but not under the people tank. (cockpit) I'm wondering where and how much one of those would cost. That seems like the way to go if you have limited space. Just park over the top of it when you are not using it. It looks like the front spoiler would hit it so one would have to back into the garage. Also, I think it had castors so one could move the car out of the way for longer projects too.

 

I have a Snap-On scissor lift in my garage. It requires about 5 to 6" clearance under the car, so my Ferrari, Corvette and Jaguar XKE will not go over the lift with their wheels on the garage floor. To compensate, I use two 2X10 on each side of the lift, stacked on top of one another. The bottom plank is longer than the top, and both are cut at an angle to form a ramp so I can drive the cars right up. I put a wheel stop at the end of each ramp so I don't accidentally drive off the end. The upper plank on each side is cut in sections, so I can remove them if needed, once the car is up on the ramps (to get access to the lifting pads). Even the Corvette, which sits the lowest of the three, can get on and off the ramps without hitting the lift.

And yes, the scissor lift does obstruct the middle of the car. When I need access to that area, which is rare, I lift the car up with the lift, and then lower it onto a set of 4 large jackstands. Then the lift goes down until I'm done, and then back up to raise the car and remove the jack stands. Very easy.

I simply didn't have room for a 4 post lift, so the scissor lift has been a great alternative and has made working on the cars significantly easier and more fun. I have the 328 up on jack stands right now, so I'll try to take some pictures this weekend so you can see how my setup works.

 

P.S. My scissor lift can be moved, but you wouldn't want to. It stays right where it is. It's just too heavy to move around, and there is no way you could "roll" it under a car. You definitely have to move the car over the lift.

 

For some reason, that does not look entirely safe

 

On the various lift types........... to start with, personally I've had a Eagle SS7000 for about 5yrs now, 4-post, with zero defects or safety issues. I also have a GregSmith equip sliding 3500lb ProJack with extending jack-point arms for any suspension/tire change work. The stability has been excellent, and I also use to stack my cars in the garage. So in-summary you have the best of all worlds.

On the 2-Post lift (just my opinion here). That is something you want bolted down, never to be removed and don't want to skimp on the builder quality. (some arm failures etc). Balance is VERY important on where you place the pads. You could use to stack cars, but probably not the best idea since your suspension is fully retracted once lifted.

On the side-lift models. Man....I'm sure they do the job, but even moreso, the lifting area has got to be a real balancing act. I'd be a bit spooked on that.

The scissor lift. I have a friend with one, bolted down quite nicely, but lower profile cars you may have to ride up on something first. You obviously loose clear access to anything directly below the lift. (Although in-theory the 4-post is limited under your ramp area, but, typically that is frame and such)

 

It's not the anchors or bolts that had me concerned, it's the integrity of the concrete floor they are going into. Unless you know EXACTLY what the slab is, it is risky. The chain is only as strong (or weak) as it's weakest link, and in the case of this lift, chances are it's the slab.

If you know anyone in the concrete business, I'm sure they can provide a perspective on how bad or weak a mix can be. Turn it too long in the truck on a warm day, what comes out is something entirely different than intended. And for a residential garage floor application, the guy pouring isn't going to care as he's being paid to get the slab poured and floated and move to the next job.

That said, if someone wants this lift, cut some holes in your slab, dig out for some sono tubes and pour new footings....why guess at something that could mean your life.