For all my adult life I've wanted one, and two years ago was planning to do so when the inclination that life was going to change came about (baby on the way, new house on the way).
Well, I finally managed to order the MaxJax yesterday, catching a great sale from Costco. Here's to more productive car wrenching sessions!
I know where I am going to work on my car now. 
wait... Costco sells lifts?
Same. Link it.
EvanB wrote: I know where I am going to work on my car now.
Someone should get use out of my garage .. I've probably spent two hours in there in the last two weeks. Once Naomi is older we'll spend more time out there together!
Huh, apparently they are showing it as out of stock now:
http://www.costco.com/Dannmar-MaxJax%E2%84%A2-2-post-Portable-Auto-Lift.product.11731656.html
That's the page I ordered it from, yesterday. Deal was $1800 with free shipping. I had to get a Costco membership at $55 but that still made it by far the cheapest place to order it from. I could have paid a "non-member surcharge" of $90 but that seemed silly.
Amazon has it, but for more money: http://www.amazon.com/Dannmar-MaxJax-Portable-000-lbs-capacity/dp/B003HBYRVW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452547267&sr=8-1&keywords=maxjax+auto+lift
Dannnnnnng you snagged that one for 1800?? Thats awesome man! Let us know how it works for ya.
Several friends have them and really like them. Enjoy it!
Got mine a few years ago. It is now the most valued tool in my shop. You'd have to pry it out of my cold, dead fingers.
You'll need two things, though:
1) A roll around stool and 2) something to cushion the blow WHEN you bang your head (not if). A cushioned welding cap works well-- no brim to obstruct your vision.
BTW, got mine for about the same $$ in a group buy at garagejournal.com. Don't know if they are doing any more.
Desmond wrote: Dannnnnnng you snagged that one for 1800?? Thats awesome man! Let us know how it works for ya.
That's why they sold out.
FWIW, anyone considering a large Costco purchase should think about opting for the executive membership.
$1800 for a lift + $XXX for a set of tires means you'd have already earned back the extra $55 (Exec is $110) even before buying anything else at Costco.
I don't work on commission, I swear it!
You will love it. I've had mine for a year or so and it's awesome.
Choose the width between posts carefully. Long wheelbase vehicles (trucks) need them close together, sports cars need them far apart. You need to be able to swing the arms out and clear the wheels, but you also need to hit the lifting points on the car. It takes a while to figure out.
The main reason that I chose the MaxJax was because you can take it down quickly and tuck it into the corner. I installed it in one of the side bays of my three car garage, thinking that I could just leave the post that was near the wall there all the time and only worry about taking down the middle post. In practice, I didn't find the center post to be in the way and just leave them both in place all the time.
I added a second set of angled quick release fittings for the pump end of the hoses. I don't disconnect that end, but it's nice that they pivot easily. Get yourself two pairs of male and female caps for when the hoses are disconnected from the rams. It will minimize drips and keep the dirt out.
Also, I bought the pad spacers and the motorcycle adapter, but I've never used them. I could have skipped them both.
Great. I may be able to swing one of the portable lifts next year, it's gonna be nice.
Man! Do you have a maid that cleans your garage for you?!?!
Woody wrote:
Nice score on the COSTCO price!!!
In reply to VWguyBruce:
Ha! That was installation day. It was clean because it needed to be.
For the first time in my life, I am weeping with envy !!
Oh, and get the epoxy anchors. Don't mess with those wedge things.
I used the wedge anchors and didn't have any problems, though my floor is six inches thick and I tightened them carefully. Never use an impact gun. Use a torque wrench.
I don't take mine down very often, but when I do, I put the bolts back in and snug them down.
Now that I think about it, I also added 90 degree elbows between the hoses and the quick release at the rams. That way the hoses aren't sticking straight out from the rams. You don't want to kink the lines. You can see what I mean in that photo above.
Woody, excellent tips, I like the 90 degree at the rams a lot. I'll have to do that. I hate it when hoses are under tension all the time - it seems like a bad idea.
Thanks for the feedback everyone! I wish I had noticed the sale soon enough to let everyone here know. That was a good deal.
Let me know if you need a source for the couplers/elbows etc.
A tip for if you have low cars and a lift like this: get a couple of pieces of 2x10 about 18" long. Or four if you feel fancy. Bonus points for screwing a piece of 1x1 at one end to work as a stop.
Figure out where your wheels go when you're on the lift. Drill two holes through each piece of wood and into the concrete, big enough for a piece of rebar or a long nail with a little bit of wiggle room.
Now when it's time to load the car on the lift, you drive up on to your pieces of wood that are securely held in place. Lots of room to swing the lift arms underneath. When you're not using them, you just set them aside.
One of our lifts at work has special low profile arms, makes all the difference. I'll try to get a picture for you. They could be made at home.
Man, I want a lift. Gotta do some work to the garage to make it all work, like level the floor for one thing.
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