[Spartandoc]

Hello.

Thinking about buying a lift so I can easily get under this and other cars to do the dirty detailed work myself! Looking at the Dannmar maxjack portable. But not sure which is best or if People use ramps. Id like to get under it without creeping!

Any thoughts or experience is greatly appreciated.

I am dieing here waiting for the snow to melt so I can get after it again!

Thanks!!!

 

[jklotz10]

I was considering getting the exact same lift to use in my existing garage but don't know the thickness of the 50 year old concrete or if the slab has actual re-bar or just mesh or nothing - it does have a few cracks.
The Dannmar hoists are ALI Certified so I trust it is a tested and safe product and looked to be minimum of what I needed if installed correctly............My wife and I decided instead to start on a new shop / garage in a few months because I won't trust a lift that's not anchored to reinforced concrete at least 5 1/2" thick (that's the engineer thing in me I guess). I don't need myself or my friends getting squished if the anchors or concrete fail. We decided to go with a permanent 12' two post lift as long as we'll have the room.
The lift height is only 48" on the Maxjack portable which is fine if your installing it in a garage with 8' ceiling - that's about all the raise height you can get in there depending on what car your lifting. You'll still have to do some crouching when underneath but it's way better than ramps. You can't rotate tires or do break jobs using ramps. I say it's a good way to go if you don't have the space for a full lift. Just be 100% sure the concrete slab is suitable to anchor the lift.

 

[mrhemihead]

I have a US made Revolution 4 post lift and its the best for my needs but the garage ceiling is 10'6". With weight distributed at 4 points the floor load is not an issue.

Wheels are an option to move the lift with the car on it.

China made lifts are now available in the $1K range, I read the quality is good.

 

[dodge man2]

I also looked at this unit pretty hard. One problem I have when I built my garage I only have a ceiling height of about 8'-6". At the time I had no concept of how much a lift cost and didn't know I could afford one some day. I also have a truck that weighs about 7300 pounds, its a Dodge with a Cummins. This lift isn't rated to lift something this heavy. Even then I gave it some thought, but I have a lot of lights and a garage door opener that would be in the way of lifting a vehicle as high as I'd like.

I've always done a lot of my own work and have gotten by with a floor jack, ramps and axle stands. In the end I decided if there is something I felt I needed a lift for I'd just pay someone to do the work for me. If I had the garage height, I'd for sure get two post lift for about the same money your looking at for the portable unit. By the time I added a bay to my shop with a taller ceiling and a lift I'd be looking at 10k. That will pay for a lot of automotive work. That said, I'm still thinking I might own one of those some day.

 

[oilslick]

For safety's sake, make sure your new lift is ALI certified. :Hey:


:smileup:

 

[varmintjcl]

http://www.americanautomotiveequipment.com/2-Post-Lifts-s/1.htmI bought a 11,000lb two post from these guys about 7 years ago...It's been flawless and never a bit of trouble...I've lifted 1 Ton Dodge's with Cummings with little effort...I think they weight more than 7300lbs too!!!
It only required 6" of concrete under the posts but I went nuts and dug it out in a 4x4x4 square and filled it with rebar and concrete.....WAYYY overkill and not necessary...I learned that after assembling the lift and realized it would be almost impossible for it to collapse...

 

[Valkyr]

Hello.

Thinking about buying a lift so I can easily get under this and other cars to do the dirty detailed work myself! Looking at the Dannmar maxjack portable. But not sure which is best or if People use ramps. Id like to get under it without creeping!

Any thoughts or experience is greatly appreciated.

I am dieing here waiting for the snow to melt so I can get after it again!

Thanks!!!

I'm havethe maxjack portable but I need to relocate it wider so I can get out of my Grand Cherokee when it's on the lift. Otherwise I'm happy with it.I don't need to move it out of the way so it's always bolted down. I haven't moved it since installing. I also have two sets of ramps that I still use on occasion- when I'm too lazy to move my trailer BBQ grill out. I just had my workshop built 2 years ago with 10 foot ceiling and had extra concrete poured where I planned on putting a lift- no problems yet.

 

[bearphoto]

I had a Perfect Park 7000 4 post lift at my prior house. It was awesome for working on/under the cars (corvettes and trans ams). The limitation was for tire servicing which required jacking each corner up to work on. It was also a bit limited when you wanted to do exhaust work but all in all it was great. I had one car up top and stored another one below it.

Now I have moved to Az and I am thinking about the maxjack also. I don't care to have the hoist mounted in place but prefer to have the ability to install it and then remove it.