Car lifts

[Steve Gallegos]

Is anyone using small electric lifts that lift up to 26 to 30 inches high?

[RodgerH]

Several here, including myself, have the MaxJax. It's electric/hydraulic and raises up to 48" at the pads.

http://www.maxjaxusa.com/

They periodically offer a "free shipping" special, saves about $300.

I have an 8' ceiling, so no room for a standard height lift. This lift has really proven to be useful!

Rodger

[Steve Gallegos]

Thanks Rodger, but what I am looking for is a ramp type that raises up. I don't have enough room for the one you recomended. Thanks

[Silverback51]

Originally Posted by RodgerH

Several here, including myself, have the MaxJax. It's electric/hydraulic and raises up to 48" at the pads.

http://www.maxjaxusa.com/

They periodically offer a "free shipping" special, saves about $300.

I have an 8' ceiling, so no room for a standard height lift. This lift has really proven to be useful!

Rodger

Looked at their site and did not see a price. Can you give me an idea what they run?

[bobcowan]

This is the only ramp type I know of. KwikLift.com

[Steve Gallegos]

Anyone using the KWIKLIFT?

[twobjshelbys]

The KwikLift looks very interesting. It would be perfect for some normal little things that I can't get under the car for and that jack stands wouldn't be enough. I'm going to look at them. Anyone have pricing?

[Steve Gallegos]

There prices start at $1200 and go up. They have a special going for 1495. Maybe if as a group we buy more, the price will come down, Any body game?

[Gerry K]

John

I just bought a MaxJax from eautotools.com for $2139.00 free freight.
I do not know if you can find one less money. Pictures of lift in my
photo album.

Gerry

[ChuckG]

I've got a Kwiklift that I bought a couple of years ago. I find it very helpful for anything that I want to do under my cars. I got mine with the dollies and store my Corvette on it and then push it to a corner of the garage for the winter. I bought mine at a hot rod car show. I got there the first day of the show and talked to their rep and ended up buying there show display with all of the accessories. Saved me shipping, tax, and a little bit more. I went back the last day of the show, he had it all disassembled, and I put it in my pickup and took it home. Real easy to assemble.
Chuck

[csx wnab]

pics of my maxjax are in my album too.

[RodgerH]

Steve,

IMHO (and I accept that opinions will vary) I first bought a KwikLift, used it for about 2 years, and found it to be almost more trouble than it was worth. I'll try to summarize my issues:

1. I have a 2-car garage with one side full of workbenches, 2 roller tool chests, TIG welder, metal bandsaw, engine hoist and stand, parts washer, woodworking tools, etc...etc. That meant the KwikLift and the Cobra had to share the same side. This created the following issues:
1a. First, I tried parking the car on the incline. Trust me, it is much more difficult to park on, and get out of and into a car parked on an incline than you can imagine!
1b. I then tried laying the ramps flat on the floor and parking on them. Problem: Still not easy to "hit the ramps" when parking, and, if I wanted to get under the car, I had to back it out of the garage and set up the ramps, and then take them down when finished. (If it was raining, I would just say heck with it and wait for another day.)

2. I had two lifting bridges, but found it still took way too much time and effort to raise the wheels in the air.

3. The ramps always seemed to be "in the way" when working under the car on a creeper.

4. I didn't realize how much age affected my ability to get on and off a creeper until I needed to do it several times consecutively. Seemed like every time I was under the car, I needed a different tool and had to roll out and get up.

I could go on and with more detail, but suffice it to say my "life in the garage" became MUCH happier when I sold the KwikLift and bought the MaxJax.

Again...and I accept...Opinions will vary.

Rodger

[bobcowan]

My garage is set up differantly; everything is in the front. Instead of an extra wide agarage, I have an extra long one.

I park on the incline. I'v learned how to do it, so I just drive on, park, and get out. I do put wheel chocks in place, just to be sure. It's never slipped or rolled back into the chocks. But the first time I forget them......

I don't have any trouble jacking up the car. But I use a bottle jackdireclty behind the wheel, on the ramp. The bridges are kind of a pain, but usefull when you need them.

The big advantage (for me) is the ability to do an alignment on the ramps. I do that job 12-14 times a year. So not having to crawl around on the ground to do it is really helpfull. A drive on 4 post lift would be even better. But I don't really have the room for one.

I don't have any access troubles, either. Just about everything I need to do on the Cobra is either in the middle, or I have to take a wheel off. The frame lift like yours would be the best for most of those jobs. But then the alignment thing crops up again.

No matter which one you choose, it's a comprimise. Nothing is perfect for every job and every person. You just have to pick the one that suits you best. Fortunatly, Rodger, you and I managed to hit the right choice first time at bat.

[Ron61]

I have had the Kwick Lifts ever since they came out and really like them. I did change one thing. First if the wheels are damp they tend to want to spin when backing up the incline so I went to the hardware store and bought two strips of that stuff they put on boats to keep people from slipping and put one down the center of each ramp. That works great. I have no trouble at all getting around on my creeper and in some places I can sit up under the car. I couldn't use the above pictured lift because my garage isn't wide enough for me to get the other car past it. And I do prefer the ramp type lift. but once again the size and height of my garage makes one of them out of the question.

I also got some chrome tape and put it in a line up the ramp where I needed my wheel to be to get on straight and that has worked well for 14 years.

Ron