Five Tips to Preparing Your Home Garage for a MaxJax Car Lift
Your new MaxJax has arrived and we bet you're looking forward to setting it up in your home garage. With your new MaxJax you'll be able to easily lift your vehicle to repair brakes, perform maintenance, install a new exhaust system, or any other vehicle modifications or repairs your wish. One of the most beneficial tasks now will be preparing where to best install your MaxJax for optimal automotive use, while exercising general safety.
Getting Prepared
Good preparation begins with first making sure that your home garage's concrete slab is thick enough (4" or more) to drill into and fasten the MaxJax columns to. If it is a post-tension cable slab, you'll need to determine exactly where your under-slab tension cables are routed. This way you won't accidentally drill through concrete and into hidden cables when you 're installing the MaxJax's two-post anchor bolt kit. For more detailed install info please go to MaxJax Downloads Page. Once that information is squared away, you'll want to find the best spot in your home garage for the install. This generally means selecting and measuring out an area with adequate clearance where there typically is not a lot household activity. Obviously, all of this is not always perfect in the real world. But an adequate and safe location where you can work is still needed. To help with this we've outlined 5 tips to consider. Basically, these general tips involve space and use within a home garage. Hopefully, you'll find these guidelines useful while gaining countless benefits with your MaxJax two-post portable lift.
Location, Location, Location
1 Clear Path
If your MaxJax will be located in a home garage, it’s best to choose an installation spot not in a frequently traveled pathway. When selecting where to bolt down your MaxJax remember that an existing open area may be already serving as an in-between pathway between an inside doorway and outside garage opening. High activity areas are typically not ideal for working on a vehicles. If possible, chose a spot off of a normal pathway. Also remember to choose a spot where there will be good approaching vehicle access. Otherwise, the vehicle will not be positioned to move squarely into position for lifting. You’ll find working on vehicles to be much easier when the vehicle is able to be easily parked evenly between the lift columns and lift arms on the first pull in.
2 Look Upwards
Before installing the MaxJax, inspect and measure your vertical room (floor to ceiling). Also consider if anything might collide with any part of a vehicle that is raised on the MaxJax. This means checking for potential garage door-opening interference or overhead lights with vehicle roofs, antennas, open hoods, open trunks, roof racks, etc. Also check to be sure that your vehicles will have adequate clearance above the vehicle’s roof when the MaxJax is set to full-rise position. Dented vehicle roofs are expensive to repair.
3 Room To Grow
The MaxJax two-post lift allows easy to reach under-car accessibility. For best all-around operation, it’s a good idea to install the MaxJax where it will have about 2 feet fore and aft clearance of the car’s overall length, making sure that you maintain walk-around access. Remember that many home garages are no more than 20 feet deep and most cars are about 16 to 17 feet long.
4 Just For You
The MaxJax, like any auto lift should be operated in a safe environment. This means operating the lift where only people who understand how to work or be around a lift are in the area. It’s best to install your MaxJax where you can work without the concern of others walking into the area. In a home garage, this means choosing the side of the garage that does not have a doorway into the house or is an area of lots of activity (away from kids, bikes, household storage, pets, etc.).
5 Ground Control
The MaxJax is well-known for its compactness. All that’s really needed to operate it is the Mobile Power Unit Cart that supplies two hydraulic hoses to each post and a 110 V power cord. When selecting the spot that you will be using for your MaxJax, keep in mind the best area to place these supporting items. Ensure enough room to operate the Mobile Power Unit Cart, hoses, and lift storage. The Mobile Power Unit cart may be placed at either the front or the rear of the vehicle depending on which serves better. The MaxJax’s columns can easily be unbolted and the lift arms removed from position when the lift will not be needed for a period of time. Once unfastened from the slab, the lift can be stored along a wall and out of the way until it’s time to reinstall.