So I've finally gotten my Maxjax setup. Quite a production that took me better part of a month between the post tension slab, wall mounting the pump, and extending the hydraulic hose overhead. Worth it cause I now have it just the way I want.

My question is has anyone had success using just a floor jack to drop the motor? I see most shops use a hydraulic lift table, which I'm sure is best. Buying it is not the issue, but I'd rather not store it. I see lots using a motorcycle jack too.

With the MaxJax, could I get away with the floor jack? Possibly with a little custom platform?

Thoughts?

I do also have a low profile tranny jack.

 

Think about it! A table is also useful to move the engine around, you can get the engine at your height to work on it and split the transmission etc... It is also more stable than a jack. I had to remove the handle bar to fit the table properly under the engine and made a small wooden platform between the engine and the table....

 

2 issues. the small tranny jack you have pictured is a pia to use with the maxjax. you have 2 settings 2 ft and 4 ft. the jack won't reach high enough to use at 2 ft and you need the car higher than 1 ft to keep the lift safe. theres another jack at h/f that raises to 28" and i drilled a couple 4x4 pics into the base for added height.

the table from h/f is golden . i use it all the time. its not expensive and raise plenty high. you will find yourself under the car and in the engine bay multiple times removing things as you lift and drop the car.

 

Do not forget, engine weight plus transmission weight is over 844 pounds.....Have yourself a "Chinese made security margin"....

 

the h/f table i have lifts over 1000 lbs. extremely sturdy.

 

Good to know somebody did the test !!!

 

found mine on sale and whipped a 20% coupon on top so it was about 180$ out the door
http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb...art-69148.html

 

The table does unanimously seem to be the way to go. I can't argue that.

Was just wondering if someone had a unique strategy such as the cradle adapter they offer for older models

 

Years ago when I worked at a Porsche shop, we used floor jacks and balanced the motor on the round platter if we were doing motor only or we had a small "table" welded up that replaced the platter in the floor jacks if we were doing both motor and transmission. But those were air cooled motors. And there was a progression: the mag cased 2.7s were no problem, the aluminum 3.0s to 3.6s were increasingly problematic, and an aluminum cased motor with a ton of ancillaries such as the 930 was a real beach.

And the water coolers are considerably heavier.

As jp and 32k have said, a table is safer and easier. And you will cuss a LOT less when you are trying to maneuver everything back into place. $180 is nothing.

Then again, there was a guy here last year who had the motor on stacks of wooden blocks that he progressively removed with a tiny floor jack IIRC. If you're an adrenalin junkie and have a lot of time... :-p

 

Thanks again for the replies. It does help me in making my decision. I'll likely get the table as cost is not the issue here. The table is nothing next to my investments in Maxjax and tig welder (not to mention the Porsche . I like tools. But like kitchen gadgets, I don't like unitaskers taking up space in my garage.

That said, I did some more research and the hydraulic table seems to be useful for other purposes. Auxiliary worktable, table saw horse, etc. I do like that!

For others researching this, quite a few people are making use of motorcycle jacks for this purpose. A cheaper proposition, but perhaps more of a unitasker with a MaxJax. Though the benefit for those using large jack stand to lift the car, is that the motorcycle jack will go lower. A definitely consideration for jack stands.

 

I have the same issue OP. I have a MaxJax, and will eventually be pulling the engine. I just don't have extra room to store a hydraulic table. Interested to see what you end up doing.

 

Motorcycle jack worked fine for me.

 

+1 get the table from hf. It made moving the engine tranny around the garage easy. Also jacked it up to work on the engine while it was out of the car to save my back. Engine is back in, life is good. I use the table to sit things on, have used it as a forklift for loading heavy things into truck beds, and a few other uses. Its not worthless after the porsche engine pull. You'll find uses

 

I made this form and used the motorcycle lift.





Here's a picture of when I pulled the engine/transaxle from the car. he nice thing is you can completely remove the jack handle, so it's not in the way.








Here's a picture with the lift in the up position, so I could work on the engine.

 

I took out and engine on Saturday morning from a 1975 911 Targa with a normal jack 18 inches wide. It was not too stable even with the small cradle we made but....This motorcycle jack seams a good option. It is wide and stable. Good suggestion from Byron and Steve!!!!