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Maxjax vs Quickjack
QuickJack vs MaxJax: Which Lift Suits Your Garage?
QuickJack vs MaxJax isn’t really “portable vs permanent” – it’s “what does a good day in your garage actually look like, and how much crawling around are you happy to keep doing.” You’ve got one brand turning your floor into a low‑rise service bay, and another giving you a compact two‑post hoist that fits under a roughly 2.3m (7 ft 6 in) ceiling and rolls away when you’re done.
The Short Version – Who Each Lift Is For
If you’re just trying to work out “which one’s for me,” here’s the blunt version before we get nerdy.
When QuickJack makes more sense
QuickJack is built for people who want real lifting ability without committing the slab, the ceiling or the landlord. It’s the portable option: two low frames that slide under the sill, plug into a small power unit and pick the car up to around the 500–600 mm (20–24 in) mark depending on the model.
It shines if:
• You’re in a rental or townhouse and drilling the floor is a hard no.
• Your garage ceiling is on the low side and you don’t have headroom for a mid‑rise hoist.
• You do a lot of wheel, brake and fluid work where working from the side on a creeper is fine.
• You like the idea of being able to throw the system in a ute or trailer for track days or mates’ sheds.
You’ve still got to get the car up on the blocks, and you’re not standing upright under it, but compared to jockeying jacks and stands, it’s a massive quality‑of‑life upgrade.
When MaxJax makes more sense
MaxJax is for people who want a “real hoist feel” in a normal garage but can’t (or don’t want to) live with a full‑height, permanently‑bolted two‑post. Think around 3,175 kg capacity (7000 lb), about 1,200 mm or so of lift (around 47–50 in) to the pads, and proper swing‑arms under the chassis.
It makes more sense if:
• You’re doing clutches, gearboxes, diffs and suspension overhauls where standing or sitting upright under the car keeps you sane.
• You own the place, or at least have the green light to drill and anchor into a decent slab.
• You’ve got a mix of vehicles, say a dual‑cab ute and a smaller car and want arm reach flexibility.
• You’re running a side‑hustle workshop out of the home garage and every hour under the car needs to be efficient.
You still roll the posts away when you’re done, but during the job it behaves like a compact two‑post hoist, not like “fancy jack stands.”
How They’re Built and Why That Changes Your Day in the Garage
On paper, both lifts pick cars up safely. In the shed, their geometry is what really changes your workflow: how you move around, where your tools live and how wrecked you feel after a full Saturday on the spanners.
MaxJax – Compact Two‑Post Hoist In Disguise
MaxJax mid-rise 2 post hoist is essentially a shorter two‑post hoist with detachable anchors and wheels on the posts. Each column bolts into the slab with heavy anchors, a hydraulic power unit drives both sides, and you get adjustable arms with pads you swing under the chassis rails, subframes or manufacturer lift points.
In practice, that means:
• Clear under‑car access: once the arms are positioned and the car’s up, the floor under the middle of the car is open. You can roll a transmission jack, oil drain, floor jack or creeper straight under with nothing in the way.
• Upright or seated work: with roughly 1,200 mm of under‑car clearance, you’re either sitting on a low stool or just slightly crouched for a lot of jobs instead of fully lying on your back.
• Better “line of fire” on big jobs: clutches, diffs, exhausts and fuel tanks become “walk under, support, unbolt” work instead of “support it on your chest and hope your mate doesn’t slip.”
Because the posts are independent, you can place them to suit your slab and space. When the hoist is down and the posts are rolled away, all you’ve got left are low anchors in the floor that you can drive over or sweep around.
QuickJack – Low‑Profile Portable Frames
QuickJack portable car lift is two long, low steel frames that sit under the car, usually under the pinch welds or chassis rails via rubber blocks. A small portable power unit runs both frames through hydraulic hoses. Hit the button, the frames rise in sync, and lock on preset positions at mid-rise and full-rise.
Day-to-day that looks like:
• Zero posts in the way: there’s nothing vertical next to the car. You walk up to the doors and open them with completely clear access there.
• Side access with frames at your elbows: when you’re working brakes, tyres and suspension, you’re coming in from the side with the frames below elbow height. You learn where to step and where not to whack your shins.
• Crawl‑space underneath: at full height you can still get under on a creeper, but you’re sliding between two rectangular frames. Exhaust work, gearbox work and anything bulky is still doable, just more fiddly than with a clear floor.
The upside is you don’t alter the slab at all, and you can stash the frames under a car, against a wall or even hang them up if you want your floor completely empty.
What That Really Means For Common Jobs
A couple of examples make the difference obvious:
Clutch or gearbox swap on a rear‑drive car
• MaxJax: car up around 1.1–1.2 m, trans jack under the gearbox, you standing or sitting with clear access front to back. Bellhousing bolts, crossmember, exhaust all happen standing, not face‑up.
• QuickJack: car up around 0.5–0.6 m, you on a creeper, gearbox jack has to thread around or between the frames. Still doable, just more wrestling and less room to move your shoulders.
Full suspension refresh on a dual‑cab ute
• MaxJax: arms under the chassis, wheels hanging free, you can walk under and around each corner. Coilovers, control arms and bushes are at chest or shoulder height.
• QuickJack: perfect if you’re mainly doing corners one at a time, it’s a big improvement over jacks and stands, but you’re side‑on for everything and you’re still squatting or kneeling more.
Basic service on a small hatch or hot hatch
• MaxJax: arguably overkill if you’re just changing oil and rotating tyres, but very comfortable if you do that every 5,000 km and like being upright.
• QuickJack: this is its sweet spot, frames in, car up, wheels off, fluids done, no crawling around with a jack.
What you’re really paying for is comfort and access, not just a number on a spec sheet.
Will it Actually Fit in a Real Aussie Garage?
On paper, both lifts are “for low ceilings and tight garages.” In the real world, most of us are working in a roughly 2.3–2.4 m high single or double garage, with a roller door that eats into headroom right where a tailgate wants to be. That’s where the differences between QuickJack and MaxJax really show up.
Ceiling height, doors and roller tracks
QuickJack doesn’t really care how tall your shed is. You’re only lifting the car about 500–600 mm off the slab, so even a taller SUV or 4x4 is still a long way from the roof. As long as you can walk around the car without ducking under the roller door, QuickJack will fit into pretty much any standard suburban garage.
MaxJax plays a different game. The columns themselves are designed to fit under normal residential ceilings, and the roughly 1,100–1,200 mm of lift they give you is perfect for sitting or crouching under a car. The limiter isn’t usually the hoist, it’s the vehicle. A low sports car can go right up to the top locks in a 2.3–2.4 m garage and still clear lights and door tracks, a lifted wagon or 4x4 will run out of roof before the hoist runs out of stroke.
Garage doors are the other killer. Roller doors and sectional panels hang down in exactly the wrong spot for rear hatches and tailgates. With QuickJack, you’re rarely close enough to worry about it. With MaxJax, you end up working out a “maximum safe notch” for taller vehicles: lift until the tailgate is just shy of the tracks, then use that as your mental stop for that vehicle from then on.
Floor space when you’re not wrenching
Ceiling height matters while you’re working. Floor space matters every other day of the week when the kids’ bikes, the pram and the camping gear try to reclaim the shed.
QuickJack’s party trick is how small it gets when you’re done. Each frame is low and flat, so you can:
• Slide them under a parked car like a set of long ramps.
• Stand them on edge against a wall.
• Hang them on heavy hooks and get the floor completely clear.
The power unit and hoses take up about as much room as a pressure washer. For a single‑garage situation where the lift has to vanish between jobs, that’s a big win.
MaxJax is still “put‑away‑able”, just not as invisible. The posts live on their own wheels, so you roll them off the anchor points and park them against a wall or in a corner. They don’t take up much footprint, but they’re still tall, solid bits of kit you need to steer around shelves, fridges and the inevitable pile of wheels and tyres. The plus side is that once the posts are moved, you’ve got a clean floor with just low anchors you can drive or walk over.
Slab, Concrete and The Unsexy Stuff That Actually Matters
This is the bit most comparison blogs wave away with a one‑liner like “MaxJax needs a good slab, QuickJack doesn’t.” If you’ve ever actually drilled a garage floor, you know there’s a bit more to it than that.
QuickJack and the slab
QuickJack is the easy one. It doesn’t need anchors. It doesn’t need a certain depth of concrete. As long as the slab is in decent condition – not crumbling, not a patchwork of cracks and repairs – it will happily sit on top and do its thing.
There are still a couple of practical checks worth mentioning:
• You want a fairly flat area so the frames sit square and lift evenly.
• You don’t want to park it over a hollow, cracked or visibly broken section of slab.
• If the garage has a big fall towards the door, you position the car so you’re not fighting gravity when it’s up.
But fundamentally, if you can safely park the car there, QuickJack will usually work there.
MaxJax and concrete reality
MaxJax is a proper two‑post design, and it behaves like one when it comes to the floor. It relies on the slab to carry the load, which means you actually have to care about thickness, strength and condition rather than just crossing your fingers.
In a typical Aussie home garage, you’ll usually see something in the ballpark of a 100 mm slab poured in decent‑strength concrete, sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on builder and vintage. MaxJax documentation talks about a minimum thickness and concrete strength for safe installation. In practice, that usually means:
• Confirming your slab is at least 108mm mark, not a thin skim over fill.
• Making sure it’s not riddled with big cracks, soft patches or obvious repairs where you want to mount the posts.
• Staying well clear of slab edges, pits and trenches so the anchors are biting into solid material.
For a new build or renovation, it’s easy: you tell the concreter you’re planning a mid‑rise two‑post and want an appropriate thickness and strength in that bay. For an existing slab, you either dig into the house plans or do what plenty of MaxJax owners do, drill a test hole in a non‑critical spot, measure depth, and if you’re unsure, talk to a professional before you commit.
The key angle is simple: QuickJack doesn’t care about concrete beyond “not absolutely terrible.” MaxJax absolutely does, and you should treat that as non‑negotiable safety, not optional fine print.
Installation – What’s Actually Involved
If you’ve never lived with a hoist before, it’s easy to underestimate the difference between “plug it in and go” and “drill 10–12 big holes in your slab.” Laying that out clearly is where you can really add value.
Installing QuickJack
Installing QuickJack is more like setting up a big tool than installing a hoist.
The basic flow looks like:
• Unbox the frames and power unit.
• Fill the system with the recommended hydraulic fluid.
• Connect the quick‑coupler hoses between the power unit and each frame.
• Bleed the system so both sides lift evenly.
• Roll the frames into position, drop the rubber blocks in the right height for your car, and do a test lift.
There’s no drilling, no anchors, no permanent hardware in the ground. If you can follow an instruction manual, you can set this up in an afternoon.
The only “install” choice that matters long‑term is where you store the frames and power unit between jobs. That feeds into how tidy the garage feels once the novelty wears off.
Installing MaxJax
MaxJax installation is still DIY‑friendly for a handy person, but it’s a different level of commitment.
The broad strokes:
• Measure and mark your post positions so the arms reach your typical vehicles and the car still fits between the posts.
• Triple‑check that layout against doors, walls, benches and roller tracks – once you drill, you’re married to those spots.
• Drill the anchor holes to the specified diameter and depth, clean them thoroughly, and set the supplied anchors.
• Bolt the posts down, plumb them and torque everything to spec.
• Mount the power unit, run and secure the hydraulic hoses, fill with fluid and bleed the system.
• Do a low‑height test lift with a car before you send anything up to full lock.
You can absolutely get a sparky, concreter or general builder involved if any part of that feels outside your comfort zone. If you don’t own the slab or don’t have explicit permission, MaxJax is usually off the table, and QuickJack becomes the obvious choice.
Safety, Confidence and What People Get Wrong Online
Safety is where the internet goes full drama. You’ll find people swearing a hoist will “rip the slab out of the ground,” or that portable frames are “sketchy.” In reality, both QuickJack and MaxJax are engineered systems that are far safer than a random combo of jacks and dodgy stands, as long as they’re used the way the manual expects.
Locks, valves and “what if it fails?”
Both systems have proper safety locks. They’re not just relying on hydraulic pressure to hold a car up.
• QuickJack uses mechanical locking positions built into the frames. You raise the car, it climbs past one or more lock points, and the frames rest on solid steel, not just oil pressure.
• MaxJax has mechanical locks on each post plus valves that stop uncontrolled descent if something goes wrong in the hydraulic circuit. Once it’s on the locks, the weight is sitting on metal, not the pump.
Both systems are engineered, tested bits of gear. They’re only as safe as the person setting them up.
Once either system is on its locks, it behaves like a solid structure. If you’ve ever crawled under a car supported only by a cheap floor jack, both of these are a massive confidence upgrade.
Stability at real working heights
The other big safety question is “does it feel sketchy when I’m under there rocking on a breaker bar.”
• With QuickJack, the car sits on two long frames, so the “footprint” is the length of the frames and the track width of the car. At full height (around 0.5–0.6 m of lift), you can still rock the car a little, but on a solid slab it feels planted. If the frames are square, the blocks are placed right and the car isn’t loaded weirdly, it’s surprisingly confidence‑inspiring.
• With MaxJax, the posts are tied to the slab through anchors and the car hangs off the arms. At around 1.1–1.2 m of lift, you’ll feel some flex if you really shove, but the structure is doing what it’s designed to do. On a good slab with correctly installed anchors, it feels like a proper hoist, just shorter.
You don’t test stability by jumping on side steps like a trampoline. You test it by lifting properly, setting the locks and then using normal workshop force – the kind you’d apply cracking suspension bolts or exhaust fasteners.
Common misuse you see in the wild
If you’ve spent any time on forums, you’ve seen all the greatest hits of “how not to use a lift.” A few regular offenders:
• Frames or pads on rusty pinch welds instead of solid jacking points.
• Using the wrong model of QuickJack for a heavy 4x4 setup.
• Ignoring slab condition for MaxJax because “it’ll be right” and mounting too close to an edge or crack.
• Treating the first test lift like a YouTube stunt instead of creeping it up, re‑checking placement and looking for anything weird.
Both systems are engineered, tested bits of gear. They’re only as safe as the person setting them up.
How They Play With Typical Aussie Vehicles
Most US‑based articles talk about their mix of cars. Here it’s a different zoo: dual‑cab utes, touring 4B's, vans, small SUVs, hot hatches, classics and imports.
Dual‑cab utes, 4x4s and vans
This is the bread and butter for a lot of Aussie garages: Hilux, Ranger, D‑Max, Triton, Navara, LandCruiser, Patrol, HiAce, that kind of thing.
Weight and capacity
A modern dual‑cab or wagon can easily nudge 2,500–3,000 kg once it’s on bigger tyres, bar work and drawers. You want a comfortable safety margin above the vehicle’s actual mass, not just the number on the rego label.
Wheelbase and reach
Long‑tray utes and vans need either:
• QuickJack frames long enough that the rubber blocks line up with the factory jacking points, or
• MaxJax arms that can reach both front and rear lift points without ending up at silly angles.
Real jobs on big rigs
• QuickJack works brilliantly for tyres, brakes and basic servicing on these vehicles. You can get all four wheels off, the car is stable, and you can still get under for simple inspections.
• MaxJax comes into its own when you start doing heavier work: suspension bushings front and rear, diff and transfer case work, exhaust upgrades. Being able to stand or sit under a lifted 4x4 rather than wriggle around under frames is a big step up in comfort.
Low cars, classics and imports
On the other end of the spectrum you’ve got lowered hot hatches, sports cars, classics and Japanese imports that barely clear a soft drink can.
• Getting under a low front bar
QuickJack’s low profile is a major win here. With the right blocks, you can usually slide the frames under lowered cars without resorting to silly ramp stacks. Once up, you’ve got full wheel access and enough space underneath for almost any job a home mechanic is likely to attempt.
• MaxJax on small, low cars
With a bit of patience, MaxJax arms work very well on low and narrow cars. Being able to walk around a classic or sports car at mid‑height without worrying about frame position makes long jobs like full suspension rebuilds or exhaust fabrication much more pleasant.
Small SUVs and family cars
The last big category is the “regular family fleet”: RAV4, CX‑5, CR‑V, i30, Corolla, Captiva, that sort of thing.
• QuickJack is a very natural fit here: enough height to make servicing, brakes and suspension work comfortable, no slab requirements, easy to stash between school runs.
• MaxJax is arguably overkill if the only jobs are basic servicing, but it becomes very attractive if there’s a second car in the household that’s more modified or the owner is doing big jobs regularly.
Portability – Around The Shed, To The Track, or To A New House
Both QuickJack and MaxJax get called “portable,” but they’re portable in very different ways. One is “grab it and go,” the other is “re‑configurable hoist you can still move when life changes.”
Moving it inside the garage
QuickJack is genuinely easy to shuffle around. Each frame is heavy but manageable, and if you’re used to wrestling wheels and tyres, you won’t find it outrageous. You pick a frame up at one end, walk it into position, slide it under the car, and you’re done. When you’re not using it, you can:
• Lay both frames flat under a car.
• Stand them upright against a wall.
• Hang them on wall hooks if you really want the floor clear.
The power unit and hoses are about the size and hassle level of a decent‑sized pressure washer, so they tuck into most corners without starting a fight.
MaxJax is more like moving a couple of tall toolboxes. Each post is seriously solid, but it’s on wheels, so you tilt and roll it rather than dead‑lifting. When you’re done working, you:
• Drop the car, lower the arms, disconnect the hoses if you want them out of the way.
• Pull the locking nuts or pins from the base plates.
• Tilt each post back on its wheels and roll it to its parking spot against a wall.
You end up with two tall posts and a power unit tucked away, plus a neat pattern of anchors in the floor. For a double‑garage setup, that’s usually a very manageable compromise between “real hoist” and “multi‑use family space.”
Track days, mates’ sheds and mobile work
If you want something that can come with you, QuickJack is clearly the easier traveller.
You can:
• Put both frames in the back of a ute or van.
• Strap the power unit and hose bundle next to them.
• Roll up to a track day or a mate’s workshop and have four‑wheel lifting without relying on whatever jacks are handy.
MaxJax can be moved, but it’s not the kind of thing you casually throw in for a Sunday track session. It’s better thought of as “portable between bays or buildings” rather than portable in the sense of “chuck it in the Ranger and go.”
Moving house
Moving house is where the “portable but anchored” design of MaxJax actually makes sense.
QuickJack is simple: you box it up or throw it on the truck with the rest of the tools, and you’re done. The new garage doesn’t need anything beyond a power point and a floor.
With MaxJax:
• You can unbolt the posts, remove or leave the anchors (depending on how clean you want to be), and move the whole kit to the new place.
• Once there, you repeat the install process in the new slab: new holes, new anchors, same posts and power unit.
That’s a big difference from a conventional two‑post that’s basically welded to the old shed.
Ownership Costs, Warranty And Support In Australia
Price gets talked about a lot in other blogs, but usually just as “this one is cheaper.” You can do better by looking at the whole cost of owning each system in Australia over a bunch of years.
Upfront price vs 10‑year value
Neither of these is a throwaway purchase. By the time you’re weighing up QuickJack vs MaxJax, you’re in “serious tool” territory, not impulse buys.
• QuickJack usually lands as the lower upfront cost: frames, power unit, hoses, blocks and you’re in business. There’s no concrete work, no drilling, no extra labour. For a DIYer who does a few solid jobs a year, that can be very good value.
• MaxJax typically costs more up front and may involve buying or hiring a decent drill, anchors (if not supplied), and possibly paying someone if you’re not keen on drilling and anchoring yourself. Over ten years of regular use, though, the extra comfort and access can pay for itself in saved time and saved trips to a mechanic.
Time and comfort are part of the cost equation. If you’re under cars most weekends, the more expensive option that saves your back and knees often works out cheaper in the long run.
Maintenance and consumables
Both systems have some basic ongoing needs, but nothing wild:
• Hydraulic fluid: needs checking and occasionally topping up.
• Hoses and fittings: a visual inspection habit is smart – you want to spot any damage or leaks early.
• Locks and pivots: keeping things clean and lubricated goes a long way to smooth operation.
MaxJax adds a few extra considerations because of its structure:
• Anchors and base plates should be checked periodically for tightness and any sign of movement.
• The extra plumbing and arm joints give you more moving parts to keep an eye on.
This is all the kind of maintenance you expect from serious workshop gear. It’s not fragile, it just rewards being treated like a hoist, not a toy.
Local warranty, parts and freight (AU)
This is where buying through an Australian supplier, like Organised Workshop, someone who actually understands workshop kit, becomes a real selling point. Local warranty handling means if something does go wrong, you’re not trying to ship heavy hardware back overseas.
Parts availability and realistic lead times matter for both lifts – hoses, seals, locks and control bits are all things you might want access to years down the line.
Freight realities:
• MaxJax normally travels on a pallet, and you’ll want tail‑lift trucks, driveway access and a plan for getting the pallet into the garage.
• Most QuickJack systems come in a set of manageable cartons, which are easier to move around but still need someone ready to receive and handle the weight.
You’re buying a long‑term tool, not a gadget, so where and how you buy it matters.
How To Choose With No Regrets – Real‑World Scenarios
The renter in a 2.3 m single garage with a fun car
• Ceiling: 2.3 m.
• Slab: unknown, landlord won’t let you drill.
• Vehicle: one light, low street car or import.
Recommendation: QuickJack.
Reasoning: You can’t touch the concrete, headroom is tight, and you’re mostly doing service, brakes and bolt‑on work. QuickJack gives you a huge upgrade in safety and comfort without risking your bond or spending money on a hoist you can’t install.
The family with a Prado in a 6×6 and a small hatch
• Ceiling: 2.4 m or more.
• Slab: known to be decent thickness or confirmed.
• Vehicles: one 4x4 wagon around 2.7–3.0 t when loaded, one small hatch.
Recommendation: Strong lean towards MaxJax.
Reasoning: The heavy wagon is the pain point. Being able to get it up over a metre in the air, stand or sit under it and work like a proper workshop hoist is a game‑changer. The small car benefits too, but the Prado is what justifies the investment. QuickJack will still work here, but if you’re doing a lot of serious under‑car work, the extra lift and access from MaxJax will feel worth it every single time.
The side‑hustle mechanic running from home
• Ceiling: workable (2.4 m or more).
• Slab: checked and confirmed.
• Vehicles: everything from small hatches to utes and SUVs, depending on customer base.
Recommendation: MaxJax as the primary lift, with QuickJack as a possible second system later.
Reasoning: Time is literally money. MaxJax gives you the closest thing to a proper shop hoist you can have in a suburban garage: arm reach, under‑car access and lift height that make all‑day jobs viable. QuickJack can still be an excellent add‑on if you want a second lifting option or something to take mobile, but it’s not a replacement for a hoist‑like setup when you’re doing paid work.
The all‑round enthusiast who might own both one day
• Ceiling and slab: good enough for either system.
• Vehicles: a mix – maybe a dual‑cab, a track car and something classic.
Recommendation: Start by matching the lift to your worst‑case job; accept that “both” is sometimes the honest endgame.
Reasoning: If the bulk of your pain comes from big, under‑car jobs on heavier vehicles, MaxJax first makes sense. If you mostly do wheels, brakes and regular service on a mix of cars and love the flexibility of lifting anywhere, QuickJack as a first step is logical. For the true lifters who keep cars and sheds for decades, it isn’t silly to end up with both: a MaxJax anchored where the serious work happens, and a QuickJack that follows you to track days and other garages.
Final Thoughts – No‑Regrets Lift Choices For Your Shed
You’ve now got the full picture on QuickJack vs MaxJax: it boils down to how much under‑car access you need, what your slab and ceiling will handle, and whether portability or workshop efficiency drives your garage life. Both are solid, safe systems that beat jacks and stands every time, the trick is matching the right one to your vehicles, space and wrenching habits.
QuickJack keeps things simple and flexible, perfect for renters, tight spaces or anyone who values “grab and go” over maximum height.
MaxJax trades some of that flexibility for proper hoist access, rewarding anyone willing to drill a few anchors with years of efficient, back‑friendly work.
How Organised Workshop Can Help You Pick Right
We stock both QuickJack and MaxJax because we've seen them both shine in real Aussie garages – from single‑car rentals to busy side‑hustle sheds. Drop us a line with your ceiling height, slab details, vehicle weights and what jobs you’re tackling most. We can walk you through which setup makes sense for your place, sort the freight without driveway dramas, and help avoid second‑guessing your choice six months down the track.
Whether it’s frames that vanish under the daily driver or posts that turn a garage into a proper bay, the right lift isn’t about specs, it’s about finally enjoying the jobs instead of fighting the setup.
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