MaxJax M6K Review: The Portable Two-Post Lift That Stands Apart

Every other lift on this page raises a car about 2 ft. The MaxJax M6K raises it 68 in, high enough to stand under, and it does that with two 102 in columns, swing arms with adjustable pads, a hydraulic cylinder per column and automatic multi-position locks. It is a real 2-post lift. What makes it portable is the mounting: the columns bolt to anchors set into the slab, and when the lift is not needed the bolts come out, the columns tip onto a dolly and roll to a wall, and the anchor holes get flush caps. The garage parks cars again.

The listed specifications are 6,000 lb capacity, 68 in maximum rise, 5 in minimum pad height, 110V household power, roughly 45 seconds to full height, 320 lb total system weight, asymmetric arms, and a 2-year warranty. The 110V rating is the practical difference from the larger M7K, which runs on 220V.

The M6K is not sold on Amazon; the estimated $2,199 MSRP here is a reference figure. Dannmar, the BendPak sister brand, has been the M6K's channel, and the lift has an established install base with a long record of forum discussion.

The anchors are the site requirement buyers miss. The columns bolt to drop-in anchors drilled into the slab, and the manufacturer specifies a minimum slab thickness and strength; 4 in of 3,000 psi concrete has been the MaxJax figure, and the current manual is the authority for the M6K. A slab poured thin, a slab with post-tension cables, or a floor with an unknown history is not a candidate until it has been checked. A hammer drill, a vacuum and a torque wrench are part of the install.

Ceiling height is the second constraint. The columns are 102 in tall, so 8.5 ft is the floor for fitting the lift at all, and the cons list is right that full 68 in rise on a typical sedan wants about 11.5 ft; a 10 ft ceiling means stopping at a lower lock position. Multi-position locks make partial rise safe, so lower ceilings reduce the benefit rather than ruling the lift out.

Width and power are easier. The asymmetric columns need a bay wide enough for the car plus open doors, and the 110V power unit plugs into a household outlet, ideally a dedicated circuit.

6,000 lb covers every car, every crossover and most midsize SUVs, and it covers the lighter full-size SUVs and half-ton pickups at the curb. It does not leave much margin on a loaded F-150 crew cab or a Tahoe with a full tank and a family's worth of cargo, and that is the reason the M7K exists. A buyer whose heaviest vehicle is a half-ton should read that review; a buyer whose heaviest vehicle is a sedan or a compact SUV will never touch the M6K's limit.

The asymmetric arms set the columns behind center so the driver's door swings clear once the car is up, and the adjustable pads reach the factory lift points on unibody cars and the frame rails on body-on-frame vehicles. Minimum pad height is 5 in, taller than any frame lift, so a lowered car needs the arms swung under carefully or ramps to lift the sills clear.

The automatic locks engage as the carriages climb and hold at multiple heights. The procedure is standard 2-post practice: raise past the lock, lower onto it, then work. Full rise takes about 45 seconds on the 110V unit.

The cons list says 20 to 30 minutes of setup against 5 to 10 for a frame lift, and that is the honest number. Each column rolls to its anchors on the dolly, stands up, bolts down, gets torqued, and connects to the power unit; then the arms go on and the pads get adjusted for the car. Teardown is the reverse. Nobody does that for a ten-minute look at an oil leak, which is why an M6K owner tends to leave the lift up for a project and take it down between projects.

Each column is well over 100 lb with its arms, so stowing is a dolly job and the wall space is around 3 ft wide per column pair. The power unit stores separately. Total system weight is about 320 lb, lighter than the M7K's 550 lb, which is a real advantage for a solo owner.

The moderate installation rating reflects the first-time anchor work: locating and drilling the holes accurately, setting the anchors, and getting the columns plumb. After that first weekend it is a bolt-on, bolt-off routine.

The M7K is the same idea with 7,000 lb, 69 in of rise, 220V power and 550 lb of hardware, at $5,039 on Amazon. The M6K gives up 1,000 lb and an inch of rise, keeps household power, and costs less than half as much. For cars and crossovers the M6K is the better value; for trucks the M7K is the honest choice.

The QuickJack BL-5000SLX and BL-7000SLX, or the current 5000TL and 7000TL, are the frame-lift alternative at $1,500 to $1,900: quicker to deploy, lighter, no anchors, and limited to about 24 in of rise. A buyer who mostly does brakes, fluids and suspension gets more use out of a QuickJack than out of an M6K that spends its life stowed.

A permanent 2-post such as an APlusLift HW-9KOH costs less than the M6K, lifts 9,000 lb, and rises higher. If the garage can give up a bay and has 11 ft of ceiling, it is the better lift. The M6K only wins when the bay has to come back.

Buy the M6K if you need to stand under a car for transmissions, clutches, exhausts or fuel tanks, the garage must park cars between projects, and the site passes three checks: 4 in or more of sound concrete with no post-tension cables, a ceiling of 10 ft or better, and a 110V outlet on a circuit that is not shared with the freezer. For that buyer it is the least expensive lift that does the job, and its 110V rating is a real advantage over the M7K.

Buy the M7K instead if a half-ton pickup or a full-size SUV is the heaviest vehicle. 6,000 lb is inside the number but not by enough.

Buy a QuickJack instead if the jobs are brakes and fluids. The M6K's setup time turns quick jobs into a chore, and a 5000TL or 7000TL at a lower price gets under the car in minutes.

Buy a permanent 2-post instead if the bay can be given up. The M6K is a tool for the garage that cannot make that trade, and it is priced accordingly.