The HAPP90 Low Rise Semi Portable Car Hoist

Comparison and Choice (Winter 2013)

Note: This review relates to an earlier model of the HAPP90, and is no longer relevant to the current model on sale which has improved specifications. See the company website for details.

Note: all pictures link to larger originals which will open in a new window.

If like most people you have a small or low-ceiling garage and need a low-rise or movable car hoist, you will very soon come across the popular Max Jax. There are so many photos, Youtube videos and discussion forums about it that you might think there is nothing else on the market.   In Australia there are at least two alternatives; the AutoLift 167212E, a MaxJax clone (or for all I know, the original Chinese version) imported into WA, and a version of the FANBAO QJY3.0-E, improved for Australia, imported by Hood Automotive Performance Products and sold as the HAPP90.

The published specifications for the MaxJax and the HAPP90 show some differences which might be immediately important to you. For example you may have a higher ceiling and give more importance to the HAPP90's greater lifting height.   Or you may have a very low car and need the low minimum pad height of the MaxJax.

Of course specifications only tell part of the story and you will need to do some digging around to get more details.   Due to the popularity of the MaxJax there are hundreds of pictures, videos, posts in car club forums etc. to choose from.   I was unable to find much online relating to the HAPP90 but when questioning the respective companies, I found HAPP to be quite willing to answer my queries, while the local importers of the MaxJax were sales-oriented, dismissive and unhelpful.

Price

Depending on the cost of freight to your location and your negotiating skills, there may be little or no difference in price between the two units.   In any case this is a competitive market and any difference is unlikely to be more than the price of a couple of decent oil changes, so price was not an important deciding factor in my choice.   Semi-portable hoists are always going to be more expensive than fixed hoists because of the extra hydraulic equipment required.

Engineering and Technology

The Americans cling to their own version of the obsolete British Imperial system of engineering measurement.   I live in the country, and if I need spares or want to make changes I am not sure that I can be bothered chasing up say, hydraulic fittings in American versions of British Standard Pipe threads.

It is also important to note that the lift mechanism is quite different in the two hoists.   The HAPP90 uses a standard chain lift system with a single loop chain and roller pulley. A 75 cm hydraulic ram stroke gives a lift carriage rise of 150 cm and all the mechanical parts can be contained within the column.

The MaxJax uses an 'upside-down' direct lift ram with the piston rod resting on the column baseplate and the hydraulic cylinder rising up out of a hole in the top of the column. Presumably that involves flexing internal hydraulic pipes, and its lower maximum lift height is probably dependent on the availability of a suitable long-stroke ram.

Naturally each company will claim that its system is the best, and the MaxJax design does result in fewer moving parts and a shorter and lighter column in the 'down' position even though its overall height is greater and its working lift height is smaller.

Personally I preferred the HAPP90 chain lift, especially as the unit seems to share components with the other commercial car hoists in the HAPP range.

Quality

It is quite easy to locate complaints and photos of poor MaxJax engineering quality online and in the car hobby forums.

Some of these issues may have been rectified by now, but many were identified after the MaxJax had been on sale for a long time. Fixing them is hardly rocket science.

Commercial workshops would not put up with these faults for very long, but a lower standard is often applied to products aimed at the 'consumer' end of the market, despite these hoists costing a considerable amount of hard-earned cash.

Hundreds of MaxJax units per month are sold through outlets such as Costco, and to see these ongoing manufacturing problems still being discussed online in 2013 was a bit worrying.

I was unable to find any similar photos or complaints about the Happ90, but of course no news is not the same as good news...

Safety

I have no doubt both units are safe to use, but a persistent critiscism of the MaxJax has been the limitations of its safety lock.

No-one wants to work under a car supported only by hydraulics - if a hose blows or a quickfit connector pops off you are dead meat. Therefore all hoists incorporate mechanical safety locks.

The MaxJax system comprises holes in the columns through which are placed hardened steel pins to support the lift carriage. Unfortunately there are only two hole positions, one at about 60 cm, useful for wheel and brake work and the like, and another near the maximum lift height.

Not only is there no safe position between the two, but in the case of a ceiling too low or a vehicle too high to achieve the top lock position, the temptation is strong to work under the vehicle anyway.

Many MaxJax users drill additional lock holes in the columns, but this is not 'officially' supported by the company and in any case drilling and aligning 5/8-inch holes through heavy steel columns is not for the faint-hearted. (Note: this may not apply to the Chinese clone version, which appears from its photo to have several holes in the columns.)

In contrast, the HAPP90 uses a conventional spring-loaded mechanical locking pawl with 12 lock points between about 60 cm and the upper lift height, making for a more versatile unit.

In the end there seemed to be enough limitations and issues with the MaxJax for me to decide to try the HAPP90, even though I didn't know much about it.

Next: Transport and Unpacking