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Okay now I am back on the backyard buddy. I see the cables and stuff are not inside the post and it looks really good. And they have a taller lift at 84".
Okay here is another angle. Which lift is the easiest to put together? How much skill to install? I am cheap and will bolt it together myself?
First to answer earlier question, my Rotary lift is 110V and works fine. You have the option to pick either.
I would have a professional installer do it. It arrives on a flatbed tow truck. I spent half day watching and sometimes assisting my installer do it by himself.
Okay here is another angle. Which lift is the easiest to put together? How much skill to install? I am cheap and will bolt it together myself?
Stan, I thought about installing myself until I talked to the Lift installer. Just remember you could have a $65,000 + car under the lift. Actual installation cost is only a fraction of the total cost. The guys who installed my lift were here for no more than 6 hours that included lunch I bought for them.
If you have the qualifications to do it yourself and have friends, go for it.
Stan, I thought about installing myself until I talked to the Lift installer. Just remember you could have a $65,000 + car under the lift. Actual installation cost is only a fraction of the total cost. The guys who installed my lift were here for no more than 6 hours that included lunch I bought for them.
If you have the qualifications to do it yourself and have friends, go for it.
Here is my qualifications!!!
I am cheap all there is to it is righty tighty lefty loosey.
It is 9 feet at the rear of the C7, 9 1/2 feet at the roof and 8 1/2 feet to the opened garage door at the hood. I bought a used 8 foot door with a set of 8 ft tracks and added a panel section from it to the top of my 7 foot high door. I also had to buy a rail extension kit to change the chain drive length from a 7 ft door to an 8 ft door. Then I raised the opener up to the beam. Having an 8 foot door in a 7 foot high opening allowed me to move the height to the opened door up by about 16 inches. I could do this because it was a 16 foot wide door with the opener in the middle. If it was a 7 foot wide door the maximum lift height would be dictated by the height to the door opener, which would be right over the cars unless you have a very deep garage. Otherwise you would have to switch to a side-mounted jack style opener.
I have helped friends install 4-post lifts in their single 8 foot wide door garages. If you do not have enough depth to move the lift back away from the overhead garage door when opened you can raise the opener and chain track to gain more height. You will need to lengthen the J-bar that lifts the door.
A fifth panel was added to the top of the 7 ft door to use 8 foot tracks gaining 16 inches of vertical height.
The height to the opened garage door over the top car is 8 1/2 feet. This picture was taken before I raised the height by changing tracks and adding another door panel. I gained about 16 inches in height to the opened door.
Worth lift from Texas is the only lift made in the USA that I found . It took awhile to get but I/my neighbor installed it & very happy so far.
P.S. yes it diid cost more than others but I know it''s made with pride .. Look them up
Made in US.A.
Last edited by 6.2Blown; 03-29-2015 at 12:09 PM.
Reason: spelling
Backyards are too high, I don't like how the cable pulls down on the inside of the post, mine has over 12 in posts and the cable is in the middle of the post, never can touch or get near the cables...also locks, etc...also enclosed inside the posts, also bought the wheel kit to move around, no matter where you put it, you change your mind later...also get the longer aluminum ramps, easier to lift and also handles the low front ends on most cars..a lot of companies throw in at least one jack stand and get the 3 drip trays as well, nice to have ...my $.02
The locks on the Backyard Buddy are made of 1/2" X 1" steel bar and when in the locked position, are totally enclosed within the slots that are cut into the upright posts. You can run into a post and the locks will not shear nor will they dislodge out of the slots. The design of the locks is the major reason I decided to go with that design lift(Backyard Buddy/Autolifters).
The posts are made of 4" square structural steel and the sliding collars are made of 5" square structural steel.
I have a C6 Z06 and it fits fine on the lift and I have the standard steel approach ramps that only weigh 20 pounds each. I have no problem driving my Z06(with front splitter attached) on or off the lift to do oil changes.
I was able to order my two with 110VAC pump motors so I was able to plug them into the ceiling receptacle that the garage door opener plugs into, with it's 15 amp service.
I did have to have the garage door company raise my tracks closer to the ceiling.
I had the manufacturer ship my lifts to a local truck terminal where I picked them up with a 12' trailer(they loaded the lifts onto the trailer using their forklift. Backed the trailer in my driveway and broke down the packaging on the trailer so I could move the individual components into the garage for assembly. I had three helpers along with my self, move the long ramps into the garage(the ramp with the hydraulic cylinder attached weighed around 400 pounds I would guess), but after that all it took was three men(two working and one watching) to actually assemble the lift. First was about 4 hours and the second about 3 hours, with a lot of breaks. Very easy to assemble the lifts.
I've had them for approximately 15 years and have had no problems with them.
My brother and both have Garage Toys 4 post lifts. They have a lot of the same features as the Backyard Buddy, but at a much better price. They included drip trays, casters, jack tray, and 36" aluminum ramps. They very well built and sturdy. 9k lb weight rating. Also check out Bendpak.
Would have loved a bigger one, but we don't have enough room. Had to raise the garage door and the opener to the top of the 9' ceiling. The drip trays are a must with old cars for sure, and the aluminum ramps are much easier to manage, even for a guy, than the ones that come with the lift.
03-28-2015, 10:38 PM
