[ctc1111]

Hey, new to the forum here. I've been restoring my 67 camaro that I got in august. I had a kwik lift and then I detirmined that I have enough ceiling height for a 4 post lift, So I sold it. I did a lot of research and i think that the backyard buddy would be the best lift for me.

Things I'm concerned about is safety and swaying. I know someone who has an Eagle lift and when you start cranking on a bolt real hard the thing starts swaying. Kinda scary if you ask me.

I'm just looking for some input from people who own or have had expirence with the backyard buddy lift to let me know what they think of it in comparison to other lifts. I don't know anyone locally that owns one and have not had an oppertunity to talk to anyone who owns one, so any help on this would be appreciated.


thanks,

ctc

[willys36@aol.com]

I installed a similar two poster in my shop. See installation details in my Project Journal. I plan on anchoring the tops of the posts to the ceiling for just that reason.

[38 plymouth coupe]

I wouldn't buy one or take one if offered for free. Enough Said!

[302 Z28]

Vince

[SteveU]

Are you set on a 4 post or would a 2 post work for you? I'm not sure about your ceiling height but this thing is 8'7" tall & the hydraulic lines can be routed in the floor if needed. You mentioned swaying, this hasn't swayed with anything I've had on it including a 1 ton dually. They are pricey but the peace of mind you get having something solid is worth every penny + they are Made in USA.

[cucumber1949]

I replied to another poster a while back ago about the 4-post lifts we have in our shop. Here is a repeat of that post.

===============================

All of the 4-post lifts have some sway, ironically the lighter the load the more sway. I've found that the heavier the load on the lift, the more stable it is. We bolted our posts to the floor.

One of our lifts is a Backyard Buddy, the Cadillac of lifts in my opinion. The safety catches are designed differently on the BB and I feel are safer than the Dannmar D-7 (our other lift - a Chinese knock-off), but only because those catches don't rely on a stop welded to the post. I do feel the dogs on the BB could be better better designed to engage in a free fall - in that respect I like the D-7 better. Every lift vendor I've talked to will tell you horror stories about their competitor's product.

Keep the cables lubed with wire rope lube, grease the pulleys, and make sure everything that moves is well-lubricated and does not bind. Get the posts on the same elevation relative to your floor, and adjust the cables so that they are raising the ramp as close to level as is possible. When operating the lift, watch the operation and always make sure the ramp is coming down and going up evenly (level) - if it doesn't you will have a big problem as these designs can't handle these situations well. The biggest operational error is that the operator may not raise the lift high enough above the stop they plan on using before letting it back down on the stop - so when you lower the lift to the stop, not all of the 4 dogs engage the stop at the same level. That's why I say level the posts and the ramp.

These lifts and ones like them really aren't designed for commercial operation - they are made and priced more for the hobbyist so you need to be aware that they may not be as dependable (and perhaps not all the safety features)as the ones at the professional service centers, but if you know how they work and take care with the maintenance and operation, it should provide good, safe service for you.

By the way, I like the caster setup on the D-7 better than the BB. Good luck to you.