Reply to "4- Post Storage Lifts"

In follow up to my opening post, after some comparison, I bought the BYB standard 7000 lb lift. Also bought the caster kit, sliding jack platform, and drip pans. I've had it installed for several weeks now and am very pleased with it. I would say it’s a good piece of equipment and I would recommend their product and the company. For those that are seriously considering a purchase of a BYB lift (several of you have contacted me ooff the forum), read on.

Pantera On lift

Rear View Stacked

Side View Stacked

It took some doing to high lift the garage door. I went with a door lift that was offered by wayne Dalton doors called Q-Drive. It’s a little pricey but nice. Soft start, stop, delyed close, and a few other features. The rails, hardware, and opener, with two remotes, keyless entry, courtesy light, and wall switch were $400. They quoted $275 for installation and I took them up on it. That was the best money spent in the whole project. It took them five trips to get it properly installed but they stuck with it and did a good job.

Highlift Garage Door

When it came to the buying the BYB autolift, the telephone support through inquiry up to and including the order process was very good, always able to reach them and get questions answered.

Shipping quotation was a little sketchy and some cause for concern because you basically own it when it leaves their door and managing shipping is your responsibility. In practice, BYB were much more supportive than this. They estimated $350 and I authorized use of that shipper. When it arrived locally, the shipping company told me $550, like it or lump it. I give the BYB crew the highest marks possible for helping me straighten that out and eventually get it back in line.

I had to collect the “package” at the freight terminal. As Johnk had suggested earlier in this post, I hired a roll back and went to the terminal to collect it.

As Delivered

I had an unknown level of shipping damage. It looked minor in that there was a ripped box within the package. I noted it on the freight bill. The most serious was one of the posts had come loose and slid out the end of the package. I’d say it probably wasn’t packed securely enough. I also order a number of accessories (rolling jack ramp and casters for moving the lift). I suspect BYB handles packaging of the standard lift package well but is less accomplished when it comes to packing the accessories. Of the four sheet metal pulley/cable guards on the on the cross members, three of the four were damaged. Two of them I could massage back into shape. On the remaining one, I had to drill out the two retaining pop rivets, get out my body tools, and pound, and work it back into shape as it was smashed flat and well beyond hand repair. These pieces aren’t optional. You can not assemble without them. Some of this may have come from the freight monkeys recklessly slamming the loose post back into the package, but I must partially fault BYB for inadequate packing of some of the items.

Pulley Cover

I was short shipped the end plates and stops that slide into each end of the ramps that prevent a car from rolling off either end. BYB apologized and promptly corrected this; I had the pieces in two days. –It happens. It did not stop me from assembling and using the unit.

The assembly instructions are adequate, and someone with reasonable mechanical aptitude can easily handle it. It took me and a friend about 6 hours to assembled and load a car. It would have taken about two hours if I didn’t have to repair, the sheet metal guards, get creative in how we handled the ramps (you should really have 4 people IMO, I’d say they go 350-400 lbs each), and the biggest issue; hand fit up several of the sliders.

The cross members on the BYB design completely surround the posts as opposed to other designs. It’s makes the lift much more stable and IMO safe. I’d highly advise all to go to the BYB website, and look at there comparison video. Based upon my experience viewing other lifts and now having my hands on the BYB, I would say it fairly compares their lift to other manufactures. This was the primary reason I spent over twice the $ for their lift. For me, it was the right call BUT……read on.

When you assemble the cross members over the posts and “tap” in the sliders (you can view and download illustrations from the BYB site), the instructions say do not force. Well, fair enough. They do not say what to do if the sliders are too tight. The sliding fit on two of the four posts were so tight that you couldn’t have beat them into place if you tried, nor would the weight of an empty ramp (or likely not even with a car) have been able to move it. I tried switching pieces….no luck. The tolerance on the posts was such that they were too tight. This is probably a liability of the design. However, after many caliper measurements and trips back and forth to my band sander carefully removing material from the backside of the plastic sliders, I was able to fit things up such that they would have a tight sliding fit. Still, it hangs up a little bit when lower with a vehicle on it. It tends to grab and then drop an inch or so. After multiple cycles and spraying the posts with clear Teflon lube, it’s much better and breaking in nicely. I’m not sure how many people buying a lift would be equipped to do this. Gents, if I had attempted to beat things together, I can guarantee that though I may have been able to hydraulically lift a car, it never would have lowered under its own weight without fitting up the sliders as described. –No way! I would have had the car on semi-permanent display six feet off the ground. If you have the mechanical aptitude to wrench on your own car, rudimentary knowledge of hydraulics, and common sense, all should be fine. My experience was not entirely bolt it together and flip the switch but what ever is? At six hours, it wasn’t bad either.

Having installed it, I’m very pleased to have it. The quality of life working on and maintaining my cars has improved greatly. The first time my car was on the lift, I found three areas where hoses and cables were rubbing and abrading (I promptly zip tied split rubber hose around the contact areas), several lost bolts and nuts were replaced, and I tied off a loose connector or two.

I bought the standard lift, but may have been able to use the extra high lift. I have a 132” ceiling. There’s a good foot to 18” above my car at full height. I’m 6’2” and can’t quite stand up straight without a very slight slouch but it’s still great! No need for extra long lift for me. I have plenty of room between the posts to drive in and even through the posts end to end if needed.

The sliding jack stand is great. Super heavy duty rollers, very stout, good piece. The casters that allow you to move the post are very cleverly designed. They go over center when you lower the lift on them. This is pretty cool because it uses the weight of the car to lift the whole rig and also guarantees that you can only attempt to roll it around when the platform, and/or car is in the lowered position. It’s very easy to move on its casters. You really need two people. It will nearly roll due to the grade of my garage floor!

Casters