What do you think about back yard buddy lifts

[mad57]

Well i just bought a used like new (within a month) #7000 lift with extended height and width with jacking trolly 4 post lift, 220 volt pump. for $2500 i didnt think i could go wrong. i saw the receipts they were over $6,000 by the time it was all said and done i was looking at bendpacs but this was local to me and i jumped on it. whats the general census on this lift... remember be kind but truthful ...i own it all ready

 

[porschedude996TT]

I think they are more expensive because they are made in the USA. I have not seen one in person, but the strenght looks like it is way beyond the other China made lifts... $2500 for a BYB seems like a very good deal.

 

[brownbagg]

its a good deal

 

[ovilla]

Mad57 - This is me being kind and truthful. That's definitely a great (smoking) deal for sure. Other than that, sorry, I'm not a fan of Backyardbuddy lifts because they don't incorporate any secondary safety locks into their lifts (most likely the biggest advancement in lift safety design today) and don't offer certified lifts (which is something that I value). Their retail price is also way too high, especially since you can get numerous other lifts that incorporate the features mentioned above for less money.

 

[SportFury59]

From all info I've seen BYB is the cadillac of homeowners lifts. There is a used 7000# 4 poster for sale here locally in WI. (Minocqua) Guys asking $3200 OBO. I have a buddy who is interested in that one. (By chance that's not the one you got, is it? Don't know your location)

 

[35mastr]

Now you got your self a really nice lift for a great price.

 

[rwhite692]

I have a BYB, and I like it very much.

It's American Made, also, if that matters to you.

 

[JSK]

Well i just bought a used like new (within a month) #7000 lift with extended height and width with jacking trolly 4 post lift, 220 volt pump. for $2500 i didnt think i could go wrong. i saw the receipts they were over $6,000 by the time it was all said and done i was looking at bendpacs but this was local to me and i jumped on it. whats the general census on this lift... remember be kind but truthful ...i own it all ready

$6,000.00 (cough, cough). I think you did very well. Quite a savings I'd think.

From all info I've seen BYB is the cadillac of homeowners lifts. There is a used 7000# 4 poster for sale here locally in WI. (Minocqua) Guys asking $3200 OBO. I have a buddy who is interested in that one. (By chance that's not the one you got, is it? Don't know your location)

BYB is surely the Cadillac priced lift. I don't think anyone on this board, myself included, can deny their craftsmanship; however, whatever "info" is out there that convinces consumers their product is better, surely is being misinterpreted and equally misunderstood. What does better mean, more expensive?

Lift design is critical, along with company capabilities, capacity, engineering and in this economy, longevity.

Really worth reading...

www.astudyinliftdesign.com


JSK

 

[mad57]

Guys thanks for all the info.

 

[denis4x4]

My BYB is eight or nine years old and I've moved it once from one bay to another. Best instruction sheets I've ever seen and it's a quality piece.

I'm going to bet that the guys ******* and moaning about the BYB price are the same ones lamenting about the fact that more and more stuff is being made in China. you can't have it both ways.

 

[mad57]

do you think that the air locks are better ? i also heard of secondary locks. i love my hobby but my life is alot more important, should i worry about this lift not having air locks or secondary locks?? if i welded up steel squares or pins for just under the stock locks while working on a car ( making a note not to leave them there after im done while lowering) would that be a safer bet. thanks again.

 

[ptschram]

do you think that the air locks are better ? i also heard of secondary locks. i love my hobby but my life is alot more important, should i worry about this lift not having air locks or secondary locks?? if i welded up steel squares or pins for just under the stock locks while working on a car ( making a note not to leave them there after im done while lowering) would that be a safer bet. thanks again.

I've worked in shops with many different brands of lifts and I've not seen a major difference in operation of a lift with air versus mechanical locks.

W/R/T life and safety, I bought a four-post lift because my wife lays awake at night worrying about trucks on jackstands falling on me. We both now sleep much better having me working beneath a four-poster versus jack stands.

Whatever you do, don't buy from Greg "the customer is not always right" Smith equipment. I love my lift, but I'll never buy another thing from him again.

 

[rwhite692]

do you think that the air locks are better ? i also heard of secondary locks. i love my hobby but my life is alot more important, should i worry about this lift not having air locks or secondary locks?? if i welded up steel squares or pins for just under the stock locks while working on a car ( making a note not to leave them there after im done while lowering) would that be a safer bet. thanks again.

The air locks are more convenient to use as you move the lift up and down, vs. not having them, but that's about it. We have a Danmar lift as well with the air locks, they are nice.

The locking action on the BYB is very obvious, and it is extremely robust.

Once you set up and install your lift, you will understand. Don't let the various lift-brand internet fanboys get you all worked up and losing sleep.

 

[HIRISC]

To the OP's question:

I think they are over-priced and over-hyped. No certification, no secondary air locks, no adjustable ramp width, no customer service......

BTW, I'd like to see the manufacturing trail that shows that BYB steel is from the U.S. to substantiate their "U.S.A." chanting.

 

[ulev1st]

I LOVE mine!!!!!! It gets daily use! I have to stack cars to fit everything inside at night.

 

[mad57]

ok you guys got some good points here on bend pak vs backyard buddys, i was ready to sell my new lift and go with bendpak.. but i did some calling and asked a ton of questions. first off the guy at bend pak was just drooppy on the phone about there stuff, they are made with china steel over in china!!! they are 30 pounds lighter than byb, they have hidden cables yes, but they have a (u) channel 3 sided posts where as byb has a solid square steel post 4 sides. now bp has ansi certification because it has secondary locking system(slack cable) now byb does not but they do have a product libality insurance and when i checked it out no claims ..ever! so ansi cert is a secondary company who puts there sticker on it and says it good..ok knowing how my health insurance auto ins ect works they are not in the business to insure a potental law suit. now byb has a hydrolic check valve to keep the lift up and dropping slow if god for bid the hose broke and the spring loaded locking for some reason didnt latch. you are right ive never seen a byb in a commercial shop just homes but doesnt mean its not a quality product. when i started this post i was just worried about my safety no lift is worth my life or familys . thanks for the help . does anybody in south jersey have a bend pak i could see in real life that would make up my mind .?maybe

 

[JSK]

Mad 57,

Surely don't go and sell the BYB. It sounds like you got a fair deal and going through all the trouble of swapping would be a hassle.

From a design standpoint, BYB may not be quite as equal to commercial styles, but regular inspection and maintenance would give you peace of mind. BYB is still a known brand and have been selling DIY consumers for quite some time.

But consumers paying almost double for "engineering" that is questionable in the whole grand scheme of things is silly. Three-sided wrapped columns are used in almost every commercial four-post lift in the world. BendPak’s HD-9 series columns have a tensile stress safety factor of 14.8 and a shear stress safety factor of 6.9. That means 9000 lbs. x 14 and 6.9 respectively. You would have a hard time finding anything that rolls that would be heavy enough to cause one of our three-sided columns to fail.

If you do get to see a BendPak in South Jersey, would be worth the quick visit to at least make a comparison.

Bet your smile goes ear to ear having a lift now. Just make sure to go out and get momma her new drapes!

Jeff
BendPak

 

[nyjets53]

I will be coming over to buy your BYB Lift and I will even hang around and help you set up what ever new lift you buy...Love my BYB

Add the Pro Jack 3500 sliding hydraulic vehicle jack, I did and it is fantastic to work with...

 

[krooser]

Good lift... I've talked with their sales people at car shows for years. Knowledgeable folks. They DO use USA steel, too.

I'm looking for a used four post this summer for my storage building. A BYB would be a good find.

 

[Driveswifecrazy]

I'm new here, I know this is an old thread, but just thought I would share my experiance with lifts. I'm an auto tech by trade, and work with lifts on a daily basis, & I've seen & used all sorts of brands & models. I really like Rotary 2 post lifts, but recently I was looking for a 4-post residential lift for my home garage.

I looked at the Rotary Revolution a couple years ago witch was very nice BUT its NOT the same lift they use now. It Looks like a ProPark model thats a different color & they slapped on the Revolution decal & lowerd the price. (Its all under the Dover company umprella)

Long story short, my dad & I went down to Warren Ohio, were the Backyard Buddy is made. The plant manager (owners son) gave us a full vip tour behind the scenes & really got to see first hand their full production, from bare steel, powder coating, welding, etc, I mean everything!!! It blew us away, how much pride they have in there made in USA lifts. My dad is a retired welder & was very impressed by the quality of everything, (hard to do these days)

They even had their competitors lifts up next to theirs for a side by side comparrison. the Backyard Buddy was so much more "heavy duty" it was a no contest by a mile.
After that, we ordered a lift right there & received a great deal dealing factory direct, with some nice options to go along with it.

If your looking for a lift, I would definitely, put Backyard Buddy on the list. Was it more expensive-yes it was, But you definitely get what you pay for. Go to their factory & see it made first hand, seeing is believing right!!!

 

[mad57]

thanks !!!

 

[01GTB]

Does anyone have a copy of the BYB instructions? I just bought one used from a friend of mine, and I'll need to disassemble it to move it out of his shop and reassemble it at mine.

I just couldn't pass it up. I have wanted one for years, and watched as they kept increasing in price. It's older, but seems to be in good shape. Just a little dusty. He said he put a new hydraulic cylinder on it recently.

 

[Engine-Ear]

I am looking to buy three BYB 7-kip units, so if you have one (or THREE!) available, please PM me...I can come 'n git 'em.

 

[Backyard Buddy]

I'm new here, I know this is an old thread, but just thought I would share my experiance with lifts. I'm an auto tech by trade, and work with lifts on a daily basis, & I've seen & used all sorts of brands & models. I really like Rotary 2 post lifts, but recently I was looking for a 4-post residential lift for my home garage.

I looked at the Rotary Revolution a couple years ago witch was very nice BUT its NOT the same lift they use now. It Looks like a ProPark model thats a different color & they slapped on the Revolution decal & lowerd the price. (Its all under the Dover company umprella)

Long story short, my dad & I went down to Warren Ohio, were the Backyard Buddy is made. The plant manager (owners son) gave us a full vip tour behind the scenes & really got to see first hand their full production, from bare steel, powder coating, welding, etc, I mean everything!!! It blew us away, how much pride they have in there made in USA lifts. My dad is a retired welder & was very impressed by the quality of everything, (hard to do these days)

They even had their competitors lifts up next to theirs for a side by side comparrison. the Backyard Buddy was so much more "heavy duty" it was a no contest by a mile.
After that, we ordered a lift right there & received a great deal dealing factory direct, with some nice options to go along with it.

If your looking for a lift, I would definitely, put Backyard Buddy on the list. Was it more expensive-yes it was, But you definitely get what you pay for. Go to their factory & see it made first hand, seeing is believing right!!!

Hey Driveswifecrazy,

We are very glad you enjoyed your tour of our facilities!
It is always a pleasure to show our work and how we manufacture our lifts to everyone! I hope you enjoy your Backyard Buddy lift and be sure to send us some pictures of your garage!!!

We hope to hear more from you!

Backyard Buddy Team

 

[Backyard Buddy]

Does anyone have a copy of the BYB instructions? I just bought one used from a friend of mine, and I'll need to disassemble it to move it out of his shop and reassemble it at mine.

I just couldn't pass it up. I have wanted one for years, and watched as they kept increasing in price. It's older, but seems to be in good shape. Just a little dusty. He said he put a new hydraulic cylinder on it recently.

Hey There!
You can find instructions here:
http://www.backyardbuddy.com/downloads.asp

Let us know if that helps! If not call us at 800 837-9353 and we can answer your questions!

Backyard Buddy Team

 

[mechamunch]

I'm new here, I know this is an old thread, but just thought I would share my experiance with lifts. I'm an auto tech by trade, and work with lifts on a daily basis, & I've seen & used all sorts of brands & models. I really like Rotary 2 post lifts, but recently I was looking for a 4-post residential lift for my home garage.

I looked at the Rotary Revolution a couple years ago witch was very nice BUT its NOT the same lift they use now. It Looks like a ProPark model thats a different color & they slapped on the Revolution decal & lowerd the price. (Its all under the Dover company umprella)

Long story short, my dad & I went down to Warren Ohio, were the Backyard Buddy is made. The plant manager (owners son) gave us a full vip tour behind the scenes & really got to see first hand their full production, from bare steel, powder coating, welding, etc, I mean everything!!! It blew us away, how much pride they have in there made in USA lifts. My dad is a retired welder & was very impressed by the quality of everything, (hard to do these days)

They even had their competitors lifts up next to theirs for a side by side comparrison. the Backyard Buddy was so much more "heavy duty" it was a no contest by a mile.
After that, we ordered a lift right there & received a great deal dealing factory direct, with some nice options to go along with it.

If your looking for a lift, I would definitely, put Backyard Buddy on the list. Was it more expensive-yes it was, But you definitely get what you pay for. Go to their factory & see it made first hand, seeing is believing right!!!

How can you get a "deal" going factory-direct and still have it be "more expensive"??

And which competitor lifts do they compare to? Are we talking like a low-level DirectLift straight off the boat from China or like a BendPak or Mohawk? Be wary of advertising...it's all about how you frame it.

 

[ovilla]

How can you get a "deal" going factory-direct and still have it be "more expensive"??

And which competitor lifts do they compare to? Are we talking like a low-level DirectLift straight off the boat from China or like a BendPak or Mohawk? Be wary of advertising...it's all about how you frame it.

I'm all for purchasing American made anything whenever possible but to me it still needs to make sense. I still don't understand, why in 2009, people are still purchasing an over priced BYB lift that is not certified and doesn't incorporate any type of secondary safety locks. Also, BYB's enclosed column design is not used by ANY big MFG in the lift industry (not BendPak, Rotary or Mohawk). Don't you think all of these competitors haven't carefully studied each other's designs, especially since they've all been in the Lift indsutry for decades now? They all probably ship out more lifts in a single day than BYB does all year, and could easily incorporate the use of any metal they want, yet none of them use the square column design. Cheap import lift companies don't do it either.

 

[mjozefow]

The BYB has mechanical locks that engage every so often. How is this not a safe design? It seems robust to me.

I'm genuinely curious.

 

[mad57]

I just finally got around to setting up my lift today!!!! love it!!! it locks every time it goes up and you hear that smack!! when i get to my height i lower it down to position and let it rest on the locks. Not for nothing but the snap on lift at my buddys high school auto body has the same square design posts and same spring locking mech. to end the argument of secondary safety locks could i just fab 4 steel blocks and put them 1 hole below the factory lock? and just remember to remove them when lowering . problem solved!! the lift also has a one way valve ..in the event the hose is cut it wont let the lift come crashing down... but slow decent. Insurance companys like things they insure to be in a protective bubble do you really thing they would cover byb if they thought they were a inferior lift? I cant even have a tree branch over my roof with out fear of being dropped. Imagine the policy they have to sell lifts to the public.

 

[gsport]

back to the original question.. "what do you think?"
i think they are way over priced and always wonder why they can't include their prices in their ads...

 

[slowTA]

to end the argument of secondary safety locks could i just fab 4 steel blocks and put them 1 hole below the factory lock? and just remember to remove them when lowering . problem solved!!

That would be rather annoying when you raise and lower the car. The slack cable safeties are there for when you have to suspend the car by the cables.

 

[ryno]

i have a friend that has a byb...
i'll stick with my bend pak

 

[Backyard Buddy]

Hello All –

We hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving Break.
We are very proud of our product and always thankful to everyone’s feedback.
As usual, we are unable to be as active on the forums as we wish, but we have been tracking your questions, comments and concerns.
We would like let you all know that if you have any questions regarding lifts, how it is manufactured, where we get our steel, cables, etc, please give us a call or schedule a tour of our factory.
There is no better way to answer all of your questions than to welcome you to our facility in Warren Ohio.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Backyard Buddy Team

 

[ket-tek]

We would like let you all know that if you have any questions regarding lifts, how it is manufactured, where we get our steel, cables, etc, please give us a call or schedule a tour of our factory.
There is no better way to answer all of your questions than to welcome you to our facility in Warren Ohio.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Backyard Buddy Team

Why wouldn't more detailed information or virtual tour just be posted on the manufacture website?

At least posting MSRP's could be an improvement. Unless the tactic is make people call to receive a sales pitch?

 

[rburke65]

Here's an idea.......If you don't want to pay the price for a BYB, don't. Buy what you want.

 

[ron in sc]

I saw one of those lifts at a car show and it seem quite nice and lots of options. It did seem expensive, but then that's relative.

 

[Backyard Buddy]

Hello All!

We hope everyone had a wonderful New Year!

Backyard Buddy Lifts Inc. is happy to announce that we now have economical 2-post lifts and affordable 4-post lifts for sale! Call us today at 800-837-9353 to learn more!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Backyard Buddy Team

 

[ovilla]

Hello All!

We hope everyone had a wonderful New Year!

Backyard Buddy Lifts Inc. is happy to announce that we now have economical 2-post lifts and affordable 4-post lifts for sale! Call us today at 800-837-9353 to learn more!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Backyard Buddy Team

Backyard Buddy Team,

If you really want to be involved in this site, then please do and contribute accordingly. Informing folks that you have been tracking our questions and concerns and then asking them to call your 800 number or schedule a tour is not the answer. Please be like other MFG's that have come on this great site and actually answered peoples questions and participated in thread discussions. You don't have to check the site every day. Just come on whenver you want, read a persons question, and answer with a direct answer so that we can all learn from it. Simple as that. Thanks


P.S. Please update your site. I know you may not want to show pricing for your products but you just talked about your new 2-post lifts and yet there's not pics on your site.

 

[tatra]

maybe post a link to your 2 post lift?.............

 

[mechamunch]

Backyard Buddy Team,

If you really want to be involved in this site, then please do and contribute accordingly. Informing folks that you have been tracking our questions and concerns and then asking them to call your 800 number or schedule a tour is not the answer. Please be like other MFG's that have come on this great site and actually answered peoples questions and participated in thread discussions. You don't have to check the site every day. Just come on whenver you want, read a persons question, and answer with a direct answer so that we can all learn from it. Simple as that. Thanks


P.S. Please update your site. I know you may not want to show pricing for your products but you just talked about your new 2-post lifts and yet there's not pics on your site.

Hear, hear!