Hey, Anyone on here ever buy or use one of the Direct Lift Drive-On 4 post lifts? I'm thinking of buying one from Greg Smith Equipment in Indy. I wanted a Backyard Buddy but the price they quoted me was over twice as much as the Diect lift brand. Thanks,Buk
I saw these lifts at a swap meet I went to a while back. I was also thinking about getting one but money went somewhere else. They didn't look too bad. The only thing I don't like about them is in order to lower it you have to pull on a lever that is on the ramp and a lever on the motor. Usually both levers are on the motor. I am a mechanic and I am just used to the expensive lifts at work I guess. Great lift for home though. I still might consider one.
About a year ago I bought a 1800.00 lift over the phone and got a week delivery date. Three weeks later and no lift I was at a swap meet and looked at 4 different bargain lifts including the brand I just purchased and a backyard buddy. I quickly whipped out the ole cell and called and asked if I could cancel my order. They were OK to oblige but did offer to kick in over 500.00 more goodies if I would stay with them. End of story I bought the higher priced backyard buddy and haven't regreted it a moment. Also there is a company I think in Texas called cl***ic lift that builds a similar lift just as good.
I have a Greg Smith 9,000 lb drive on 4 post and I love it.... I payed about $ 2,400 for it and its well worth it.......... they, as is with all the lift Mfg. make a promo lift for about $ 1700 and they are rated for usually 7,000 lbs....... Spend the time to research what you intend to buy and what you want to do with the lift..... The cheep promo,s are just that.... cheep promo,s......... there short and there narrow.... you can't even get your standard pickup on them.... Spend the extra $ and have something you can use for everything...... Again, just my opinion.......... B Dan
try another Ryan SITE WWW.GARAGEJOURNAL.COM search for 4 post lift well discussed topic My friend bought a direct lift . kind of junky .. cheap yes Depends on how often you use it , what you are lifting ..and will you or your family spend time under it My advice , buy good one, not high dollar , mega lift but good one expect to spend $3000 to 3500
I have a 9,000 lb. Manitowoc two post lift with the arms that I use and trust very well. I have a 1948 packard he**** on it right now. I am also considering buying about 4 cheaper 4-post lifts just for storing model a and t's on but using my existing lift for working under. My wife won't let me build no more sheds until she gets her addition on house so this is my way around that. This will give me more room to work in my shop during winter months instead of just using it for storage.
They are not bad, I bought one last year, there are others that have better features, as others have mentioned, but for the price I had a hard time p***ing it up. My primary objective was to use it to stack a car so I could open up a slot in the garage for a new project. But I use it a lot more than I thought I would, I am thinking about getting another. Plan on relocating the garage door tracks for more clearance unless you have a real deep garage, or already have a high lift track for your door(s). You need a minimum of 10 feet to the ceiling if you plan to stack the hot rod (unless you have roadsters) I think I still have a PSD file of the ***embly instructions if you want to review it. PM me if you are interested.
excuse my math car one 56 inches tall car two 56 inches tall adjust for lift runner 5-6 inches Lights, gararge door ,etc --leaves 3 inches MAX to play with Better have one low car under 52 inches or 10 foot ceiling will not work My stuff is all low , can't stack without letting allot of air out of tires in a 10 FOOT ceiling
After looking at available lifts, I wound up buying the Backyard Buddy about 12 years ago and never regretted it. I use it almost dailey and have had ZERO problems with it. From an engineering point of view, they look to be the best designed and built, IMO. When I got 3000# over my head, I don't wanna be worried about something bad happening.
I could not fit mine inside so I have to live with it outside. 750CDN $ from the old Ford dealership 9000lb rating. The wife figures it will put 5 years on my life not being on the ground working on cars plus i get to store two cars in the winter. It helps to put the one that leaks the most on the bottem. Motor oil is hard on wiper blades. Lindsay
12 years ago was the Backyard buddy $4,200 like it is now? No, It wasn't .....it was $2,995.I'd happily pay that price today. I'm hoping to get feedback on the Direct lift. The 9000 lb unit is affordable at $2499 from Greg Smith. I'd like feedback on it if available...Thanks
my grandfather has a backyard buddy. very cool. makes doing a lot of jobs much simpler. my only advice is to invite a few people over to put it together once you get it. youll reallly appreciate the extra hands once things get rolling.
My Dad found a 12,000 pound Ben-Pak lift for sale for $2800 about six years ago. It was cheaper than the 7,000 pound Ben-Pak lift. It pays to look for sales. It easily fits my grandpas F-350 Powerjoke 4X4 exstended cab long bed truck. Use it everyday with no problems.
You cant stop inflation man! But my grandfathers neighbor, where I keep my car has a $1700 4 post ramp lift, he's had it for 4 years, and has had no issues, and there is always a car on it.
Hey Buddy...You get what you pay for!!! I'm not trying to be rude but my life is worth much more than the starting price of a Backyard Buddy!!! My buddy bought a cheap copy of a Backyard Buddy and in my opinion it is not safe. When his car is up top you can rock his lift back and forth. My Backyard Buddy is SOLID and does not rock... Can you say ROCK SOLID... I was going to buy a cheap Greg Smith Equipment lift until I got to see one at the "Back to the Fifties" car show in Minneapolis. I personally would not trust the locking levers to hold my vehicle in case something happens. If you own the lift for 10 years and it costs you 2 grand to step up to a better lift your looking at $200 a year... Good Luck with your decision...
I have a direct lift and couldnt be happier with it. Well built and sturdy. Next best thing to a backyard buddy in my opinion. I bought it at the Seattle roadester show 3 years ago for $2400. with accy, delivered and set up. It was the display model.
No, 12 years ago I paid $2500....delivered and it was all I could do to pay for it then! Inflation happens. You're the one that mentioned BYB on your initial post, not us. We're just giving you our input and thoughts as friends would. If you wanna be stroked, go to a m***age parlor, but if you're going to survive here and learn, you might wanna lose the 'at***ude'. If you're dead set on buying the Direct Lift no matter what, then go for it. Don't get pissed when you ask for input and get it! Just my 2¢ Geeeez !!
If you want a good lift cheap, find a dealer/installer/repairman near you (check with auto shops, ****** shops, etc.) and buy one of thier used ones they always seem to have in stock. My guy is always buying out closed garages and always seems to have something good for under 2k installed. Probably different prices over the country, but that's where I would start.
For those of you that qwill buy from aqn EBAY seller, here's a used 4 post lift from a garage that can't use both of the ones they moved with. It's a TI Bradley model, didn't get the weight it can lift. Not sure if I can give the Item Nr on here, but you can probably do aq search on EBAY Motors, or look under "Parts Cars" that's where I found it. Just trying to help a fellow rodder get the tools he needs. Jerry
Guys, I'm amazed how many of you, are ATE-UP about this. Re -read the Thread. I asked for pro's and Con's on one brand of lift. Not a series of Commercils for the BYB. I can buy a 14,000 Atas lift, for a $1,000 less then the BB. It's comperable in every way. You guys are all wound up. Answering a question I did not ask.
I bought a used Rotary hoist. When it was delivered, man was it used looking. Anyway, i bought it cleaned it up (looks great), and that was about 17 years ago. One of my better investments. Back then, when i was shopping for a hoist, everyone was saying the Rotary was the Cadillac of hoists. It may be true
Thanks Jerry, Thanks, Groucho, I'm looking at a lot of lifts. I never even heard of the Rotary till I got a post sending me over to Garage ( Great Site). The BYB is made in my State(Ohio) and I like to support local Manufactures. They just went nut's on Pricing. (kinda like Harley Davidson not better..... Just Costly..LOL)I bought from Greg Smith before with great results. Sounds like Direct Lift makes a good one. Iv'e got almost as many GOOD PM's about them as I did BYB commercials. thanks,Fred
A friend just bought a Direct Lift from Greg Smith. I helped he and his dad set it up. Here's my thoughts on the lift. 1) It seemed a littlle wobbly when just free standing with no load. 2) With a load it's actually more stable. 3) The latch release hardware(rods, connectors and swivel ends are pretty sloppy and cheap. The latches themselves are OK, the latch release hardware is Cheesy. This is just my own pet peeve! 4) Construction wise, the lift compares with other brands. The 4 C channel posts are typical of this style lift. I've always had a concern that under load, this C channel could spread and cause the lift to collapse. 5) The Direct Lift is made in China. IF I had a choice, I would rather have a "captive" slide similar to Backyard Buddy. The lift raises on 4 square tubes, one on each post. I think this design is more stable than the open C channel. This has been a selling point by BYB as well as they're made in the USA. The people at Greg Smith told us that they have sold over a 1000 Direct Lifts and have had no major problems. I think in the home/ hobbyist situation, a Direct Lift is adequate. Just use a little common sense in using it.
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