Scary thing happen with my lift

01sapphirebob

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So I was lowering my lift this afternoon and had a scary thing happen. I look up as its comming down (almost fully lowered at this point) and notice that the right front post ( I am standing at the motor which would be the right rear post) is starting to tilt to the right!! I immeditly stop lowering and raise the lift back up till the post was upright again. I lower it again and everything is fine. I'm not exactly sure what happened. I raised and lowered the lift probably ten more times and DID NOT produce the same result. Thank god. The only thing I did different was reposition my car after the post tilted (I moved it back thinking maybe it was too far foward on the lift) to see if that was the issue.

Anybody with a lift ever have this issue? Any ideas would be helpful. The lift is a Backyard Buddy. Standard 7000 lb. four post lift. I already called their customer service number but this happened just befor 5 p.m. on a friday so I didn't expect anyone to answer.
 

GR8_ASP

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I had a pulley bearing fail a few years back. I have had my lift for more than 10 years and just may have surpassed the original design limit. The replacement pulleys (I replaced all at that point) were better and had full bearings instead of the original bushings.

It reminds you to watch the car when you raise and lower it looking for anything unusual.
 

viperdrummer

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Are the posts secured to the floor? When I first had my 4 post rotary put in I did not have them bolt the posts.

Then once I noticed a post tilting and that was enough for me. My Viper tech had already warned me--bolt it--he was right.
 

Lee00blacksilverGTS

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Been there, done that, you did not pull quite hard enough on the release lever through the entire cycle and one side did not release, at some point one of the locks did not release.
Makes for a pretty neat adrenaline rush when you notice it, eh?
And as others said pay attention while using. Simply watching what's going on side to side and corner to corner is the best protection.
And having it bolted to the floor would not have helped you in the slightest if one side did not release. Those who think bolting it to the floor means no worries are in for the same surprise some day if their attention span wanders.
And God help you if it it was the side you were standing on.
We all love power tools. And we have all heard the warnings, this is about the most dangerous power tool you can own if you don't pay attention when using it.
 
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01sapphirebob

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The design of this particular life dosen't require bolting. I hope thats all it was, a lock that somehow engauged. I really didn't look and I probably should have but I was so worried about the car on the lift that I ran around to the side that was tilting to see if I was going crazy then I ran back to the motor to raise it up to correct it.
 

Vypr Phil

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The design of this particular life dosen't require bolting. I hope thats all it was, a lock that somehow engauged. I really didn't look and I probably should have but I was so worried about the car on the lift that I ran around to the side that was tilting to see if I was going crazy then I ran back to the motor to raise it up to correct it.




Some great observations here folks. a few comments from personal experience:
  1. It may not require bolting to the floor but I sure would not ever want to stand under a car on a lift that is not securely bolted to the floor. But then I also live in Kahleefohnia where the ground occasionnally shakes. Would you build a house and not secure the framing to the foundation?
  2. Always make sure that both safety release levers are fully released.
  3. Always, always look up when letting a car down. If one side is not properly released, it can hang up and as Lee00blacksilverGTS mentioned from experience, it will generate quite an adrenaline rush once you notice. Had my Testarossa dangling at a nasty angle once about a dozen years ago. Will always keep my eyes on the car, especially so on the first few inches of downward travel.
  4. Check pulleys and cables periodically, clean and lube once a year.
  5. As Lee said, this is the one powertool that can severely hurt you or even kill you faster than just about any other one out there if you are not careful and attentive.
Phil
 

Lee00blacksilverGTS

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The design of this particular life dosen't require bolting. I hope thats all it was, a lock that somehow engauged. I really didn't look and I probably should have but I was so worried about the car on the lift that I ran around to the side that was tilting to see if I was going crazy then I ran back to the motor to raise it up to correct it.

That's all it was , believe me. Hold the release lever ALL the way back with firm pressure all the way down past the last lock.
The WORST thing you could possibly do would be to run around to the low side when you notice.
Such a simple fix....If you have ANY thought you are tilting at ALL, hit the UP button immediately, gst it back to even as quick as you can. When it is in that tilting sideways mode it will self correct to level very quickly when you hit the up button, and that button is your ONLY salvation, there's nothing to run around and check, the up button will level it again quickly.
And don't worry about it, now that you are a certified member of the almost tipped the car off club, your attention span will NEVER wander again, trust me, it's been 3 years for me and every time I touch that lever the adrenalin flows again.:omg:
 
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01sapphirebob

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THANKS EVERYONE!!! I was so good to start with. Keeping an eye on the lift that is. Reality check. Thank god nothing more serious happened. Thanks again everyone!
 

Jim Wilson

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I have a Bendpak hydraulic scissor lift that uses air to to lower it. If your compressor is low, say below 40 psi, one or the other "poppers" won't disengage the locks. The first time it happened it scared the **** out of me. Now I always check the psi in the compressor and watch the vehicle as it lowers.

Pretty crappy design if you ask me, and perhaps death, injury and lawsuits. You would think these companies would have devices to prevent this from happening.
 
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