Backyard Buddy is a USA-made, freestanding four-post car lift built in Warren, Ohio. It’s aimed at home enthusiasts and small pro shops who want a heavy-gauge, relocatable lift they can roll into a garage without anchoring into the slab. This page is an independent lineup guide: every current and discontinued model, verified specs where we could confirm them, and honest notes where we couldn’t. The brand is now sold under the Real Garage Life name (more on that rebrand below), but the lifts and their model codes are unchanged.
The full Backyard Buddy / Advantage lineup at a glance
All capacities and dimensions below are copied from verified sources. Where a figure was not confirmable, the cell reads Verify with manufacturer — treat those as unknown, not as inherited from a “similar” model.
| Model | Code | Capacity | Clearance / key dimension | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | B-4P7CL | 7,000 lb | Standard-height 4-post; drive-through Verify with manufacturer | Current |
| Classic Extra Tall | B-4P7XT | 7,000 lb | 84″ under-deck; 7′ max clearance; drive-through 7’5.5″ | Current |
| Wide Buddy | B-4P8WB | 8,000 lb | 108.313″ between columns; 124″ overall width | Current |
| Multi-Lift | — | 8,000 lb | Verify with manufacturer | Current |
| Side-by-Side | B-SXS-10000 | 10,000 lb (5k/5k axles) | 16’1″L × 16’10″W × 8’9″H; 192″ runway | Current |
| Big Buddy | B-4P8BB | 8,000 lb | 7′ max clearance; drive-through 8’9.5″; fits F-250/F-350 | Discontinued |
| Workforce | B-4P8WF | 8,000 lb (capacity disputed — see note) | 84″ under-deck; 7′ platform clearance | Discontinued |
| Advantage AL-SF10 | AL-SF10 | 10,000 lb | 2-post floor-plate; 6’2.75″ max clearance; drive-thru 8’6″; min ceiling 9’6″ | Legacy / discontinued |
| Advantage ML-2000 | ML-2000 | 2,000 lb | Single-post utility; 72″ max lift height; must be anchored | Legacy |
How the current four-post models differ
The four-post family splits mainly on width and capacity. The Classic B-4P7CL is the standard 7,000 lb workhorse. The Classic Extra Tall B-4P7XT adds height for stacking two vehicles or working under a raised car — worth a look alongside our low-ceiling garage guide if headroom is tight. The Wide Buddy B-4P8WB steps up to 8,000 lb and a wider track (108.313″ between columns) for full-size trucks. The Multi-Lift is the other current 8,000 lb option — several of its dimensions aren’t published, so verify before buying. The Side-by-Side B-SXS-10000 is a genuinely different animal: a 10,000 lb double-wide platform for parking two vehicles across one frame. For cross-shopping against other brands, see our best four-post car lifts guide and the full four-post lift category.
Brand history and the Advantage → Real Garage Life rebrand, explained plainly
Two names cause most of the confusion here: Backyard Buddy and Advantage. Backyard Buddy is the long-running four-post consumer lift brand. Advantage was the broader storefront/brand that also carried two-post (AL-SF10) and single-post (ML-2000) lifts. In the current generation, that operation now sells under the Real Garage Life brand. At the time of writing the Real Garage Life storefront is partly offline/password-gated, which is why some live prices can’t be confirmed.
What this means for you as a buyer:
- The model codes are stable (B-4P7CL, B-4P7XT, B-4P8WB, B-SXS-10000, etc.). A “Real Garage Life” lift and an “Advantage / Backyard Buddy” lift of the same code are the same product line.
- The two-post AL-SF10 and single-post ML-2000 appear to be legacy/discontinued — they show only archived pricing and one storefront (bestals) 404s. Don’t assume they’re still in production; confirm availability.
- Some older marketing pages (Advantage era) and the newer Real Garage Life pages coexist in search results. When specs disagree, we defer to the manual (PN 90020 for the Classic/Wide/Big four-post family; PN 90052 for the Side-by-Side).
Made in USA (Warren, Ohio) and the 5-year warranty
The core selling point of this lineup is that the lifts are manufactured in Warren, Ohio — confirmed on the manuals and product captures for the Classic, Extra Tall, Wide, Big Buddy, Workforce, and Side-by-Side. That’s a real differentiator against imported four-post lifts, and it’s the main reason these cost more (see the Backyard Buddy lift price breakdown). Country of origin for the legacy AL-SF10 and ML-2000 is Verify with manufacturer.
The line carries a 5-year limited warranty across the models we could confirm (Extra Tall, Wide Buddy, Big Buddy, AL-SF10, ML-2000, and Side-by-Side). Warranty specifics — and whether coverage transfers to a second owner — should be confirmed directly, especially if you’re buying used. See our used Backyard Buddy buyer’s guide for what to inspect and how transferability affects value.
Which one should you buy?
- Standard home garage, cars and light trucks: Classic B-4P7CL (7,000 lb).
- Stacking two vehicles / low-ish ceiling: Classic Extra Tall B-4P7XT — verify your minimum ceiling first.
- Full-size trucks / more width: Wide Buddy B-4P8WB (8,000 lb) or the Multi-Lift (verify dimensions).
- Parking two vehicles across one lift: Side-by-Side B-SXS-10000.
- Considering a used Big Buddy or Workforce: read the cautions in our used buyer’s guide first — both are discontinued with essentially no reliable used-market pricing data.
Next steps: check current and archived numbers on the Backyard Buddy lift price page, compare against other brands in our best four-post car lifts guide, or browse the full four-post lift lineup.