Puri Tech Cover Lifts - Under Mount Bracket Spa & Hot Tub Cover Lift Removal System Reinforced Brackets Double Coated Aluminum Structure Fits Most Spas & Hot Tubs, Black

My old lifter was spring loaded and made of steel. I followed the directions on that one and realized I could have saved myself a lot of headaches if I knew what I know now. I have a few pointers to save your cover from destruction and abuse. I have applied them to this aluminum one without the need for springs (rusted out badly) and I took a few pictures.First, aluminum is the only way to go for anything, especially lounge chairs. Coated steel is just a white wash for rust and deterioration not to mention the heavy weight. Spend a few extra dollars and you'll be very glad you did.Ironically, this lifter is only a hundred or so and is the nicest one I have seen.I had no problem giving up the spring loaded thoughts as this spa is a Freeflow Mini by Watkins. They make the Hotsprings spas, which I had one for 30 years and loved it every day, so this cover is only 4x6 feet and when new weighs less than my cat.The main thing I want to say is, you really only need 2 screws to put the frame together. If you look at the pictures, you will see that there is one screw on each side that connects the elbow bar to the side leg. There is no need for more, it's not going anywhere. Where the cross bar joins to the elbow, use rubber electrical tape. Not electric vinyl, but rubber. Stretch it as you go to make it pliable and wrap the joints a few times. This will keep water from seeping inside the tube and it will only add a fraction of an inch to the thickness so the top won't bulge around it. Without screws you will have a nice smooth surface for the cover to wrap around. Another tip is to pull off the foam strip that is on the elbow, it isn't really necessary and without it you will have no unnecessary bulging in the cover seam.On the old steel one, I did the screws as told and it rusted and tore up the cover over time. The rubber tape will hold, I promise you'll be lucky to take it back off once it sets and the tubes aren't about to move.Where the side leg meets the elbow tube is the only screw I put in, because it will keep the cover from pushing it down when open. There are places and screws for 3 on each side but I can't imagine any reason for that.One other thing, put it together without any screws and get it where it needs to be first. When the cover is closed, the cross bar should not be on the center seam but to the side of the seam that is on the lifter side. Once you have it in place, wrap a piece of duct tape around the joints of the side leg and elbow. Then open and lift the cover to make sure you have the legs back far enough so you have room for it to stand behind the spa when open. The nice thing here is that it holds the cover up off the deck when open. My old springs lifter kept lifting till it let the cover hit the deck. The instructions say the swivel point on the bottom plates should be in 7 inches from the end of the spa but that was way off for mine. I ended up putting the end of the plate even with the back of the spa. Remember, when folded, the cover is at least 8 or more inches unless it is really thin. Play with it, you only need two boards, one as a base and the other as a lever placed under the body if it has a groove or offset. Push the lever down and the spa will lift easily enough to move the plates. Have fun.

I just installed today and used the tricks as mentioned by other reviews. E.g. get everything set, use duct tape to test things out, then install the screws. Directions say the plates go 7" from the end - which was way off (as was in other reviews too). Mine extended a bit past the end of the spa. I had to use treated deck board as a shim, it wasn't until I got to installing this that I realized the part touching my concrete was tucked a ways under the spa (and the plate didn't reach). Fortunately I had some left over deck boards that appear to be a good height. I got it all set up, used duct tape, tested things out, adjusted a couple times (taking off tape, moving and re-taping). I used all the screws. I'm not sure they would have been needed, but they are pretty easy to install, so I installed them all. I used the cardboard trick over the spa when drilling the crossbar to not get metal shavings on the spa cover. I did put those caps on the screws, but also used rubber electrical tape over everything too. I used the tape over the screws, and over where the bars slide into one another so that there weren't any places for water to get inside. My new spa cover is pretty light (<50 lbs), so I think this will be fine. But my old lift was fine too until my spa cover got water logged somehow and got heavy and busted the lift. This new lift doesn't look any stronger than the old lift - so hoping it lasts.

I can't believe I went without this for soo long. I definitely recommend it for any spa. Soo easy to set up and use. No drilling into spa or the ground simply slides under unit and the weight of the spa keeps it in place. Highly recommended. My local spa store wanted double the price I bought here on Amazon Highly recommend

The store that delivered our hot tub wanted $400 for one of these. That was a big nope. I'm 5'2" and can remove the hot tub cover by myself, so this one is a win.

The cover lifter assembled rather quickly and does the job as described. I’d recommend putting your cover lifter on before you fill your tub or you’ll have to use a long crow bar or something similar to slightly pickup the base and slide the brackets under.