CM3 CoverMate III Hydraulic Cover Lift

Purchased this cover locally. Then found it on amazon $100 less. Returned prior purchase and bought from amazon. Several different models so be careful which one you chose. Mine is the automatic one. I’m older and this really takes the weight of the cover and makes it very simple to lift.

First of all the directions for assembly are EXTREMELY difficult. I've assembled hundreds of things (all of which require a certain amount of frustration because all assemble-at-home items fall under Murphy's Law) but these directions are among the worst. The Gas Shocks are specifically impossible if you aren't familiar with them, and the instructions do not explain how to open the C-clips, or how to (as Murphy's Law mandates) get them back on when they go flying off at mach-20 towards your eye. (this requires a special tool from the mechanic's shop.)Once you finally get the stupid thing together, you discover that the whole assembly is quite wimpy. It barely holds the weight of the cover in the balanced upright position, let alone the unbalenced weight as you wrestle (veins popping out on forehead) to push the cover up into the upright position. The shocks help, but if you are a small person like me it is still an undertaking to lift it by yourself.There is a plastic round part that they call a "rubber stop". It is not rubber but they got the word "stop" right as it stops the rig from holding the cover open. This peice keeps the arms from going all the way up, instead it tries to hold the cover at an awkward angle. The weight then, unbalenced, flops the cover right back down again (hopefully not on your head.) I solved this problem by leaving the "stop" out and just used the bolt. This allowed the arm to extend all the way up and also allowed the Wind Lock Bar to actually engage.One of the selling points is that you only need 6" of clearance behind. Well that can be deceiving and not completely true with all covers. My cover is 4" thick. Folded in half it is now 8", so I needed a clearance of at least 8" behind. Fortunately my hottub is 9" away from the wall, and thankfully Murphy's Law did not require that I put it too close before filling it with water.My hottub is under an awning so I have not noticed any warping of the plastic parts from the sun, but I do not expect the lift to last very long. It only gets moderately used, which is a good thing...I do not look forward to even entertaining the thought of replacing it any time soon and it's replacement will most definately NOT be a Leisure Concepts Covermate.

This lifter was supplied by the retailer who sold me my Bullfrog (A9L) spa. This was all part of a much larger backyard remodel where we built a vault for the spa with a seat wall. The cover lifter is designed to be attached to the spa but there is a deck mount available which is what we needed. First use after the lifter was installed the mounting brackets started to buckle. These plastic parts are simply not designed strong enough to withstand the bending moment that is imparted into them when you lift a big cover like the one I have.I solved this problem by going to the hardware store and buying a length of 3/4" aluminum stock, some some longer pivot bolts and nuts to go with them. I cut the aluminum stock with a hacksaw to length (10 inches) then with a hammer, I pounded the ends of the stock flat. I then drilled holes pivot bolt in one end and the mounting bracket blot on the other end. Finally I installed my newly minted support bracket between the pivot bolt and the second support bolt.The bending moment is now carried by the aluminum support bracket I built instead of the plastic elbow. The cover lifter now works great. It holds the cover in an upright position when the spa is in use and it is simple for a single person to lift the cover. The only real draw back is it's not as clean looking because I cannot use the bracket covers.

It comes in a million pieces and doesn't need to be like that. The directions are atrocious and I've assembled MANY things in my life. Couldn't find a video on the deck mount. It took hours to get it together. Hoping it doesn't have a short shelf life like the other reviews said. If I hadn't put so many hours into it already, I would've just sent it back.

After six months I'm having all the same problems that others mentioned. It seems like it's just not designed or built strong enough for its intended use. It was installed by the dealer when I got my new spa; when I told them about the issues a few days ago, they contacted the manufacturer and then told me that the manufacturer said the problems weren't covered under the (1 yr) warranty, but that they would fix it anyway as a customer accommodation. I appreciate that of course, but I don't understand why the warranty wouldn't apply in this case when it's clearly defective in several ways.

Absolute hot garbage. Almost ruined my spa cover installing this hydraulic lift. Got it from a spa cover manufacture. Had to buy my own 1” bolts because they sent the wrong hardware, do not waste your money. So much easier to just lift the cover off.

Well I just broke my second set of pivot arms. Another 80 bucks. Problem with this device is that when you put the spa cover in the upright position and the thing just dangles there the thin walled aluminum arms are prone to bending, cracking, and snapping off. I was pushing it up very gently and not using it in even moderate wind to preserve them, but a teenage jaunt into my tub last week resulted in both pivot arms breaking (as well as a submerged cell phone). Don't have much of a choice except to order another set of pivot arms or scrap the whole thing. I wish covermate would read these reviews and improve their product. Just better gauge aluminum tubing would help make it stronger. I was thinking of sliding another pipe inside the tubing to strengthen it up.