The LeverLift-X2 kit was discontinued and replaced by the EZLift kit over 3 years ago. The main reasons the kit was redesigned and the Flip-Tip was eliminated was, 1. Safety, 2. Reliability, 3 Cost.
1. Safety: People were lifting the tonneau cove tor the verticle position and letting it hang there, unsupported, were a breeze could make it fall in either direction resulting in damage to the cover, the gas springs and mounting hardware, and possible injury to the operator. I know this happened because others reported it to me, and it happened to me too.and resulted in ripping the mounts out of my cover while I was showing it to Ron and Paul Brezina at my house.
2. Reliabliity: Removing all the levers, flip-tips and the simplified design eliminated all of the weak points subject to wear and breakage. Since I introduced the EZLift kit over 3 years ago, I have not had a single reported failure. The kit has proven to be so reliable that I have extended the standard warranty from 90 days to one year, and I give a full 2 year warranty on the gas springs which is the same warranty that my supplier gives me.
3. Cost: By eliminating the Flip-Tip levers and other moving parts I also eliminated the expensive CNC Milling machine-shop made parts and reduced my manufactuing cost. That allowed me to make or purchase all the necessary parts in my shop, and that cost savings was passed on to the customers in the form of a significant price reduction for the EZLift kit. This redesign has also allowed me to easily adapt the EZLift kit to fit the new 2007 Sport Trac tonneau covers with only minor modifications.
If you take time to think about how often you use your bed extender vs the minor inconvenience of having to detach the top half of the rear gas springs, you would have to use the bed extender many times per day, every day. Then I would agree that it would be too inconvenient, and the EZLift might not be for you.
However, If you are like most Sport Trac owners who only use the bed extender once or twice a week and many use it a lot less, then the convenience of the EZLift will quickly become noticable. I have the bed extender on my 2003 Sport Trac, and removed it when I got home from the dealer and have never used it, and doubt that I ever will. Also, If you are a woman or you are short, or your wife drives the Sport Trac like my wife does, she cannot even open the cover without the EZLift.
That was the main reason for developing the original LeverLift kit in the first place. My wife was driving back an forth to Louisiana to visit her family but could not open the tonneau cover to load or unload her luggage. The LeverLift changed that. Now even my young grand children can open the cover.
Also, consider that I still offer the optional, extra cost metal end-fittings which allow the gas springs to simply pop on and off with a quick push or pull. No locking caps are used so not tools are needed to remove or install the gas springs. Gas springs can be removed as fast ast you can walk from one side of the truck to the other! (That's about 10 seconds), so inconvenience is no longer an excuse.
...Rich
