[Alan Anderson]

Part of your code problem is probably because you're using buttons to control your lift and you haven't considered the case where one button is saying "go reverse" and the other button is saying "don't go forward" immediately afterwards.

The strafing could be any of several things, from a simple misunderstanding of joystick axes to swapped PWM cables to miswired motors to incorrectly mounted wheels. You're going to have to give a very detailed description of what you are doing before anyone can zero in on what's causing what you are getting.