We used a very similar system to attach the lifts to our robot last season from necessity. It required a lot of effort and force to reset them, so we opted instead to make them quickly removable. It was probably the single best feature of our robot.
This season, we’re taking a similar approach. Because the structure above our drive train is large and covers almost everything, we’ve made it removable again. Additionally, the most exposed parts of our manipulator are similarly attached. If they become damaged, we can replace them in about 15 seconds.
We frequently stored our robot in our pit in pieces. It gave us a lot more room to work with. Be warned that if you do anything similar, 75% of the people walking through the pit – other teams included – will think your robot is broken. That was a bigger problem for us last year than we ever expected.