We have the similar setup as you @Mastercrafter, in MT. Have always pulled the dock out and left the lift in, until last year. Had a great late Fall and were using it then Winter hit and we didn't get it out of the water. On a private lake also, had some damage, replaced 1 section where the ladder was. The ladder was frozen in the ice, then the level dropped and pulled/bent the dock section. Also a couple other pcs have slight damage that we fixed. Our lift also had some damage, 1 broken cross member and a tube that was cracked. We did have a very harsh winter, ice was probably 2' thick. Won't be leaving it in the water again...