Let me start with a quick disclaimer. I have not/will not be compensated for any product information I provide. I am merely an LJ fan that hopes to provide objective feedback on a new product that could help extend the life, utility and daily usefulness of our beloved LJs. I did purchase my hardtop from Bull Dawg MFG. I purchased my top for ~$3300 The starting price for the top is $2,400 and I added the additional $250 defroster, $350 rack that has a 225lb limit and paid $150 to have the top installed at their factory in Hixson, TN. If you believe this is too much for a new production top, that’s fine. Feel free to keep that to yourself. I believe it's worth it for the added convenience and the fact that it is new vs a 14+ year old OEM top. But to each their own.
I daily drive my LJ to work as well as hit the local ponds just about every day. Well carrying all my junk and three (pricey) fishing poles in a soft top was not the ideal solution. Neither was pulling an ultralight trailer with a kayak to work every day. In late May saw a post in the LJ Owners FB page that started it all. I had found a way to haul my kayak, rods (a work in progress. Will most likely add a Thule Rod Locker or conduit pipe) and make the Jeep more accommodating for the family which includes an 8yr old daughter, 2 yr old Husky and 6-month-old Lab. The dogs also go everywhere we can legally take them.
So, on 01 June 20 I called Bull Dawg MFG and spoke with Mike Sherman about the tops design and progress. Later that day I called back and placed my order, unbeknownst to my wife at the time (she still thinks I’m going to sell my KLR650 to pay for the top . Mike was very helpful during the design process and we talked at length a handful of times about the top and he was always keen to make sure the top would be what I wanted. I settled on the standard top vs the Highlander Top. I also opted for the defroster and 225lb Perrycraft roof rack. At the time I believe there was only 2 options but now there are 5 different roof rack options. More to follow on this one.
On 15 Aug 20 I made the drive to Hixson, TN to pick up my new top. I was greeted by Jason who showed me the top and explained how he and the team at BD had designed and manufactured the top as well as a short tour of the factory. Mike seems to have a talented group of guys under him that are highly motivated, even if it is a Saturday morning. After a bit over an hour the install was compete and Jason walked me through the top again and answered all my question on how the wiring was run and other tidbits. Finally, the long wait was over.
Finally, on to what you’re here for, objective criticism of the new Bull Dawg MFG LJ hardtop.
Exterior Fit and Finish
After some back and forth with Mike, I settled on their “Shiny” black exterior. I would maybe consider it a satin. Either way I was looking for something that would be close to OEM in terms of matte vs bling. I feel that their standard coloring is spot on. In the pictures below you will see some dark black spots. That is just water that I was too impatient to wait on before getting some pictures for this write up. The only gripe that I had with the exterior was that the rubber seal on the rear window was a bit too long. A few seconds with a box cutter and it was improved though.
I removed my tire to make access easier. Also looking at just strapping it into the tub when off road. Speaking of which, some folks have raised concerns about the side window handles sticking out and being broken by limbs and such. I plan to just remove the top when offroad. No need to risk breaking a brand new top. Maybe future generations will include flush mount handles but I still wouldn't risk it.
An easy improvement that can be made would be key matching all of the locks. On my top the side windows match but the rear has its own key. And I know this one is a bit knit picky but the handles on the left and rear rotate interiorly to open and the right rotates anteriorly. I haven’t played with them yet, but I plan to swap the handles around if possible to remedy this. It’ll drive me nuts.
Side access has been great for loading the kid and chucking random things in the back.
The middle sliding windows seemed odd when I first heard of them but for me they are perfect for keeping my crazy husky’s limbs in the ride at all times.
Note: The rubber caps on the aluminum rails pops of quite easily. May want to glue or screw it down to keep them attached and stop junk from accumulating in the bars over time.
I found these little hoop guys on top. I imagine the are for bungee cords/tie down points. At least they seem about perfect for it. The eyelet slides to the left to the screw you see and a few inches to the right to the end of the rail.
I guess I can only upload 20 pictures at a time. Part II below.
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