I have a very high garage and want to install a manual hoist for my hard top to store all Summer.
Please recommend brands that you like.
Please recommend brands that you like.
Hardtop hoist recommendation needed
- Thread starter jsbeckerman
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This is the one I have, I'm very happy with it:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005AUH8OG/?tag=wranglerorg-20
You'll see it's very highly reviewed as well.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005AUH8OG/?tag=wranglerorg-20
You'll see it's very highly reviewed as well.
Be careful when hoisting the hard top off the Jeep. If the hard top isn't perfectly centered under the hoist, it can suddenly spin around when it clears the roll cage and smack you good. That happened to me and it gave me the worst black eye I've ever seen on anyone.... which was the day before my first day at a new job where I had to give a presentation to the entire company which was mostly women. They probably thought I had been in a fight and worried they had hired the wrong man lol.
The Harken Hoister gets good reviews for a manual hoist. It's made by a good company and comparatively well priced, but I believe it requires a flat garage ceiling. My garage has a big support beam in the middle, so I bought the Lange Original Hoist A Top. (http://www.langeoriginals.com/langeZC/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_38). I went for the powered unit. It works well and I'm happy I bought it. (My wife holds the corner of the Jeep top to prevent the spin Jerry mentions.) My only complaint is that the ceiling mounting system for the electric winch is a bit iffy. If you go this route, judge the lag bolts yourself and drill your guide holes with a smaller diameter bit than the one the instruction video advises. I ended up buying a piece of steel strap and fashioned reinforcements for the mount. If you're on a budget, the key part of the Lange is really the adjustable metal frame and hooks that attaches to the Jeep roof. You're paying for it's design and that it's pre-built. You can buy a similar electric winch for half the price at Harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com/440-lb-electric-hoist-with-remote-control-60346.html).
Here are some photos of the reinforcement strap. Good luck.
Here are some photos of the reinforcement strap. Good luck.
David Jackman
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How much does the hard top on an '04 Wrangler X weigh? I'm wondering if my wife and I can take it off at an RV park and put on a bikini top, then put the hard top back on when we are ready to travel again.
Is it possible to leave a bikini type top/cover on the Jeep all the time? I mean, can we put the hard top back on with the bikini top on?
Is it possible to leave a bikini type top/cover on the Jeep all the time? I mean, can we put the hard top back on with the bikini top on?
I'm not 100% sure but I want to say it's around 150 lbs.
My wife and I can take ours off by ourselves, but it's REALLY awkward due to the size, you have to be super careful.
If the bikini top doesn't have a frame (which I don't believe it does), then yes, you can leave it on the entire time, even with the hard top. We do the same thing with our Spiderweb Shade.
David Jackman
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Ditto on what Chris said. My wife and I took it off the first time. It's heavy and the weight is very un-evenly distributed (like a large old cathode ray tube TV). I was OK with it. But, I'm 6' 2" and 200 lbs. My wife is 5' 4". She's in quite good shape, but it honestly scared her. She didn't feel she had good control and really didn't like it. If you do take it off by hand, after you unbolt the 6 nuts and bolts (you do still have 6, don't you ;-) and unplug the windshield washer wiring and hose, lift the rear hatch and walk it off to the back over the spare tire. Again, be careful. You drop it and you can injure yourself and/or damage the roof. I got a hoist the very next season.
BTW - I made a plywood platform with rollers to store it on. The doors rest on it under the top. I'm really happy I did this. There are also after-market top carts. When you store the doors make sure you pad well between. If you have old patio furniture cushions, they would be good. You don't want to dent / crease the bottom door from a hinge from the top one.
Good luck.
BTW - I made a plywood platform with rollers to store it on. The doors rest on it under the top. I'm really happy I did this. There are also after-market top carts. When you store the doors make sure you pad well between. If you have old patio furniture cushions, they would be good. You don't want to dent / crease the bottom door from a hinge from the top one.
Good luck.
David Jackman
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If it helps, my garage ceiling is 8' 3.5 inches high. The 2 x 6 mounting board takes up 1.5 inches of that. My Jeep is a mostly stock 2005, but with 30" tires. The ceiling height is tight and there isn't much room to spare. If my Jeep had a lift, I think I would need more ceiling height.
I am looking at getting the Harken hoist and wondering how hard it is to pull to get it off the Jeep.
If I read this right it has a 4:1 mechanical advantage. If the top is 150lbs that means the pull is around 37.5 lbs of force.
Anyone put a winch (manual or electric) on one of these Harken hoists?
As a side note, I have been using ratchet straps for nearly 10 years and its too rough on the top edges and takes forever to run around to each corner with the ladder multiple times. I plan to still use these straps to support the top when it is fully lifted just for added safety. I am trying to get this up high enough that I don't hit my head all summer walking under it. I have 9 foot ceilings so it should be able to clear 6 ft I hope.
If I read this right it has a 4:1 mechanical advantage. If the top is 150lbs that means the pull is around 37.5 lbs of force.
Anyone put a winch (manual or electric) on one of these Harken hoists?
As a side note, I have been using ratchet straps for nearly 10 years and its too rough on the top edges and takes forever to run around to each corner with the ladder multiple times. I plan to still use these straps to support the top when it is fully lifted just for added safety. I am trying to get this up high enough that I don't hit my head all summer walking under it. I have 9 foot ceilings so it should be able to clear 6 ft I hope.
The hardtop weighs 120lb. I’ve removed it several times with my two 13 year olds several times, including at Elephant Hill in Moab.
Spider Shade stays in all the time.
I have the Harken Hoist. It has four attachment points, so it won’t rotate. I do it manually, which is no problem. I’ve used it on a 10 foot garage and presently an 8 foot. Never had a problem.
I installed and electric hoist that I use with a Lange. The Lange works okay with a TJ top, but can be challenging with an LJ top like I have. I also installed anchor screws in the ceiling joists, then built a platform attached to chains. Basically, I lift the top with the hoist; pull the Jeep out; connect the platform on the front side first; lift and attach the rear; then lower the top onto the platform. This also allows me to store other stuff on the platform.
Not sure if the T-frame, or the winch, was designed for storage; but my top hung for several months at a time over the summer without any additional support. I did however add a length of 1" black pipe through the long section to reduce the flex. Probably an LJ thing.
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Harken makes different models with different ratios. Mine happens to be 6:1. The one Chris posted above says it's 8:1. I find 6:1 to be a good compromise between leverage and length of pull.
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