Soft top or hard top?

InOmaha said:
My neighbor has a hard top lift in his garage. He can get his top off and stored away before I can get my windows unzipped. He can definitely put his back on faster. He has a soft top hanging along the wall he doesn't use.

I live in a generally safe area and park inside. So I don't worry too much about the soft top. I'd like a hard top, but LJ tops are few, far between, and expensive. I have other priorities.
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I have a lift as well, but my LJ hard top hasn't come down from its perch in the last 4 - 5 years. Like you, I'm in a safe place and park inside, whether at home or at work. Generally, my top is up, but the windows are out for at least 9 months of the year.
 
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Depends a lot on the weather, but for me hart top and full doors winter, Bikini top and half doors all summer long. Mine came with both a HT and a ST which is hardly ever on

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The correct answer is Yes.

I have both. But the hardtop is always on. I also have a new OE soft top in the garage I have had for 14 years. It hasn't been on the jeep yet. 2003 Freedom Edition. I bought her bone stock used in 2004.

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glowell222 said:
Well, I have and recommend both.

My soft top is a Quadratop from Quadratec that works with the original frame hardware. it's definitely not high quality, but it was certainly cost effective and keeps the rain out and the a/c in, when necessary. I also have quick disconnects for the frame bows so I can remove it quickly.

The hardtop goes on in November, and it is much warmer and quieter than the soft top despite what others may say, plus I like the rear window defogger and rear window wiper/washer for those nasty days after snow. I built a storage dolly out of some extra 3/4" plywood, extra 2x6, and some casters, two of which lock. I line it with a Phineas and Ferb blanket that usually sits in my cold weather kit. This allows the top to be stored in a vertical position, and it takes up the space of a very small couch-I still have plenty of room to park the Jeep in the garage in the same bay.

I have a remove-a-top hoist system that I bought from Quadratec a long time ago (before the JL was released), and that allows me to single-hand the top removal.

The soft top goes on in spring, dependent on how the weather of that particular spring turns out.
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Sorry to barge in. I just bought a 2000 TJ. It has a hard top and I'd like to get a soft top for summer.
My first Jeep came with a soft top so I'm not sure if I will need a frame for the soft top?
Thank you, Gypsy
 
Gypsy said:
Sorry to barge in. I just bought a 2000 TJ. It has a hard top and I'd like to get a soft top for summer.
My first Jeep came with a soft top so I'm not sure if I will need a frame for the soft top?
Thank you, Gypsy
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Hi Gypsy. Yes, you will need to source a frame for your soft top or purchase the top and frame as a set, unless you choose to go with a frameless soft top.
 
When I bought the 2004 Jeep I took the soft top off, and put the hardtop on. The soft top hangs on the wall, my 74 Corvette is a convertible with a hardtop, I put the hardtop on once took some pictures its been hanging on the wall since.

This post is one of those do you prefer blue, or green, you know someone is going to say yellow.
 
suicideking said:
I prefer the soft top. Except for the back window. Every time I have to mess with the zipper, I think about hard tops.
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Yes, that’s the part I don’t like. It’s so nice to open the glass. Half the time I try to duck under instead of pull the bar and unzip.
 
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Living in Western PA, I have both. Hard top goes on just before Thanksgiving. Soft top goes on in March. I truly believe the hard top is warmer and quiter than my best top soft top. But, I enjoy both.
 
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I have a new Bestop Trektop and recently bought a factory hard top. I wanted the hard top for longer trips and it is great for that. In my case, much quieter and secure. I quickly spent money on a nice headliner kit (more $) and it is very very quiet now and the headliner helps with interior heat. My intention was to make a hoist to fit above the part of the garage I back my truck in. So far I have not been able to figure out how to get the top high enough to fit the truck underneath (8ft ceilings). I like my hard top but I want it off and if I cant make the hoist work so I may have to sell it.
 
Viking Jeeper said:
I have a new Bestop Trektop and recently bought a factory hard top. I wanted the hard top for longer trips and it is great for that. In my case, much quieter and secure. I quickly spent money on a nice headliner kit (more $) and it is very very quiet now and the headliner helps with interior heat. My intention was to make a hoist to fit above the part of the garage I back my truck in. So far I have not been able to figure out how to get the top high enough to fit the truck underneath (8ft ceilings). I like my hard top but I want it off and if I cant make the hoist work so I may have to sell it.
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What’s above your garage? I have the garage smart top lifter. Eventually I will move it to the attic and just have cables drop through the ceiling. That would get it as high as you can short of changing ceiling structure.

At my last house the garage smart lifter was requested in the sale as the new owner had a JK. He also changed the ceiling so that the top raised up into it.
 
When I got my LJ, it originally came with a soft top. It was pretty burnt from the AZ sun, so I got a like new OEM soft top someone had in storage. Soon afterwards I got a good deal on an OEM hardtop that I've had installed since January of this year. Even though I'm in AZ, I prefer running the hardtop. I ended up getting another complete soft top a couple months back. I do have the itch to return to a soft top for a bit, but the storage issue for the hardtop is one thing I haven't had time to deal with yet.
 
il buono said:
When I got my LJ, it originally came with a soft top. It was pretty burnt from the AZ sun, so I got a like new OEM soft top someone had in storage. Soon afterwards I got a good deal on an OEM hardtop that I've had installed since January of this year. Even though I'm in AZ, I prefer running the hardtop. I ended up getting another complete soft top a couple months back. I do have the itch to return to a soft top for a bit, but the storage issue for the hardtop is one thing I haven't had time to deal with yet.
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They have changed it some since this video but it makes swapping very easy.

 
Apparition said:
What’s above your garage? I have the garage smart top lifter. Eventually I will move it to the attic and just have cables drop through the ceiling. That would get it as high as you can short of changing ceiling structure.

At my last house the garage smart lifter was requested in the sale as the new owner had a JK. He also changed the ceiling so that the top raised up into it.
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I have thought about moving the hoist to the attic above the garage so I can get it higher but not sure if that is the right approach or not. I tried to piece a cheap solution together but its still not high enough. I dont have great pics but with this setup and 10' straps through the back window opening and door frame area. If I stick with this system it will include safety straps to eyebolts in the joists.

This was the first attempt with a different bar and attachment system. You can see the hook is almost to the winch and the top is till resting on the Jeep.

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This setup got it higher but not high enough. I eliminated the straps and hook.

Edit: And that bar bent enough I did not even risk taking a picture before I let the top back down on the Jeep.

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Viking Jeeper said:
I have thought about moving the hoist to the attic above the garage so I can get it higher but not sure if that is the right approach or not. I tried to piece a cheap solution together but its still not high enough. I dont have great pics but with this setup and 10' straps through the back window opening and door frame area. If I stick with this system it will include safety straps to eyebolts in the joists.

This was the first attempt with a different bar and attachment system. You can see the hook is almost to the winch and the top is till resting on the Jeep.

View attachment 207076


This setup got it higher but not high enough. I eliminated the straps and hook.

Edit: And that bar bent enough I did not even risk taking a picture before I let the top back down on the Jeep.

View attachment 207075
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Here’s the garage smart lifter. The cables run straight down so it makes it easy to go through the ceiling. It’s programmable so it’ll stop where you want it. I have my LJ top hanging from mine but I also ran unistrut above the rafters to hold it up as my spacing didn’t fit as well as I wanted. You could modify what you have to do this.

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I ran a soft top with half doors for years and have recently gone to hard top with full doors. For me it was the doors that made the biggest difference. I hated looking through the plastic windows on the half doors. Especially when it was raining or icy. I do prefer the hard top but the I didn't mind the soft top. It depends on how you are going to use it. I go topless and without doors while it is warm and hard top and full doors in the cold.
 
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Hardtop only for me.

120 in the summer no problem just crank the AC.

25 in the winter heater works great.

Off-roading in the dust no problem with dust, inside stays clean.

Running down the road at 60 mph nice and quite.

Leave my guns inside while at the store just hit the alarm and good to go.
 
When I bought my LJ 3 years ago, it had the hard top you see in my avatar. This spring I picked up a soft top and I like it better. The heater and AC are more than adequate here in SoCal. I'm going to put the hard top back on, just to see if I want to hang onto it or sell it. This morning I was pretty happy the soft top was on, as I locked my keys inside. :rolleyes:
 
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