DIY Hardtop Hoist Garage Setup Complete

[GrayHawk20]

Need more of them Anvil 392's jsut ordered mine and cant wait for it to get here.

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[KleetusVanDamme]

Wow all the way around. To the OP and other contributors, did you have to reinforce your ceiling / rafters, etc?

 

[JvW1973]

Not home made, but opted for the Lange Hoist-a-Cart Gen2 and like the fact one can store the hardtop on the unit & move it about the garage.

…installed the half-doors…

 

[Grayhound]

Wow all the way around. To the OP and other contributors, did you have to reinforce your ceiling / rafters, etc?

Yes

 

[GarageJimmy]

I did not do any reinforcement - just that 2x6 spread across two rafters. The top plus all the steel rope and frame only weigh around 180 lbs at the most.

 

[jasander77]

I'd keep an eye on those threaded hooks you're using. I do have a different pulley setup, but started out with a pretty long threaded eyebolt. Ultimately had to use a shouldered eyebolt with washers thru the joist to keep it from trying to pull out. Would imagine you're going to have the same problem ... getting pulled towards the center. Eventually, they'll just fall out.

 

[GarageJimmy]

Thanks, man - will do! I've been inspecting all the cables, fasteners, etc and will be sure to keep an eye on them as well. (no pun intended..)

 

[2mnycars]

Good point.
Have a kyak and a canoe in the garage. Use an extra "safety strap" just in case. If the rope comes off the cleat the extra strap will keep the boats from dropping on my cars.

Just in case some kid wanders in when the garage door is open...

My garage is small. Two cars barely fit. And there's not enough height. The Jeep soft top hasn't been on as yet. It's in the basement, and the hard top is on the jeep.
DaveL

 

[bugnuker]

Hey all, just sharing some notes on my experience setting up a DIY hoist in my garage for the hard top. Took delivery of my new 2024 Anvil 392 last week and absolutely loving it. First project was to make sure I could get the top off by myself to enjoy the nice October days before it gets too cold.

Basic parts list:

• 1500lbs Badlands hoist from Harbor Freight (https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/winches/1500-lb-capacity-120v-ac-electric-winch-61672.html)
• 3/4" steel pipe and fittings from Lowes
• 1/8" steel cable, pulleys, fittings, turnbuckles, etc from Lowes
• Pool noodles
• Topsy kit: https://topsyproducts.com/collectio...s/products/hinge-hoist-bracket-kit-jlu-4-door

My main challenge was that I don't have a ton of clearance between the garage door and the ceiling - only about 39" of space there. The top is 25" tall at the highest point. Adding in space for pulleys, straps, etc, and things get tight quickly. As you can see, my first raise was pretty close.

I tried several different methods to attach the cables to the H frame. The first try was with clamps, but this failed because the cables don't stretch equally and they interfered with each other at the connection to the hoist cable. It also takes a lot of line to set those clamps up right and this didn't leave enough clearance. I tried some really strong braided rope but it stretches way too much and I couldn't get a knot working that got the frame close enough to the ceiling anyway. Finally I bit the bullet and bought a swaging tool and used crimp style fittings that work really well. I drilled holes at the intersection of the H frame and ran the cable down through the hole, using a cable stop on the other side. The loops that attach to the turnbuckles and hoist cable are doubled up.

I will also share that I tried hard to make this work without using turnbuckles because technically they are not for overhead lifting like this. It's just not possible to get these cables perfectly aligned and crimped without them. It's a risk, but each of these can handle working loads of 275lbs so they are more than strong enough.

While the setup is really stable and seems to work fine, I'm all about fail safes so I tapped two extra eye bolts and use those ratchet straps across the front and the back to get some extra lift, keep it level, and have a backup support in case my fittings end up slipping. The ratchet in the front just ties in with the existing garage door brackets. All in I think I have about $400 in materials and tools here.

Takes me about ten minutes to take the top off or put it back on, all in, and it's easy to do by myself. Just sharing all this in case someone out there is wondering if they have enough space or not to do something similar. If I can help answer questions, let me know.

This is really great stuff! I am working to build something similar and of all the solutions I've found, I like this one the best. I am hoping to replicate it. Can you help me with some of the other parts you used, like the pullies, the crimps and all that good stuff?

Thanks!

 

[GarageJimmy]

Cool, glad it's helping. In terms of the other hardware, that's going to depend on your layout and needs. Lowes had everything I needed. Main thing is to look at the load rating of the parts. I noticed pretty much all of them say "not for overhead use" so use at your own risk. I chose to use parts that were load rated far above my needs to make sure there was enough safety margin. So far no issues.

 

[Gurulee]

I found this thread helpful. About to start my DIY this weekend.

 

[Jtphoto]

My hoist ..
- I used steel conduit channel rather then pipe
- 1000lbs electric hoist
- stainless chain and eye bolts
- 2 pieces of 2x4 to bridge 3 trusses to distribute the weight
- 4 wall hooks from Home Depot (2 different styles)
- pool noodles added as well for padding

 

[Jtphoto]

Wow all the way around. To the OP and other contributors, did you have to reinforce your ceiling / rafters, etc?

I used 2 6’ 2x4 to span over 3 roof trusses to distribute the weight.

 

[Beachbum66]

Folks- love all the soft top joists. Here is mine- Quadratec hoist- block and tackle design with some ratchet strap to avoid single point support. Took a few iterations to get the top level front to back and side to side.

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