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Freedom from the High Cost of Removing Your Hardtop

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BillG

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I'm going to say yes Michael. Here's why.

I took dimensions for my JLU Sahara and the inventor made me one for it. I just got and tried it today and it fits like hand in glove.

I hope to make a video.

Make sure you tell him its for a JLU.
Was hoping one would be available soon. Look forward to seeing a video from a customer rather than the manufacturer.
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Jammer

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I did read where some guy said him and his friend just lifted the hard top in the air on their new JL and did nothing wrong and the rear glass just shattered. he said he cant get that rear glass any where right now from anyone including Mopar that sucks !
 

rnocon

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If this was your only way of storage I would keep the hardtop on! I would never store my doors like this. Your just asking for damage!
120% Agreed!!! Took mine off after 2nd day of ownership and Bam!! Flimsy build...cracked laying on edge of a table! Careful out there!

20180428_162109.jpg


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RussJeep1

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Sounds like hosting the JL top in the air and keeping that way safely best comes from apply pressure to the interior like the Top Lift Pro or the Freedom Jack do: the latter much less expensively than the former.
 

Jeepsmashin

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Rnocon did you hit it hard? How easy was it to damage it? I haven't took my hardtop off yet, I'm thinking of just sitting it down in the garage on the floor with a blanket beneath it for now
 

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rnocon

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Rnocon did you hit it hard? How easy was it to damage it? I haven't took my hardtop off yet, I'm thinking of just sitting it down in the garage on the floor with a blanket beneath it for now
Jeepsmashin: It fell from a table to the chair when the rear window opened up accidentally...so about 2 feet... probably ok if you just set it down gently...just be careful of that corner cause it's not that strong!
 

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Some background. I'm semi-retired. Like you, I spent a lot of hard earned money on my JL, love it, and even with my eyes wide open, knew that, like you, on top of the purchase expense, there'd be a plethora of gear I'd want to get for it post purchase.

Integral to the DNA of any Wrangler, perhaps more than any one single element, lies in its ability to ride with degrees of open air. Whether that's simply a mindset one has in February, waiting for the end of winter, or the feeling of warm air as you (and the dog) cruise down some beach highway in summer, with all or parts of your Wrangler removed, there's a degree of freedom doing this that no pill can provide, that I know many of you "get"--as you also love this rig.

But dangit, hard top removal can be a pain: in the back and the wallet. Oh sure, there's great gear out there to take the top off solo, be it a Top Lift Pro or Hoist-a-Cart, (both which cost more than I paid for my first car) and with "1000 tries" you too can align your rig just below the hoist in your garage, that is, if you have a garage to pull the top off.

But there has to be a better way, a cheaper way, a portable way, a way that involves no holes or changes to your rig, a way that's safe, that won't let you tip even if you wanted to.

There is.

Did you ever run across a product and ask, why doesn't everyone in this position use this? I did.

https://www.freedom-jack.com/

But it wasn't yet available for the JL. But that's changing, real soon. Prototypes are being tested as we speak.

The, made in the U.S. Freedom Jack cost, including the shop crane you'll need for it, is a fraction of the cost of competing products. A shop crane you gasp....yes a shop crane. Buy a "1 ton" on ebay, or Northern Tool, or one of a zillion (oops, it's now a zillion and one) Harbor Freight stores https://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?dir=asc&order=EAScore,f,EAFeatured+Weight,f,Sale+Rank,f&q=1+ton+shop+crane

or an enormous number of other retail and online vendors.

I'll bet you can put 4 of these cranes and a Freedom Jack together before one of its competitor's products. Here's a young adult operating one for the JK:



Other videos show her putting it together.

Wanna take off the doors and store them? Reasonably priced, made in the U.S. accessories to the Freedom Jack will do that. Want to efficiently store the hard top in the garage, the Freedom Jack design will let you do that. Wanna use the crane for other things, go right ahead: but if you never do, it stills pays for itself in hard top removal that's a fraction of the cost of the competition.

You've already financed your rig. Do you want to also finance the appliance to take its hard top off?

I didn't think so.

This is not an ad. I don't make a penny here. I'm just a product fan.

Who's interested? Thoughts, ideas, suggestions?
I happen to have just purchased a shop crane to help me assemble a 4 post car lift. This makes good sense to me. Thanks for posting!
 
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RussJeep1

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PhoenixM3: it's great that this product is a no brainer for those needing or already owning shop cranes like you.

But it's also great that this product is a no brainer for those who buy a shop crane for nothing more than the purposes of using it with the Freedom Jack to take their hard tops off.;)
 

Man-of-methods

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Can anyone confirm that using this with a top that has the headliner option, will it year or put indentions on said headliner? Or does it not touch the headliner at all?
Thanks
 

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RussJeep1

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Great question Paul.

The Freedom Jack has 6 contact points with the interior roof of the back of the hardtop.

2 of these come from pieces that slide out to the limits of the side to side dimensions of the roof, and offer tip stability in the driver's to passenger's side direction (i.e. that is their purpose.)

I don't see these 2 getting in the way of any headliner.

The remaining four are at the corners of the base of the Freedom Jack, closer to its center.

By design they tuck into the raised (closer to the sky) corrugated-like sections of the roof, and to be honest with you, could put pressure on an existing headliner that *might* (or might not) leave a mark.

A couple of thoughts.

While I haven't taken ruler to these 4 inner contact points I am guesstimating each at about 1" in depth, front to back of the rig, and about 3" sideways.

When/if I decide to install a headliner, I may cut out these 4 sections for the Freedom Jack feet. Perhaps you already have or intend on installing a headliner.

I hear you.

Perhaps Dale, if you ask him, can enlargen the two feet closer to the front (or back) of the rig to increase surface area and contact pressure. He makes each Freedom Jack himself and is very approachable. In fact my enormously favorable impression of him in part comes from how, in absence of producing a JL product yet, we FaceTimed each other while I took measurements on the JL with him for 2 minutes, while he "apologized" that it took 2 days to get perfectly fitted product in my hands.

Reach out to Dale, Paul. Together perhaps you can make the product better for all of us.

..and that's why I like dealing with the "little guy." The Top Lift Pro is also going to contact your headliner, if not with a larger footprint that spreads pressure, and the Hoist-A-Cart pulls from above--which I personally feel less comfortable with.

Let us know what your findings and experiences were.
 
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RussJeep1

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I guess I am glad I am a Viking.. just gonna pick it up and set it down

I might be able to do this too PavementWarrior...but once, only once a lifetime. Thereafter my wife will find me in a fetal position on the driveway.;)
 
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RussJeep1

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Can anyone confirm that using this with a top that has the headliner option, will it year or put indentions on said headliner? Or does it not touch the headliner at all?
Thanks

Paul

Pictures

IMG_2227.JPG


You can see one of the extended stabilizer feet on the driver's side in this picture of the JLU interior back roof, as you can 3 of the 4 closer to center feet (the camera angle precludes view of the 4th)

See how these 4 inner feet lock into the corrugation of the roof? This is what allows you to stably dip the hardtop on the engine crane (if you want) with zero slippage or imbalance, side to side or front to back.

For argument sake those four feet could certainly be widened somewhat on either side of the length. They might also be able to made deeper, but as you can see, there's about a 1/16" of an inch rise in the roof as one moves their eyes from the point where these feet interface with the roof to the closer to center points, 1/16" higher within each of the two symmetrical sections where the 4 inner stabilizing feet make contact with, on either side of the 4" center drop of the top in this back section (front to back of rig.)

(The scraping of paint you see is on my crane, not the Freedom Jack.)
 

FatBoy01

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@RussJeep1

You are running your mouth alot here, in a negative fashion, in regards to the TopLift Pro, Hoist-A-Cart, etc.. Fact of the matter is, you are clueless in regard to the TopLift Pro and Hoist-A-Cart. You have never seen or used either. I suggest that you spew only about things you have worked with.... things you are knowledgeable about.

In closing, I am hesitant to believe anything you say at this point, as you have lost your credibility in my eyes. YOU are bought and paid for so to speak.

I'm seeing it, as you got the product free in exchange for essentially advertising the product here for free (knocking other products in the process) on the forum.
 
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RussJeep1

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@RussJeep1

You are running your mouth alot here, in a negative fashion, in regards to the TopLift Pro, Hoist-A-Cart, etc.. Fact of the matter is, you are clueless in regard to the TopLift Pro and Hoist-A-Cart. You have never seen or used either. I suggest that you spew only about things you have worked with.... things you are knowledgeable about.

In closing, I am hesitant to believe anything you sayat this point, as you have lost your credibility in my eyes. YOU are bought and paid for so to speak.

I'm seeing it, as you got the product free in exchange for essentially advertising the product here for free (knocking other products in the process) on the forum.

I disagree FatBoy01. I've talked plenty, but not in a negative fashion against competing product, which I have praised, but it's limitations, which I have seen in person: there's a difference--not the least of which, irrefutably is price.

I simply don't know how you could glean that I am clueless about these products, but I'm certainly open for your critique of what I've said about them that would lead you to believe I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm actually quite familiar with all 3 products discussed here and have personally seen them.

How would you know I haven't seen and tried these products sir?

For the record, I absolutely paid for the Freedom Jack, very willingly. Did Dale give me a discount for my time because I worked with him to make the JL version, yes.

Do you wish to see the transaction on ebay?

Would you like to see the email where Dale said, "if there's any problems with the new JL version I'll fix them for free and I said, "you'll do nothing of the sort sir," because the risk was one we took, going into this JL conversion, with open eyes, together, and because I never wanted to be a financially compromising conflict of interest position like you have falsely labelled me for being.

As I've clearly said, I do not make a penny on anything sold here. I am not in this business. I have never worked in this business. I've never worked for Alien Technologies or Lange Originals. I have utterly no gripe against them: except my belief that they charge too much for less features.

..or do you think that every time someone posts a how to video on YouTube, passing back the good karma they've received learning from other's videos, that they have wares to sell?

Do you want evidence of the ebay sale? And when I deliver it here will you come back and apologize...or will you think that a scam too? (BTW: Dale charges less on ebay than the price quoted on his website.)

I could just as easily wonder sir if you have fiduciary interest in these companies, although unlike you I won't make such presumptions without proof. I already expressed above my disassociation with this product in higher posts, and here now. Fairness would dictate that you do the same, before launching barbs or additional comments.

Here is my no nonsense take. I paid enough for my Wrangler. I don't want to have to finance purchase of the device which removes it (which is so expensive that Alien Technologies actually has a financing plan.)

Do you think if you come to them with a product suggestion they'll put it into their product like Dale would try to do, as he custom makes each one of these?

I wouldn't know Dale if I tripped over him. I think he has built a better mousetrap that only for lack of marketing, people don't know about. If my work does nothing more than cause Alien Technologies and Lange Originals to lower prices I've done service to the marketplace. I've never asked for a dime from Dale, nor will I accept it, EVER..and if you knew his story of making this product while recovering from a horrific motor vehicle accident you would understand why I feel the way I do about money I simply, at this point in my life, I say void of arrogance, do not need.

FatBoy01, if you want to have a discussion about the pros and cons of various hard top lifts, by all means let's do that. This way everybody learns. But if you want to make this personal, at least contact me on private chat.

And by the way, learn some manners. When somebody asks you on a post how something works, don't respond with "remember." If they don't know, they can't possibly remember prior to question.

You know, yesterday I removed the hose holder from the back of my JL based on somebody else kindly posting their bad luck here. I thanked him privately. I didn't accuse him of profit. That's the 99.9% of us here FatBoy01.

When someone said 'I have great results with my handmade hoist, or taking the top off myself' did I not acknowledge that? When someone asked about headliner interference did I say, "you have absolutely nothing to fear," or did I honestly address that?

Try to be more like us.
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