Garage door opener on roof rack?

[LooselyHeldPlans]

I saw this a few months ago and couldn’t figure out what the heck it was for. Hard top hoist? To help get things like kayaks on top?

it was an otherwise nicely built JK. Anyone have an idea what’s going on?

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[MyDaughters20JL]

maybe he just bought it & is taking it home?

 

[Notorious]

whats this for?

I feel like you’re judging him and now secretly have garage door opener envy.

 

[OminousSkitter]

Maybe his jeep is too tall and ripped the garage door motor off?

 

[Notorious]

Maybe his jeep is too tall and ripped the garage door motor off?

Maybe it just happened and she didn’t know?

 

[plex]

He is just bragging the fact he can still afford a CRAFTSMAN 1/2 HORSEPOWER garage opener, after spending so much on mods.

 

[dsgrey]

A low-end winch?

 

[LooselyHeldPlans]

I feel like you’re judging him and now secretly have garage door opener envy.

Just really curious. I’m more assuming this is some awesome idea we’ve just not seen / heard of yet.

 

[Notorious]

Just really curious. I’m more assuming this is some awesome idea we’ve just not seen / heard of yet.

Fair enough. I’m still thinking it may have been something like this...

Not really

 

[Gee-pah]

I saw this a few months ago and couldn’t figure out what the heck it was for. Hard top hoist? To help get things like kayaks on top?

it was an otherwise nicely built JK. Anyone have an idea what’s going on?

That is an interesting challenge Brandon. First off, I'm pretty sure that's a 120V A/C opener. It may even require more amps than whatever the A/C outlet in a (non Sport?) JK is rated at...although a store bought inverter could provide more.

Here's my theory. This fellow Jeeper is sporting a Gobi roof rack (fact.) That baby has the ability to tilt up to open, say, a soft top, and then tilt back in place.



Perhaps this owner has ingeniously coverted the rotation motion of the circular gear this appliance spins with considerable torque, to normally move a trolley back and forth on a track, (via a chain) to open and close a garage door, into some method of linear motion that opens and closes the rack.

If not, dare I say, that's what it should be for!

 

[OminousSkitter]

That baby has the ability to tilt up to open, say, a soft top, and then tilt back in place.

I thought about that too or a DIY sky one touch -- except it's a hardtop with no visible sign of modification.

And it is 120v. You can see the plug above the wiper blade.

Edit: My honest thought is that it's just simply up there for transportation. Maybe they picked it up off of NextDoor or something similar.

 

[Moregone]

Yeah this is a head scratcher alright.

 

[Gee-pah]

I thought about that too or a DIY sky one touch -- except it's a hardtop with no visible sign of modification.

And it is 120v. You can see the plug above the wiper blade.

Edit: My honest thought is that it's just simply up there for transportation. Maybe they picked it up off of NextDoor or something similar.

Good catch on the dangling plug David. It sheds more light on the question for more than merely the voltage at which the device operates.

The very fact that it's not hard wired--that is assuming the owner simply isn't transporting the garage door opener like you said--is telling me that if used as a way of tilting open the rack, it's likely done at home.

Perhaps the owner does this to change to the soft top and back with the seasons, of has the added portions of the Gobi rack that go across the Freedom Panels, and uses this setup to lift the rack to facilitate Freedom Panel removal.

Or maybe I'm trying to find reasons for a theory that's categorically off!

I've actually thought about how to do this with a Gobi rack (which BTW I don't own) in the past with front and back (likely hitch based) winches. It would seem that two might be indicated to control the rack from opening (or closing) too quickly once the rack reaches the point in its opening (closing) where it's tendency to fall back or forward is equalized.

This is no trivial engineering---suggesting Occam's Razor (go with the simplest: he's transporting a garage door opener...but then why on top for an indoor appliance) applies. Maybe on top because the long rail on which the trolley rides is attached. (I have a similar Craftsman opener.)

Need I tell anyone with a bit of sense, the pull cannot occur for its duration parallel with the ground as a garage door opener in its normal capacity does.

Then, leave it to a Jeeper fit a round peg in a square hole.

Nah...your probably right. He's transporting the thing with the square tubular long track attached.

 

[LooselyHeldPlans]

I'm glad you all are as confused about this as I am. A couple of observations: 1) there seems to be some type of angle iron mounted above. 2) It looks like it's on the side of the gobi rack. It didn't look like it was mounted to something being carried on the top.

I'm going to cross post to the front range group and see if anyone happens to know this guy.

 

[Gee-pah]

Another idea, forever transporting kids from college with my Wrangler and rack I tried to come up with a way with pullies to use a hitch based deer hoist to pull stuff up a angular board positioned at the side of the vehicle.

It was a train wreck and we went with leaving the roof for clothes in water proof roof rack bags given their relatively light weight.

So maybe he uses (or should) the garage door opener to pull heavy gear up to this rack. Then again, a garage door isn't "heavy" to an opener thanks to garage door springs, and that garage door opener may not have that much torque.

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