Hard top ceiling suspension

[Jgeiken]

I was reading some reviews online this morning about it and I'm kinda reconsidering purchasing it. Apparently they changed how they made them and skimped on parts. Plastic pieces breaking and causing the hoist to drop. Maybe that is way Racor has decided to stop making them. Who knows.

Topsy products has replacement cams available to correct this. I just installed mine and love it.

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[Zazoh]

How do you like the J Barr hoist? Was it easy to install? Does it work well? Thanks

Works really well.

2 bolts in ceiling.
2 screws on wall
2 bolts for winch

I use cordless drill to raise and lower top, use same drill to remove hard top bolts. Takes about 5 min to put off or on and I don’t even have to be perfectly parked.

Took a few tries first time to get top to hang level. Once you know where to line up marks on the straps, one on each side, it’s a breeze.

 

[Patsloft]

$30 and takes less then ten minutes to remove and install

Best lift so far

 

[JimLee]

 

[Columbus104]

I bought the Lange kit, but found the hand crank extremely difficult.
Once there was some weight on the crank, the gears began to grind and shave metal off the pinion gear. Take like 3-4 cranks to raise it like 1 inch, raising it to my 10' garage ceiling took like 5 minutes of hand cranking.

So, I went on amazon and bought an electric hoist for $90, went to Lowes and bought a couple more pulleys, and hopefully this coming weekend, get the hoist and pulleys mounted, and cut and rebuild my lines.

I am going to build a box frame to lower down on top of the jeeps top, then strap the top to the frame and lift. I did not like the rear window hook that came with the kit, and especially did not like that you have to leave the window open to use it. I may look into some of those rear window hinge hooks, I think those would also help stabilize the top when lifted.

Hopefully be able to add some pics once complete, but the wife sidetracked me with a closet makeover project that is taking longer than expected.

I was also unhappy with the Lange. For this reason and because it’s 3-pt grab allowed the hard top to sway, whereas a 4 pt would be more stable. I’m taking it down this weekend and installing a Racor.

 

[BrntWS6]

This setup was $150, harbor freight electric hoist was %20 off with coupon. Top is going to be off for 6 months so i did not want it hanging. Another reason i did not go with racor, along with their stupid price fluctuations.

 

[TimmH]

I was also unhappy with the Lange. For this reason and because it’s 3-pt grab allowed the hard top to sway, whereas a 4 pt would be more stable. I’m taking it down this weekend and installing a Racor.

I ended up doing a custom pulley setup using Topsy hinge hooks, so I have a true 3-point lift.

Using (7) 1-1/2" pulleys, the steel cable and front strap hook from the Lange, and an electric hoist.

It is clean, lifts well, is very stable, and I can reinstall the top and freedom panels in 6-1/2 minutes start to finish, so I imagine removing it will be less than 5 mins. (take a few extra seconds when lowering to align and get everything set right)

I place a towel on the top, and place the freedom panels upside down on the towel. Plus with the Topsy hooks I don't have to leave the rear glass up.

 

[TXRobD]

Racor with Topsy kit. I replaced the plastic hubs that came with the Racor with metal ones from Topsy. I also used 3" good quality lags to mount in the joists. The 2" ones that come with the Racor didn't seem to be sturdy enough. I use my cordless drill to raise and lower it and it works great. I would not pay more than $200 for the Racor. I got mine from Amazon but I have heard that other sites are selling them for way more.

 

[TheJoyceIsYours]

I ended up doing a custom pulley setup using Topsy hinge hooks, so I have a true 3-point lift.

Using (7) 1-1/2" pulleys, the steel cable and front strap hook from the Lange, and an electric hoist.

It is clean, lifts well, is very stable, and I can reinstall the top and freedom panels in 6-1/2 minutes start to finish, so I imagine removing it will be less than 5 mins. (take a few extra seconds when lowering to align and get everything set right)

I place a towel on the top, and place the freedom panels upside down on the towel. Plus with the Topsy hooks I don't have to leave the rear glass up.

Did you end up been taking any pictures of it? Curious how it was going for you.

 

[TimmH]

Did you end up been taking any pictures of it? Curious how it was going for you.

Works great. Only removed the top off one weekend so far, been high chance of rain since.

 

[Hammerton]

Works really well.

2 bolts in ceiling.
2 screws on wall
2 bolts for winch

I use cordless drill to raise and lower top, use same drill to remove hard top bolts. Takes about 5 min to put off or on and I don’t even have to be perfectly parked.

Took a few tries first time to get top to hang level. Once you know where to line up marks on the straps, one on each side, it’s a breeze.

+1 on this. I have the J-Barr. Built solid. Cordless drill pulls the top up in 30 seconds.

 

[Columbus104]

Racor with Topsy kit. I replaced the plastic hubs that came with the Racor with metal ones from Topsy. I also used 3" good quality lags to mount in the joists. The 2" ones that come with the Racor didn't seem to be sturdy enough. I use my cordless drill to raise and lower it and it works great. I would not pay more than $200 for the Racor. I got mine from Amazon but I have heard that other sites are selling them for way more.

I installed the Racor yesterday. Definitely a fan, both of its sturdiness and ease/speed of raising/lowering compared to my Lange hoist. One q for all Racor users. What is the power rating on your power drill that you use to raise/lower it? I found that when the weight of the hard top is added, my cordless drill didn’t have enough power to raise it. I’ve been contemplating purchasing a corded drill for a while, but want to make sure I buy one that is powerful enough to handle the hoist.

 

[bergantz]

I like your set-up and think I am going to build a wooden platform to store items above the hard top. How much wire did you end up using for the system? Any other recommendations? I am planning to head to Lowe's or Home Depot this week and build it this weekend. Thanks.

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