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Jeep screwed up badly with the hardtop design

brain

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The one thing I wanted fixed with jl was a two piece hard top design for the back portion just like the freedoms hardtop so it can be removed with Only ONE PERSON and would take half the space when it comes to storage.
This design is a nightmare. High chances of nicks and dings every where If using some sort of hoist design without help. And when it is finally taken out it takes such a huge volume. It shouldn’t have been this difficult. This is a dumb design. Should have been modular
I see you are getting a hard time in the comments. We all love our Wranglers and I'm sure many can admit the design standards are quirky, and that's part of the appeal. When it comes to tops there are many, "views". For example, I like the hardtop look on the 4DR JKs and JLs. I thought they looked awkward with softops. But, I never liked the JK 2DRs at all. But, I love my JL 2DR with the new softop. They just look posed and ready, to me. All that said, I feel the hardtops are a pain in the butt to take off and put on. And, I really like the modular idea. In-fact, the new retractable top is doing something like this with the pop-out windows. I am confident someone can come up with a modular hardtop in the aftermarket. I would likely buy one if I ever go back to a 4DR.
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brain

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All you'll need is two ratchet straps to pull it off, so long as you have somewhere to hook the straps overhead. I have no trouble with mine all by myself.

IMG_1211.JPG


IMG_1212.JPG
GREAT idea, if you have the clearance to do that in the neighborhood. I would absolutely do this myself.
 

Sean L

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I see you are getting a hard time in the comments. We all love our Wranglers and I'm sure many can admit the design standards are quirky, and that's part of the appeal. When it comes to tops there are many, "views". For example, I like the hardtop look on the 4DR JKs and JLs. I thought they looked awkward with softops. But, I never liked the JK 2DRs at all. But, I love my JL 2DR with the new softop. They just look posed and ready, to me. All that said, I feel the hardtops are a pain in the butt to take off and put on. And, I really like the modular idea. In-fact, the new retractable top is doing something like this with the pop-out windows. I am confident someone can come up with a modular hardtop in the aftermarket. I would likely buy one if I ever go back to a 4DR.
I got a close up look at the retractable top and it looks like it would be removable in a modular fashion. the rear side windows will come out easily and the rear panel looks like it would only take a little more effort. My main question would be the rigidity of the top pieces and if it could be lifted as one or have to be disassembled entirely.
 

Sean L

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GREAT idea, if you have the clearance to do that in the neighborhood. I would absolutely do this myself.
If I had my own garage I would have just put the attachments in the ceiling in there instead. The shed makes a nifty cover for my motorcycle as well.
 

travelboysteve

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The one thing I wanted fixed with jl was a two piece hard top design for the back portion just like the freedoms hardtop so it can be removed with Only ONE PERSON and would take half the space when it comes to storage.
This design is a nightmare. High chances of nicks and dings every where If using some sort of hoist design without help. And when it is finally taken out it takes such a huge volume
It shouldn’t have been this difficult. This is a dumb design. Should have been modular
Hey T,

I'm sure you may have seen these, or at least heard of them.
I can attest it is super quick and easy.
Hope this helps.
I have a standard entry garage - 7' and this lift is super simple.
I can have my top off in under 10 minutes, (less if I rush) by myself.
2 hooks, which came with short yellow strap hooks attached to hinges - they were inexpensive.

Here's a link to the Topsy thread - search is a beautiful thing.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/topsy-lift-thread.11072/

Here's link to hooks from Topsy:
http://topsyproducts.com/products/hinge_hook_hoist_bracket

I also bought an additional strap for the front since the 2 door top is pretty squared off in front.
I then use bungees in addition through the front mounting holes for added security.

Grab my screw gun, (set to low speed) and off it comes.
My wife's Ford escape fits underneath easily and I can even set the freedom panels in the bag on the shelf of the lift, taking care not to lift it too high.
I'm 6'0" and can walk underneath it no issues.

All in I think it was $200 - 3 hours install time, (I like to take my time)

BTW, My Jeep is on 35's with a 2.5 inch lift, so it's 4.5+" taller than stock in the photos - just for height reference of lift

Here's amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009I8AO6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My .02

20181029_110839.jpg


20181029_110850.jpg
 
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travelboysteve

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Hi there. My point was with the engineering staff that could make the doors, windshield etc, removabl, they could have don’t a clever design with the hardtop as well.
my garage doesnt have a flat roof and is about 16ft in height so i

Use metal angles with threaded rod and hardware attached to uni-strut to achieve a flat mounting for a hoist, I promise you can do this, no worries.
 

jaben

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First Wrangler I assume.
Suggest you sell it immediately to show your disapproval.
I am thrilled with everything about my JLUR. It is my 8th Jeep. Had my 08 JKUR from new and this is so much better in every way.
 

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One of my JK's was a hardtop... Didn't like it, used a "Hoist-a-top" to get by. Every Jeep prior... every jeep after and going forward will have a soft top. The beauty of jeeps is you can make them what you want. Buy a soft top and sell the hard top... problem solved.
 

RussJeep1

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The one thing I wanted fixed with jl was a two piece hard top design for the back portion just like the freedoms hardtop so it can be removed with Only ONE PERSON and would take half the space when it comes to storage.
This design is a nightmare. High chances of nicks and dings every where If using some sort of hoist design without help. And when it is finally taken out it takes such a huge volume
It shouldn’t have been this difficult. This is a dumb design. Should have been modular
I respect this. Removing the hard top for most of us is not a one person job. I use a separately purchased device to do so, (a Freedom Jack) and you've already heard concerns in this thread about "everywhere there's a seam there's potential for compromise: leak/wind etc." Yes, regardless, the rear of the hard top is bulky--no argument here.

But we Wrangler owners are nothing if not resourceful. How would *you* envision this resolved? Would you have effectively sliced the rear of the hard top down its middle from front to back, for example, and if so, how would you have designed the rear window?

Would you have gone with J Sherb's designs referenced above with a 4 piece rear hard top? That might have cost a fortune as FCA passed its cost on to us?

Would you have broken it into two pieces by running a seam from the driver's side to passenger's side. If so, one half would likely have to rest on the other in the absence of supports from below, which might eat into cargo space or radically alter the Wrangler design.

I completely get your frustration, but the fact that the marketplace hasn't created solutions outside of hard top lifts might suggest the current design the lessor of all evils for most consumers, or that the degree of your frustration may not be held by a large portion of the Wrangler community--I say objectively, not to be hurtful.

Seriously, if you have ideas, share them.

And since I don't think its fair to challenge someone in a design concept without offering my own here, which is far from perfect, one idea of have, as I may have mentioned above, would have been to incorporate the Jeep Renegade MySky technology



into the Wrangler and have drop in panels with not simply the Freedom Panels but (and perhaps especially) the rear of the hardtop. Said panels could open us up to the skies without having to remove the rear of the hard top, and opened the door for FCA or after market clear and removable inserts like JeeTops, only removable.



And while such inserts could be removed to reduce hard top weight when storing the top, here again, such solutions would have not addressed bulkiness. Maybe we need the opposite of the Bestop Sunrider where the rig's rear has a soft top, but the front uses Freedom panels.(?)
 

wanderer

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If only Jeep had thought that maybe some customers might want a top that is easier to raise/lower, and offered an option for them?!? Maybe something lighter, and foldable, and one that can just be pushed back instead of lifting it off??? But alas, I guess we'll have to live in the misery of knowing no such option exists...
It’s called a premium soft top and is quieter than my oldjku hardtop
 

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....my garage doesnt have a flat roof and is about 16ft in height so i
I use an electric hoist (bought from Harbor Freight for under $100) to lift my top off. 16 ft ceilings is not an issue, since the hoist has a cable length of 39 ft. If you check the Topsy LIft and the DIY Hardtop hoist threads you'll see a lot of options to make removal a 1 person job. Among which is an example of my set up. I put in the electric hoist, made a frame from wood and black iron pipe (covered in carpet to prevent scratches), and I attach the hardtop to it using the Topsy kit. In all, you can do the same thing for less than $250. With my setup you can have the top off by yourself in a matter of minutes by yourself. The longest amount of time is actually unbolting it, and that can be sped up if you get a set of quick release bolts from Quadratec, Amazon, or somewhere like that.
If you want to you can leave the top hanging there and it takes up no space at all, especially if it's 16' in the air.
Here's a photo of my top hanging from the ceiling via my set up. The photo with the top attached is during development so still wasn't completely covered, and was using rope instead of chains.
hoist-and-topsy-6-jpg.jpg

20180926_182835-jpg.jpg


[
I would have loved to see a My Sky solution in not just the Renegade but the Wrangler:....
My wife's Renegade has MySky and it is pretty cool. The front panels works like a sunroof, but the whole roof can be taken off if you want to.

I think the watered down effect is the 8" infotainment systems, heated seats, heated steering wheels, sub-woofers, proximity locks...
I have, and love every one of those features. In fact, had it not been for the "watered down" features I would likely still be driving my Ram. That's why I bought a Sahara. It's designed for those of us that want a Jeep with some creature comforts. I don't plan to run through a giant mud hole or over a pile of rocks. I can if I want to, but that's not the main reason I bought a Jeep.
 
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Teghogh

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I know some people like to be dicks here and some will accept anything as it’s just a Jeep thing
First Wrangler I assume.
Suggest you sell it immediately to show your disapproval.
I am thrilled with everything about my JLUR. It is my 8th Jeep. Had my 08 JKUR from new and this is so much better in every way.
It’s my third
I see you are getting a hard time in the comments. We all love our Wranglers and I'm sure many can admit the design standards are quirky, and that's part of the appeal. When it comes to tops there are many, "views". For example, I like the hardtop look on the 4DR JKs and JLs. I thought they looked awkward with softops. But, I never liked the JK 2DRs at all. But, I love my JL 2DR with the new softop. They just look posed and ready, to me. All that said, I feel the hardtops are a pain in the butt to take off and put on. And, I really like the modular idea. In-fact, the new retractable top is doing something like this with the pop-out windows. I am confident someone can come up with a modular hardtop in the aftermarket. I would likely buy one if I ever go back to a 4DR.
 

RussJeep1

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Teghogh

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I respect this. Removing the hard top for most of us is not a one person job. I use a separately purchased device to do so, (a Freedom Jack) and you've already heard concerns in this thread about "everywhere there's a seam there's potential for compromise: leak/wind etc." Yes, regardless, the rear of the hard top is bulky--no argument here.

But we Wrangler owners are nothing if not resourceful. How would *you* envision this resolved? Would you have effectively sliced the rear of the hard top down its middle from front to back, for example, and if so, how would you have designed the rear window?

Would you have gone with J Sherb's designs referenced above with a 4 piece rear hard top? That might have cost a fortune as FCA passed its cost on to us?

Would you have broken it into two pieces by running a seam from the driver's side to passenger's side. If so, one half would likely have to rest on the other in the absence of supports from below, which might eat into cargo space or radically alter the Wrangler design.

I completely get your frustration, but the fact that the marketplace hasn't created solutions outside of hard top lifts might suggest the current design the lessor of all evils for most consumers, or that the degree of your frustration may not be held by a large portion of the Wrangler community--I say objectively, not to be hurtful.

Seriously, if you have ideas, share them.

And since I don't think its fair to challenge someone in a design concept without offering my own here, which is far from perfect, one idea of have, as I may have mentioned above, would have been to incorporate the Jeep Renegade MySky technology



into the Wrangler and have drop in panels with not simply the Freedom Panels but (and perhaps especially) the rear of the hardtop. Said panels could open us up to the skies without having to remove the rear of the hard top, and opened the door for FCA or after market clear and removable inserts like JeeTops, only removable.



And while such inserts could be removed to reduce hard top weight when storing the top, here again, such solutions would have not addressed bulkiness. Maybe we need the opposite of the Bestop Sunrider where the rig's rear has a soft top, but the front uses Freedom panels.(?)
Thanks for your feedback. I would suggest making the rear glass design more easily removable. Once the glass is removed, the top could be split in half ( just like the freedom panels) and each side can be removed by one person and stored within each other. This way the weight if each half is less than 50 pounds and half the size to carry, and much easier for one person to handle
 
 



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