Jeeps with hard top

[Carolina Jeeper]

I would love to be able to hang my top in the garage but I am not sure the ceiling will support it. Previous owner put up a plywood ceiling and insulated which is nice BUT it’s poorly supported. Basically the ceiling is a 16 foot span with zero support and maybe 2x6 boards

Some of the support in a garage ceiling is from the roof trusses. Or at least they are in the ones I've seen built. If those 2×6's are on 16" center then your ceiling is pretty strong. It should've been built to hold up a garage door on an overhead track and they are heavier than the hard top by quite a bit. Maybe take a look up there and see what's really holding up that ceiling.

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[Austin23]

This ^^^^^^^^

Second this^^^^^^. Eyebolts screwed into the ceiling joists and 4 ratchet straps does the trick.

As an extra measure, I use 12 inch pool noodles at the 4 points where the straps contact the hardtop for an extra level of protection.

 

[Deleted member 74991]

Hi All. I am trying to figure out the best solution for taking off my hard top and storage in the garage. Please share how you store yours. Pics if you have them!! Thanks!

You and a Friend. Put it in a spot in the garage it won’t get in the way. Saves $$$ unless you have to pay them in Pizza and Beer.

 

[smokeythecat]

TopLiftPro + ARC wall hangers is the best solution IMHO…

Yeah, that's a terrific solution for anyone with tons of garage space. I hate you guys...

 

[Murphydog]

I went with the Harken Hoister. I have enough height to lift the top completely up and out of the way for both my Jeep and the wife’s BMW. Given the shelf at the rear of my garage the top lift wasn’t really an option, and the hoist system allows me to easily lift or lower the top

 

[Valpo Jeep]

Some of the support in a garage ceiling is from the roof trusses. Or at least they are in the ones I've seen built. If those 2×6's are on 16" center then your ceiling is pretty strong. It should've been built to hold up a garage door on an overhead track and they are heavier than the hard top by quite a bit. Maybe take a look up there and see what's really holding up that ceiling.

My enclosed ceiling was added. My original construction was a truss across the roof at the ridge to support the center. I have 2x6 rafter boards that go from the ridge to the Eve. All that should be solid. When they enclosed the ceiling they added boards that run from the Eve over to truss along the horizontal but never tied anything in mid span to the roof, I’ll have to stick my head up there again but I am not even sure they used 2x6. I have a loft storage shelf along the back of the garage that the 1 corner was hung off the roof from. With the weight on the loft it and the ceiling deflected several inches there. I put in a 4x4 and used my floor Jack to lift it back to level and square.

I am sure that carpenters built my house to begin with but all the add ins later were done by the court jester.

 

[Industrialwrench]

I bought 4 carpenters horses and just set the top on them in the back yard. Cost me $60? They are high enough off the ground I can squat under the top and pick it up easily. I take the top on and off by just lifting it from a center point and walking out the back of the Jeep with it balanced over my head. I always have the rear seat out when I do this.

 

[Sgt Beavis]

There are several ceiling mount options that you can look at and I recommend them. I modified the Racor storage lift for mine. It was fairly easy to do. i also got some hinge brackets from Topsy to simplify the process a bit more.
https://topsyproducts.com/collectio...s/products/hinge-hoist-bracket-kit-jlu-4-door

 

[There’sOnlyOne]

I’m doing this. Similar to what J2K66 did but using the Topsy SuperStrut plans with a tad modification. HF winch. Aside from winch and Topsy bracket/strap kit under $100 for materials. And as others have said there are tons of YT vids on many different options.
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...iling-ended-up-not-so-tight-to-ceiling.95365/

 

[Carolina Jeeper]

My enclosed ceiling was added. My original construction was a truss across the roof at the ridge to support the center. I have 2x6 rafter boards that go from the ridge to the Eve. All that should be solid. When they enclosed the ceiling they added boards that run from the Eve over to truss along the horizontal but never tied anything in mid span to the roof, I’ll have to stick my head up there again but I am not even sure they used 2x6. I have a loft storage shelf along the back of the garage that the 1 corner was hung off the roof from. With the weight on the loft it and the ceiling deflected several inches there. I put in a 4x4 and used my floor Jack to lift it back to level and square.

I am sure that carpenters built my house to begin with but all the add ins later were done by the court jester.

Thats unfortunate. I've seen the work of the court jester so I understand your predicament lol. At some point one of them was playing electrician in my house.

 

[Murphydog]

Thats unfortunate. I've seen the work of the court jester so I understand your predicament lol. At some point one of them was playing electrician in my house.

Me too, clearly worked on both wiring and plumbing in my house, basically ripped it all out and started from scratch…

 

[Slate]

Gen 2 Hoist-a-Cart. By far one of the easiest solutions to pulling a hardtop with one person and storing it and two doors - especially if you don't want to use your ceiling. Allows you to have a spidershade or any other sun shade installed and have no issue popping the top in minutes.

https://www.extremeterrain.com/lange-gen2-hoist-a-cart-jl-014-gen2.html

It seems like the reviews are all over the place on this. I could us something like this for my '23, which I don't have yet of course. I have a shelf, but it already has the hard top to my '97 TJ and I don't really have the ceiling space. Something like this would seem to fit my needs better.

Aside from what you already mentioned, do you have any other feedback on this? How often do you use it to take the hard top on and off? Honestly in my case, I would probably use it twice a year, after winter to put the Soft on and before winter to put the Hard back on. The other devices seem more appropriate for someone who either doesn't have a softop or is constantly taking the hardtop off and on - and those devices seem to excel at that.

 

[lowmpg]

It seems like the reviews are all over the place on this. I could us something like this for my '23, which I don't have yet of course. I have a shelf, but it already has the hard top to my '97 TJ and I don't really have the ceiling space. Something like this would seem to fit my needs better.

Aside from what you already mentioned, do you have any other feedback on this? How often do you use it to take the hard top on and off? Honestly in my case, I would probably use it twice a year, after winter to put the Soft on and before winter to put the Hard back on. The other devices seem more appropriate for someone who either doesn't have a softop or is constantly taking the hardtop off and on - and those devices seem to excel at that.

I've used it probably 10 times. Never a single issue ever. Once you have the straps setup correctly it's easy on easy off. Personally I didn't want the whole ceiling deal and since I have a spidershade on, some of the other 'top removers' required that shade wasn't there. Plus this setup worked great even with my 2.5" lift and 35" tires

 

[PLaz]

I went with an electric hoist from harbor freight. And installed it in the ceiling. I basically followed Roadrash's youtube video.

I love that color. Is that stingray?

 

[Malifestro]

TopLiftPro + ARC wall hangers is the best solution IMHO…

Which mudflaps are those? I like how there is no gap in the front!

I've had those extensions on order for 4+ months. Have 3 of 4.

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