Jeeps with hard top

[Riggs]

I love that color. Is that stingray?

Yes. It is stingray.

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[johngalt312]

Four stainless steel shoulder eye screws into the overhead 2x12 joists, four stainless steel rigging carabiners, and: https://www.extremeterrain.com/black-canyon-jeep-wrangler-manual-hard-top-hoist-j132284-jl.html

Could have done whatever was desired, irrespective of cost, and this is what was decided upon. Kept it simple - works great.

 

[macphisto13]

My first Jeep in my last house, I did the $30 DIY eye bolts with ratchet straps. It works fine but depending on ceiling height, you may have a hard time reaching. For my new house and new Jeep, I installed a Lange hoist. My ceiling is higher and I like the crank to raise and lower easily.

 

[PBosch]

I went with a cheap DIY approach, just did ratchet straps and hooks anchored in the ceiling. Worked for years. So just know, you don't have to go with an expensive solution. Special frames and lifts...

I've done the same thing and it has worked fine.

 

[CrimsonGhost]

I have mine on 4 of these:

https://www.harborfreight.com/18-in-x-12-in-1000-lb-capacity-hardwood-dolly-58312.html

 

[LuvHydro]

For me the perfect solution it was 6ft scaffolding.

Readily available, at $200 it is 1/5th of the price of that grossly overpriced green thing, rolls whenever you want it, very safe top transfer, solid as a rock, not dangling from the ceiling, extra storage underneath, also provides storage for the softtop if you have both, and as a bonus can be used to clean or replace my gutters, if needed. ?

 

[Fudster]

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!

Hi Jennifer:

Let me throw something else into the mix.

Threads like these that discuss hard top removal invariably detail the merits of devices that lift the top from below (e.g. Top Lift Pro) and those that pull from above, for those of us whose garages can support such pulleys and/or not interfere with an open garage door.

I was faced with an unusual situation this summer that found my switching to my soft top (i.e. removing the hard top) impossible: the need to pull a U-Haul trailer---U-Haul Inc. forbidding soft tops.

I bought this as a compromise and like it a lot.

https://eztrunk.net/shop/ols/products/2019-present-jt-ezflip-top-201-prs-jt-zfl

 

[gregdavis11009]

not sure i follow you??

There were only 3 of 4 doors hung on the wall. Is the 4th one still on the Jeep? If so why take the picture then instead of after the 4th door was taken off?

 

[Chile1]

There were only 3 of 4 doors hung on the wall. Is the 4th one still on the Jeep? If so why take the picture then instead of after the 4th door was taken off?

how many doors do yah see....

 

[jadewolf]

I'm seconding the Lange Gen 2 Hoist-A-Cart. I'm a rather small woman and needed something that could be done by one person. And also didn't take up too much space, as my garage is very narrow. And non-permanent, as I'm in a rental. And preferably something with a low center of gravity because I live in earthquake country and don't trust hanging/balanced solutions when the Big One hits.

This thing works great. It folds low enough, even with the hardtop on it, that I can roll it in and out of the garage easily. 15 minutes or less to get the top off. Takes longer to unbolt the top than it does to hoist it. Easy to roll around, even fully loaded. Holds my doors, hardtop is very secure on it. And when empty, it doesn't take up much space. Easy to assemble. One of the best Jeep purchases I've made.

 

[jadewolf]

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 have one of these too and love it. I use it fairly often, as I like the top off in summer but always put the hardtop back on for camping trips. The first time took a little adjusting to get the straps at the right length, but once you've done it once it's pretty much set and easy to do over and over. I love that it's on wheels, so I can just wheel it outta the way in my cramped garage. And it's very stable to store. Things like the toplift that keeps the top suspended in the air made me nervous. Once this thing is set down, I don't worry about it going anywhere. It would be fine sitting there for a whole season.

I did add a small nylon pouch to the handle bars on the thing, to store all the straps and fasteners. That was the only thing I felt like it lacked.

Only annoying thing was it was on backorder and took about three months to get here, but that was during the height of the pandemic and may not be a problem now. Overall, I definitely recommend it.

 

[desmo2]

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 love mine. My hard top comes on and off numerous times during the season, because my wife isn't has weather tolerant as I am.

What I REALLY like about the Lange Hoist-A-Cart Gen 2 is that it also has pins to store the doors (I have a 2-door), it allows me to lower the top once removed for a low center of gravity, and I can push the cart around once loaded to suit my garage needs.

HIGHLY recommended product!

 

[Slate]

I'm seconding the Lange Gen 2 Hoist-A-Cart. I'm a rather small woman and needed something that could be done by one person. And also didn't take up too much space, as my garage is very narrow. And non-permanent, as I'm in a rental. And preferably something with a low center of gravity because I live in earthquake country and don't trust hanging/balanced solutions when the Big One hits.

This thing works great. It folds low enough, even with the hardtop on it, that I can roll it in and out of the garage easily. 15 minutes or less to get the top off. Takes longer to unbolt the top than it does to hoist it. Easy to roll around, even fully loaded. Holds my doors, hardtop is very secure on it. And when empty, it doesn't take up much space. Easy to assemble. One of the best Jeep purchases I've made.

That looks pretty cool actually. Can you measure the width and depth like that? I have a spot in my garage that I think it could fit, but I hadn't realized the doors would be so wide -makes sense when you see it like that. Also, this might be a silly question, but what do you do with the rear doors? I have a spare harbor freight furniture mover thing, that I think I could repurpose to hold the rears.

I like your comment about doing this with one person, that is what I am looking at as well.

 

[rizion]

For me the perfect solution it was 6ft scaffolding.

Readily available, at $200 it is 1/5th of the price of that grossly overpriced green thing, rolls whenever you want it, very safe top transfer, solid as a rock, not dangling from the ceiling, extra storage underneath, also provides storage for the softtop if you have both, and as a bonus can be used to clean or replace my gutters, if needed. ?

pic of how you store the hardtop on it?

 

[LuvHydro]

pic of how you store the hardtop on it?

Here's a handy dandy drawing.

Just setup the scaffold an inch or so below the level of the hard top on your Jeep.

Grab a friend to lift it up slighty and just move it over to the scaffolding. It doesn't weigh that much.

It will sit on there very securely. I put 2 ratchet straps on it but they are not needed.

I rolled mine to the corner and store stuff underneath the back portion of the hardtop as well as underneath the scaffolding.

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