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Roof rack system and still remove hardtop fairly easily?

Bocephus

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I have the rhino rack, and ended up mounting the Racor hoist and topsy upgrades in the garage. I lift the top with the rack mounted. Its kind of easier to lift with the rack mounted, as I can just clip to the I-Bolts and dont have to thread a strap under the top. So far so good.
The Racor ceiling hoist is worth it IMHO.

Jeep Wrangler JL Roof rack system and still remove hardtop fairly easily? IMG-8649
Jeep Wrangler JL Roof rack system and still remove hardtop fairly easily? IMG-8650
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JeepNut80

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I have the rhino rack, and ended up mounting the Racor hoist and topsy upgrades in the garage. I lift the top with the rack mounted. Its kind of easier to lift with the rack mounted, as I can just clip to the I-Bolts and dont have to thread a strap under the top. So far so good.
The Racor ceiling hoist is worth it IMHO.

IMG-8649.jpg
IMG-8650.jpg
Thanks for sharing this post. I have the same hoist and am waiting for my Rhino Rack to arrive next month. What size rhino platform is that? Did you purchase two additional topsy hooks for the front half to replace the strap?
 

Bocephus

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Sure thing! It's the 72x56 Pioneer platform on the rhino backbone system. The standard set up I think. I did purchase a total of 4 Topsy hooks for hooking onto the I-bolts.
 

JeepNut80

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Sure thing! It's the 72x56 Pioneer platform on the rhino backbone system. The standard set up I think. I did purchase a total of 4 Topsy hooks for hooking onto the I-bolts.
awesome. i ordered the same size. great setup and thanks again!
 
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I have the rhino rack, and ended up mounting the Racor hoist and topsy upgrades in the garage. I lift the top with the rack mounted. Its kind of easier to lift with the rack mounted, as I can just clip to the I-Bolts and dont have to thread a strap under the top. So far so good.
The Racor ceiling hoist is worth it IMHO.

Jeep Wrangler JL Roof rack system and still remove hardtop fairly easily? IMG-8650
Jeep Wrangler JL Roof rack system and still remove hardtop fairly easily? IMG-8650
So your just lifting the hardtop by the rhino rack? Has that caused any issues? I donā€™t have a rhino rack yet so Iā€™m not sure what Iā€™m looking at, is there anyway I could see a pic of how the racor is attaching to the rack?
 

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Bocephus

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Yes, and it was hung that way for a couple months, up until the weather turned cool and I put the hard top back on. I havenā€™t had any problems at all, I still run it through car washes without any leaks for what itā€™s worth. I havenā€™t been switching it back and forth frequently... it was hung like this for several weeks and then I put it back on the Jeep.

With this pic, you can see how the hoist is connected to the rack.
4415E420-67C5-42E2-9ACD-C4BD153DF9E0.jpeg
 

conFUcius

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I have the rhino rack, and ended up mounting the Racor hoist and topsy upgrades in the garage. I lift the top with the rack mounted. Its kind of easier to lift with the rack mounted, as I can just clip to the I-Bolts and dont have to thread a strap under the top. So far so good.
The Racor ceiling hoist is worth it IMHO.

Jeep Wrangler JL Roof rack system and still remove hardtop fairly easily? 4415E420-67C5-42E2-9ACD-C4BD153DF9E0
Jeep Wrangler JL Roof rack system and still remove hardtop fairly easily? 4415E420-67C5-42E2-9ACD-C4BD153DF9E0
How high is your garage ceiling and whatā€™s the lift/tire combo youā€™re running? This set up looks great but Iā€™m not sure I have room in my garage to outfit this contraption.
 
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Yes, and it was hung that way for a couple months, up until the weather turned cool and I put the hard top back on. I havenā€™t had any problems at all, I still run it through car washes without any leaks for what itā€™s worth. I havenā€™t been switching it back and forth frequently... it was hung like this for several weeks and then I put it back on the Jeep.

With this pic, you can see how the hoist is connected to the rack.
Jeep Wrangler JL Roof rack system and still remove hardtop fairly easily? 4415E420-67C5-42E2-9ACD-C4BD153DF9E0
Thatā€™s super helpful. Thank you, I appreciate you taking the time.
 

Bocephus

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How high is your garage ceiling and whatā€™s the lift/tire combo youā€™re running? This set up looks great but Iā€™m not sure I have room in my garage to outfit this contraption.
My garage ceiling is close to 10.5, and I run 37s on 3.5 lift. Itā€™s way more ceiling height than required for the contraption, I bet I could get away with 8...speculating. I could take some measurements when I pull the top back off in a few weeks.
 

conFUcius

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My garage ceiling is close to 10.5, and I run 37s on 3.5 lift. Itā€™s way more ceiling height than required for the contraption, I bet I could get away with 8...speculating. I could take some measurements when I pull the top back off in a few weeks.
Thanks - thatā€™d be great! Still have to get the Rhino Rack when the budget allows but I definitely would like to explore a hoist for the hard top.
 

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Any idea if the LOD rack will allow you to keep the rack on while taking off the hard top? Imagine itā€™s a tight fit but looks like there is the clearance to do so.
 

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I went with the DeeZee rack and have been quite pleased with it. Itā€™s easy to put on and take off.

https://www.deezee.com/product/roof-rack/

The main 60ā€ section in the back has a max driving weight of 225 lbs and a max of 600lbs when parked which is plenty for most RTTs.

Similar to you, I wanted something that I could still easily remove the roof by myself with my manual pulley system in the garage. The rack is made of aluminum so added weight is minimal and Iā€™m still well within my pulleyā€™a weight restriction.
That sure looks interesting..

But, how does that Deezee rack hold a RTT and lets say 2 people sleeping in it with 4 removable clips onto the rain gutter, and no drilling?

I thought these rain gutters won't hold anything over 70lb.. my main concern would be the shear from cantilevering force especially the weight distribution is far out on the edge like that person is sitting.

Jeep Wrangler JL Roof rack system and still remove hardtop fairly easily? Jeep-RoofRack-DZ4472JL-05


Jeep Wrangler JL Roof rack system and still remove hardtop fairly easily? Jeep-RoofRack-DZ4472JL-07
 

lodoffroad

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Any idea if the LOD rack will allow you to keep the rack on while taking off the hard top? Imagine itā€™s a tight fit but looks like there is the clearance to do so.
Yes you can easily remove the hard top without removing the rack. Simply remove the two rear gussets (just a few bolts), then lift the hardtop about an inch and carry it straight back. :like:
 

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That sure looks interesting..

But, how does that Deezee rack hold a RTT and lets say 2 people sleeping in it with 4 removable clips onto the rain gutter, and no drilling?

I thought these rain gutters won't hold anything over 70lb.. my main concern would be the shear from cantilevering force especially the weight distribution is far out on the edge like that person is sitting.
The crossbars have feet on them so the weight is spread across the whole roof (not sure why that photo doesnā€™t show them). The rain gutters seem to be more for stabilizing the rack. I havenā€™t bought an RTT yet as those funds are going toward 37s, lift, etc.

DeeZee rates it as the following so as long as your tent and everyone sleeping in your tent donā€™t exceed 600lbs, you should be good.

Jeep Wrangler JL Roof rack system and still remove hardtop fairly easily? 1616626076569
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