Jeep Hardtop Hoist

Here are the materials I used to make a simple hoist for the hardtop on my jeep.

all from Lowes

4  20' bags of rope -  be sure to get strong enough rope to hold the weight of your hardtop but not too thick.

5 pulleys

5 wood screw hooks (sorry 2 are not in this picture.  I am working on getting a new picture)

4 tie down straps ( sorry these are not in this picture. You can see them on another picture holding up the hardtop.

1 hand crank boat hoist (this makes it all worth it.  I got it at Lowes for $40  Also not in this picture) 

Step 1:

Back into the garage with your jeep and measured the width of your hardtop.  Make sure if you were to raise the hardtop to the ceiling it would not hit your opened garage door.

Screw in the wood screw hooks into the ceiling of the garage about an inch wider than the width of the hardtop.  Make sure you hit a stud and penetrate deep into the wood.  Drywall will not hold up your hardtop!!!

Place a pulley on each hook.

Step 2:

Set another hook into the ceiling pretty much over the location were you will mount the hand crank hoist.   YOU MUST MAKE SURE YOUR HOOK SCREW HAS TAPPED INTO A STUD SECURELY.  You should be able to hang the entire weight of the hardtop from it.

 Run a separate rope thru each of the four pulleys to the single pulley above the hand crank hoist.

Step 3:

Here you can see the rope running down thru the hoist.

NOTE:

MAKE SURE YOUR HOIST IS BOLTED DOWN TO SOMETHING THAT CAN HOLD THE ENTIRE WEIGHT OF YOU HARDTOP.  IF THIS COMES LOOSE, IT COULD DROP YOUR HARDTOP ON SOMEONE AND KILL THEM OR WORSE IT COULD LAND ON YOUR JEEP AND SCRATCH IT!!!!

Step 4:

I connected four tie-down straps to the end of the ropes and then used their hooks to hook to the bottom of the hartop.

You should leave enough rope to be sure the hardtop can be lowered all the way to the ground.

Also you will have to play with getting the ropes to stay level when hoisting it up. 

Step 5:

I found that if i lowered it to the ground and pulled all the ropes tight thru the hand cranked hoist and then while hoisting it up twisted the four ropes together it went up level.

Just because I did this in my garage doesn't mean it won't fall on somebody or something when you build it!!!!!

I warned you, so don't try to sue me.


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