Anyone build a hoist or use a hand winch to remove and store your removable top in the garage?? I want to do something like this and would like to see some examples.

 

wow, Im the first to have this idea ?

 

Maybe for 4Runners, however the Jeep world has had 'em for years, literally.






Fred

 

all I did was use motorcycle straps from harbor freight to my rafters... one at each corner, very quick, one person job. I have er... an older garage, so mine isn't a finished garage like most homes that are new.

 

my top has never been off. what do they weight?

 

The problem is not how much they weigh (about 150lbs or so) its the awkwardness of trying to remove it. Two guys, standing on either side, have to try and walk the top to the back of the truck without scratching the paint. The rollbar prevents it from being taken off one side at a time, until you reach a certain point of moving back. And at that point, you may as well just walk it off.

It works the best to have 3 people. Two in the front (one on each side) and the third holding up the back. A tri-pod system of sorts.

 

To answer the original question....most newer homes dont have the ceiling clearance to accomplish this task. And since its all finished interiors, finding the studs are tough enough. if i had a shop built, it would have exposed girders and beams so I could build something for this very reason. Taking 3 tops on and off gets tiring! lol

 

Ok, what am I missing here.
Isn't the top only "3" sided, meaning that the sides and rear only come down to the top of the bed. The front of it is open, isn't it.
Make sense ?

If so then you don't need any real height to do this.





Fred

 

I have 3 4Runners. So i have to remove 3 4runner tops during the summer months is what i meant with 3

However you are right, the front is completely open so you wont have to lift it very high. Unless you plan on using that space for anything while the 4runner is out of the way. I supposemy thinking was it would just be nice to have the top off, and stored up higher and out of the way.

 

Wouldn't it be funny if you mixed them up!? Red yota with a white top or something.

I honestly think the best is to hoist it up from a garage ceiling. Nothing expensive - just 4 motorcycle straps, hook into the opened side windows, 2 on each close to corner on the rear, rachet or pull up, depending on your straps.

If you don't have the luxury of a garage, get a few friends and wrap it in a couple of tarps or something.

Another thing to consider is to ditch the fiberglass cap and get a canvas top. They are a little pricey, but they are a great modification, they look good, and are functional.

Oh and when it is hanging from my rafters in the garage, my 4runner fits snugly below it, provided you know how to backup proper and fit the roll bar under it squarely. I can do the parking job in a couple of seconds with out waivering.

 

I have one black top and 2 white tops sorta had to get it wrong lol. I could get the whites mixed though, since one has a red and the other a gray interior.

Canvass tops are very expensive initally, and in the long run. Its just like Jeep tops. The plastic windows wear out pretty quick, and the buttons/zippers wear out quickly as well.

 

4Crawler has a pic of his hoist on his site.

 

any thing new in this area??? would like some more examples I am seriously gonna do this, this year.