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cmcbronco

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Just wanted to share my experience I had with installing my “homemade” hard top hoist. I ran into a few problems so I thought id make a short thread to help others who have the same agenda as me. A somewhat cheap lift that’s quick and easy.

i ordered an $80 electric Hoist on amazon and a couple 10’ Straps for $30. The rest of the stuff I used I had laying around my shop at work.

i originally mounted it on the ceiling of my garage. It would have worked fine but it was too low for my liking. I wanted my bronco to easily fit underneath with no worries about hitting The top when I backed in so I ended up mounting it in the attic. It gave me the height I needed and looked cleaner as well.

my main point of this thread is the lifting part. With a single point lift like this it’s critical that you find the balance point of the top. I found out the hard way the first time I lifted the top off lol. It was all over the place. I attached some pictures to show the balance point of the two door top. I’m sure the four door will be different.

in the end it all worked out great. I’ve practiced a couple times and It takes about 20 min are so to remove the top. Im sure I’ll cut that time down once get more accustomed to the system. Reinstalling is fairly simple as well. I don’t even have to really worry about getting the bronco perfectly centered as there’s plenty of swing with the lift set up the way it is. I just lower slowly and line the pins up and it falls right Into place.

anyway I hope this helps anyone hoping to have a nice lift and not spend $500-$600. It’s fairly simple but hey it works! And for about $100 you can’t beat it.

Ford Bronco "Homemade" hard top lift tips! 99730B34-CC6B-4EE8-A426-3B1A2355F9F0


Ford Bronco "Homemade" hard top lift tips! 390F2A2E-B223-4293-A8E2-2564F6F07B60


Ford Bronco "Homemade" hard top lift tips! AF1E5FEC-DAAF-4CCA-9FFE-6A23FD8CD49C


Ford Bronco "Homemade" hard top lift tips! B397BE53-49D2-43CB-A884-202EBA6F58FF


Ford Bronco "Homemade" hard top lift tips! B1DC5419-E8D2-4069-AE26-A0108D2C024D


Ford Bronco "Homemade" hard top lift tips! B65CD41E-53D0-4EBD-A319-5B89EEC5ECD4
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yippeekiyay

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Thanks for the pictures and tips - did you try hosting by hand at any point? I'm on the fence about just using a couple pulleys to make it easier and direct over to the wall where I would secure the rope. Much easier than the winch, though less fun for sure 😊
 
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cmcbronco

cmcbronco

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Thanks for the pictures and tips - did you try hosting by hand at any point? I'm on the fence about just using a couple pulleys to make it easier and direct over to the wall where I would secure the rope. Much easier than the winch, though less fun for sure 😊
That was my initial plan until I found that hoist on Amazon. Didn’t think something like that I could snag for that cheap lol.
 

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Arrowbear Rider

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WOW that's a good price for a 120 volt hoist, the important part being that 120 volt connection to power, because I was looking at Harbor Freight's 120 volt winch for $170, but at that price I could build that to a frame and install in my carport with out worry.

I bet there will be a run on those hoists by Bronco owners... get them while you can, and they are on sale too. Thanks for the link.;)
 
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cmcbronco

cmcbronco

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Are you able to move the hoist with the bar that’s attached to it?
There is a system with rollers and that channel you can use to move the hoist around if need be. Mine is fixed though.
 

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Biz

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Will be doing exactly this.
Nice write up!
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