"Homemade" hard top lift tips!

[djp]

I was thinking about doing this $16 version:

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[Robtw]

Too soon my friend. I’m still feeling the pain from the other night. At least in this universe Broncos transcend hockey.

Wow, what a crazy ending! And the Knights needed that one. Do or die tonight vs Dallas. Good luck my friend.

 

[El Jefe]

Well done! Love the attic install to get the desired height and a cleaner look! Way better than a manual lift left sitting on the garage floor!

 

[ZipZit]

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.
...
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.

Great installation. Kudos to you.

Exactly how tall is your garage ceiling from the floor?

 

[Busterbronco1]

Nice work!!! I am doing that exact thing. I got that same winch on amazon. I got 20' of box channel and trolley bearing rollers to mount the winch to. The plan is to move the wife's explorer out.... back the bronco in, lift the roof off of it, then trolley the roof over to the other side of the garage so she doesn't have to park under it. I will have to get pics when i install it to share (but as of now i dont have the Bronco yet) for the electrical on the winch, I am thinking of buying a retractable extension cord and disable the ratchet lock mechanism. that way the cord will stay up by the ceiling and move along with the winch. A home made gantry crane. you are right those winches are hard to beat for that price.

 

[cmcbronco]

Great installation. Kudos to you.

Exactly how tall is your garage ceiling from the floor?

I have 10’ ceilings

 

[VictoryLights]

I have a similar setup. It took me a few tries to figure out the balance point as well. I scratched up my roll bars a little bit with the trial and error.

I might recommend some pipe insulation to protect them. Standing in the back seat while operating the lift slowly gave me the best control.

 

[Go Devils]

Are you finding that the straps are pinching anything important on the top (e.g seals/weatherstripping, hinges or??). I haven’t even had my top off yet so not sure if the straps will rub against or damage anything important. And we have 9 foot ceiling in our garage with limited attic space so I may be looking at other options.

 

[Mattmquin]

Here is mine. Needed to get It tight to ceiling. Been working great. I am using the bracket for the struts on the back and I use the holes that bolt the front of the top on for the front secure points. I can have the top off in just under 6 minutes and back on in the same amount of time.

 

[Busterbronco1]

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.

curious when you found the CG, did you measure back from leading edge? how far back about is it? would be some handy info. you have that thing sitting nice and level.

 

[Dogstyle]

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.

Well said. Just after reading these posts I checked out Amazon and the first seller - sold out.

 

[Go Devils]

Here is mine. Needed to get I tight to ceiling. Been working great. I am using the bracket for the struts on the back and I use the holes the bolt the top front on for the front secure points.

Looks sturdy and well engineered How tall is your garage ceiling?

 

[Mattmquin]

Looks sturdy and well engineered How tall is your garage ceiling?

8’

 

[DEC]

Go Sharks!

Were you not up 3-0 against the Kings that year and lost 4 straight?

 

[cmcbronco]

Are you finding that the straps are pinching anything important on the top (e.g seals/weatherstripping, hinges or??). I haven’t even had my top off yet so not sure if the straps will rub against or damage anything important. And we have 9 foot ceiling in our garage with limited attic space so I may be looking at other options.

I stick some foam between where the straps contact the top. No issues yet with damaging the seal.

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