Hard top hoist with 2 contact points (pics)

[WCP-82]

What do you think of having a plate fabricated and using all thread? I did a quick sketch of what I am thinking. What diameter would not bend for this design?

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[Gman06880]

What do you think of having a plate manufactured and using all thread? I did a quick sketch of what I am thinking. What diameter would not bend for this design?

I would think there would be too much flex with threaded rod unless its really heavy gauge.

Also, if there is too much flex on the rod, the end brackets may flex the slots in the hard top causing potential damage....at which point, the Unistrut makes more sense.

 

[SuckItMcGee]

I duplicated an idea from this post and it worked out terrific. The sliding hoist makes it simple to remove and store my hardtop away from the car. I have a soft top for summer season so this is a semi-permanent storage solution.

I think that the cross brace/support would work great for suspended storage also.

It's nice to have low profile setup to clear ceiling and maximize shelf height.

for storing on a surface, I added a wooden spacer to keep the locator pins from taking long term weight.

Do you happen to have a parts list for the end brackets you created? This is exactly what I need as the 5' strap with end hooks ended up being just a little too long for my ceiling.

 

[Bellime]

I'm particularly interested in the balance point - that looks like a little far back to lift with reasonable balance. As near as I can tell, the slots are just about right.

I find it interesting that that is a good balance point, but I would run a third strap to the front end for insurance. And stacking the other panels on top only begs cracking the top.

 

[Bellime]

I duplicated an idea from this post and it worked out terrific. The sliding hoist makes it simple to remove and store my hardtop away from the car. I have a soft top for summer season so this is a semi-permanent storage solution.

I think that the cross brace/support would work great for suspended storage also.

It's nice to have low profile setup to clear ceiling and maximize shelf height.

for storing on a surface, I added a wooden spacer to keep the locator pins from taking long term weight.

I really like the rigid bar idea.

 

[Gman06880]

I find it interesting that that is a good balance point, but I would run a third strap to the front end for insurance. And stacking the other panels on top only begs cracking the top.

Believe it or not, the rear roof rack slots are the perfect balance points....the top lifts straight and flat. It's also nice to have one attach point so I can rotate the top from storage to installation.

The only panel I store on the top is the center panel that doesn't weigh much...I don't expect any problems from that. I agree that any more would be a concern.

 

[Gman06880]

Do you happen to have a parts list for the end brackets you created? This is exactly what I need as the 5' strap with end hooks ended up being just a little too long for my ceiling.

I used 2 inch 90deg. steel angle that was 1/4 inch thick that I had laying around...…I ended up milling off approx. 1/6" thickness on the flat to let it slide into the roof rack gaps without interference.

If I was to do it again, I would start with 3/16" 2 inch angle to simplify the project. It would be strong enough and no milling.

 

[Dadsquatch]

I duplicated an idea from this post and it worked out terrific. The sliding hoist makes it simple to remove and store my hardtop away from the car. I have a soft top for summer season so this is a semi-permanent storage solution.

I think that the cross brace/support would work great for suspended storage also.

It's nice to have low profile setup to clear ceiling and maximize shelf height.

for storing on a surface, I added a wooden spacer to keep the locator pins from taking long term weight.

Best use for the OEM carpet floor mats I've seen so far!

 

[Johnny Mo]

So I finally got my brother down here to help me build my hoist. I'm ultimately happy with the concept but it definitely needs some refining. The flat hooks from customtiedowns will only work if you don't add any felt or neoprene protecting material - they are super heavy duty and thus too thick for the application. I had added an ultra thin layer of neoprene to mine and they basically got stuck after the first lift. I didn't get a chance to add my floating shelf but I will work on that as new hooks have been ordered and I'll wait to see if they will work better. Here's some pics. Oh and yes I extended the remote on the HF Hoist but didn't think to extend the power cord . That's also a project for another day. But overall the hoist works and it definitely makes it easier. Other observation - if you are shorter than 5'9" the level of difficulty to manually take the center panel or the roof off increases exponentially due to the width of the flares and stretching to walk it over the rear section of roof.

 

[Johnny Mo]

I'm currently working on a 4 point system w/ electric winch using these:

Did you ever get this to work - ordered a set - seem WAY TOO SMALL to be useful. Would love to see if you have gotten it to work.

 

[darkscion0]

The actual hoist is looking like more of an upcoming winter project but I can assure you that these are more than enough to pick up the hardtop. Since I'll be using 4 of them, each one only needs to support 20ish lbs. The plan is to have a couple 2x4s suspended from chains that I can swing under the top once lifted for longer term storage so it's not hanging by the hooks for long periods of time.

Did you ever get this to work - ordered a set - seem WAY TOO SMALL to be useful. Would love to see if you have gotten it to work.

 

[Johnny Mo]

The actual hoist is looking like more of an upcoming winter project but I can assure you that these are more than enough to pick up the hardtop. Since I'll be using 4 of them, each one only needs to support 20ish lbs. The plan is to have a couple 2x4s suspended from chains that I can swing under the top once lifted for longer term storage so it's not hanging by the hooks for long periods of time.

I may give them a whirl but definitely a little nervous about them being so small - and also planning on the 2x4's suspended from the ceiling with unistrut and 3/8 threaded rod to support longer term.

 

[Azpuck]

After months of research and forum reading.
hoist. $90
hardware. $30
strap. $30.

 

[Johnny Mo]

Here's my updated hoist setup.
https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...-your-bronco-today-👨🏻‍🔧🧰🚿🛠.18089/post-2056678

 

[Mammal]

I duplicated an idea from this post and it worked out terrific. The sliding hoist makes it simple to remove and store my hardtop away from the car. I have a soft top for summer season so this is a semi-permanent storage solution.

I think that the cross brace/support would work great for suspended storage also.

It's nice to have low profile setup to clear ceiling and maximize shelf height.

for storing on a surface, I added a wooden spacer to keep the locator pins from taking long term weight.

I was trying to use less space.

These two are the closest setup to what I want to do. Thanks so much for sharing!

What are the dimensions of the shelf the top is resting on?

Anything you would change having used this setup for a while?

Cheers!

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