Smarterhome Hardtop Lift

[Gladdox]

Do you have to open the swing gate fully to lift the hard top off?

Because of some existing ceiling storage in my garage, I'd need to mount this hoist above my garage door, and drive in (rather than back in) my Bronco. So my garage door will need to be closed in order to use the hoist.

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[JackTripper]

Do you have to open the swing gate fully to lift the hard top off?

Because of some existing ceiling storage in my garage, I'd need to mount this hoist above my garage door, and drive in (rather than back in) my Bronco. So my garage door will need to be closed in order to use the hoist.

No. It can remain closed. That is how I lift mine off.

 

[Kearyclose]

Sharing my experience for the benefit of others. Hindsight, it works and I’m happy with it. But for the high price, long delivery and annoying install process, I give them 3/5 stars. Hope this helps someone.

• Install took me 3 hours
• My ceilings are tall ~20ft, so the pulley cord can’t reach the hard top frame while on the floor (I had to use a table)
• One small but important piece broke (a pin).
• Instructions seemed out of order and hard to follow. There are different instructions for installing the mount (hidden in the box) not mentioned in the main instructions.
• The suggested configuration of the frame and pulleys was ridiculously wrong (ignore their suggestion).
• Be careful not to scratch your roll bars when first testing (see above point). If it’s tilting, STOP and adjust.
• Took me MANY attempts to adjust the frame to get it to lift level
• The rear glass has to be closed before lifting otherwise it’s off balance (took me a while to realize my mistake)
• Keep the rear door open when lowering the top back into place
• 
  

 

[Jeff Lebowski]

Sharing my experience for the benefit of others. Hindsight, it works and I’m happy with it. But for the high price, long delivery and annoying install process, I give them 3/5 stars. Hope this helps someone.

• Install took me 3 hours
• My ceilings are tall ~20ft, so the pulley cord can’t reach the hard top frame while on the floor (I had to use a table)
• One small but important piece broke (a pin).
• Instructions seemed out of order and hard to follow. There are different instructions for installing the mount (hidden in the box) not mentioned in the main instructions.
• The suggested configuration of the frame and pulleys was ridiculously wrong (ignore their suggestion).
• Be careful not to scratch your roll bars when first testing (see above point). If it’s tilting, STOP and adjust.
• Took me MANY attempts to adjust the frame to get it to lift level
• The rear glass has to be closed before lifting otherwise it’s off balance (took me a while to realize my mistake)
• Keep the rear door open when lowering the top back into place

Can you share a picture of your frame config ? Every time I hoist, its uneven and makes for a uncomfortable situation....

 

[Kearyclose]

Can you share a picture of your frame config ? Every time I hoist, its uneven and makes for a uncomfortable situation....

I shortened the length (front to back) all the way leaving only one hole remaining. And I moved the pulleys as close to the glass as possible. Based on instructions I thought the frame had to rest on the top, but I realized it’s ok to let the top hang below it. Mines not perfectly level, buts it’s good enough to stop messing with it. (This is the clamshell only, no other pieces lifted)

 

[Johnny Mo]

Do you have to open the swing gate fully to lift the hard top off?

Because of some existing ceiling storage in my garage, I'd need to mount this hoist above my garage door, and drive in (rather than back in) my Bronco. So my garage door will need to be closed in order to use the hoist.

Do you have enough clearance above the garage door? Sidewinder opener? There is definitely some risk to leaving the swing gate closed since hitting the spare with your back window is a risk once it lifts away from the car.

 

[Johnny Mo]

A couple questions. Do you have to have the rear hatch open in the garage when hooking this up? I have a shallow garage and would like the top to be as close to the rear wall when it is up as possible. Also, if you lift the top all the way to the ceiling how low does the top hang? So ceiling to bottom of top measurement. My garage is also not very tall (~8ft) so I'm hoping there is enough room for me to install.

I have a 10' ceiling and using a Harboor Freight setup that I made...from ceiling to bottom of roof is 45"

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