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Post by salyers890 on Jan 21, 2006 19:45:30 GMT -5
I'll be buying a 2flat w/ a garage this summer, and was thinking of ways to make a HT hoist. what do you guys think of this one?
top will be taken off by backing into garage - then I have to figure out how to manufacture a mechanism to secure to hardtop for lifting (not sure yet how to do that). then attach it to a cable or good rope which travels up to a pulley on the truss where you want the HT to end up. pulley changes the direction of the line to point towards the front of the garage. another pulley is installed forward of the front tip of the ht. Rope is then attached and to front bumper or something on the jeep making sure the rope is taught (sp?). jeep left in neutral - as you push the jeep forward, the top gets lifted. once in position, secure rope to cleat somewhere and mark tire spots on garage floor. to reinstall HT, back jeep up to where the spots are, re-attach rope to jeep, then back up until the top is almost on and leave in neutral for fine hand adjustment.
anyone else see that as a working idea or would I be better off sticking to what's out there.
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Post by mometal on Jan 22, 2006 0:11:21 GMT -5
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Post by brigantine on Jan 22, 2006 2:55:01 GMT -5
This guy from that same thread has done what I plan to do.
I've got the super low-budget setup. So far so good, but I will make a couple of tweaks.
I literally spent $6 plus used some part I had laying around the shop.
www.thedreyerfamily.com/2005j...ettophoist.htm
He mentions on his web site (which has great pics btw) that you have to be careful when lifting, to keep the line from twisting. That's because he's using just about the cheapest junk line I have ever seen. (probably came with those $3 hoists from Harbor Freight. I hate HF, but that's another rant) Anyway, you can put together the line rig he has For < $100 using decent line and decent block and tackle. Add in a $3 boat cleat and you've got a great tie off. As I mentioned, I've got a couple of manual boat winches lying around, so I'll add in the winch, too. And, with a couple of thousand feet of serviceable boat lines all I need to buy is the blocks. Seriously, I can never figure out why folks tie up there 100 thousand dollar boats with a $10, undersized line. Regardless of whether you go the electric winch route as shown above or a manual route like I plan to, do you really want to story your $1,500 hard top with very poorly braided or twisted polypropelene rope that degrages in the very air you breathe? (okay, so it's not that bad, but the fella's pics show him tying it off at a window. Poly rope degrades very fast in sunlight. His bloody top could fall on him in a year.) Anyway get a good 1/2" three strand nylon like Samson or New England Ropes. It'll be stronger, easier to work with, longer lasting and a pleasure to hold in the hand. And, if you teach yourself how to splice a loop, you're half way to being a sailor and I'll take you sailing if you're in the neighborhood. cheers. |
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Post by moneypit on Jan 22, 2006 14:32:29 GMT -5
  Here is what I did in my barn. I did not have a ceiling so I had to build the outriggers. I just bought a set of ratchet straps. I backed it into place and lifted up the top enough to slide the 2x4 with the eye hooks in and ratcheted it up till I could drive it out. I was able to get the top off myself with out struggling. You do have to have someone help when installing it because they don't ratchet down. |
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Post by wv4x4 on Jan 23, 2006 7:11:56 GMT -5
My set up looks kinda like money pits! couple 2x4's and some eye bolts and straps are all you really need!
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Post by 2hi2cme on Jan 24, 2006 18:24:05 GMT -5
i was thinking of doing some type of mod like that myself.will thoughs strap hold that hard top,like all summer.which 2x4 did you slide through first the front or the back.you wouldn't want the hard top to slide off. and how heavy do you think the hard top is. i think tex has the right idea for me all i have to do is go up in my attic and winch it down and make sure to mark the tires less headache later trying to back up. but there are great ideas i suppose you can save some bucks the money you save you buy some parts for the jeep  |
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Post by moneypit on Jan 24, 2006 19:13:42 GMT -5
I put the 2x4 in the front first. Just get in the seat and lift up with 1 hand and slide it in. The top in the back area has a lip so it can't slide side to side. I did take off the spare tire. Open up the window and lift up 1 corner and slide in the rear 2x4. Go to the other side and do the same. I just ratcheted the top up enough to clear the third stop light. Then just drove out. The top hung there from April till November. I would guess that the top weighs about 200 lbs. I took it off by myself. I had my son in law to help put it back on. I may have been able to do it myself but he offered. If I can find a ratchet strap that will reverse it will be a 1 man job for sure. I just backed in under the top to reinstall.
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Post by 2hi2cme on Jan 24, 2006 19:27:14 GMT -5
ya reverse ratchet would work good.i wonder if there one on the market.why would you take off the spare tire. thanks for the info I'll have to start working on it to get ready for the summer. any body else have any ideas............... |
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kb5xg
Trail Guide
Just Empty Every Pocket
Posts: 183
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Post by kb5xg on Jan 24, 2006 20:26:22 GMT -5
I have been working on my hoist for the last two days, I tried it today and back to the drawing board. I had the top started off when bing, bam, boom, the pulley I was lifting from broke  . The top fell and luckly the only damage was the rail, where the rear window panel latches, at the top of the tailgate on the drivers side. I need to find a pulley which has a 1/2 inch hole for the bearing and metal sides deep enough to hold the rope I am using to lift the top with. I am hoping I might find one at Lowes but really having trouble finding a pulley that will work. I live in small town Oklahoma, so not a lot of choices for pulleys. |
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Post by brigantine on Jan 24, 2006 21:50:03 GMT -5
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Post by brigantine on Jan 24, 2006 22:04:04 GMT -5
Actually, here's a cheap knockoff. Ronstan is Australian made and they do cheap knockoffs of Harken Hardware. I buy Ronstan if I don't need to use it for racing. They're just fine under light loads not pushing the envelope. Which your application fits. tinyurl.com/adhtmAs you can see, you'll probably save enough to pay the shipping, but that's about it.  |
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