DIY Hardtop Cart
03-19-2010, 12:56 AM
#31
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anybody ever see, or thought of making a jack using the dolly???
i just do not have clearance to put a hoist or anything in the garage, so i was thinking about adding a cheap bottle jack, with a little bit of a cantilever design on to the dolly, kind of like an engine hoist, i would only need the top to be lifted like half an inch
i just do not have clearance to put a hoist or anything in the garage, so i was thinking about adding a cheap bottle jack, with a little bit of a cantilever design on to the dolly, kind of like an engine hoist, i would only need the top to be lifted like half an inch
03-19-2010, 04:10 AM
#32
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anybody ever see, or thought of making a jack using the dolly???
i just do not have clearance to put a hoist or anything in the garage, so i was thinking about adding a cheap bottle jack, with a little bit of a cantilever design on to the dolly, kind of like an engine hoist, i would only need the top to be lifted like half an inch
i just do not have clearance to put a hoist or anything in the garage, so i was thinking about adding a cheap bottle jack, with a little bit of a cantilever design on to the dolly, kind of like an engine hoist, i would only need the top to be lifted like half an inch
It's definitely a good idea though. The design basically jacked it up from the back and once you rolled it back and clear from the Jeep, there was some kind of swivel, so the top could be rotated down (back glass up) and stored like that, conserving at least a little bit of space. I'm sure it could be done with parts from Harbor Freight and Home Depot. Now though, after building two seperate lifts one manual and one with an electric winch I realized it's just easier to sit in the back of the jeep, legs hanging out and military press the top a couple inches, set it back gently one foot further back on the tub, then while still holding it, slide out and press again and walk it where it needs to go. It's off and stored faster than I could get the lift set up to actually pull it off.
Edit: Props to GE2 for making a video showing how he did the 1 man top removal that made me want to try it.
03-27-2010, 02:41 AM
#36
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Check harbor freight too - they always have stuff like that & it's usually priced well. Just found item 42485-0VGA at harbor freight for $13.
Last edited by cwhitfield; 03-27-2010 at 02:44 AM. Reason: Found HF item.
03-27-2010, 03:02 AM
#37
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Yes. The guy from Offroad Heroes made one, but you couldn't ever order it and he never did tell anyone how it was done. Besides even if he did make it, and you ordered it, you'd probably be waiting 6 months for it and get 12 fake tracking numbers in the mean time. lol
It's definitely a good idea though. The design basically jacked it up from the back and once you rolled it back and clear from the Jeep, there was some kind of swivel, so the top could be rotated down (back glass up) and stored like that, conserving at least a little bit of space. I'm sure it could be done with parts from Harbor Freight and Home Depot. Now though, after building two seperate lifts one manual and one with an electric winch I realized it's just easier to sit in the back of the jeep, legs hanging out and military press the top a couple inches, set it back gently one foot further back on the tub, then while still holding it, slide out and press again and walk it where it needs to go. It's off and stored faster than I could get the lift set up to actually pull it off.
Edit: Props to GE2 for making a video showing how he did the 1 man top removal that made me want to try it.
It's definitely a good idea though. The design basically jacked it up from the back and once you rolled it back and clear from the Jeep, there was some kind of swivel, so the top could be rotated down (back glass up) and stored like that, conserving at least a little bit of space. I'm sure it could be done with parts from Harbor Freight and Home Depot. Now though, after building two seperate lifts one manual and one with an electric winch I realized it's just easier to sit in the back of the jeep, legs hanging out and military press the top a couple inches, set it back gently one foot further back on the tub, then while still holding it, slide out and press again and walk it where it needs to go. It's off and stored faster than I could get the lift set up to actually pull it off.
Edit: Props to GE2 for making a video showing how he did the 1 man top removal that made me want to try it.
so i could move it anywhere anytime, like i said, i just don't have the necessary "garage clearance", which i'm sure many are familiar with, to "install" something
What is that exactly? Does that mean you're weak or strong?
04-06-2010, 01:28 PM
#39
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Great write up. I built 1 today and thought about a couple of potential flaws that might interest some people. First, you probably shouldn't use 3 inch screws to screw together 2 2x4's. Instead use 2 1/2 inch screws which greatly reduces chance of poking out of 1 side since overall thickness is 3 inches on 2 2x4's. Another thing that I've noticed was that I really only needed 2 of the small pieces of wood stacked up instead of 3. Some pics show the top resting on the long 2x4 while others (which I would think is correct) are shown resting against inside of the long 2x4. Just observations thats all. Keep up the great posts. Oh yeah, I also found that a carpet runner made for patio doors with the rubber attached to the back is exactly 59 inches and doesn't fray when cut. hopes this helps someone.
04-10-2010, 01:30 PM
#40
JK Enthusiast
Just finished mine this morning. I added a couple of blocks on the front to keep the top from sliding forward and also installed a couple of eyelet hooks so I could very lightly ratchet strap it down, in case the wind ever catches it. I'm very pleased with the outcome.
Grant
Grant