This won't get your top off, but I have one and I really like it ...

http://www.quadratec.com/products/im...1/53451-lg.jpg

Yes, it's expensive. But, I can set it right behind the Jeep so that all I need is one other person to help me lift the top up and rotate it off onto the cart. So we carry the weight of the top for about 15 seconds or so. After that it wheels around on that cart. On top of that, I just ordered the MBRP hardtop overhead rack, and that will give us large handholds for handling the top while lifting it off and on. I hardly ever use my hardtop, but when I do it will be a piece of cake to maneuver on and off.

 

Manoj, how big of a pain in the butt was your OR-FAB tire carrier to install?

All the write-ups I've seen mention that the passenger side is a PITA to get your hands in the holes you drill to get everything lined up and what not.

Also, overall would you recommend the tire carrier?

 

The biggest PITA of the install was cutting out hole using a right angled saw on the driver side rear. The other PITA is when you have to assemble the carrier onto the carrier mount and load the little springs and bushings on the passenger side right beside the tail light (as seen in the picture):

.

Getting the hands in the holes of the tail light isn't all that hard - it is hard to get the ratchet in there to tighten up the bolts and you just have to feel your way around and it can definitely get frustrating. A 1/4" drive seems to help in the tight spot.

Definitely. It's a great product, that's extremely well built and durable. I'd rather it be a PITA to install once and be sturdy from there on out, than get something that's easy to install but has issues. So, definitely, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to anyone

 

Good to hear it.

In the absence of my Jeep this past week, my wife has grown to appreciate it more. You know what they say, absences makes the heart grow fonder... well the absences of a 4-wheel drive vehicle during this blizzard has made my wife take a strong liking to the Jeep.

One thing lead to another, and next thing you know she's telling me I need to look at buying a bumper Of course, she meant to say "you need to buy the OR-FAB tire carrier", but she's still learning

 

Awesome. You'll definitely like it

 

oh... how do you feel about that lock bar thing instead of studs and lug nuts to keep the spare in place?

What do you do to keep your spare from "walking off" if you know what I mean?

 

It hasn't walked off on me yet - and I've had it on over a year . I'll take some pictures for you tomorrow, but I do have a little suitcase lock type of lock on the bar to keep it from coming off, as well as a bicycle rope lock that goes around it and secures my hi-lift jack and jerry cans . Here's a few pictures I'd taken a short while back for another forum member that had concerns about how the jerry cans and hi-lift jack was secured:




I originally had the bicycle rope lock going around the tire as well, but it was too much of a hassle to take off if I needed the hi-lift jack.

 

Humm... I'm bored... I've got junk to do, but I don't feel like doing it

 

How do you do junk?