OK Jeep friends, I need some help. Here's the deal.

Our 2010 2 Door has a hard top. We need a creative solution to remove/store the top with one or two people provided that the second person (let's call this person a *cough* wife) does not need to lift much weight.

I have been up and down these forums looking for something that doesn't render my Jeep a full time hard top as top off was half the reason I bought it. A hoist won't work in our garage because it is one car and slants towards the back. There is a garage door opener covering the roof of the front half. We don't have any trees outside to attach something to.

I saw someone post a solution using an engine hoist but there are no more pics and I am not sure this can get high enough to be on top of the roof plus additional height for removal.

I also looked into the Hard Top bench someone else had built but this would still require either myself to clean and jerk 175 pounds (a bit hard at 5' 3") or my wife to help and she just can't do it.

We could go soft top but really enjoy the added noise reduction when we use the Jeep to tow our travel trailer long distance.

I am going to have a garage guy/engineer take a look at my garage this week and see if they can come up with an idea but thought I would post here and see if anyone else had some creative ideas....

 

The weight of a 2 door hardtop, without freedom panels, is only about 80 lbs. So, it's not as bad as you think. Is it possible to post some pictures of your garage space, to get a better idea of what you're dealing with?

 

I just put mine 2dr hardtop back on this month with the wife helping. She was eight months pregnant so she was more steering then lifting.

Either have the back seat folded up or removed completely. Step up into the rear of the jeep and lift up with your shoulders balancing the top. Step back out of the jeep and set it down onto the ground or stand.

With your wife helping to balance the top as you step down it should go smoothly

 

I use my wife and two neighbors...............but it's a 4 door, it only costs me a beer

 

I believe a guy here on this forum fabbed up a stand out of lumber for his hard-top. It was basically a square frame on trolley-wheels that you just wheeled up to the back of the Jeep & then slid the hard-top onto it (he had little rollers attached to make it even easier to slide on). Then you just wheel the top away & store it in the yard or a corner of the garage.

The whole thing cost him about 60 bucks in lumber, bolts, screws, rollers & wheels from Home Depot and took him about an hour or so to construct. I'm thinking of making the same thing myself if I can find his post with the pictures of it attached.

 

I will also be making something similar. The hardtop is too awkward (glass is heavy) to lift by myself. The other weekend before my last trip I had to grab a guy walking his dog to help me lift it off as I was afraid of the balance (or lack there of) would cause me to drop it.

 

I know somebody already asked but if you post a pic of the garage space we can start throwing some ideas at you. I have a home made hoist myself but it sounds like its not an option. To be continued after pics

 

How about a wood "table" that you can slide it on to. It has been built by a member of the forum before. Then, bolt a hand winch to the "table" and somehow hook that to the top. All you will have to do is crank the winch to pull it onto the table...sort of like pulling a boat on to a trailer...

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Yeah, lemme see if I can do that. We actually have removed the top 3 times since taking ownership. My wife is 4'11" and in great shape but I think the combination of weight/size proves too much for her. I can lift the top on my own from underneath but this isn't enough to get it off/on. As noted, I am only 5'3" so height might be the issue here.

We actually fabbed up one of those shelves mentioned in an earlier post. It still doesn't resolve the basic issue for us though it is easier. Keep in mind we have to take the top off and then put in on one of those carts for storage. I believe the OP with the shelf just leaves it on the shelf when not in use....

Thanks for the numerous offers of help thus far and let me get some pics of the space....

 

You could do the table thing as mentioned before. Or you could make it a ramp so you have gravity helping you (to take it off). Then to put it back on you could jack up the end so gravity helps you put it on as well.

Also, it really isn't that heavy, just cumbersome. Hope you figure something out, because if you don't take the top off, it isn't worth having.