Just curious as I start to plan for trips this year, and since I've never owned a hard top until now.

Is it okay to wheel with the hard top on? I'm not concerned about jagged rocks or tree limbs, there won't be much of that.

What I AM worried about is the constant flexing and the possibility of cracking at the mounting points.

Is this a real concern, or is there nothing to worry about?

 

I've done quite a bit of rock crawling with my hardtop on. Lots of flexing on big rocks. It's never been an issue. No cracks, splits, or stress points that I could see. I managed to tip over at a snail's pace on granite a while back. It scratched the paint off and gouged the fiberglass in a couple of spots, but it didn't crack. Lesson learned, though. I now run a soft top just in case it happens again. Cloth's a lot cheaper to replace than a hardtop. The body shop said they couldn't patch the top and match the factory patina, so they had to replace it. Had it not been covered by my insurance, I would have just painted over the gouges and gone on my merry way.

 

As for flexing you should be fine with a hardtop.

 

Never had any problems with mine. Have fun!!

 

Just watch out for rock walls or thick tree limbs. Flexing is not an issue. If your tub flexes enough to crack the top, you have bigger problems to worry about than the top. I recommend a sharpie if you are worried about scratches.

 

I never had a problem with mine.

 

Nothing to worry about

 

Fantastic... Thanks guys.

When I went last year with just a soft top, wow, what a mess. It spent most of the time down, collecting dust. Up for some mid-day mountain storms. Trying to keep the windows safe with a jeep full of gear was impossible and resulted in some scratches. Plus the whole top (including the inside) was coated in dust and dirt.

I look forward to using the freedom panels for the "topless" parts this year and keeping the rest of the top on for everything else. ALso makes it easy to pile gear to the ceiling.

 

I have never had nor have I seen a problem with the hardtop. The main thing is not to over tighten the bolts, which can lead to cracking.

 

I've been wheeling with the hard top in the pacific northwest for about a year now and aside from the paint getting nicked in a few places due to a low hanging branches its worked great.