HARKEN - Hardtop Overhead Garage Storage Hoist for Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco, Self-Leveling, Safe Anti-Drop System, Easy One-Person Operation, Garage Organization

Ok, 5 Star's... You Bet ! And I'm cheap on stars ! There are several types of Jeep top Lifts, and I was about to build my own (Yes,engineering 20+ years) and like most people today I decided to check the internet to see how others have done it (Not ashamed to save on a little trial and error). I saw the lifts on wheels that allow you to store it on the lift after removal (But how much room do you have in your garage?), and the over engineered (Like I would make) with frames to lower down on the Jeep top, and Click - Click - Click winches to wind up the frames, now spinning the top since they use 1 large rope (hear's that trail and error part). Then I saw this block and tackle lift. It spreads the weight on 4 points making the top stable and not wanting to spin, because the load is split the rope needed is thin and lite, the bock and tackle made it light (a child could do it) to pull up, and set down. Last the block and tackle has a lock that prevents the top from falling if rope is let go! SOOOoooo I dd not build one, I purchased this one and Life is good ! I removed the jeep top, and pulled it up to the ceiling where it stays out of the way until Fall ! I will as always, update my review if needed later. I would post a pic, but many videos on line, google it :) --Rockbase--

The instructions leave a lot to be desired. One word of ADVICE. You need to have block and tackle to pulley distance longer than your pick-up distance (period). If you intend to let the top all the way back down to the floor, then that has to be accounted in the pulley to pulley distance. The instructions provide all the charts but never really give the concise 'if you need this much room, then you need this much spacing'. In a tight garage, this means you may have to offset the block and tackle at an angle to gain more distance. Also, they give you pictorial drop dimensions, to predrill the wood ceiling supports. I followed it to a 'tee' and it was wrong. Do what the text says, not what the picture shows. The front and back distance need to be tailered for a true vertical pull, or it side loads the pulleys. The product does exactly as intended, but instructions were seemingly copied from the design engineer, and tried simplifying it. They failed, in my opinion.

Great design, and a must for removing my Jeep top by myself. My setup of this product is different than most because my garage is metal, with exposed framing, making it easier because the steel frame which is equally spaced making measurements perfect. I preferred not to store my top on my ceiling, so lowering it to a framed dolly I built out of wood required making sure the welded eye bolt be mounted far enough away from the 4 top attachments so that the harness would allow it to be lowered to the ground. I have read on a Jeep forum that I frequent that you could make this harness setup much cheaper than this one, but after mounting and using the Harken Hoister, I can assure you it is well worth the money, because of the flawless design and quality.

I was in the market for a hoist, didn’t mind it being hand powered but I didn’t want to break the bank. First, buy 2-8 foot 2x6 boards and 8-10 lag bolts and washers, wish the product images on here emphasized the need for them. This hoist works great and does work for the Gladiator top but you need to go away from instructions. The gladiator top only has the middle window open so if you follow the instructions the front straps will try to move towards the middle of the top making it unstable. The fix was moving the front eye hooks about 12” towards the center from the end of the 2x6 and using a foam pool noodle to keep straps far enough wide to lift top evenly. Also keep in mind that there is a substancial amount of extra rope, both from the locking mechanism and from the eye hooks. Install everything then evenly measure. For my 9 ft roof, 32” of rope from pulley to strap was enough to lift the top to the height you see. Took some time installing by myself about 2 hours (2x6’s are heavy and going up and down ladder). Overall, if you’re not looking to drop $500 on a hoist to move a top 2 feet and don’t mind some manual labor this is the perfect hoist.

Lève le toit, descend le toit. Client content.

A friend suggested this product as a solution to removing and replacing the roof on my wife's Jeep, and storing it while it's off of the vehicle. Up until now, we recruit a friend to help with the removal and replacement, and end up storing it in my shop where it inevitably gets in the way. I read lots of reviews on here about the Harken Hoister and was a little concerned about how many people said the instructions weren't very good, which led to slow and difficult installations. While I have to admit that the instructions are less than ideal...a little vague to say the least...I had no difficulty figuring it all out. Just go slow, use the pictures in the instructions, and measure carefully. Also, a lot of people said that the most difficult and time consuming part of the installation was locating joists in the ceiling. That's true...it does take a while to locate joists and plot out where you're going to install your support boards, figure out how long the support boards need to be, where to put the pigtail hangers, and so on. My advice - invest in a good stud finder. They're not that expensive and once you have one you'll use it for all kinds of things. Either get a decent stud finder, or drill a zillion pilot holes with the old "hit and miss" routine trying to find those joists. Once you locate your joists and determine whether they run side to side or front to back, everything else will be easier. I picked up 2 8ft 2x6 boards (I ended up cutting them to 6ft), and a dozen 3/8x5" lag bolts with washers. Didn't need a dozen but they're cheap and I'll end up finding a use for the leftovers. If your joists run side to side, you'll also need a 2x4 to attach to each 2x6 support board. I had one kicking around, so didn't need to buy one. Like I've said, just go slow...make your measurements and go through it all in your head until it makes sense...and you'll find it all goes together fairly easily. Others have mentioned that it's awkward holding up 6ft 2x6 boards over your head and screwing them to the ceiling. Yep, it's a bit awkward...but I'm 65 and managed to do it by myself, so it's not that bad. Having said that, it would definitely be a lot easier with another pair of hands. I didn't put a stopwatch on it, but it looks like it took me about 3 hours to install by myself. A good portion of that time was spent just thinking about each step before doing it. For me, it looks like this product is exactly what we needed and relatively easy to install. Roof is off, and up out of the way.

I installed the product several days ago and so far it’s working exactly as planned. I’m not very experienced in home projects, so the job took me quite a while (probably 7-10 hours with all the research, measuring, trip to Home Depot for supplies, finding rafters etc.), but ultimately the instructions were helpful and I got the job done. The pulley system is very easy to use. I’ve added an extra eye hook and chain for added security and I also added extra lag bolts into the rafters just in case. Everything looks and feels strong. I recommend this system.