J-Barr hard top hoist.

[drBassman]

I received my J-Barr today!!! I opted for the complete kit with the manual winch & 25' winch cable...

My observations:

• The first time used the winch to hoist the top, it took *CONSIDERABLE* effort on my part to muster the "bravery" needed to drive the truck out from under the top!
• My top tends to lean slightly -- I attribute this to the fact that I have the aftermarket @Hothead Headliners , and my DIY install may be to blame for the slight imbalnce.
• My top tends to "come to rest" so that it is rotated & not "square with the parking lane" in the garage. When I posted on FB, a user there sent me a picture of his "solution", which involved several zip ties looped together on one end of the bar and an eyehook attached to the wall, etc. I will probably "engineer" a solution involving eyehooks and a short rope or similar. J-Barr: I'm not sure if my OCD can take this!!! LOL This rotation is something J-Barr MUST improve upon / solve in future version of the product, etc...

That *STUPID* antenna is too tall for this rig! Every time I pull into the garage, I have to make sure the antenna isn't going to hit the top!!!!!

Most likely, I will MOVE the bar from below the trusses to above the trusses. Also, will move the winch from the West wall to the North wall to increase the amount of lift. Doing this should allow me to lift the top ~4" higher than it is now...

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[drBassman]

Day 2 experience:

I got to "remove & reinstall" the lift today. A FB user had suggested moving the bar from the bottom of the ceiling rafters to the top. This change lifted the cable enough that I had to move the winch from the West wall to the North wall so that the cable wouldn't rub on the rafters. Turns out this works better: I can turn the crank and guide the top as it is lifted / lowered from the North wall -- I couldn't do that from the West wall...

Moving that bar to the top of the joists allows the top to be lifted ~4" higher!

The extra height allows the top to clear the antenna when I park here...

The "angle of the dangle" (or alignment to the parking lane) is easily adjusted by moving this swivel connector.

For my application, the hand crank is ideal. From here, I can guide the top as it SLOWLY is lifted or lowered.

Conclusion: I *HIGHLY* recommend the J-Barr kit for anyone who questions their ability to "rig something up" safely. It is worth every penny!

 

[kevman65]

Move your back straps so they go straight up rather than wrapping top corner.
This should take care of most of your unlevelness.

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