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What did you do WITH your Gladiator today?

JP1

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DenverGladiator

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Drove 275 miles up to Leadville CO and back hauling my pop up and a bunch of gear. Manual Sport S, averaged 19.1mpg roundtrip, 16.8mpg on the way up. Stop and go traffic for an hour and a half up hill, 6-7% grades ... almost wish I had an automatic for that. Took the Gladiator off road up Sugarloaf Mountain and earned a couple rashes. Only scraped once on a deep crossing. Came back Loveland Pass (11,990ft) and it pulled just fine. Definitely a little sluggish on some of the interstate passes.

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primethios

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Went topless for the first time today.
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I am using a carpeted piece of plywood with 2x4 boards at the ends for support. The plywood was positioned where the bed meets the cab. After unbolting, I propped one side up on a folded towel (to keep the pin disengaged from the vehicle), then lifted and rotated the opposite side onto the plywood. Then back to the first side to position that corner on the board. I climbed into the back seat and slowly pushed the top until the glass side was down on the carpeted plywood. Attach the ropes to the ratchet straps and lift.
Can you give a few more details on this? I am trying to figure out how to deal with the JT in the garage with the top compared to my JK and this looks like an interesting idea to try.
 

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Tex-1836

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Can you give a few more details on this? I am trying to figure out how to deal with the JT in the garage with the top compared to my JK and this looks like an interesting idea to try.
Happy to help. What specifically would you like to know? Be aware that the top set in this position is tall and might not work in every garage. I have an oversized garage. With my JK I would use ropes to directly support the top. It worked but I didn't like the idea of the weight of the top concentrated on just a few points. This set up distributes the weight along a large area of the top.
 

primethios

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Just really trying to get an idea of how you loaded the top on the boards. Is it a flat structure slightly higher than the bed that you backed under and then slid and flipped up? Good point on the height as I will have to measure but I probably have enough materials laying around to replicate this. I live alone so have been trying to find a way to remove the top myself at my leisure but also have it out of the way enough to park in the garage still. Just seeing the process would be handy enough for me to figure it out. Much like anyone I want to park in the garage when the top is off but I also want to make sure everything is secure enough because I don't want to pay for a new top due to stupidity much less the fact that if I broke the top it is safe to say it would be weeks before the dealership could get me a replacement top.
 

Moab

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:sun: Went for a nice drive with 1/2 the top off.
The Mrs and my pup enjoyed with me.
Yes my pup is anchored to the tow hook.
Plenty of deer in the area and she’s an
Elghund. She’s bred to track them. Didn’t want her to wander while I took a snap.

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Tex-1836

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Just really trying to get an idea of how you loaded the top on the boards. Is it a flat structure slightly higher than the bed that you backed under and then slid and flipped up? Good point on the height as I will have to measure but I probably have enough materials laying around to replicate this. I live alone so have been trying to find a way to remove the top myself at my leisure but also have it out of the way enough to park in the garage still. Just seeing the process would be handy enough for me to figure it out. Much like anyone I want to park in the garage when the top is off but I also want to make sure everything is secure enough because I don't want to pay for a new top due to stupidity much less the fact that if I broke the top it is safe to say it would be weeks before the dealership could get me a replacement top.
Definitely a 1 person job. The board sits on my factory soft top bed cover where the cab meets the bed. The studs in my ceiling don't line up to that spot so I manually position the board. Once unbo!ted, I lift one back corner of the top and put a towel under that corner to keep the pin in the top disengaged from the vehicle. Then lift the opposite corner and place that corner on the board. Move back to the first corner and put it on the board. Then I get in the middle of the back seat and push up on the roof which will put the glass side down on the board. Then I just shift the top so the weight will be centered properly - you will figure out the right spot the first time you do it. Since the board isn't under the eye bolts in my ceiling, I slide the board back so it is lined up under the eye bolts. From there I use the ratchet straps to lift. Hope that helps. I'll take some more pictures next time I take it off.
 

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primethios

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Definitely a 1 person job. The board sits on my factory soft top bed cover where the cab meets the bed. The studs in my ceiling don't line up to that spot so I manually position the board. Once unbo!ted, I lift one back corner of the top and put a towel under that corner to keep the pin in the top disengaged from the vehicle. Then lift the opposite corner and place that corner on the board. Move back to the first corner and put it on the board. Then I get in the middle of the back seat and push up on the roof which will put the glass side down on the board. Then I just shift the top so the weight will be centered properly - you will figure out the right spot the first time you do it. Since the board isn't under the eye bolts in my ceiling, I slide the board back so it is lined up under the eye bolts. From there I use the ratchet straps to lift. Hope that helps. I'll take some more pictures next time I take it off.
Oh I am definitely giving this a try! I have a hard cover so I have no concerns sliding back or anything so that may actually solve another concern I had. This could be a great solution for me if I have the height which I am pretty sure I do. I already have ibolts, ratchet straps, lumber and moving blankets so I just need to give it a shot. Than you for the extra info as you may have saved me some headaches and if anything I may be able to modify to fit my garage needs. If my workbench wasn't in the back of the garage this would have been resolved weeks ago so you gave some good ideas at a bare minimum.
 

smlobx

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^^^

I wonder if some sort of alarm would sound if you exceeded a certain roll angle?
 

tweak89

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Took the top off and ran some errands. Came across this grand old tree (surrounded by subdivision) and thought I'd take a pic. And, technically Iwent 'off road" since I had to drive off the road and into the field where the tree sits! :LOL:
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