When the wife decided (LOL) that the truck should have a soft top I realized my newly redone hard top would most likely never go back on. My intended daily driver now has become a occasional beach driver for her and my summer run around truck for me. With my hard top taking room on my garage floor I wanted to get it out of the way and protected. My garage is 30'x60' with a heavy steel trussed flat roof. I came up with a system to tuck the hard top up between two trusses close to the roof. Here is what I did and what I used if guys are looking for ideas. Everything cost me $90 at Harbor Freight.
Items used:
1. 2- 4000lb ratchet come alongs (these have a double pull cable w/hooked pulley block)
2. 4- hooked pulley blocks
3. 6- chain connector links (come in pkg. of 3, need four for system)
4. 2- 2000lb lifting straps, 6' long
What was done:
1. On each come along the cable end is held on the come along body with a pin w/e-clip. Remove the e-clip and pin taking the end of cable out of the body making the come along a single pull.
2. Cut two pieces of angle iron 42" long and drill holes large enough to attach the hooked block pulleys to.
3. loosen bolts on pulleys, remove the wheel and run cable eye though then reassemble pulley while running end of bolt through hole drilled in angle iron. Tighten nut on shaft.
4. repeat on other end and on the other come along assembly. This make a spreader bar assembly for the lifting straps.
5. Hang the cable eye end which ever way needed on your ceiling with the chain connector link. ( I drilled holes in my trusses in the appropriate locations for both the cable eye and the cable block that comes with the come along.)
6. Hang the block that comes attached to the come along cable already.
7. Connect the hook on the end of the come along to a secure location. Try and keep the come along as close to the block as possible so your spreaders will hand down a low as possible. (I drilled a hole through both bottom angle irons of my trusses and put a bolt through the trusses.)
8. connect the ends of the lifting straps to one spreader bar and then run them through the top.
9. Connect the other strap ends to the other spreader bar.
10. Ratchet away until your top is all the way up.
Pictures should help explain the above. For my personal location so close to the wall I put my top on a section of rolling staging I had (also bought at HF) and rolled the top into position close to the wall. The staging held the roof about 5' off the floor and made it easy for me to run the straps through the roof. I put a blanket on the roof to protect is before I lifted it up. With two ladders I worked both come alongs a little at a time until it was up tight.
Items used:
1. 2- 4000lb ratchet come alongs (these have a double pull cable w/hooked pulley block)
2. 4- hooked pulley blocks
3. 6- chain connector links (come in pkg. of 3, need four for system)
4. 2- 2000lb lifting straps, 6' long
What was done:
1. On each come along the cable end is held on the come along body with a pin w/e-clip. Remove the e-clip and pin taking the end of cable out of the body making the come along a single pull.
2. Cut two pieces of angle iron 42" long and drill holes large enough to attach the hooked block pulleys to.
3. loosen bolts on pulleys, remove the wheel and run cable eye though then reassemble pulley while running end of bolt through hole drilled in angle iron. Tighten nut on shaft.
4. repeat on other end and on the other come along assembly. This make a spreader bar assembly for the lifting straps.
5. Hang the cable eye end which ever way needed on your ceiling with the chain connector link. ( I drilled holes in my trusses in the appropriate locations for both the cable eye and the cable block that comes with the come along.)
6. Hang the block that comes attached to the come along cable already.
7. Connect the hook on the end of the come along to a secure location. Try and keep the come along as close to the block as possible so your spreaders will hand down a low as possible. (I drilled a hole through both bottom angle irons of my trusses and put a bolt through the trusses.)
8. connect the ends of the lifting straps to one spreader bar and then run them through the top.
9. Connect the other strap ends to the other spreader bar.
10. Ratchet away until your top is all the way up.
Pictures should help explain the above. For my personal location so close to the wall I put my top on a section of rolling staging I had (also bought at HF) and rolled the top into position close to the wall. The staging held the roof about 5' off the floor and made it easy for me to run the straps through the roof. I put a blanket on the roof to protect is before I lifted it up. With two ladders I worked both come alongs a little at a time until it was up tight.
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