You can also run lumber over the K5 top to connect the sides and reduce the risk of the sides spreading if the cage prevents anything inside. Just remember to add triangulation in the corners.
CK5
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Ratchet VS cam VS other straps for raising hardtop
- Thread starter CK5
- Start date
If you have room to get wide at the top, you should be able to prevent the top from spreading.
While we're solidly in the realm of redneck engineering here....
Find an old popup camper that is beyond repair. They are typically free or super cheap. Rip the four lift arms, cable system, pulleys, and cranks out of that of thing. It's really not hard and the mechanisms are pretty simple. Flip it upside down and bolt it to your ceiling at the width and length you need. Convert the hand crank/acme bar over to a slide bar and winch pull with a small electric boat winch from harbor freight, and presto! Rigid, retractable arms that come down from your ceiling to connect to your lift brackets and retract to pull the shell up with them!
Find an old popup camper that is beyond repair. They are typically free or super cheap. Rip the four lift arms, cable system, pulleys, and cranks out of that of thing. It's really not hard and the mechanisms are pretty simple. Flip it upside down and bolt it to your ceiling at the width and length you need. Convert the hand crank/acme bar over to a slide bar and winch pull with a small electric boat winch from harbor freight, and presto! Rigid, retractable arms that come down from your ceiling to connect to your lift brackets and retract to pull the shell up with them!
Top one in this drawing. I started with a system of pulleys that was too complicated. Ended up with a fixed strap on each side of the front and a come-a-long for the back. Mine was a ‘73 so I didn’t have a back window to deal with.
Look up overhead garage storage racks on Amazon. One of the ones with the rack and cable system would work really well. Just got get the top slid on top of it.
Interesting
I think I am going to make this simple and use 8 ratchet straps, two on each corner and just raise the longer straps up (hardtop) to the shorter straps close to the ceiling. I also got some bolts with wing nuts to put through the hardtop mounting holes so I don't have to worry about the top sliding off the crossbars.
I will get pics when I get the top back in the next few days.
I will get pics when I get the top back in the next few days.
I guess if you rarely do it and it's sitting long term, ease of lifting it is not as important but location and condition of storage.
If I was doing multiple times a year I would get the Amazon setup. But for your purpose you already have pretty much what you need, you just need to optimize it
Yeah, I put the top up there 6 years ago and only took it down because the fabricator wanted to make sure it fit over the cage otherwise it would still be hanging there.
Yeah, it's 11'
