I'll never try that again!!

[timothy]

Decided to put the hard top on for the winter months and didn't want to wait for a neighbor or strong friend or relative to come over so I asked my wife to help. Yikes! We almost had a disaster with multiple injuries. No major damage though(to us or the car). Very lucky. I will be more patient in the spring..Lesson learned...

[MikeB]

Re: I'll never try that again!!

Decided to put the hard top on for the winter months and didn't want to wait for a neighbor or strong friend or relative to come over so I asked my wife to help. Yikes! We almost had a disaster with multiple injuries. No major damage though(to us or the car). Very lucky. I will be more patient in the spring..Lesson learned...

I learned the same lesson years ago. I wait until my daughter comes our with our Grandsons and then my wife & daughter take one side and I take the other. Other option for me is an old neighborhood friend.

I found it's not the weight of it as much as it's size and it is unwieldy at that size with most of the weight at the rear.

[tbird6t4]

Re: I'll never try that again!!

I learned the same lesson years ago. I wait until my daughter comes our with our Grandsons and then my wife & daughter take one side and I take the other. Other option for me is an old neighborhood friend.

I found it's not the weight of it as much as it's size and it is unwieldy at that size with most of the weight at the rear.

I tried this with my wife and she couldn't hold up her end of the bargain either. Never got it off the cart! I had one of my neighbours come over to help, he goes to the gym every morning at 5 a.m. and he couldn't handle it either; kind of a scrawny guy so I guess he's a runner.

So Mike if your not doing anything this afternoon, can you come over and help me? I'm 50 minutes east of Buffalo just outside of Toronto!

You could be here in about 9 hours!!!!



Gord R.

[darsinewman]

Re: I'll never try that again!!

I always have 4: me, my husband, my sister, and her husband. You're right; it's not so much the weight as the awkwardness of moving such a large object with most of the weight in the rear. I would kill myself if I ever dropped it on the car, so I refuse to do it without 4 people. I only take it off and put it on once per year, so it's not that big of an inconvenience.

[Lonestar]

Re: I'll never try that again!!

When I first got my car the hardtop removal and installation was a two person deal, me and my wife. Heavy moving type blankets on the back just in case. On day I was going to put the top on and my daughter and her boy friend, now husband, were at the house. I asked the boy friend, now husband, to assist me. He was a nervous as all get out for some reason and we nearly had an incident – actually we would have had an incident if my daughter had not jumped in to help… strong guy but he was trying to hold it wrong although he had “expert” instruction. After that little butt puckering installation I decided to get a hoist.

[tbird6t4]

Re: I'll never try that again!!

After that little butt puckering installation I decided to get a hoist.

I did buy a hoist after my experience but now I have to find the time to put it up! One more thing to get around to!

Gord R.

[BirdsAndBugs]

Re: I'll never try that again!!

Usually, I have my younger brother come over and give me a hand taking the hard top off or putting it on my cars. Just got to make you get your hand under the rear of the top firmly although I do put some blankets on the trunk of the car in case we did need to set it down or something. So far it's worked out OK.

I don't think I would ever care for another car with a manually removable hardtop. We used to have a 1999 Mazda Miata and my wife wanted to purchase an optional removable hardtop but I figured it would be more of a pain in the butt than it was worth as it was another thing to have to store when not on the car. Plus, I liked being able to drop the softop whenever I felt like it and didn't want to be constrained with a hardtop. Now my wife drives a 2001 Mercedes SLK320 roadster. That hardtop opens with the press of a button and store conveniently in the trunk.

[dreamer]

Re: I'll never try that again!!

we went through the same thing with our hardtop. Bought a hoist and life is so much easier.

[Ediron]

Re: I'll never try that again!!

I don't have a top but lifting heavy iron for a good part of my life I can tell you most people donot know how to lift .When lifting above the waist it's all arm strength which the average person doesn't have. My son had a CJ 5 with a H/T ,one day he had the guy next store who was a weight lifter help take it off.Guess who almost dropped the top because he grabbed it over the door and didn't support the back. Plus most of us don't think were getting older.

[lvtbird733]

Re: I'll never try that again!!

This is the very reason that my hard top has not been off since I moved my car home to its new garage in March. Not a one person job. Hope to have a hoist installed by next spring.

[Borla Babe]

Re: I'll never try that again!!

The trick to the whole lifting thing is keeping the top level while lifting. If the person on one side is taller (my husband) than the person on the other side (me), then a comfortable carrying and lifting arm length for him might be totally different than what is comfortable for my short arms. When we lift the top from the ground for installation, we both bend over to lift it and when we raise up his end is much higher in the air than my end and the weight all tilts down toward me . We almost had a problem one time when he bent over and picked the top up faster than I did, it felt like I was supporting all 80pounds in my arms.
Two people can manage the top easily, but just make sure both of you lift at the same time keeping the top level at all times to distribute the weight equally.

[FritsB]

Re: I'll never try that again!!

Hmm interesting reading all this. To me it is a two people job with my oldest son who is about my length and strength, but I also see a 4 people story.

I wonder did anyone ever try it with three people? Like two lifting the top just from the ground and while keeping it up another person backing the car underneath it.

[MikeB]

Re: I'll never try that again!!

I tried this with my wife and she couldn't hold up her end of the bargain either. Never got it off the cart! I had one of my neighbours come over to help, he goes to the gym every morning at 5 a.m. and he couldn't handle it either; kind of a scrawny guy so I guess he's a runner.

So Mike if your not doing anything this afternoon, can you come over and help me? I'm 50 minutes east of Buffalo just outside of Toronto!

You could be here in about 9 hours!!!!



Gord R.

Sure! I'll stop by after work.

[Ray]

Re: I'll never try that again!!

Sure! I'll stop by after work.

Come by and pick me up and I'll go with you.

[Ediron]

Re: I'll never try that again!!

Frits that could be nasty on the toes