HARKEN Hardtop Overhead Garage Storage Hoist for Jeep Wrangler & Ford Bronco - Self-Leveling Anti-Drop System, Easy One-Person Installation, Smart Garage Organization Solution - Perfect for Storing Hardtops, Kayaks, and Seasonal Items in Your Garage

We read most of the reviews about buying this lift. We were about to spend about $800 on a lift that was going to take up even that much more room in our “1 car garage”ish. but we found the s for approx $170 and said we’d give it a try.Here is my most important piece of advice! TAKE YOUR TIME and READ! Do not rush this install! It has a lot of important work to do. We installed the first board to the ceiling, then went to dinner. Second board the second day and the roof was off in a few hours.Also, if your considering this product In looking at most of the reviews, I’d like to say this product DOES work for a 2021 Bronco Sasquatch. There are many that say it doesn’t but by the picture, it obviously does!I think it's a good product. It works well. But it took a lot of trial and error to get there. It was not easy to follow the directions. The directions included were for a generic hoist--not Jeep specific. Google for 4907Jeep.PDF and you'll find the jeep directions (i dont think you can include non Amazon links in reviews).Super easy to hoist the top up and down by yourself. If the jeep is not located exactly below the pulleys you will need helpers to help guide it up or down.Make sure a few things:*The 2x6 to the ceiling to vary based on install. Easy to do, but time consuming to mark all the joists/rafters and lay it out. I highly recommend some SPAX or similar screws that do not require pre-drilling. And use an impact driver with the right head driver nut, or Torx bit. Doing this with a ratchet would be a complete pain.* Lay out the board on the ground and measure the rafter's center from the wall. Mark the board, and start the screws into the board. Then turn it up and climb the ladder and land one screw into the rafter and you should be ok. Then drive the remaining screws.* Directions call for 2x6. I used 2x6. But i don't see why it cant be done with 2x4.* The 2x6 and SPAX screws cost about $25 from Menards/Home Depot. Not a big deal, but factor that into the cost compared to other units. I did 2 screws into 4 rafters, so 8 per board, 16 total. At $0.50 each, that's $8 right there. Plus 2x 2x6x102" (stud) @ $9.50 each. (i needed to buy a $3 T40 bit to drive the SPAX lag screws as well). I would've rather used Unistrut, but the pig tail eye hook required for the pulley is a wood screw.* The distance from top of roof to ceiling must be *at most* the same as from roof to back wall (distance between block and tackle). For every inch the roof goes up, the block and tackle cinches up 1 inch. You are at max height when the knot hits the pulley, or the block meets the tackle.* You can move the block and tackle offset from center if you need to increase the distance from wall to pulleys.* Make sure to tie the knot evenly at the same height across all black ropes. Once installed and on the ceiling, make sure to mark them at even points. Measure the same distance from the ceiling down, or from the floor up and mark the black rope and make the knots. (bonus points for using a laser level to make them even). I had the knots a few inches different and the roof was uneven--the one side maxed out (knot hit the pulley) before the other side. I had to take it all down and move the knot. There is no easy way to "move" the knot--you have to undo the first knot and re-tie a new knot.* Make sure to be patient with the knots. They take 2-3 minutes each to tie. Longer if you have a very long "tail" of black rope. It's not hard--the graphic is good in the manual, but unless you own a sailboat or are a boy scout who just got his knot badge, it takes a few min to learn it. And everything times 4 since you have to do it for all the black ropes. I had mine uneven and had to retie all 4 of them multiple times.* Make sure the knot is below the roof line of the jeep cover so you can get the roof tight to the ceiling.* Instead of cutting the end of the ropes, i just coiled them up and velcro'ed them to the strap.* Cinch up the internal strap to "lower" the knots.* I don't like how the metal clip that connects the straps is so close to the end--it can rub against the top. Might make sense to shove a rag in between so it doesn't scratch the finish of top.* If you want to lower it to the floor, you will need to make sure you have the appropriate distance between block and tackle for the black ropes to go all the way to the floor.* Line up the jeep in the garage where you want it and mark the floor with duct tape or similar so you know where to pull in.* When you lower the roof, make sure the jeep is directly below or have a few helpers to guide the top down so the pins lock in directly.* OPEN THE REAR DOORS (or take them off). The top will bump into them on the way up and down and could scratch the doors.* DO NOT FORGET THE WIPER CONNECTION! I did that once already and it got hung up.* The straps need to go front to back and run the sides the top. This is opposite of the canoe example in the manual.All in all, a good product. A bit over priced for just ropes, pulleys and a block and tackle. I think more like $99 would be fair. It isn't a hard install, but it takes time. Having a helper at times is very helpful too.It’s a pain to install. Two handy guys took about 5 hours. Once it’s up, though, it’s really great, sturdy, and very easy. Though if you pull it up without load on it, it can be hard to get it back down.The installation instructions did not specifically describe the limitations of the provided eye bolt and as a result it bent and had to be replaced before hoisting. Other than that it was a great product for the money spentI was in the market for a hoist, didn’t mind it being hand powered but I didn’t want to break the bank. First, buy 2-8 foot 2x6 boards and 8-10 lag bolts and washers, wish the product images on here emphasized the need for them. This hoist works great and does work for the Gladiator top but you need to go away from instructions. The gladiator top only has the middle window open so if you follow the instructions the front straps will try to move towards the middle of the top making it unstable. The fix was moving the front eye hooks about 12” towards the center from the end of the 2x6 and using a foam pool noodle to keep straps far enough wide to lift top evenly. Also keep in mind that there is a substancial amount of extra rope, both from the locking mechanism and from the eye hooks. Install everything then evenly measure. For my 9 ft roof, 32” of rope from pulley to strap was enough to lift the top to the height you see. Took some time installing by myself about 2 hours (2x6’s are heavy and going up and down ladder). Overall, if you’re not looking to drop $500 on a hoist to move a top 2 feet and don’t mind some manual labor this is the perfect hoist.It is a little tricky to install and a bit scary the first time you raise the top but after that its great and super convenient to have and a great way to store the top out of the way.A friend suggested this product as a solution to removing and replacing the roof on my wife's Jeep, and storing it while it's off of the vehicle. Up until now, we recruit a friend to help with the removal and replacement, and end up storing it in my shop where it inevitably gets in the way. I read lots of reviews on here about the Harken Hoister and was a little concerned about how many people said the instructions weren't very good, which led to slow and difficult installations. While I have to admit that the instructions are less than ideal...a little vague to say the least...I had no difficulty figuring it all out. Just go slow, use the pictures in the instructions, and measure carefully. Also, a lot of people said that the most difficult and time consuming part of the installation was locating joists in the ceiling. That's true...it does take a while to locate joists and plot out where you're going to install your support boards, figure out how long the support boards need to be, where to put the pigtail hangers, and so on. My advice - invest in a good stud finder. They're not that expensive and once you have one you'll use it for all kinds of things. Either get a decent stud finder, or drill a zillion pilot holes with the old "hit and miss" routine trying to find those joists. Once you locate your joists and determine whether they run side to side or front to back, everything else will be easier.I picked up 2 8ft 2x6 boards (I ended up cutting them to 6ft), and a dozen 3/8x5" lag bolts with washers. Didn't need a dozen but they're cheap and I'll end up finding a use for the leftovers. If your joists run side to side, you'll also need a 2x4 to attach to each 2x6 support board. I had one kicking around, so didn't need to buy one.Like I've said, just go slow...make your measurements and go through it all in your head until it makes sense...and you'll find it all goes together fairly easily.Others have mentioned that it's awkward holding up 6ft 2x6 boards over your head and screwing them to the ceiling. Yep, it's a bit awkward...but I'm 65 and managed to do it by myself, so it's not that bad. Having said that, it would definitely be a lot easier with another pair of hands.I didn't put a stopwatch on it, but it looks like it took me about 3 hours to install by myself. A good portion of that time was spent just thinking about each step before doing it.For me, it looks like this product is exactly what we needed and relatively easy to install. Roof is off, and up out of the way.I installed the product several days ago and so far it’s working exactly as planned. I’m not very experienced in home projects, so the job took me quite a while (probably 7-10 hours with all the research, measuring, trip to Home Depot for supplies, finding rafters etc.), but ultimately the instructions were helpful and I got the job done. The pulley system is very easy to use. I’ve added an extra eye hook and chain for added security and I also added extra lag bolts into the rafters just in case. Everything looks and feels strong. I recommend this system.So easy to use, I had used a different pulley system before and was really sceptical of the picture of someone lifting the hard top off with one hand, but it is true, the mechanical advantage is that good!I have now ordered another one for my daughter’s Jeep.I watched a lot of videos on YouTube during the installation and referred back to the manual many times but it did take several hours to install. One thing I learnt from the videos is that Americans don’t seem to take 2” x 4” literally. For me to get a 50mm thick board (2”) here in Australia I had to go to to 180mm wide (7.25”), but the videos seemed to show most folks in the States using 35mm x 75mm sized pine as 2” x 4”.I wasn’t sure how it would go with my sloping shed roof as the manual didn’t talk about this, but I found some online instructions and it actually has no impact at all and works brilliantly.Could not recommend more highly, makes removal and installation so easy that It no longer needs to be a once a year task and can change the top as required for the weather.Easy to install. A real space saver, takes up no room in garage being up at rafters.If you've sailed the high seas and are an expert with ropes, blocks and tackles, then you can make your own. However, if you're an average Joe, it's worth the money to buy this system. Follow the instructions EXACTLY and take your time - it's worth the effort. Once the system is in place, you can remove and re-install your hard top by yourself. And when it's off, it hangs from the rafters, completely out of the way.