Reviews for Lange Originals 014-SIMPLE Hoist-A-Top Simple for 76-26 Jeep CJ7 & Wrangler YJ, JK, & JL

At first, I was highly disappointed with the install and the overall way the top hung on the hoist. It was not level and we had difficulty with the instructions as the suggested board size was not accurate with the standards for studs and joist. Just measure your stud and joist width to ensure proper sizes. Had I not done a test of strength with my own weight, I most likely would have woken up the next morning with my top laying on the hood of my Jeep! Luckily we were able to make the corrections and mount the boards securely to the studs and added a few extra screws for extra piece of mind. Now that I am comfortable that the top is securely fastened and the hoist is installed properly, I am very pleased with the way this hoist works. If you are looking to purchase, my suggestion would be to set the top on the ground and make adjustments to the height of the cables based on how you want the top to hang. I propped up the front of the top about 4 inches to ensure the front of the top was higher than the back. This will allow easier install and removal of the top as well as give more clearance when hanging in the garage! Not bad at all for $150. Side note, switch arms every now and then to ensure and even workout when cranking the top up and down.

This works great and only needs one person. Easy to install.

Fairly simple to install. Instructions specify board lengths but important to confirm stud width before making any cuts (assumes 18" on center).

Also, there will be a need for adjustments to the cable/clamps as the strap does stretch a bit the first few times.

I really liked this system. Made taking the Hard top a breeze. I will say making sure everything was lined up properly was a challenge but could be overcome. Also Trimming excess cable length is difficult but at least you know the cable is strong.

Nice product. Easy to use.

Serves it's purpose. The pulleys are held in place with 2" wood screws. I was not comfortable with leaving the top stored above my other vehicles in the garage with 8 screws (not lag bolts) holding the weight of the top. I used the hoist to remove the top and then used ratchet tie downs to secure the top to the ceiling of my garage for piece of mind.

Went up fairly simply. No real hassles.

Solid product. Very simple design. You might need to take the wheel off to attach the lag bolts to the back wall, but only design flaw I could find. Will take you a couples hours to install right, but all you need is called out in the specs.

Works great. No problems here.

For the price, this hoist will do what it is marketed to do. Before you install it, I would highly recommend reading through the ENTIRE manual, watching the YouTube video, and read EVERY product review on this thread!

The installation manual is terrible. I've written and read countless owner's/installation manuals and this one has a lot of errors! It could have a lot more pictures and diagrams that would really help a person with average mechanical abilities. I found myself "backtracking" a lot when following the manual and then finally discovering "what they were trying to say"!

At least one of the upper pulleys will have to be installed MORE than 1/2" off-center as another reviewer said.

The strap hardware WILL have to be mounted in the FIRST hole of your hardtop, whether it is a 2-door or 4-door.

I suppose Lange wouldn't want the liability issues that may arise, but it would have been nice if they had provided instructions for drilling a dedicated hole for the strap hardware so it could just be left in there. We will be using this hoist for 2 different Jeeps (one 2-door and one 4-door) so I plan on figuring this out and mounting strap hardware semi-permanently into both of them.

You wouldn't go wrong to "beef up" the mounting hardware as other reviewers have said. A few extra lag screws wouldn't cost a lot of money for a lot of peace of mind!

Now waiting for some warmer weather...