hotel_calif

I would like to get a hardtop hoist for my 2002 SL500. Which hoist do you recommend? BlueSL provided a photo of a hoist, which I think is from EZ-Top. RUCKDR recommends the SL Hardtop Hoist from thebenzbin.com. I have a panorama hardtop, which is heavier than the normal hardtop, if that makes a difference.

Has anyone had problems with hardtops warping while stored on a hoist? I read several warnings about this.

blueSL

Yes, mine was the EZ-Top, never had any problems with either it or damage to the hard top. With the hand-held control unit, it's very convenient to use. I imported mine from the US directly and hooked it up via a 240/110v auto-transformer. It's gone now, with my SL600.

The glass roof is heavier, but not massively so, I'm sure the metal cradle will be fine as will the winch and high-tensile steel cable. The big challenge is getting a firm enough fixing on the garage roof to hold the weight. My garage was re-roofed before I fitted the EZ-Top so there's lots of wood to fix on to. You can see from the picture of mine how the black mounting bracket is fixed to one of the horizontal beams making up the roof structure.

It wouldn't be the happiest day of your life to come out one morning and find your car had broken the hard top's fall after the fixing gave way..

hotel_calif

Thanks, blueSL. The EZ-Top web page had tons of information which I really appreciate. The web site mentioned their optional Multi Point Support Bracket (MPSB) which spreads the load across multiple ceiling joists. They recommend this for the heavier Panorama hardtop, and for earthquake-prone areas like California :-)

To clear the roll-up garage door, I'll have to mount the hoist far back in the garage and back the car in. It's hard enough to park going straight in, but I guess I can get used to the other way around.

hotel_calif

Your photo of the hardtop and hoist didn't show a cover, blueSL. Do you wish you bought a hardtop cover? Did you end up with spiders in your hardtop?

blueSL

Yes, that's what I had - the MPSB is the black bracket in the picture, maybe 3 feet long and you can bolt it to multiple timbers to spread the load. The alternative of screwing an eye into one of them is definitely not recommended!

Definitely worth doing. The hard top is quite large when off the car and gets in the way. Hoisting it up keeps it out of harm's reach. I wouldn't bother with their hard top cover, I found it a hassle to fit and it was easy enough to remove 6-8 months of dust accumulation at the start of winter.

blueSL

Here's a picture of the winch which I mounted high up. The white box is the transformer and you can see how the cable goes up, round a pully and then across to the point above the car where the MPSB is mounted.

The force pulling that pully out is half the weight of the hard top (because of the 2:1 reduction in the way the cable is looped back), but even if the pulley were to be pulled out of the wood, it would not in my case have caused the hard top to drop very far.

A further comment on the hard top cover. I think it's better, in our climate, to let the air circulate around it than wrap it up. I had my SL600 for the best part of 8 years, 6 of which were with the hard top hoist, and the hard top came to no harm at all. E-Z Hoist will also try to sell you replacement pads to hold the hard top. Again, not necessary, mine left looking like new and I have a spare set which will now never be used...

agentMurdoc

best hardtop hoist, you and your brother's two hands :p

I don't have much confidence in a hoist, too scared for failure, I just have my bro help me lift it off and we put it on the stand. the stand doesn't take much space, so it goes off into the corner, or even inside the house until it's time to put it back on.

And I have a cover for the top while it's on the stand, cause that dust gets really thick!

blueSL

Sounds to me you're one of these people who don't like to fly in case the wings fall off. The hard top weighs the same as a small child, about 80 pounds, and it's hardly rocket science to be able to install one but you have to do it properly. Because of the 2:1 mechanical advantage of the pulley the tension in the cable is only 40 pounds and it's a high-tensile steel cable which is much stronger than that. Your fears are groundless.

agentMurdoc

scared to fly due to fear of wings falling off = no

scared to fly period = yes


I live in SoCal, 'land of earthquakes', being that I am, I am fearful and cautious of anything hanging. It's great and all that the hoist has worked for you, I just don't really see too much of a reason for the hoist, it's defintely something that would be cool to have, but if the top is gonna stay off got 8 months out of the year a hardtop rack doesn't take up much space and takes a lot less effort.

My fears groundless, no. Probably not something I should fear as much as I do, but that is a personal preference. Just like an individual and swimming, may be scared to drown, sure it's typical for the human body to be less dense than the swimming pool, but people still drown. Same goes for the hoist, sure there is a way to install it 'properly', but that doesn't mean that it will prevent it from ever failing as there are other variables that may come into play that weren't calculated.


Hope that made sense, getting tired here, past 3 in the morning and getting sleepy. So I guess I can conclude with, the hoist is something that would be nice to have, but in my case I am perfectly happy with my OEM rack.

scorchie

For 5 years I used one from Precision Auto Designs (since absorbed by Performance Products). It is very similar to the manual hoist sold by the Benz Bin.

I had no problems, but never stored the hardtop on the hoist. It took about 20 seconds to lower the hoist to the floor and leave the hard top on the floor... then another minute to raise it back up when I drove the car in, and again 20 seconds to put it back down on the car. If you mark the garage, it's easy to park in the right place every time.

I also got quite good at removing the hardtop by myself without a hoist, so I could take it off at work or other places such as friends' houses when they weren't around or were girls that were too afraid to help.

It's certainly nice and viable if you have a brother or other indentured servant to help you remove your hardtop; reality for many of us is that we're very independent and prefer to do things ourselves.

-s-

Ken Silver

Scorchie, I'm surprised that you raise and lower the roof each time you park. That would drive me nuts!
---

I use the genuine Mercedes manual hoist with the pulleys attached to a large
metal beam which runs crossways on the ceiling of my garage. Solid as a rock.

Since the hoist is specifically designed for the SL roof - unlike other brands
which have straps and don't seem to have sympathetic holding points - I
have no worries about storing it there permanently.

Although this hoist is expensive - US$900 - it's worth every penny for peace
of mind storage and one-man operation convenience.

Second picture is the winding device. The attachment arrowed is a magnetic
support which you place mid center on the top of the windscreen. It holds
the roof up until you can fit the bar supports underneath the front.

Third pic is the bracket system that fits under the front of the roof. The roof
is held by three points in total.

Ken Silver
--------------
~1993 SL500, glistening triple black, xenons, AMG facelift to 2002 style.
~1999 SLK 230 Kompressor, silver/black leather, CD, immaculate
~1999 Suzuki Grand Vitara. black & silver
~1991 Jaguar Daimler, shiny grey/grey leather, best in country!
~ex 350SL, 230E, 280E, MX5 and a lot of other makes not nearly as nice.

hotel_calif

Hi KenSilver:

Where did you buy this hoist? Was it from MB direct or through an intermediary? It does look solid.

hotel_calif

I went ahead and ordered an EZ-Top electric hoist with the multi point support bracket and sheepskin pads. Wish me luck installing this thing.

hotel_calif

How did you accomplish that? My panorama hard top weighs 80 pounds or so and is too heavy to lift by myself without serious risk to the exterior of the car. Unless there is some technique to removing it that I'm missing.

Ken Silver

MB dealer. Nicely machined, like an aircraft part.

Good luck with your EZ hoist!

Ken Silver
--------------
~1993 SL500, glistening triple black, xenons, AMG facelift to 2002 style.
~1999 SLK 230 Kompressor, silver/black leather, CD, immaculate
~1999 Suzuki Grand Vitara. black & silver
~1991 Jaguar Daimler, shiny grey/grey leather, best in country!
~ex 350SL, 230E, 280E, MX5 and a lot of other makes not nearly as nice.

Ken Silver

I used to lift my 1971 350SL hardtop off by myself, though that's a few years ago. Older and wiser now!

You open one door fully, push that side's seat back forward, unlatch the necessary roof bits, then step into the back seat area and grab the top's inner handles. Stand up (in a crouch - not a dignified position) with the top on your back and step out the car door.

I put blankets over over the SL's top surfaces and got away without a scratch over the 10-15 times I did it. It was relatively easy to do.

I wouldn't try it with a pano - the glass may not take the weight of the top.

Ken Silver
--------------
~1993 SL500, glistening triple black, xenons, AMG facelift to 2002 style.
~1999 SLK 230 Kompressor, silver/black leather, CD, immaculate
~1999 Suzuki Grand Vitara. black & silver
~1991 Jaguar Daimler, shiny grey/grey leather, best in country!
~ex 350SL, 230E, 280E, MX5 and a lot of other makes not nearly as nice.

scorchie

That's exactly how I did it. The Panorama roof didn't seem to have a problem with it, because a lot of the weight is in the glass that you're supporting on your back. The rest of the roof is about 30-40 lbs and driving over 50mph creates more suction on the glass than that.

-s-

scorchie

It wasn't each time I parked... I have multiple parking spaces! I never did use my soft top though.

That lift is quite impressive... I didn't know it existed. I would definitely recommend that over the other ones.

My hoist was mounted only to a large 4x4 across the ceiling (which I had to install also to mount a garage door opener... old house). The I-beam looks like a great idea and also gives a way to roll the hoist and top around.

-s-

blueSL

EZ Top is the way to go. The problem I have with the one pictured is the cable holding the rear of the roof, it might mar the trim. Also, an electric winch is much more convenient - you have a hand-held controller to inch the roof into position while guiding it with a spare hand. No reason at all to damage your car, let alone your back trying to carry one of these things.

The EZ Top cradle is also very good, supporting the roof across a wide area to avoid marking the interior. You just unlatch the hard top from the car, wind down the windows and fold the arms underneath it. The cradle is supported above the roof's centre of gravity to keep it level and an adjustment stops it turning.

You've made a good choice hotel_calif, installing it wil be fine.

Ken Silver

Sure, but I was in getting my Daimler serviced yesterday, and watched for a minute while one of the mechanics wound down a two-post lift with a car on it. The motor had failed, and it took him 45 minutes (and a sore case of tennis elbow) to get the car on the ground.

Since theoretically you only take off the roof every season, the chance of the hoist motor not working for some reason is more likely. I like to have manual control for times like this.

Ken Silver
--------------
~1993 SL500, glistening triple black, xenons, AMG facelift to 2002 style.
~1999 SLK 230 Kompressor, silver/black leather, CD, immaculate
~1999 Suzuki Grand Vitara. black & silver
~1991 Jaguar Daimler, shiny grey/grey leather, best in country!
~ex 350SL, 230E, 280E, MX5 and a lot of other makes not nearly as nice.

Ken Silver

OK. I'm used to seeing most car owners park outside while their garage stores a century's worth of stuff! You must be organized

Ken Silver
--------------
~1993 SL500, glistening triple black, xenons, AMG facelift to 2002 style.
~1999 SLK 230 Kompressor, silver/black leather, CD, immaculate
~1999 Suzuki Grand Vitara. black & silver
~1991 Jaguar Daimler, shiny grey/grey leather, best in country!
~ex 350SL, 230E, 280E, MX5 and a lot of other makes not nearly as nice.

hotel_calif

Thanks, blueSL. My EZ Top arrived, and I'm very impressed with the packaging and documentation. But my background is software not hardware! I would prefer to get someone who knows what they're doing to install this hoist. EZ Top (in Texas, USA) couldn't recommend anyone in San Diego to do the install.

Can anyone recommend an installer in the San Diego area?

blueSL

The problem is you're asking them both to do the work and to take responsibility for the consequences of getting it wrong. Would you do the work for someone else and take that responsibility for a couple of hundred dollars? I wouldn't. I think they'll be more interested in lower hanging fruit. Most likely person to help you is a friend who likes to go to Home Depot on a Saturday afternoon...

Key is to plan it all out before you start work and to locate mounting points for the winch and the support bracket. Ideally, you want to hang the roof directly over where you park the car so it's worth drawing up a plan, measure the garage, measure the car in the point it's parked. Mount the lifting bracket on the hard top and measure where the hoist point comes (which is actually over the rear window so that the roof sits level when hoisted). Directly above is where you need to mount the bracket. Fix it to multiple timbers if one doesn't look strong enough. With that done, all you need to do is decide where to route the cable across the garage ceiling to where you can mount the winch near a power outlet.

Keep in mind that the hardtop is heavy but actually only the weight of a child or small adult woman, so it's easy to visualise what will be strong enough. By the time you've mounted the bracket on two or three timbers, you'll be in good shape. You do need to know though that if your garage ceiling is lined with what we would call plaster board, or dry lining board, this is not strong enough to hold it.

In the end, I found it very easy to mount, a morning's work. By contrast, mounting a plasma screen a couple of years ago so that it would not tear itself out of the wall proved more of a challenge. The key with all of these things is to spread the load across multiple fixing points.

hotel_calif

HardTop Hoist does offer installation for the E-Z Top but not in my area. They recommended I check with a local Garage Door company or carpenter. I appreciate your comments on how to plan out the install. You make it sound so easy even I could do it!

julienpatrick

I bought Hardtop Storage Harken and It's working for me. You should check some review before buy. I suggest you to some hardtop hoist like Hardtop Storage Harken, RacorPro PHL-1R Pro , Harken Jeep Hoister and Partsam 1320 lbs. Some other good hoist available in the market.