I used the Topsy Products hinge hoist brackets to store my hard top in my garage this summer while I was using a Bestop soft top, but it ended up functionally failing and breaking part of my rear window hinges (see the attached pictures).

I had previously been using ratchet straps and nylon webbing to lift my roof off with no negative effects (no leaking from the roof, deformation of the rubber seal, etc.), but when I saw the potential ease of using the hinge hoist bracket to simply clip into and lift the roof, I had to pull the trigger. To be clear, the website says that the bracket is compatible with most industrial hard top lifts and that they recommend using a Racor, however it is not explicitly stated that it must be used with one. The listing specifically describes the product as "a custom bracket that bolts to the outside of the rear glass hinges to allow an attachment point for lifting the hardtop off your Wrangler." Additionally, I had read about other people using the product with their DIY roof hoists, so I pulled the trigger and bought the brackets.

When I first installed the product, I was incredibly excited because it appeared to be just what I had been looking for. All I had to do was attach a quick link and run the cables up to the attachment point on the roof (I have a gable roof so the highest point is at the very top, which is why I can't use the Racor because it would mount too low at four points). I lifted the roof easily and it stayed put through the whole summer.

This past week, I had a road trip and it has started to cool down significantly here, so I decided to put the hard top back on. After reinstalling the roof, I began disconnecting the hardware until I noticed that the brackets were bent almost 45 degrees inwards towards the hinges! In doing so, they sheared some of the plastic from the plastic hinge covers, as well as snapping the hooks that connect them to the hinge, rendering them useless, in addition to the huge stress they put on the hinges by pushing against them with so much force for so long.

I attempted to contact Topsy Products through the contact form on their website multiple times over several weeks. After receiving no response, I ended up tracking down the owner's number via the web server registration info and I was finally able to get in touch with the owner. After showing him the pictures and describing the problem, he informed me that he would be unable to grant me a warranty on the product as I had misused it by mounting it to only a single point and not using a professional hard top lift. He said that though it did not specifically state that it must be used with a lift ("because we're legally not allowed to") I was supposed to figure that out on my own and know that I shouldn't have tried it.

I'm disappointed both in this product that has so much potential -- just directly state that it's only meant to be used with professional hard top lifts that two attachment points to pull straight upwards -- and in the service that I received from a company that doesn't stand by its products and flawed documentation. Since releasing their JL model of hinge bracket, they have updated the documentation to state that is only meant to be used exclusively with the Racor PHL-1 hoist, however when I purchased this product that was not the case. Additionally, the website description still does not state that it is exclusively meant to be used with a professional hard top lift system.


The bracket should be pointed straight up, not bent 45 degrees inward

The bracket should be pointed straight up, not bent 45 degrees inward

The bracket should be pointed straight up, not bent 45 degrees inward

The bracket should be pointed straight up, not bent 45 degrees inward

The snapped clip on the inside of the plastic hinge cover

Another snapped clip on the inside of the other plastic hinge cover

The damaged exterior of the plastic hinge cover where it was pushing directly on the roof hinge

The damaged exterior of the other plastic hinge cover where it was pushing directly on the other roof hinge

 

If you still want to use the system you have, put a spreader bar on the lower ends of the straps, near the clips. Wood, iron pipe, etc., will work.

 

That's exactly what I would've done to remedy the situation had I known! Unfortunately now that they're bent I don't know that I'd trust their structural integrity if I bend them back to a vertical position and then try to hang the top from them again.