From www.brookstone.com. Says it holds 55 lbs. Maybe it could be adapted to work as a hoist for the hard top:





Hey, for $50 it's a thought.

 

50 bucks is not bad if you compare to the ones shown on another thread. However, this would only be a starting point. First, you need to modify this system such that each end is spread apart so the top won't "keel" over. Also, looking at the design, if you used this to hoist up something that is as large and as unevenly weight distributed such as our hardtop, you would need to "help" it as you hoist it up. Otherwise, you could easily see how you would simply lift up the light end and not the heavy end (in our case, this would be the back end of the top). And once up, you would need to protect the front part from hitting the the bracket or ceiling as the back end might slowly slip down over time.

 

I bought this hoist and with some mountaineering ropes (about $5 worth) it works great. Very sturdy. No problems in almost a year. I used pipe insulation on the ropes to keep from denting the rubber seals on the roof. Do a search. I posted on this earlier and included photos.