Ken Wrote: That bracket looks like it supports the hardtop on the rubber seals - not a good idea to me. Is it just for lifting off and on, do you think, and not a permanent storage solution?

Hi Ken -

It's hard to tell from the photos of the cradle but the bend in the lift 'tube' is such that the bar makes contact only with the OUTSIDE TRIM of the hard-top - not the seals, and not the paint.

Nothing ever touches the seal or the hardtop itself - so it's perfect for long term storage. And unilke the "Sto-Away" (which if I remember correctly, uses big pads to lift the top from the inside) nothing ever touches the interior either.

The aircraft aluminum tube itself is completely covered with 2" OD 1/2" wall thickness high density foam - which means that when the cradle and harness are holding the top up, there's less than 30 pounds of weight on each of the three holding points - and none of the holding points are interior or soft seals. Pretty smart and simple. This is the unit I would trust to store my hardtop on the hoist. (I'll let you know if I change my mind after it arrives next week!)

The handy diy-er type could probably make one of these for under $20 if they have access to a madrel bending machine. $125 seems high to me - but, since it's plug & play with any hoist/winch - and it's a one time expense - it certainly is a lot less costly then many of the inferior options available out there.

One of the nice things about the dealer set-up you got is that there is no 'turning' - when you raise or lower the top it can't turn or swivel. I like that.

BTW - is your garage ALWAYS that clean?!

- michael