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#1
08-09-2003, 07:09 AM
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MB hardtop hoist fitted today, and photos
Hi all,
I wanted to get the hardtop off and on my new 1993 SL500, and store the top in my garage. My initial problem was how to do this - store it on a cart or on a hoist? And did I really need a hoist? Why not borrow someone to help me put it on a storage cart each time... that would be a lot cheaper. After a lot of thought and seeing other posts on this forum, I decided that storing the hardtop on a hoist was the way to go - and it proved to be right. Because: - It freed up the limited ground storage space in my 2-car garage. I don't like stuff lying around anyhow. - Storing it on the hoist meant it would always be available... it didn't have to be taken off the cart and connected up again each time I wanted to put it on again. That looked like a lot of work and needed 2 people too. - Having a hoist meant that I wasn't calling on friends and neighbors to help me lift or replace the top. And there was always the risk someone else might drop it...a $5,000 crash on a $60,000 car! That would certainly strain a friendship! So, after a great deal of pondering, I splashed out on a manual hardtop hoist sold by my local MB dealership, and fitted it today. It came at a price - US$800 - but when I saw the quality, that amount of money for a simple winch arrangement didn't seem so bad. I had also looked at electric winches, but they didn't seem to offer the same amount of support for the hardtop. Many were using nylon straps which I thought might stretch or damage the rubber seals. The best part was that this one was specifically authorised by Mercedes, and they assured me the hardtop could be stored over summer or longer on it without any damage or twisting. The hoist works by having a long 'T' bar support the hardtop from underneath at the lugs at the front, and by a variable single support at the back. The winch is bolted on to the wall next to the car, and 2 pulleys take the winch wire over the center of the car roof. The wire is connected to the center of gravity on the 'T' bar, and the whole lot winched into the air. It took me several hours to fit, and the hardest part was drilling holes in the big steel 'I' beam that runs the width of the garage, to hold the 2 pulleys. Once that was done I connected it up and the rest was relatively easy. It sits above my Daimler (last photo) only because that car is the longest and needs to be on the right-hand side of the garage. Because wall length cabinets are on the left-hand side it means I can't put the winch on that wall for supporting it over the SL500. The steps were pretty much this simple: 1) Release the hardtop and position the car under the center pulley. 2) Place the hoist 'T' bar on the hardtop with the prongs fitting into the front lugs. Fit the rear connection to the 'T' bar and bottom of the roof. 3) Connect the pulley wire and wind the hardtop off the car with one hand while supporting the top with the other. 4) Secure the top from swinging with elastic bands and hooks. Stow the handle. I was really surprised at how easy it is to operate. The winch gearing is very low and gives me precise control, but is fast enough to raise the hardtop to the beam in about 45 seconds. And the workmanship is superb. This is a finely engineered item that will last as long as the car, will not rust and needs no maintenance. Strongly recommended. Photos that follow are self-explanatory. Ken Silver -------------- ~1993 SL500, glistening black/grey on black leather, in the shop Monday for facelift painting lower body. ~1991 Daimler, shiny grey on grey leather, best in country! (But almost unused since SL500 arrived) ~1991 Miata MX5, sparkling BRG on tan leather, wife's (and my polishing) ~1992 Honda US s/wagon, black/grey Ex 350SL, 230E, 280E (and a lot of other makes not nearly as nice) 
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#7
08-09-2003, 04:58 PM
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alternative f/R129 top hoisted storage
Thanks for the great write up and pics.
$800?! whew... Here's an alternative for hoisted storage that will cost less: Install whatever hoist you want, manual or electric (you can see the $75 electric one I used in another thread on this subject). But instead of using the web strap harness w/clips from Performance Products (and sold by many others) at $59.95, use the "support cradle and harness ass'y" from They don't advertise it on the web site but you can email them and they will sell their cradle harness for $125. It's a nice cradle - nothing to screw up the weather seal - it "cradles" the hardtop on the outside edges:   From thier web site: "The IMC hoist harnesses utilize lightweight aerospace 6061 T6 "drawn" aluminum tubing (not the breakable "extruded" tube) inside another two inch O.D. high-density foam tube with a half-inch wall thickness. This assembly constitutes a very lightweight and very strong upholstery-friendly Support Cradle that holds a hardtop securely from beneath - avoiding paint and weather stripping - and balances it with a connected harness fabricated from seat belt webbing." - michael Last edited by slsmag; 08-09-2003 at 05:17 PM.
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#8
08-09-2003, 07:53 PM
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Michael,
Haven't seen that one, thanks for showing it. 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? One of my friends has the same SL500 as mine, and uses a sturdy broomstick together with 4 nylon strap-downs at each corner which he adjusts one at a time to lift the top. The broomstick is put in the same position as the tube in your diagram. All a bit primitive for me! I've long since made decisions to buy the right tool for the job every time - but I probably could have saved $780 by doing it my friend's way. However, I'm told my MB unit is actually designed for long term storage, which may explain the difference in price between it and other forms of harness... or more likely it may just be MB's high end pricing structure! But I haven't yet seen a harness that is good for long term storage like this one. Ken Silver -------------- ~1993 SL500, glistening black/grey on black leather, in the shop tomorrow for facelift painting lower body. ~1991 Daimler, shiny grey on grey leather, best in country! (But unused since SL500 arrived) ~1991 Miata MX5, sparkling BRG on tan leather, wife's (and my polishing) ~1992 Honda US s/wagon, black/grey ex 350SL, 230E, 280E (and a lot of other makes not nearly as nice)
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#9
08-10-2003, 02:19 AM
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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 Last edited by slsmag; 08-11-2003 at 12:52 AM.
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#10
08-10-2003, 03:32 AM
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BTW - is your garage ALWAYS that clean?!
------------ Yes Michael, sadly I follow in the grand tradition of anal and obsessive MB owners. But most of it is creative laziness... if there's no mess to clean up, then I can spend more time sleeping  I also have a Roomba (robot floor cleaner) for our home which I put down on the garage's painted floor, turn on and leave for an hour or so. When I come back the floor is immaculate, even under the cars. They should have been invented years ago! Ken Silver -------------- ~1993 SL500, glistening black/grey on black leather, in the shop in 15 hours' time for facelift painting lower body. ~1991 Daimler, shiny grey on grey leather, best in country! (But unused since SL500 arrived) ~1991 Miata MX5, sparkling BRG on tan leather, wife's (and my polishing) ~1992 Honda US s/wagon, black/grey ex 350SL, 230E, 280E (and a lot of other makes not nearly as nice)
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#11
08-10-2003, 03:49 AM
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...I also have a Roomba... When I come back the floor is immaculate, even under the cars...
That does it - I'm going out and getting one tomorrow LOL! - michael (although what I really want is one of those robot lawnmowers)
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#12
08-11-2003, 12:57 PM
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Quote:
 I could take pics of my hoist setup, but you would be hard-pressed to find the hardtop and hoist with all of the other junk in the garage vying for your attention! 
__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle 2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car 2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver 2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car
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#13
08-11-2003, 04:33 PM
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Once upon a time I was like everyone else... my garage was a sloppy storage area filled with cast-offs instead of what it should be - a museum-like environment as a pristine monument to exquisite automobiles.
Then one day a while back I happened to read that the rich all had one thing in common - they were unfailingly neat and obsessively tidy. A light bulb went off in my head... if this were so, then by becoming similarly tidy I could - automatically, almost by default - become 'filthy' rich! So the journey began... Sadly, today I'm not wealthy. I've spent all my money buying cleaning equipment. But the neatness trait continues, long ingrained into my psyche, preparing me for a better time yet to come .Ken Silver Last edited by KenSilver; 08-11-2003 at 06:08 PM.
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#14
08-11-2003, 05:55 PM
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lol
Now the whole Howard Hughes thing becomes clear--neurotic obsession with germs -- I think the hanger for the Spruce goose was also very tidy, perhaps the beginning of his undoing?
__________________
Dan 1986 560SL (52.5k miles) sold 11/24/04 1987 560sl (55.6k miles)
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