Reviews for Lange Originals 014-100 Hoist-A-Cart for 07-18 Jeep Wrangler JK
Overall a pretty easy to use cart. I ding it two stars for the following. 1 - The foam "block" they give you to rest the top on will sag and develop a indent over time making it a bit challenging to get the top upright for storage. 2 - The gearing for the winch is s-l-o-w. If you use a power drill, no big deal but using the hand crank you will need to do about 60 revolutions to raise the top high enough to remove. Go with the drill.
As a storage system... 5 stars.
As a hoist... no stars.
The manual winch is so cheap that I threw it away and use the cart simply for storage. Will be installing an electric winch this weekend to try and salvage the "hoisting" ability of this piece of equipment.
Watch the front cable, it can bind up between the wheel in clip.. Also what the bolt holding the square pole that is part of the crane, it will scrap your top. The cable binding up turn the top removal into a three man job... Highly recommend putting some pool noodles around the square pole. The hoist needs some extra padding to protect the top.
Its a nice idea but there is a lot to be improved. First, the instllation instructions are terrible for a product costing this much. As others mentioned, nothing is labeled and you have to spend a lot of time figure out which one is the right part. Second, only tow of wheels swivel and you have to push it wide rather than long even though thats not the way it's shown in the installation DVD. Third, the size makes it only fit outside or in a garage. hope they can look in to making it small enough to fit through a large house door. and Finally, the bully system is a big fail. it bird nests easily and unless you use a drill, which is not convenient, expect to train like a boxer because your going to spin that handle for a long time to get the top from your Jeep to the ground for storage.
It would also be nice to have a cover that will keep the top and doors out of dust and water indoor and outdoor.
I have used the hoist a cart twice now. Couple of things. Installation is a little bit of a guessing game since the parts arent marked.
Using a drill instead of a handle is a must for raising and lowering the top, it would take forever otherwise. The cable easily comes loose on the spool and semi-"bird nests" when you dont have the tension/weight of the top on the cables. This leads to an unevenspooling up, and a herky jerky (sometimes drops suddenly a few inches) down. The extended legs juuust fit between the inside of wheels on a stock 2016 JK Sport, so you need to line it up exactly when going to push it under the Jeep or it will catch/wedge and not go under. My roof strap grommets are already pulling out of the web strap.
In conclusion, it works. Its just a little fussy, and the strap quality is a concern. Dont know how long until the grommet tears all the way out of the strap.
If I could give a negative star I would. The Lange Hoist-A-Cart is a piece of garbage and I highly recommend you do NOT spend any money on it! While removing the top of my Jeep unlimited the process was a hassle when the wires got stuck half way in the guidewheels and started to unravel while the top was in the air. But I thought, perhaps I didn't install the guidewheels correctly or maybe my wire is defective. However, when I went to put the roof back on my Jeep and the crank gear teeth started to break with my hood halfway up onto my jeep, I realized it was time for no more excuses. The item is absolute crap!! Thankfully I was able to hire two guys to come and finish putting my roof on before the rain came. So Yay Me... Not only did I waste my money buying this item but I had the added pleasure of having to pay more $$ because it broke. NOT ONE single usage was successful. Do NOT purchase.