Project "Cake and Eat it Too"

[A016738]

 

Figured I’d share a project I did for my AT4 in case anyone else was in the same boat.  I prefer a tonneau to a cap.  I just prefer the more naked look, wanted to retain the rear view mirror camera functionality, like the ventilation of the sliding rear window, etc... But there are situations where I need the functionality of a cap for my 2 Newfies, or to go away with the family for the weekend where we have more stuff than will fit under the tonneau, or if it’s poor weather and I have a tall item I want to transport.  I could have bought a cap and set up a hoist in the garage but if my wife calls and says I need to grab the dogs to bring them somewhere on short notice I don’t want to mess with installing and uninstalling a cap every time.  Plus they’re expensive.

 

So I ended up buying a retractable tonneau (RetraxOne MX) and a Besttop Supertop and installing them BOTH permanently so that I can use either one at any time.  Put a ton of research into the tonneau that would allow me to coexist with the soft top and into which soft top would allow me to remove and retract without interfering with the tonneau tracks.  The Besttop is the only one that does.  The Softtopper is a great product but when you retract it, the frame collapses below the bed rail line, and this would not coexist with the tracks for the Retrax. 

 

Even after all the research it was a little bit of a hold my breath moment when I married the two.  

 

I can happily report it works PERFECTLY for me.

 

The tonneau is installed first, exactly as the Retrax instructions indicate.  The instal is super easy.

 

Next is the Besttop.  Because you can’t clamp the Besttop side rails per the usual install because they’re sitting ON the Retrax rails, I ended up drilling through the besttop rails, the Retrax rail flange, and the bed rail cap to allow for a bolt to bolt through all 3 items to fix the Besttop rails in place.  I drilled them in the same locations as they suggest you clamp in a normal installation.

 

I also removed the weatherstripping from the Front and Rear rails of the Besttop because the Retrax rail sits up a little from the bed rail to allow for the sliding track for the cover.  I could have notched the weatherstripping to allow for it to stay but for me, I didn’t care if the front and rear areas were completely weather tight.  I used washers to shim the Softtop up enough for the front and rear rails to clear these raised portions of the Retrax rails.  Even shimmed up a little, the thick foam gasket of the Softtop side rails fit snugly and are pretty weatherproof…hence my not really caring about the front and back.

 

They’re both really great products and I’ve been using them this way together since January and have encountered no issues.

 

The Retrax has infinite position locking of the cover and is very weathertight.  The Besttop has tinted front and rear windows, removable side and rear curtains, folds down and stows (or is raised in place) in minutes, and is completely removable from the rails in even less time.  In it’s stowed position it’s flat enough that there’s very little obstruction of the rear truck window.  The folded top is no bigger than the canister of the Retrax (10-12”) so when it’s folded down it doesn’t intrude into the available bed space any more than the tonneau does.  And even with the top up, the bed view camera still allows me to spy on the dogs while they’re back there through the front Besttop window.

 

Another benefit is that if we’re expecting snow or ice I can put the soft top up to protect the Retrax from getting iced and bound up (one of the achilles heels of retractable tops here in the Northeast.

 

 

-John

'20 AT4

 

[topgear1224]

 
Figured I’d share a project I did for my AT4 in case anyone else was in the same boat.  I prefer a tonneau to a cap.  I just prefer the more naked look, wanted to retain the rear view mirror camera functionality, like the ventilation of the sliding rear window, etc... But there are situations where I need the functionality of a cap for my 2 Newfies, or to go away with the family for the weekend where we have more stuff than will fit under the tonneau, or if it’s poor weather and I have a tall item I want to transport.  I could have bought a cap and set up a hoist in the garage but if my wife calls and says I need to grab the dogs to bring them somewhere on short notice I don’t want to mess with installing and uninstalling a cap every time.  Plus they’re expensive.
  So I ended up buying a retractable tonneau (RetraxOne MX) and a Besttop Supertop and installing them BOTH permanently so that I can use either one at any time.  Put a ton of research into the tonneau that would allow me to coexist with the soft top and into which soft top would allow me to remove and retract without interfering with the tonneau tracks.  The Besttop is the only one that does.  The Softtopper is a great product but when you retract it, the frame collapses below the bed rail line, and this would not coexist with the tracks for the Retrax.    Even after all the research it was a little bit of a hold my breath moment when I married the two.     I can happily report it works PERFECTLY for me.   The tonneau is installed first, exactly as the Retrax instructions indicate.  The instal is super easy.   Next is the Besttop.  Because you can’t clamp the Besttop side rails per the usual install because they’re sitting ON the Retrax rails, I ended up drilling through the besttop rails, the Retrax rail flange, and the bed rail cap to allow for a bolt to bolt through all 3 items to fix the Besttop rails in place.  I drilled them in the same locations as they suggest you clamp in a normal installation.   I also removed the weatherstripping from the Front and Rear rails of the Besttop because the Retrax rail sits up a little from the bed rail to allow for the sliding track for the cover.  I could have notched the weatherstripping to allow for it to stay but for me, I didn’t care if the front and rear areas were completely weather tight.  I used washers to shim the Softtop up enough for the front and rear rails to clear these raised portions of the Retrax rails.  Even shimmed up a little, the thick foam gasket of the Softtop side rails fit snugly and are pretty weatherproof…hence my not really caring about the front and back.   They’re both really great products and I’ve been using them this way together since January and have encountered no issues.   The Retrax has infinite position locking of the cover and is very weathertight.  The Besttop has tinted front and rear windows, removable side and rear curtains, folds down and stows (or is raised in place) in minutes, and is completely removable from the rails in even less time.  In it’s stowed position it’s flat enough that there’s very little obstruction of the rear truck window.  The folded top is no bigger than the canister of the Retrax (10-12”) so when it’s folded down it doesn’t intrude into the available bed space any more than the tonneau does.  And even with the top up, the bed view camera still allows me to spy on the dogs while they’re back there through the front Besttop window.   Another benefit is that if we’re expecting snow or ice I can put the soft top up to protect the Retrax from getting iced and bound up (one of the achilles heels of retractable tops here in the Northeast.    
-John
'20 AT4
 

Love the idea wonder have the soft top does at -40f with 8inches of snow?

What's the warranty like?

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[A016738]

LOL...-40?  Can’t vouch for that. Not sure of warranty but I think Besttop makes The Jeep factory soft tops?  Maybe I have that wrong but it rings a bell of some sort.  If so, you don’t  hear of them failing under similar conditions.  

 

Fortunately I have a garage so any exposure to temps like that would be short.  I will say the bows are very stout and the top itself is pretty thick.  I don’t think 8” of snow on it would hurt it a bit.  
 

Had a similar wagon back top on my Hummer H1 open top for the bed area and never had an issue with cold temps or snow well over 8” on it.  No garage at the time so it got the full business. 
 

[topgear1224]

LOL...-40?  Can’t vouch for that. Not sure of warranty but I think Besttop makes The Jeep factory soft tops?  Maybe I have that wrong but it rings a bell of some sort.  If so, you don’t  hear of them failing under similar conditions.  
 
Fortunately I have a garage so any exposure to temps like that would be short.  I will say the bows are very stout and the top itself is pretty thick.  I don’t think 8” of snow on it would hurt it a bit.  
 
Had a similar wagon back top on my Hummer H1 open top for the bed area and never had an issue with cold temps or snow well over 8” on it.  No garage at the time so it got the full business. 
 

I mean I just assume it won't fold at those temperatures.

the only question is is it going to contract enough to rip its mounts out of the sheet metal, or bend the bows

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[A016738]

You’re probably right about that.  In that extreme environment I definitely wouldn’t be putting it up and down. Any soft top is going to be soft and pliable in warm weather and stiff and hard to work with in cold.  At -40 it’s probably staying In  whatever position it’s in at the time until it gets warmer.  
 

if that environment is the reality of your daily use case then I agree, this probably isn’t your solution.  
 

though at -40 I doubt hydraulic shocks on the rear window of a hard cap and the seals and oils and whatnot associated with it probably aren’t working their best either.