The brackets from ironman can be secured with padlocks if wanted. That just keeps the honest guy honest though IMO. I'm of the opinion that if someone wants the awning I'd rather them slip it off and go then break my top trying to pry it off. My awning hangs on an extra set of brackets in my shed when I'm not using it so that minimizes theft when I'm in towns. It also saves the awning from winter weather.
Okay guys,
As promised I am revealing my Hinge Tamers for the Ursa Minor tops. These will fit the JKU and JLU tops. They are built out of formed Kydex sheets and include replacement stainless steel bolts and washers. I worked on a couple prototypes before I was happy, and with the learning curve of how to work with the materials, sourcing the hardware and equipment it took a little longer than I initially expected. I wanted to make sure I had a quality item before I released them to you so I hope you all understand the wait! You will still need to close the top as instructed by Ursa Minor, but you'll no longer have to worry about the bellow effect causing the tent fabric to get pinched and cut when trying to latch it shut. It seems like no matter how diligent I've been in the last two years, I have some holes in my top. This invention of mine will prevent that for you and guard against holes. Here's a pic, a short video of them in action and a link to the auction site. I made twenty to start. If they sell I may make more.View attachment 702243
Hinge Tamers for Ursa Minor J30 models JKU and JLU Jeep | eBay
They are not made or sold by Ursa Minor. They don't require any drilling or modifications to the top whatsoever.ebay.us
I did the same thing with some simple hardware store weatherstripping. I just pulled the soundbar down and applied it the full length of the front edge between the top and the bar. That noise will drive you insane!
9 left...(i'm surprised these didn't all sell on day 1. I guess that it shows that few UM owners are watching this forum daily with alerts...)
You could definitely save money copying my design and building them yourself. It isn't rocket science or anything. It took me a couple tries to get them how I liked them, but if you consider your time is free and want to spend a day or two figuring it out and order the materials this can be done. The material can be cut on a table saw. You could use something else, but you'll want to make sure it's perfectly straight with such a long piece. You'll need at the least a drill, a way to bend them ( I used a metal break) and a way to heat them without distorting the material (it gets wavy). The material I used is Kydex and it might be readily available in your area. I had to order sheets of it to find some that was long enough and to make the quantity that I wanted, but I live in a rural area. I used a belt sander for rough sanding the edges and shaping the corners. You don't want the guards to snag the fabric and cut or tear it! I built a jig with steel and a welder so they would all be exact, but for a one off you wouldn't need that. PM me if you need any help. My intention was not trying to get rich here, just break even on some of the equipment I had to buy, the materials and my time. I figured if I was going to go through all the work to figure it out, it made more sense to build several since this fixes a common problem. I really struggled over the price I was going to charge and it ended up being a simple mathematical calculation once I added all my costs up.
