Does a softtopper ever shrink?

its hard to get mine snapped back together. the snaps running along the sides dont line up. its as if it shrunk (along the front to back dimension) and this seems like a stupid problem to have.

the snaps themselves are screwed into the metal frame which so theres no practical way to move them slightly so that they line up with the snaps in the softtopper material. /sigh first world problems, ha.

 

My buddies jeep soft top sure did. It shrunk then it tore.

 

mine didn't but I only had it a year or two. And maintained it by occasional wash and treating with 303 aerospace protectant.

I wonder if anything can be modified on it to fix it. Or replacement parts cheaper than a whole kit.

Another option might be keep it folded in the stow bag, and open it when needed

 

the snaps which are screwed into the frame, i was thinking i could remove or drill out the screws then replace those with bolts, which go into new holes i make in slightly different locations to allow everything to line up ok. still just seems janky, somehow. im sure this material doesnt actually shrink. but its as if it did, along its length at least. weird =D

 

How old is the material? Is cover in the warranty?

 

this is a great idea. Also, just keep the frame and bed brackets, and just buy the canvas when needed again alter on. my softopper has been on since 2019, and its held up great so far. Color fades a bit and theres some discoloration, but I havent taken it off once in 4 years.

 

I wanted to do this, but honestly, this is even better. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/softopper-stripped-button-screw-fix-upgrade.759756/

I did it, and it works beautifully. easy and cheap, and they hold up with stiffness. Did this a year ago. It can be impossible to put on the softopper in the cold, but direct sun in anything above 50 or 55 degrees or so, and it's easy. But anyways, what you could do is just drill a hole wherever you need, and then just place a rivet.

 

I've owned several Jeeps. They don't shrink, but in cold weather don't stretch. If you ever took the top off a Jeep when it was cold you might not get it back on until the weather warms up. You might try a blow dryer to warm it up a little

 

Yes.

I have a soft topper for my blazer and it has shrunk more and more each year. It is between 10-15 years and now I can barely get it snapped on unless it is a scorching hot day- so I am going to need a new one.

 

Mine is about 8 years old and hasn't shrunk much at all.
Have you tried changing the setting at the hinge location? I believe there are 3 positions.

 

Mine doesn't permanently shrink (Ive been through a couple and held on to them for many years - current one was purchased in 2016), HOWEVER, it does get harder to work in cold weather. Get it in a garage and the material will be more pliant.

 

No, I've had mine since 2016 or 2017. They do get hard to work with in cooler weather when the fabric is stiff.

 

It's a difference in air temperature and stretching, not shirinking. A lot of these are bought in the summer and installed when it's relatively warm which allows the material to stretch quite a bit. Then it gets unsnapped in the winter and can be almost impossible to get back on. I'm a big guy and had to hang off of the rear corner to get them snapped. Personally, I think it's important to keep them tight like that as a loose fitting softopper looks like shit.

 

I agree that this is likely the issue. The topper I have is probably close to 10yrs old now and it still fits just fine. That said, it's easy to work with when warm and tricky to work with when cold.

It doesn't help with front to back fitment issues but if you have top/bottom fitment issues you can adjust the position of the frame in relation to the side rails. There are 3 different positions that can be selected at the point where the frame attaches to the side rails.

 

Isn’t there some adjustability in how wide you set the rails regarding how tight it makes the material

 

the material tightens in the cold. In hot temps it’s really loose and easy to pull. Just the way rubber and vinyl works in temps…

 

No. If installed properly the rails should be in the same spot. If you’re installing them narrower or wider then you’re not getting the proper engagement and angles for the brackets.

There’s really a narrow window of width where the rails and brackets fit as they should without twisting, angling or otherwise being cockeyed. They’re kinda setup to be “self centering” so you don’t want to try and force them to be more inboard or outboard is that “center” position.

Either way, doesn’t sound like this is the direction of fitment issue the OP is having.

 

Would placing a Little Buddy heater in the box heat up the material enough to make it more stretchy?

 

I mean. Temporarily. I don’t think that’ll cause some permanent molecular level change of the material. Or be any different than a hot sunny day.

with my old Softopper sometimes a button would unsnap. Could’ve been with cold contraction. I’d just pop it back on.

they could possibly design the material bigger with more slack but then it wouldn’t look good and tight but rather be loose, wrinkly, flapping around.

 

Same material as a Jeep softtop, which is much easier to snap on in a hot garage. I usually pull down the rear and front bar to snap the end buttons first, then the others are easier to snap on.