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4 man Soft Top suppliers

ogsched

New member
16
14
2
Location
Dallas, TX
The time has come to replace the green soft top and doors on my ‘91 M998. Since Benton is gone, I wanted to get thoughts on some of the other product available. A survey of the forums shows BlueOx as a favorite, but with long lead times. How are the kits from the various parts houses such as Midwest Military, SECO, etc? And does anyone have experience with the “convertible canvas soft top - remove/install in minutes” from Fed Military Parts? Thanks in advance!


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Gcelevator

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
513
740
93
Location
Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA
I have 2 of the blue ox. The 1st one after 2 +years, some stitches went off and he offered to repair at no extra charge. Since i am addicted to the truck and use it almost on a daily basis, i ordered another one before sending the 1st one for repair. The 2nd top hava extra insulation and the black out flag inside. He re stitched the whole top at no extra charge even though the lose stitches were only about 2".
I will 100% recommend William Welsh, stand up guy and super products he makes.
Going back to the top, the extra insulation is perfect. It blocks the heat in the FL inferno 🥵 🔥 ☀ and does a great job keeping it ac cold inside. Highly recommended if you go Blue Ox route.
 

MarkM

CODE BROWN...It's all going to sh~t !
Steel Soldiers Supporter
1,110
2,031
113
Location
WOBURN. MA.
I should have purchased a spare green one from Benton before the shuttered. They were selling them for $350.00. Dumb move on my part.

Mark
 

Bulldogger

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
1,336
605
113
Location
Quantico VA
I second the nomination of Blue Ox Tops. William Welch does excellent work. He cuts, sews and fits every top by hand. I have seen pictures and descriptions of other sources for 4-man tops and they always have some feature wrong, whether bad seams, too-short Velcro straps, ill-fitted and poorly placed turnbuckle grommets, or just plain poor materials. You can get a top cheaper than Blue Ox, and get it faster, but you can't get it BETTER than Blue Ox. As noted, William stands behind his tops and will service them indefinitely.
BDGR
 

ogsched

New member
16
14
2
Location
Dallas, TX
Thanks for the input gentlemen - it seems clear that William offers a superior product. Would be good to get feedback on some of the ready-to-ship products. Several of them look too “green” and shiny to match a veteran M998. Also curious about the Fed Mil Parts design, how much of an improvement is it relative to the typical struggle to deploy an NOS soft top? Have seen several discussions of the Bimini Jeep soft top concept (aka the CJ5 “bikini top” from the ‘70s) and would be really interested to hear about any halfway decent solutions others have found to solving the complex deployability issue of the stock top.


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ogsched

New member
16
14
2
Location
Dallas, TX
I should have purchased a spare green one from Benton before the shuttered. They were selling them for $350.00. Dumb move on my part.

Mark
And I will say I bought a new 4man soft top and door kit from Benton in 2019 for my ‘93 M998 for almost nothing and made the mistake of not buying a second set for the ‘91 that was on borrowed time. Rookie move!


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MarkM

CODE BROWN...It's all going to sh~t !
Steel Soldiers Supporter
1,110
2,031
113
Location
WOBURN. MA.
One thing I have is a nos 4 man green artic top and rear curtain with the two oval plexiglass potholes. I paid very little for them years ago and am amazed at what they are going for now and have become unicorns.

Mark
 

kking08

New member
6
5
3
Location
Ohio
I recently purchased a 4 man top/rear curtain from Blue Ox. Fitment is great and I had my top in a week. I found that the tops offered by other sites were shiny and i was not a fan. Mr. Welch can customize and build the exact top you want
 
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