Patent ID: 8075043

Claim:
A vehicle folding top having changeable cover tension, the folding top comprising: a cover; a frame assembly, wherein the cover is stretched over the frame assembly and the frame assembly is movable to move the cover between a closed position and an opened position; a U-shaped tension bow having a center bar, a pair of side legs, a wide groove running along the center bar, and a narrow groove running along each side leg, wherein the side legs are connected to the frame assembly; a tensioning cable running along the tension bow and fixedly connected to a rear portion of the cover, wherein the tensioning cable is connected at respective ends to the frame assembly; and a landau bar connected between the frame assembly and the tension bow, wherein the landau bar swings the tension bow from a lowered position to a raised position as the cover moves from either the closed position or the opened position to an intermediate position between the closed and opened positions, wherein the landau bar swings the tension bow from the raised position to the lowered position as the cover moves from an intermediate position between the closed and opened positions to either the closed position or the opened position; wherein a central area of the rear portion of the cover along with the tensioning cable connected thereto are removably held within the wide groove of the center bar of the tension bow such that the central area of the rear portion of the cover is connected to the tension bow when the tension bow is in the lowered position whereby the center bar of the tension bow applies tension to the cover when the cover is in either the closed position or the opened position and such that the central area of the rear portion of the cover is disconnected from the tension bow when the tension bow is in the raised position whereby the center bar of the tension bow does not apply tension to the cover as the cover moves between the closed and opened positions.