Yes, it works well, particularly when I have the kayaks on the roof. However, most of the time we do not have the kayaks on top and I just push the roof up manually.
However, I always carry it even when I am not hauling the kayaks just in case I pull a back muscle or something. Importantly, my wife can use it to raise or lower the roof if something were to happen to me that prevented me from using it.
Regards,
Craig