removing truck cap

[Mike C]

Anyone have any good ways of removing truck cap quick and easy. I have a tall ceiling in the garage and could probaly rig up some type of pulley system but figured I would ask the pros on this one for ideas or even pictures. Should I be concerned of the weight hanging from the trusses. It is a fiberglass leer cab height 8' model with side glass and rear glass. Thanks in advance for any help. ,

 

[R-N-R]

Here's my solution, it takes me about 20 min on or off. And here is a recent thread about topper storage.

 

[robiR]

It would be beter storred on a couple of saw horses. Depending which Lear you have depends on how much weight it is. Get a buddy to help you and make sure you disconect the 3rd brk light

 

[R-N-R]

... unless you need to park underneath it.

 

[tractorface]

You should not have any problem especially if you spread the load over several trusses and not just one. Simply lay a steel or wood beam across the trusses and hang the load from the beam(s) Most garages technically are not set up for this type of use but depending on where you live may be set up for large snow loads etc. I once pulled (and hung for days) a small block ford from three trusses in a finished garage and all was good. I plan to use pulleys and lift mine from the roof rack then secure it with slings underneath.

 

[R-N-R]

I used a 4x4 across 4 trusses (on the roof's pitch to enable higher lifting height) for each of the two pulleys. If I was to do it again, I would use four pulleys collected into one central pulley. This would eliminate the strap stress on the cap, and the strap stress on the rafters when the cap is near the top. The strap stress is minor, but it is still there. Four straps would also eliminate the potential for the cap to "twist" between being lifted off the truck and before the straps contact the rafters. I would also use tie-down straps on the four corners to provide adjustability.



Right now, the cap clamps are removed using an air rachet (lazy), then each corner is lifted by hand and a block is placed between the bed and the cap. Next slide a 2x6 with eye bolts on each end under the front and rear of the cap. Then attach the tow strap ends to the eye bolts, center cross pieces are placed between the 2x6 to prevent them from sliding together when lifting, and finally use a come-a-long to raise the cap. The main thing I don't like about this setup is that letting the cap back down is a two handed operation using the come-a-long.