Which is easier: remove bed or drop fuel tanks?
#1
11-06-2013, 03:15 PM
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Which is easier: remove bed or drop fuel tanks?
I'm ready to attack replacing the pick-up lines in both my fuel tanks (neither one picks up the last 1/4 tank of fuel) so my question is, 
which would be easier: remove the bed or drop the tanks down? I do have 5th wheel hitch plates to contend with. Thanks for your advice!
which would be easier: remove the bed or drop the tanks down? I do have 5th wheel hitch plates to contend with. Thanks for your advice!
#2
11-06-2013, 03:28 PM
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#3
11-06-2013, 03:29 PM
I vote for pulling the bed, but I don't have the 5th wheel to contend with. Depending on how hard that is to pull I might do it the hard way and drop the tanks.
I did it here:
Fuel Tank Sending Units
I did it here:
Fuel Tank Sending Units
#4
11-06-2013, 04:45 PM
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#5
11-06-2013, 04:51 PM
Post Fiend
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just hit the button Brad.
ok seriously,if i had a pickup bed,id siphon the tank and drop it myself but i can see lifting the bed as well.i suppose it depends on if you got 3 guys to help ya lift it off and set it on with ya or not as to which ya way ya go with.the bolts can be a bugger with the bed too.might have to torch off the clips and replace with some grade 8 nuts and bolts.either way it's a not a joyous occasion lol.
ok seriously,if i had a pickup bed,id siphon the tank and drop it myself but i can see lifting the bed as well.i suppose it depends on if you got 3 guys to help ya lift it off and set it on with ya or not as to which ya way ya go with.the bolts can be a bugger with the bed too.might have to torch off the clips and replace with some grade 8 nuts and bolts.either way it's a not a joyous occasion lol.
#7
11-06-2013, 04:59 PM
Postmaster
Pulling the bed is way easier.
And here is a tip for future bed removal...
I welded nuts onto my frame, so I could bolt the bed down from the top (Like how a ranger is factory), and now I can have my bed off in 10 minutes anytime I want.... Makes washing and any work at the back end of the truck a breeze.
And here is a tip for future bed removal...
I welded nuts onto my frame, so I could bolt the bed down from the top (Like how a ranger is factory), and now I can have my bed off in 10 minutes anytime I want.... Makes washing and any work at the back end of the truck a breeze.
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#8
11-06-2013, 05:10 PM
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#10
11-06-2013, 06:02 PM
Pulling the bed is way easier.
And here is a tip for future bed removal...
I welded nuts onto my frame, so I could bolt the bed down from the top (Like how a ranger is factory), and now I can have my bed off in 10 minutes anytime I want.... Makes washing and any work at the back end of the truck a breeze.
And here is a tip for future bed removal...
I welded nuts onto my frame, so I could bolt the bed down from the top (Like how a ranger is factory), and now I can have my bed off in 10 minutes anytime I want.... Makes washing and any work at the back end of the truck a breeze.
Now that's a good idea!
#11
11-07-2013, 05:17 AM
The answer depends entirely on the state of the hardware for either approach and on the help/tools available. The last two beds I took off I had to drill and grind the heads off the bolts. Even after grinding all the head off they didn't come out easy cause they were lag bolts that wouldn't just go through the holes in the bed structure and frame. A torch was more trouble then it was worth, it was almost impossible to get enough heat in the bolt without melting the thin sheet metal of the bed.
Then even if you get all the bolts out, wires disconnected in one piece, and fuel fillers disconnected you have to lift the bed without damaging the back of your cab or the bed. I did this with a cherry picker from the side, worked out rather well. But without some sort of crane or 3 helpers it's hard to do.
But the last few fuel tanks I dropped I was able to do so rather easy, sure the bolts were rusty, I got dirty, and any fuel in the tanks makes them awkward but still MUCH easier then removing the damn bed bolts. I did find that it was much easier to disconnect the fuel lines at the fuel selector valve prior to lowering the tank, much easier to get to them there and pop them out of the retainers to get the slack you need to drop the tank.
My suggestion, do one tank at a time by dropping the tank, run one as dry as you can and get home on the other. Then remove the empty one, there is no advantage to doing both at the same time. Doing one at a time the truck will run on one tank if you have an issue, take both out at once and any problem comes up you're screwed.
As for Racins nuts(not those you perv), sure when you have the truck stripped that's a great idea, but that's almost impossible to do in a complete truck. Plus you still need a bolt with a head, thus either a bolt head for cargo to catch on, or a socket head that gets filled with crap. My answer, I welded thin plates that lay in the groves of the bed under the heads of lag bolts. In doing so I can wrench the nuts from underneath without the bolts spinning.
Then even if you get all the bolts out, wires disconnected in one piece, and fuel fillers disconnected you have to lift the bed without damaging the back of your cab or the bed. I did this with a cherry picker from the side, worked out rather well. But without some sort of crane or 3 helpers it's hard to do.
But the last few fuel tanks I dropped I was able to do so rather easy, sure the bolts were rusty, I got dirty, and any fuel in the tanks makes them awkward but still MUCH easier then removing the damn bed bolts. I did find that it was much easier to disconnect the fuel lines at the fuel selector valve prior to lowering the tank, much easier to get to them there and pop them out of the retainers to get the slack you need to drop the tank.
My suggestion, do one tank at a time by dropping the tank, run one as dry as you can and get home on the other. Then remove the empty one, there is no advantage to doing both at the same time. Doing one at a time the truck will run on one tank if you have an issue, take both out at once and any problem comes up you're screwed.
As for Racins nuts(not those you perv), sure when you have the truck stripped that's a great idea, but that's almost impossible to do in a complete truck. Plus you still need a bolt with a head, thus either a bolt head for cargo to catch on, or a socket head that gets filled with crap. My answer, I welded thin plates that lay in the groves of the bed under the heads of lag bolts. In doing so I can wrench the nuts from underneath without the bolts spinning.
#12
11-07-2013, 06:00 AM
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it is easier to pull a rusty bed of by yourself than it is to drop a tank that is half full.
get a couple of 4X4's. one the length of the bed, and one on each end. connect the end ones with lag bolts so they will not move front to rear, but can fold out of the way
put a chain in the middle of the long one, and use a cherry picker to lift the bed off.
i can pull a bed by myself in less than an hour including grinding the heads off the bed bolts.
get a couple of 4X4's. one the length of the bed, and one on each end. connect the end ones with lag bolts so they will not move front to rear, but can fold out of the way
put a chain in the middle of the long one, and use a cherry picker to lift the bed off.
i can pull a bed by myself in less than an hour including grinding the heads off the bed bolts.
#14
11-07-2013, 08:05 AM
FWIW:
I wish I tried pulling the bed years ago. I've always dropped the tank too, until I had a reason to pull the bed on the S15 (reason below). It was so easy I decided to try it on the F250. It was far, far easier to pull the bed then to drop the tanks. No draining fluids, overhead lifting, hooking up fuel lines and wires over the tank while holding the tank up, just easy access to everything and much cleaner.
As far as dirt and rust, I've eaten more dirt dropping a tank than pulling a bed. Rust shouldn't be an issue, just cut the 6 bed bolts off and reinstall with new ones with anti-seize for the next time.
I can see the frame rail hitches being a deterrent though.
I had dropped the tank on my S15 to replace the fuel pump. Ended up needing a new tank and sending unit as well. Got all new stuff, installed it, a sort while later I had issues with the truck starving for fuel. Went through the usual
fuel filter, fuel pump relay, etc.
Finally figured it had to be in the back, either the new pump was failing already or, just possibly the fuel lines kinked when I mounted up the new tank.
Because of the latter possibility I decided for the first time to pull the bed to get access to the fuel tank. I wanted to know for sure the condition/position of the fuel lines without disturbing them. Sure enough that was the problem. Rather then return to their normal curve ALL the fuel lines were kinked.
So removing the bed not only turned out to be the easier option, but it gives me access to inspect that everything is going together correctly without guessing and letting me down later on.
As far as dirt and rust, I've eaten more dirt dropping a tank than pulling a bed. Rust shouldn't be an issue, just cut the 6 bed bolts off and reinstall with new ones with anti-seize for the next time.
I can see the frame rail hitches being a deterrent though.
I had dropped the tank on my S15 to replace the fuel pump. Ended up needing a new tank and sending unit as well. Got all new stuff, installed it, a sort while later I had issues with the truck starving for fuel. Went through the usual
fuel filter, fuel pump relay, etc.Finally figured it had to be in the back, either the new pump was failing already or, just possibly the fuel lines kinked when I mounted up the new tank.
Because of the latter possibility I decided for the first time to pull the bed to get access to the fuel tank. I wanted to know for sure the condition/position of the fuel lines without disturbing them. Sure enough that was the problem. Rather then return to their normal curve ALL the fuel lines were kinked.
So removing the bed not only turned out to be the easier option, but it gives me access to inspect that everything is going together correctly without guessing and letting me down later on.
#15
11-07-2013, 08:15 AM
http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/.../WP_000518.jpg
If you don't have a cherry picker you can get creative
If you don't have a cherry picker you can get creative
Hey, that works. And I'm sure if you are in a pinch you could do it with jacks and blocks. Necessity is the mother of invention.
Pics of how I did it with a cherry picker are here: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post11287451 but for safety's sake do something to stabilize the picker, anchoring it, or whatever. You can see my boom was extended to the max and then the chain was pulled forward. It was precarious. When it went back on I put a cross strap across the rear of the bed and tied it to the boom and used jacks the rear corners of the bed to stabilize it. Details on that thread. BruteFord's idea of going at it from the side might be the way to avoid over-extending the engine lift, I may try that next time.