Hi Folks,
I'm looking for ideas. I need to remove the entire bed from my 52 to work on the frame and also to work on the bed. I'm basically a one man operation so I thought about buying a engine lift from HF and use it to lift the bed off the frame, (once I remove the neccessary hardware), then make some kind of wood cart to sit the bed on to make repairs on it, paint it, etc then reverse the process to reinstall. Does this sound like a plan? Do you think it will work? Anybody do this already? Open to any and all ideas.

 

It's really not very heavy at all. It's a 2-man job if you have decent strength. Four people can run with it. Do you have a neighbor who can help for a minute to lift it off and carry it over to your stand? I just wouldn't spend the money on an engine lift unless you need it anyway.

 

Engine hoist will work one end at a time but may not be easy to raise the whole bed at once without it swinging around. When I first started out as a teenager I would raise one side of a car body and slide a 2x10 plank under it so that the plank stuck out well past the frame on both sides. Then same on the other end. Put concrete blocks stacked up to hold up the planks, then one end of a time raised the body up a little more and added blocks until the body was high enough to roll the chassis out. I used a floor jack to do it, didnt have room for the hoist in the small garage I was working in. Reverse to lower it back down.

 

Thanks guys. I hate bothering people I like to work on my own at my own pace, I guess that's why its taken 8 yrs and my truck is still not the way I want it.

 

I recently used my engine hoist to remove the bed from my 53 when I did a Tbird IRS swap. It is not easy to remove it that way if you can't roll the truck put from under it. The bed swings a LOT more than I expected. I hollered at a neighbor who helped steady it while I removed it and re-installed it. Now if You can roll the truck out from under it you would probably be fine.

 

i used an engine hoist with 4 cargo straps so i could adjust each corner independently. you can usually rent a hoist if you are near a bigger town

 

That's what I did, I got a HB chain hoist, used a length of 2" galvanized fencepost to spread any weight across my garage rafters. Ive used it to lift the bed, engine, bend x members, remove the hood , etc., etc., and its helped me as I too work alone.

 

Comments on what has been said. Being able to adjust the length of the straps or chains to keep the bed level is very important. Lightweight cable and cable clamps is an alternative to chain and straps. To keep the bed from swinging around out of control, attach a long stick to the bed and the other end of the stick where you can control the swing of the bed. The bed is not hard to control, you just want to be in control.

 

thanks for everyones input. My bed has a very old rotten 3/4" sheet of plywood as a bed floor, not sure how its coming out but it will and soon.
Appreciate all the ideas and pictures.

 

Have you considered rigging a pulley system from your garage rafters? One for each side or one for each end. Run a rope thru your stake pockets. It's pretty easy, you can keep things nice and steady and since a bed is pretty light (I'm guessing 80ish lbs) it's not too hard to do yourself. Just a thought. Good luck. T

 

Dennis, if you can get it loose from the frame I would be glad to give you a hand lifting it off
Ed

 

I built a quick roll around cart to rest the bed on. I used the casters off a cheap H/F moving dolly. I assembled it with screws and bolts so that I could take it apart easily. Problem is.....its so handy that I have yet to take it back apart.



As far as lifting the bed, I've got a hoist mounted to a beam in the ceiling of my shop and I use adjustable tie down straps that I can loosen or tighten to balance the bed as I lift it. I have used my engine lift when I can't roll the truck out from under the bed. Having a tractor with a loader comes in handy too.

 

Ha! Now that 'rotten plywood' part has a familiar ring to it. Same issue I had. In my case, the PO hadn't bolted the body back to the rails, so I just grabbed it and flipped it off. Used the hydraulic lift on back of my Farmall tractor to lift and haul it out back for the time being.

Weight is less the issue as mentioned, it's more the awkwardness. The hoist idea makes the most sense if you want to do it alone. Even a come-along should work. Tie off one corner to prevent swinging, lift it off, move truck from beneath, set it down on blocks, sawhorses, whatever works for you.

 

Here's one more variation on the one-man bed lifting operation with an engine hoist. Sure makes that operation handy. The bed rests on the framework (built with 1-1/2" angle iron and square tube and caster wheels) of an assembly table that does double duty for bed assembly and general work when I top the frame with 3/4" plywood.

 

Here is my version of it. I made a simple frame to lift the bed off the truck with a cheap HF Chain Hoist. Once raised up I drive the truck out from underneath the bed and lower the bed down onto jack stands or saw horses to work on it. It worked well for me and allows me to remove the bed by myself.