For those of you with hard toppers, how and where do you store if/when you remove it? I have a hard topper and would like to remove it now and then.

Pics of your set up/storage locations would be great!

Thanks

 

I used to have one that usually was left outside. If where you live is prone to ice or hail, I'd keep it indoors. I've seen one guy that ha his topper hanging mid air from the rafters in his shop. He kept in the corner out-of-the-way so nobody would bump into it but he could still back his truck under and lower it by himself. If you have a way and space to do this then that'd probably be your best bet

 

I don't have any pics right now. I'll see if I can find any with the topper on the rack (it's on my truck right now).

My current setup is 4 posts set in the ground. They are far enough apart one way that I can back my truck between them. The other way they are about 4.5 feet apart, to leave about a foot of my short box topper hanging off each end.

I drilled holes at an angle through each post and put bolts through the holes to support 2x4s going across (I'll post a picture of that later).

So I back the truck between the posts and set the 2x4s next to the truck. Then I get in the bed and lift the topper away from the bed rails so my wife can slide the 2x4s through. Then, standing in the bed, I lift the topper high enough (one end at a time) that my wife can put the 2x4s on the bolts. I set the topper on the 2x4s and drive out from under it. Takes less than 10 minutes.

When I had a garage that I could fit my truck in I did it differently. Then I put four eye bolts in the ceiling and hooked chains to the eye bolts. Then I could hook the 2x4s to the chains so the topper hung above the truck bed. I could still park the truck in the garage, as long as I backed in (and didn't have anything tall in the bed). I liked that setup better because it was inside. But my truck doesn't fit in my current garage, so it's never inside anyway.


edit: Here's a pic of how the 2x4 attaches to the post. And to Merfmans question below, yes I tie it down (that's what the eyebolt in the picture is used for). I just throw a 1/4" cord over the top and tie it snug (I was a Boy Scout leader so I'm pretty comfortable with knots).

 

My boy and I removed mine over the weekend to move a washer and dryer. About ten minutes and it was off. Right now it is on four blocks in the backyard, soon to be put back on the truck. As my boy is 18 and won't be around forever I need to come up with an alternative.
Not to thread hijack, but Thanks Nothing Special. I was considering making the same thing for storing my top outside. Do you strap it down? I worry about the wind carrying it away where I live.

 

I just grab a few of dads friends most the time and put it next to his shop out of sight on the ground, I plan to at least set it on blocks of some sort soon and possibly one day make a jig up for it to sit on around truck height for ease of loading and unloading. As for flying away on me well the thing is more of a work shell than it is an actually camper shell so it has really heavy tool boxs stuffed in it that are heavy as crap.

 

I don't have any pics of setup but, I made custom sawhorses for mine. I hardly have it on my truck so, it just sits n the yard. it's from my old truck so it doesn't match anyhow. I want to paint it eventually.

 

Thanks for the ideas and pics. I want to keep it indoors so I like Nothing's idea of a simple system to raise and lower with 2x4s attached at ends. This would be a one man job. I just need to be sure all is screwed into studs and secure so it doesn't fall and injure my family or the cars it will be sitting over. I could also install in my metal carport/garage above my pontoon boat, but the pontoon takes up much the room and it sits about 7'-8' off the ground and close the 11'-12' ceilings.

 

I figured screwing into something strong enough to support the weight was obvious enough.

As far as hanging it over anything else (like a pontoon boat), just keep in mind that you'll need to move the "anything else" before installing or removing the topper. Not a big deal if it moves easily, but that could become the biggest part of the job.

 

In don't have a topper but I thought of another way to take one off..

It would basically be like a stationary fork truck.. You make a couple arm that are supported and braced well.. Then you attach them to a vertical sliding mechanism that use a boat crank to crank up and down.. It's prolly not the best explained..

 

1003_f350_2013, you mean like old school camper jacks?

Nothing Special, I have something similar put made of welded pipe, built by the previous owner of the topper. Nice part is that the frame cab be moved if desired. Problem is I don't weld and now that I've lifted the truck it won't fit under it. I'll likely be using some of your idea. Thanks for sharing!

 

I hang mine from the trusses in my garage, I bought four of those small horseshoe shaped swivels and bolted them to the shell, then four cheap ratchet straps and four closed loop lags screwed into the center of the truss.

 

out in the beautiful arizona sun, it bakes, but not anymore than if it were on the truck. dont use it anyway and with it on sawhorses i can clean and wax it when ever i want easy.

 

Better late than never, I finally took the topper off my truck (time to haul leaves away). So I took a pic of the topper on my rack, about to drive the truck out from under it.

 

Bob, simple, nice. Thanks for the pic!

 

Bob, thanks for the pic! Simple and effective. Do you have help do get it off or are you able to remove by yourself?