Hey everybody out there!
Following situation: I have a 1991 F 150, ext cab short bed, 302 w/ 5spd and a LEER campershell.
This campershell is made from fibre, so quite heavy and two strong men really have to fight to take it off or putting it back on without damaging or scratching anything.
Now years ago I got me an engine hoist, extended the pole so it had a good height to lift the topper off of the Truck, putting two wooden 4x4s underneath the topper`s side rails across from left to right front and rear.....
Even this lifting to position the 4x4s did take some effort and balancing and the toppers weight on these 4x4s destroyed the sealing so rain pours through onto the bed....
Now my question:
Is there a chance I drill holes in the sides of the topper, let`s say in front of and behind the side windows to the most possible lowest point to mount hooks here so that way I can hook it up with the hoist and won`t need a second person anymore?
Or would the material be too brittle to withstand its own weight hanging on 4 bolts....?
I`m for sure thinkink of backing the inside of the topper`s bolt holes with huge washers, since the hoist and weight would be dragging outward, especially in the back with no backing of a stiff connection like the wall in the front...
Or would it make sense to support the rear inside hookup points with sort of a tension belt to reduce outward drag with an inside preload??
Has anybody ever tried before such an experiment....??
Don`t want to find out the hard way......
This drives me nuts......
Thanks for any help or tips in advance, everybody having a good one!

Ingo

 

Or you could use something like this.
Camper shell lift system - Fiberglass RV


Also,just an FYI, but you should probably get into the habit of keeping a roll of the rubber insulation on hand, It's not that difficult to remove the old tape and apply the new stuff.

 

Get four bolt on rope hooks from the hardware store and read a few write-ups for attaching cleats to a fiberglass boat before you decide how to install them. PO of my cap did it and it's the only part that doesn't leak. If you really need things to be kept out of the weather E-Series are dirt cheap and come in all the same drivetrain configurations as these trucks.

 

Isn't using four people instead of two easier than all of the above?

 

I take mine off and put it on by myself without even a single scratch

 

4 people costs too much beer!

 

Hello to all.First post,I use hd rachet straps and use my garage rafters.Just lift up slightly to slip straps under front and rear.use big rachet straps!

 

A set of HF straps does the job just fine for me. The hooks the PO installed work great. I hang mine from the rafters as well.

 

That'll work...had a friend that bought some camper jacks at a garage sale! It got it done,but our way gets it out of the way.

 

An ex neighbor built a simple scissor like frame work that hangs in his barn, he backs under it, lowers the lift over the shell, lifts up one side of the topper, slips the lift under, goes to the other side, lifts the topper and slips the lift under.

It looks like two Logger Tongs with spreader bars. It's light, weighs about 150# and the more weight on it the harder it holds the topper.

All padded with high density roll bar padding.

He is/was a picky old codger I can't image it does any harm to the seal, I don't think it actually goes under that far ... I have never seen the topper on it.

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

Hello and big thanks to y`all for those ideas!
Well, the Lift System is basically what I have, I welded a giant " H " at the width and nearly the length of my topper, this hanging from the engine hoist`s hook and having 4 old safety belts stitched to the length of the topper height to accept the hooks on the shown 4x4s....(smart me, eh)
I had a E-Series Van, got rid of it, cause I like my F150 more and got me an EX V10 instead....so problems are solved but sometimes you have no choice....
Insulation band is enough on hand.......
Getting 4 people is way too much drinking, right, and I had a second topper made from aluminum, the one you usually carry around on a pocket-watch-chain, but that looked f..ly and would`ve better matched a 6th Gen F-Truck, so I traded it in for $$$$$
Think I`ll check with some boat guys to see what I can do with some extra fibre....
GRRREAT backing here!!
Thanks everybody!
Ingo

 

I just meant you should do some reading so that you're familiar with the process of mounting stuff into fiberglass in a way that won't start leaking after the first few times you tie a rope to it and yank.


The PO used fender washers and lock nuts for the hooks on mine. I assume there's a ton of silicone in there because all the wiring he did was sealed with a ton of silicone as well. I used four HF straps and four eye bolts in the rafters to hang my cap. I replace the straps with old safety chains when it's up because I'd not have good ratchet straps hang around collecting dust.

 

Hey **** sidewards!
Thanks for the pic, I`s thinking of using lifting eye nuts on the topper to accept the carabiner hooks that hang from the aforementioned safety belts, so the hooks can`t come lose from the eye nuts when moving the engine hoist away.
I guess RV sealant would be good enough to do the sealing job, used it on all of my RV`s windows, had them removed and sealed with that stuff, no more leaking, it stays elastic, won`t harden out.
Don`t ask me what brand, it`s german made, since I`m in Germany, so it`s easier and cheaper to get than US brand sealants.
Have a nice weekend everybody!
Ingo