Pickup Bed Lifter

Noticed on here how a lot of guys have been having issues with fuel lines, brake, lines, fuel pumps, etc on their pickup trucks.

Bought this tool years ago and it has been a real life and time saver for me.

http://steckmfg.com/35885_BedLifter.html



I don't know if this violates the copyright laws or not by posting the pic. If so if a mod can remove it, I'd appreciate it.

And there are other companies besides Steck that do make these things. The nice thing is the arms extend all different ways to allow you to center the load allowing straight up hoisting with no tilting.

But this thing allows me to remove a pickup bed single handed using my cherry picker. And I don't even have to remove the rear bumper. Just undo the filler neck, disconnect the light plug and any other wires and remove the bed bolts. Then hoist away....

And Smitty, it saves you from all the crap falling into your eyes, down your neck, etc. I use this rather than dropping fuel tanks. Because you never have to drop a tank when it is empty, do you ???

Just thought I'd pass this along.

Rick

Thanx,Rick ! I was going to rig something up,but this Handy Little Ditty's just what the Doctor ordered ! Appreciate You posting it up !

coaledsweat wrote:Did the bed off thing to fix the frame tails and rear spring hangers on my brother's Ranger. I used four slings and some chain with the backhoe. The six bolts from Ford cost more than the hangers, shackles and frame horns.

Yeah they do........ Its those damn thread as they go in bolt. The problem is that they gall up the threads trying to take them out !! Most times requiring them to be cut off. Of course Chevy uses a carriage type bolt that then spins as you are trying to get the nut off and rounds off the square hole. At least with the Fords, you are working topside looking down preventing schtuff from getting in your eyes.

I came across this as my Dad was taking about retiring and I started buying tools to make my life easier and not having to rely on others. I also bought thing like bumper and door holders with cranks to raise and lower them. I just don't know why no one ever thought about those type tools when we had those 500 lb Chevy Monte Carlo doors or the 800 lb bumpers used in the 70's and 80's

Hey HB, you could probably lift off the bed with one of those bucket trucks couldn't you ???

Rick

Why Rick,yes I could ! Then I'd be promptly fired ! I like the cherry-picker usage idea with this liftframe. No bed torque upon lift,and then set it down on a wood frame. Whallah ! Definite "Happy-Time" for getting at the entire aft fuel system,brake lines,shocks,heck,You name it,You can easily get to it as a much lesser flexible older guy !

We did my Sierra 6.6 ft bed with 4 guys. None of us where under 45.

How many Beers?

How many Beers?
You had to go there I live on drinkers corner so I'm told 2 Busch beers each we can get anything done, the hard part is getting them to go home, I got work to do

Nice Rick - that thing is MINT! Never saw that one before.

Only problem is, around here usually the bed is so rusted that it's easier fighting with a full tank of gas with rust in the face than trying to remove bed bolts.

Fluid Film or LPS3 it never gets this bad for a long time. Spray the crap out of everything every fall with a sprayer of choice. My 2001 Sierra gets lots of questions from guys at work.

I do used motor oil every fall. Never did this truck though, as you can plainly see ....

2001Sierra wrote:We did my Sierra 6.6 ft bed with 4 guys. None of us where under 45.

Yep we used to do that. That is why I got this thing. Don't need anyone else. Funny, the guys who used to work for me would stop to borrow it from time to time. Well they borrowed it once each. My Dad always said if you need to borrow something twice, it means that you should have your own. But the borrowing price was always at least 1 case of beer or bottle of my choice.......

And to get those stubborn bolts off.... use a wizzer cut off tool and just cut off the bolt heads from the topside. Replace them....they are probably due anyway. I don't know how many T-50 sockets I have gone through. And they are not too cheap. If you feel energetic and determined to use the existing bolts, you can always tack weld a 1/2" nut to the top of the bolt. Then you can use an impact wrench on them. After it is removed, use the wizzer to cut the welds on the nut. Or just get new bolts, clips, or nuts......

I still think this is easier than dealing with the rusted bolts and trying to contort yourself to unhook the fuel lines. And it usually requires 2 to remove the fuel tank. 1 on the jack, the other removing the bolts while trying to keep the tank on the jack....And then you have to try to bend the fuel straps back into position to get the threads to engage when reinstalling it. Smitty, just differences of opinion. But I got tired of getting chit removed from my eyes.

Rick

yo buddie,I have 2 trucks I could use that on at my new job.The one ford needs a fuel pump,but they were talking about sending it to ford,he said it would be cheaper than us doing it,ha ha, ahh please send it away.The other has rotted fuel line on the top of the tank

Oh I hear ya Rick - I would MUCH rather be working on a truck with the bed OFF ... but being a one-man show here makes that tough for me to begin with .... then throw some rust in the mix ...

I just busted a T-50 last year trying to replace the tailgate mounts on my buddy's '94 S10. He's got used to lifting things OVER the tailgate ... Another brilliant GM brainstorm .....

a video on youtube ...



This vid shows the bed being lifted .. starts this process about 5:00 into the vid