Can anyone recommend a product to be used in my home garage that will enable me to lift the shell off my Tundra once in a blue moon when I need to haul something really tall? I understand the shell weighs 200lb or more. I want something I can utilize by myself as no one is ever around when I need extra hands.
You really need two people to do the removal and replacement of the shell without potentially mussing up your paint on the truck, but you can easily rig up a garage lift system for the shell.
You will need 4 single sheave heavy-duty pulleys, two twin sheave pulleys, a bunch of 3/8" lag bolts and flat washers and some chain to fasten the pulleys to the rafters. A hand-cranked boat winch, 100 feet or so of 3/8" braided nylon rope, and 4 of some sort of grab hooks to pick up the shell - strips of 1" x 1/8" cold-rolled steel strap with a hole in one end, and at the other end heat to red with a propane torch and bend a square cornered "J" bent into the other end (to fit the bottom edge lip of the shell) in a bench vise.
If you want to make attaching the ropes to the shell a lot easier, they make ladder racks that bolt to the outside of the shell - and you can use the rack bars for lifting points. Or fasten a few rope cleats to the outside of the shell for lashing down ladders on the roof, and for looping the lift ropes to when removing. You get the idea...
You back the truck into the garage and put the rope pulleys to line up with the four corners of the shell, then lag-bolt the boat winch to the wall and mount the two double pullies above the winch. Rig some sort of a rope lasso around the winch handle so you can lash it off as a positive brake.
Make two big loops of rope and attach the centers to the winch hub clamp point. Thread the free ends through the double pullies, to the single pulleys that line up straightest, and tie temporary knots in the lift hooks.
Get the second person, lift up each corner of the shell and slide in the lifting hooks. Take the slack out of the ropes so the tension on each corner is roughly even and make permanent Figure-8 knots in the ropes.
Have the second person crank the winch up while you guide the shell up and keep it from hitting the back of the cab, or doing other damage while swinging free...
If you want insurance, take more rope and lash a few 'cradle' ropes under the shell, tying it up to the rafters. Even if someone cranks the winch down, it's secured.
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Thanks for the reply. It just takes a little work, huh.
as long as your noy old or handicapped it isnt that bad undoing the clamps , getting in the middle of the bed and walking the shell off. have some old tires layinf behind the truck to set the shell on. My mom's snugtop on her f150 is not to bad, I can't imagine a tundra could be any worse. MLM
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