Hey guys, I have a camper shell for my 6.5 foot bed, I only use it when I go camping or fishing so for the most part its off but when I do want to put it on its a pain in my @$$ !! The manual says it weighs 120 pounds but feels more like 200, I keep it on top of my pop up camper so that helps with the transition since it sits at about the same height as the bed.

I just want to know how other people load these on their trucks....if theres any other way!

 

Could always make a stand and pully system. Just back under hook 4 corners pully up the top and pull out then lower down to ground so not hanging around.

Other wise yea on my gramps truck we always had to just man handle it off and to the ground.

 

If you happen to have a Compact Utility Tractor, [CUT], you could always rig up some forks out of 4X4's, and 2 bys. I have to man handle mine off/on by myself. Just be slow and steady, and don't stab your truck like I did the last time I removed my cap.

Other than that, possibly mount some roof racks on the cap, and rig up a pulley system to be mounted in your barn/garage. Best bet is to just get a couple other guys to lend a hand.

 

2 or 3 guys to move the one on my old truck. Set it onto 2 long 4x2 pieces of wood placed perpendicular to the sides of the canopy.

The pieces were propped up about 2 or 3 feet above ground by some metal brackets welded to metal stakes that I pounded into the ground.


Hah only reason I don't have a shell now is because I hated lifting that thing off.

 

I usually call someone to assist.....
I'm not risking denting or scratching my truck.

I call my brother over + 1 more if available to load it up or take it off.
If you don't have that kind of help, then you need to start talking to your neighbors.

There's the option of the pulley system in a garage to lift it and let it hang while you
back up to it and then lower it, for the anti-social types. LoL

 

Well here's the way I do it.

I start with four lengths of heavy duty chain attached to my garage ceiling via big eye bolts.

At the other end of each chain I have a nice big heavy duty S hook.

Next I have two 8 foot 2x4's with a nice big eye bolt on the end of each one.

I open the tailgate and the canopy lid, put the 2x4's in the bed and back the truck into the garage so that the canopy is situated right in between the 4 S hooks hanging from the garage ceiling.

Get in the bed of the truck, take off the clamps that hold the canopy to the truck. Then I crouch over in the bed near the cab with a 2x4 and lift up with my back till there's a space big enough to slide the 2x4 between the bed and the canopy. Adjust that one till I can see the eye bolt on the 2x4 lines up with the corresponding S hook hanging from the ceiling. Repeat this back near the tailgate.

Get out of the truck and then starting at one of the corners near the cab, lift up the 2x4 and hook it on the S hook. Do that for the other three and viola, the canopy now sits hanging free about 6 inches above the bed of the truck.

Drive the truck out from under the canopy and there ya go. Canopy hangs there in the garage till I'm done hauling whatever it is I'm hauling and then reverse the whole process to put it back on again.

The tricky part initially was to get the truck situated in the garage the first time and get those chains hanging just right at the same time making sure they were sunk solid into ceiling joists.

Now that it's all set up, takes me about 20 minutes to take it off/put it on and I can do it all by myself.

It's hanging in there right now and I'll try and snap a couple of pictures when I get home.

 

 

Thanks for the detailed input guys, for now I'm gonna stick with man handling but I can see in the future that I would make a pulley system in my garage.