To anyone that has removed a cap, is this crazy?

I dont have friends to regularly help me remove a cap

I cannot use a hoist system that hangs from the ceiling

I can use a sawhorse to get the cap off the truck but i do not want to leave it up on the sawhorse for extended time

I am confident i can squat 200-250 lbs on my back but i know this is an awkward weight

Is it reasonable to think i can put this leer 180 cap on a sawhorse then get under it and squat it down to the ground or on to a lower stabilizer jack? My wife can help assist for stability while doing this

 

You should not remove the cap solo. That’s how injuries occur. Work smarter, not harder.

 

do you think i could do this with my wife? I am 200+ average strength, she is 120lb

 

Two dudes can do it no problem. I wouldn’t recommend your wife if you want to stay married.

 

my wife has helped me take mine off in the past once i get in and lift with my back to break free the seal.

 

reasonable NO , herniated disc good possibility , get your weight training partner to help not the wife

 

I have done it solo before, but you need to be very smart about how you do it.

Having 1 extra person makes things SOOOOO much easier. It's worth it to schedule something with a friend. It's not really that it's heavy, it's just awkward. Remember, you have to lift it from the sides while reaching out over the sides of the bed.

 

So what you’re saying is having Sasquatch for friend would really help out?

 

And I recommended thick gloves. There will be sharp edges.

 

Its not reasonable. Its not the weight thats the problem; its the bulkiness and awkwardness of the shape. I pretty attempted what you explained by myself before, but I transferred it from one truck to the next. I got inside, and "squatted" the topper to break the seal. Then got two 2x4's, and slid them under the topper, feeding them from the back. From there, I spread them apart to a good distance where the topper was balanced and stabilized, so the topper was fully supported by the 2x4's (on top of the bedrails. From there, I positioned truck #2 exactly beside it, with the smallest gap in between them as possible. I essentially just pushed the entire unit by the 2x4's over to the other truck. It was sketchy, and some paint chips occurred, but it worked at the end of the day.

All that being said, just get some 2x4's under it by yourself, and then politely ask your neighbor, or wife if capable to help you move it 6 feet backwards off the truck onto sawhorses.

 

The issue isn’t the weight but now it’s distributed and the bottom part of the shell where you will be lifting it at, even if you squat it from the middle you won’t be able to see where you’re going, you can squat it to lift it up to move it a few feet at a time but you risk scratching your truck

 

thank you all

Any creative ideas with engine hoists, camper jacks or something i could build that would help me get it from truck bed height to on the to ground?

 

Drywall lift? I'd also suggest building a stand for it to keep it off the ground.

 

so use a sawhorse to get it off the truck and then a drywall lift to get it off the sawhorse. is that what you are suggesting?

 

I was thinking a heavy duty drywall lift to get it off the truck. Slide the canopy back, lift with drywall lift, drive truck out, lower lift to set canopy on supports. Basically using the lift as someone standing under it to bear the weight.
But keeping it off the ground will reduce damage from water/dirt/animals.
Or, offer a neighbor a 6 pack to help.

Any particular reason you can't leave it up? Build a rack with legs you can drive between. Lift the canopy and put 2x4s across, drive out. Would make it so you and your wife could do it without additional help.

 

So put the drywall lift on ground and slide the cap back until it gets to the drywall lift? Is that the idea?

I have little kids so I just picture them knocking into the camper if it was left up

 

Thats what I was thinking.

 

Do you have a garage or any other structure you can drive under? Getting 2x4's (or wider) underneath it is pretty much the best bet for trying to remove it with 1 or 2 people. If you have the ability to hang it from the ceiling/rafters, that would be your easiest bet for just 1 person. Drive some eye bolts into a very solid structure above, and eye bolts into your 2x4's and you can literally just use 4 ratchet straps to slowly hoist it up (ratcheting each corner a little at a time). Or you can get fancy with it and install a couple cheap pulleys and hand/electric winch. Just go to youtube and look through the countless videos, you'll find inspiration to use whatever you have.

Nobody has asked, are you just looking for a one time solution or do you plan to install/uninstall multiple times? If multiple, you may want a more permanent solution like pulleys/winch. If just one time, just go ask your neighbor, or just post up in your local regional TW thread and somebody will come help you.

 

I was wondering about this also.
My ARE CX has the roof rails I was thinking about a pulley set up from my garage rafters using lift eyes in the rail.
Think it should work?