install short bed

[chronos]

Hi , ready to put on my new complete "shortbox"
Has anyone done this with just 2 people? Having trouble getting 4 guys together
at the same time....lol
Any tips available...thanks.
p.s. don't have a cherry picker or hoist of ant kind

[beastie_3]

Offer them beer and they will come.

I dont know if two people can lift it.

You might be able to rent a picker, or at least find one for cheap. Check on craigslist.

[Swims350]

I've done it a couple of times, you need some wood, landscape timber, 4x4, 2x6's something about 8 ft long or so. Then you need something like a saw horse set or concrete blocks.

What we done was one grab the bed on one side raise it and slide the board under it then stack a block under the board or lay the board on the saw horse, go to the other side and repeat. Repeat going back and forth until the bed is high enough to drive the truck under it, roll/push whatever you gotta do, and hope you set the blocks or horses out far enough to clear the wheels, then once in place do the same thing but in reverse, one guy picks up one side while the other removes a block, and then jumps to the other side and repeat until it's down on the frame.

I did this with an s-10 bed but used ratchet straps and a floor beam(underhouse garage) to ratchet the bed up then put landscape timbers under it and sit them on saw horses whch was tall enough to drive the truck under.

I did the blocks and 2 guys on dad's 84 short bed 2 years ago when we painted it. If you take off the tailgate and got 2 strong guys you might grab one on each side but it's not easy because the weight shifts and it's not light either. The blocks work good as long as they lay flat or you could double stack for added safety and stability. We pulled the bed off his truck that way and I think it was 6-8 blocks high to get it to clear the tires and rear bumper. We also moved the bed out of the way with 3 ppl and a wheel barrow, sit the front of the bed on the wheel barrow, had one person grab that and me and the old man grabbed the bed under the tailgate and lifted it up, walked it out of the way and sat it down on blocks. Did the same thing to bring it back into the work area to body work and paint it.

We had also thought of building a rig and using straps to lift it off, just image a big swing set frame, a shaped on the sides tall enough to get it high enough and a beam across the top to lift it from. But yes you can rent a picker we did before to pull a motor cost about $50 for a whole weekend.

[Blazin]

Have done it with two guys, but thats when I was young and Verile! Now a days its rough on your back the next morning!

[fitz]

You might be able to rent a picker, or at least find one for cheap. Check on craigslist.

I've seen engine cranes for $99 at Harbor Freight.

[VileZambonie]

2 guys that aren't wimps can do it. If either guy is a wimp you'll be smashing your bed so be careful

[Bitzer!]

If either guy is a wimp you'll be smashing your bed so be careful

Sorry Vile but that sounds soooo wrong!

Back to topic, I got a couple of block and tackle sets off ebay (cheapy ones), welded a hook in each corner of the bed looped a strap through and pulled the chains and up it went. pushed truck out and lowered it onto stands, all on my own! I'll be doing it again soon once the unbolted panels are painted. It's easy if you have roof supports in your garage 

[VileZambonie]

lol

[chronos]

Finally got some guys together.
Four guys was a piece of cake
Very happy to see my bed finally on!
Thanks

[three8six]

Me and my daddy did it with two, and together we are prolly barely over 300lbs. We didn't have the tailgate on it haha.