Lifted K5 Top removal.

[CCSS]

Looking for pictures and/or ideas on how to remove top from K5 (Mine is lifted 6" suspension and 3" body on 41" tires) for one person. Previously I backed up to my porch and set top off on railing. I would like something a little safer. One time I didn't get it set just right on railing and top almost fell. Anything you guys are doing?

 

[CSFJ]

Maybe look into a hoist setup like the jeep guys use to pull their tops? One of the guys I know used a China freight 110v winch mounted on his garage ceiling, and used a couple of 2x4s in an "H" or "T" shape to attach some slings to to lift the top off his unlimited JK wrangler. Pretty low buck, and seems to work good for him.

 

[trukman1]

Try TopperEZlift or Harken Hoister. Just a thought.I'm sure you could hook-up a cheap HF winch to make it easy. Also, there are videos on You Tube showing homemade lifts.

 

[1987 GMC Jimmy]

With what I have at my disposal, I’d be using some kind of hydraulic forks to gently touch the top, unbolt it, and lift it up. When I get done, simply back into it (probably have markers painted) and reverse the process. My house has a hydraulic freight lift that has fine enough control to do it effectively. I was also thinking about the forks on my dad’s tractor, but those work much more violently. Plus, you’d have to drive the tractor into the truck. That jerky BS would be too risky, but the former would be ideal because the lift and the truck can coordinate with each other very gently. I don’t know if you have access to anything like that or even a forklift, but that’s what I’d do since I don’t have a hoist system of any kind. If you’re starting from scratch, though, I think the hoist would be much more feasible. I’m sure you could easily build some kind of adjustable hoist out of homemade forks, tracks for the vertical portions to run, and a bottle type jack. That’d be my alternative.