Hole plugs on top of cap...lifting points?

[urbex]

Have these 4 hole plugs, 1 in each corner, on a Century cap. Bought the truck with the cap already on it, and never had a cap on a truck before.

Guessing these were to mount a cargo or ladder rack? They look evenly spaced, like they were done at the factory, and not a prior owner making them with a drill.

I need to remove the cap for the GN trailer I ordered, and I don't have strong friends available to lift it off. What I do have is a 6K pound crane on my service truck, but obviously I would need to build some kind of lifting cradle.

I was thinking of ways to do it by sliding some angle under the mounting rails, then coming up with a way to make spreaders to keep from damaging the sides, but being able to lift right off the top would be a lot easier.

Would these top points support the weight of the cap, or would I just pull the anchors out trying this?

 

[crash68]

Do the holes go clean through the topper? If so use some eye-bolts through the holes with some fender washers w/nuts top and bottom. Toppers are not super heavy, just awkward to lift do to the size.

 

[urbex]

That I do not know. It's all carpeted on the inside, and I was hoping someone had been here already before I rip the glue out and find out the hard way this won't work...then have to deal with regluing it too, lol.

It wouldn't be a big deal to fabricate some backing plates for this, I'm just not familiar enough with fiberglass to know what it can/can't handle for loads.

 

[GTyankee]

Century truck caps are made in the same factories as Leer truck caps, using the same specs and molds.

Leer Cap being manufactured

Leer Truck Caps Manufacturing

www.Leer.coma look inside the manufacturing process of the nations finest truck caps and tonneaus

www.youtube.com

I notice that the Factory & dealerships use Fork Lifts to move the Caps around, they have a padded pallet on the forks

EYE Bolts in the 4 corners should hold the weight,
as long as extra gear is removed from inside the Cap

 

[zrock]

I have always just taken the topper off by myself sliding it off the back of the truck to some waiting saw horses that i has their waiting for me. A little awkward but doable.

Or you could just take a couple of 2x4's run them under the topper and hook your hoist to those, myself i would not pull those plugs and lift from their. Its one of those things that if you pop the plugs out when you put them back in they may not seal properly and now you have a leak.

 

[Dean2]

Fiberglass caps can easily be cracked or damaged if not lifted correctly. Build yourself a lifting jig out of two 2x4 that run from one side to the other with enough extra to run an eye bolt through so you can lift them. You also need a piece of 2x4 screwed to the main 2x4 stringer on each side of the cap rail to hold the cap from spreading out, when lkifted. This is particularly important near the back door as it has nothing holding it from spreading out.

 

[urbex]

as long as extra gear is removed from inside the Cap

Inside? I never knew gear could be installed inside the cap, other than little things like cargo lights. How would that even happen? Drilling and mounting with bolts through the outside?

Not arguing this, rather genuinely curious, as I've never seen anything like that..just people people using them as a cover over things in the bed. Though I've never really looked at other people's stuff either, lol.

I have always just taken the topper off by myself sliding it off the back of the truck to some waiting saw horses that i has their waiting for me. A little awkward but doable.

There is absolutely no way I could pull that off with how tall this truck sits. Awkward means I'll either damage the expensive cap, or the REALLY expensive truck...

I came " " close to dropping the top off my K5 Blazer some years ago trying this, and ended up using the forks on my loader tractor with a couple pallets method to pull it off. But my loader had just enough reach to handle that much shorter top..I don't want to find out the hard way that this 8 footer has just enough weight forward of my forks to fall off.

Fiberglass caps can easily be cracked or damaged if not lifted correctly. Build yourself a lifting jig out of two 2x4 that run from one side to the other with enough extra to run an eye bolt through so you can lift them.

This was more or less my original idea, except building it for a 4 point lift - 1 at each corner, with spreader bars to facilitate a single center point lift with the crane, so the straps/chains won't smack the sides going up.

And, looks like this will end up being the method I go with, as I had not really looked closely at the inside of the cap in the daylight until today - where I found those holes must have been added by a PO, as they go clear through the carpet, and clearly had something mounted via them before. They're also close enough to where the top curves down to sides to preclude putting a fender washer in there.

I could easily cut some angle or channel iron to span the holes, but if there's any concern that it may spread the sides and cause damage doing it this way, I'd just as soon spend the extra time to make the full cradle.

 

[GTyankee]

I have seen some Caps that Fishermen have modified on the inner roof, to hold every fishing rod they ever owned & i think the Reels Too.
I would have to believe that to remove that type of Cap,
They would have to use 2 X s between the truck bed & cap, using hardware to remove & install the Cap

 

[urbex]

Finally got some time to get this done today. Did a quick and dirty 4 point lift with some channel strut and chains off the top.

Dropped a 3/8" eye bolt through each hole, with a rubber washer sandwiched under a fender washer on top, and another fender inside. Cut two 5ft lengths of 12g channel to span front to rear, and a piece of 14g left to right to keep the side pieces upright and prevent the lift chains from trying to fold the eye bolts inwards.

Worked a treat, and made this super easy. I'm planning on making a more permanent set up later, and won't leave my coworkers asking WTF I have a bunch of eye bolts in the cap for, lol. But I really needed an open bed this weekend, and this got the job done quick for now.

 

[turkeybird56]

As long as works. Nothing damaged and U R able to drop back on. Sure helps to have winch/lift crane device. I have fiberglass full tonneau on mine. 2 person job to get off of/put back on truck. But I usually use my 14’ stock trailer to get stuff so not have to mess with cover.

 

[urbex]

As long as works. Nothing damaged and U R able to drop back on. Sure helps to have winch/lift crane device.

No joke...aside from the normal "best things to buy" - house, car, etc., that crane has been one of the best things I've ever bought. I struggled for years doing the "cable puller from a tree or rafter" thing for years, or used an engine puller when I had concrete under it, then pushed a loader tractor in to the role for a while, but an actual crane is a game changer.

99% of the time, I prefer an open bed...I got sick of replacing soft covers when they get cold and crack, and there were enough times that a hard cover got in the way or I damaged the rails of a folder that I gave up on them.

I still want to keep the cap for those few times I need a cover, or when we go camping with it, but I don't always have a few strong buddies available to man handle it on and off, so this will make that job much easier in the future.