Nissan Frontier Forum banner

Any tips to remove shell cap off 2012 frontier

4K views 25 replies 16 participants last post by  mtaylor 
#1 ·
Need to remove and put on often soon by myself after I get my new motorcycle any tips that can ease my pain?
Thanks
 
#3 ·
A trailer would be less hassle and better for the cap and the bike overall. The more you remove the cap the more likely something will get damaged. I put my bike in my truck twice and without someone else with me I didn't feel comfortable doing it.
What bike are you getting?

Clint
 
#7 ·
The bike in the bed gets added to the weight capacity of the truck and contents including passengers. Add the camper and see, you may be overloaded.
 
#8 ·
Lacking overhead lifting facilities, crawl in the bed and stand up lifting the center of the cap on your back/shoulders. Might take a little adjusting to get it balanced. Then just walk out the back. I assume that you have ramps to get the bike on and off right? walk down them with the cap on your shoulders.
 
#9 ·
This is how I used to do it on my last truck if I had access to a small hill to back the truck up to.

But, my preferred way was back in to the garage, un clamp topper, slide ratchet straps under topper and hook to ceiling joists, tighten the straps enough to lift topper off bed rails and drive the truck back out. I would just leave it hanging there for the short time I would need it off.
 
#11 ·
Someone more proficient with the search tool than I am may find the detailed writeup done here in the past year or so of a DIY lift system in a garage. It was cleverly executed and there were excellent pictures. I've looked but couldn't find it.

The pictures brought home the fact that great care must be taken to avoid damaging the vulnerable lower edges which seem not intended to hold the weight of the shell.
 
#13 ·
#17 ·
I have a garage system and have written it up.
Bill in Tahoe: Harken Camper Shell Hoist


I pull my shell off regularly to load my motorcycle in my bed. No damage to the shell. No hazard loading bike solo. I guess I do have a light weight dirt bike. THe trick with the bike is two ramps. One for the bike one for you to walk on. Power walk the bike up. Front brake the bike down.


Since you do not have over head space you can use a side load camper hoist. I think they are called camper jacks.
 
#20 ·
down and dirty method for supporting cap temporarily

It also depends on whether the cap is aluminum or fiberglass as to how heavy it is. Mine is fiberglass and I only have to remove it occasionally. I used to find a friend to grab the other side and just set it somewhere for a while. What I do now is put a sawhorse on either side of the truck, raise the cap up on blocks of wood until I can slide two 2 x 4's under it from side to side. I then attach the cross pieces to vertical pieces attached (clamps or screws, lift the boards a few inches off the truck) to the sawhorses, then drive out from under it.. Not especially elegant, but works well and doesn't require any permanent fixture.

It shouldn't need to be said: make sure the wheels will clear the saw horses as you drive out and in, and center the weight of the cap over the supports.
 
#21 ·
As mentioned you may actually be overweight with the bike in the back. Another alternative however is that if your trailler supports installing a rear hitch (not to B train illegal unless it's a 5th wheel etc) but to install a hitch on the trailer and install a basket into the hitch.

400 lb Aluminum Hitch Mount Motorcycle/Dirt Bike Carrier | Princess Auto

This would also allow you to skip taking the cap off when not pulling the trailer as you could also mount this right into the truck's receiver and leave the cap on.
 
#23 · (Edited)
here's another option if you have an engine hoist & are handy (or have a friend with) a welder. Engine hoist has plenty of lifting capacity, vid maker points out obvious point of keeping weight behind front wheels of lift...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QauK4vCE8vg

Or you can do like this ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mleIlpa2TU ) for years, way back when, Dad & I did both (the walk it off & the 2x4 saw-horse) over the years. You could do it for as little as the cost of a set of ramps, which you will need for the bike anyway, and a pair of saw horses...
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top