I Hung My Cap Project

I bought the Truck Cap shortly after I bought my 79 Dodge 360 3/4-ton Club-Cab D200 pickup in 1983 at estate sale for $400 (another story) - I loved that truck, but after 33 years (almost 300k miles) I had to retire her. I found the cap in Ballard for $500 - owner bought new Truck and Cap and quickly totaled the truck - his loss my gain.

5/16/18
For 25+ years I’ve been using my tractor forks and a wood framework that slides under the canopy to lift it off and on the truck bed side walls. When not in use (sometimes years at a time) it would sit (out of the way) in the woods. Which meant that every time I wanted to use it, required a major cleaning of tree sap, moss and bird crap. Last year when I mounted the canopy, I noticed the wood frame was on its last legs.

Time for a change.
I have all the elements for a lift system on hand.

• Overhead Structure - 60' Carport along the East side of Garaj Mahal.
• Boat trailer winch. (garage sale many years ago)
• Large collection of HD eye bolts, Lag Hooks and S-Hooks. (Hardware store bankruptcy auction 30 years ago)
• 8 new HD pulleys. (farm auction 20+ years ago)
• Spool of ¼ inch 3 strand twisted Polypropylene line. (leftover from when I was "stringing" the property line 25 years ago)

So the only cost will be my time (yea sure)

Whoops
My garage sale winch turned out to be a single speed with 3 to 1 turn ratio. I figured the Truck Bed Cap to be 200 pounds (300 max), so even at 200/3 = 67# plus the turning point losses it would not be a comfortable lift. I bought a new 2500# rated 2 speed winch with 4:1 and 10:1 (advertised 10:1 actually 8:1). $33.81 Note: If you plan to replicate this lift, I strongly advise at least a 20:1 winch.

My eye bolts and lag hooks are good for far more weight than I will ever come close to putting on the system. The problem was installing them at the correct angle.

The pulleys I had were good for 200lbs ea. but without swivels were impossible to get lined up perfectly with the line run when hung on the hooks. I bought 10ea. 150# SS Lifting Crane Swivel Pulleys. $52.35 for 10

I thought the S-Hooks I had were rated at least 200# ea. (I’ve used them to repair chain and made over 500# pulls). But a little online research found max rated working load to be 35#. I will have great-grand-kids under this hanging dead weight so no corner cutting allowed. I bought 10ea. (only need 4 for this project) 1.5 inch S-Hooks rated at 129# ea. I tested one by lifting over 1,000 pounds with no sign of deformation. $10.64 for 4

More research quickly convinced me that ¼” Polypropylene line (even at ¼ the Cap weight) was just too marginal (especially 20 years in the future). I bought 1/4 inch solid braid nylon line (1100# working load). $20.00 for 100 feet

6/25/18: The Final Product ~ by Griz (aka Steve Stovner) ~
So instead of $0.00 out-of-pocket cost, I’m into this $116.80. But I like the result and feel real comfortable about anyone (including my great-grand-kids) being under My Hanging Cap.