EASY METHOD, Pickup Bed Removal DIY 

Glad it helped, thanks for watching!

Same here any tips for me for that specific modle

worst case two or three guys should also be able to do it, no?

​@arandom1024 , correct, that's if you have a few friends available to help. That's usually my biggest issue, and I live alone.

Looks like that hoist was almost maxed out in height though. If you don’t have those hooks at the base of the bed then a fella might have to do further rigging or go another route.

Yes, absolutely! My preferred method to acces the fuel pump as well

lol, some come right apart, some are an absolute battle

Glad to help

You're welcome! And you're right, I've gotten a bit more safety oriented since this video was posted, I appreciate your concern!

Glad it helped!! Good luck with your paint job!!

You're welcome! Glad it helped!

Glad it was helpful!

Thank you too!

Thank you! Glad it was helpful!! Good luck with yours, hope it goes smoothly!

Glad it helped

Glad I could help

Yes, thank you!

You got this!

No problem 👍

Thanks, will do!

Glad it helped!

Glad it helped!

Glad it helped!

Glad it was helpful!

Glad it helped

Glad this saved you some construction!!

That's a perfect example of why I prefer to work on GM products. lol

LOL, I guess it depends on your definition of engine hoist. To me it's an essential/basic tool if you're going to be working on cars or trucks. I can see how it would be a special tool to others though.

On the 3rd gen rams (my truck) the beds are about 300 pounds with the tailgate removed. Very easy to remove it with 4 people!

@@MohawkMotors I've literally never used an engine hoist let alone can even afford one. Seen a nice one from a car dealer in a scrapyard but they wouldn't let you buy anything.

@@MrWolfSnack They're not terribly expensive, the problem is usually the place to put them... because they're usually in the way.

And a fire wrench. 🔥

no problem! Hope it was helpful!

Thanks for watching!

Hello and thank you! yeah we're lucky to have about 7 months of pretty decent weather to work outside, getting into cold damp season now though. I'll be working in the garage more and more.

Glad it was helpful!

@@MohawkMotors very much 👍

One more question are all engine hoist extended the same or do I need to get certain hoist with a certain extension thank you.

No problem 👍

No problem! Hope this helped!!

Glad you enjoyed it

Excellent tip! Thank you!

You could also use an engine leveler

Very clever solution

I had this same exact idea, I plan on picking a bed up soon and plan to make a RU-vid/Rumble video about it.

@@neilhoogendoorn8045you just need 4 strong dudes.

No problem

No problem!

Thanks!

You're welcome!

Thank you very much!

Glad it helped!! Thank you for watching!

You're welcome, hope it helped!

You're not alone, when I needed to get the engine out of my camaro I was going to build a wood frame to lift the car and then it occurred to me to use the engine hoist for that also. Sometimes we automatically overcomplicate things in our head and then a much more obvious/simple solution comes to us when we are actually about to do whatever it is. I completely agree with you, for a home mechanic doing anything more than oil changes and brake jobs, and engine hoist is basic equipment, especially since you can get the for under $200 now. Plus once you have one, you think of all kinds of things you can use it for!

Man, sounds like your ranger was a magnet for bumps and accidents. Bummer you never got to put the new bed on it. Happy New Year!!

@@MohawkMotors That truck will get the replacement bed installed after it gets a new fuel pump and clutch.

lol

You're welcome! Hidden in plain sight, happens to me all the time

Thank you!

Impressive! Hope you get your filling issue sorted out.

Glad to help, good luck getting your truck fixed!

Yeah to remove the back wall of a cab you would need some way to cut, I would probably try to use a "cold" cutting method like a sawzall or air shears but you could absolutely use a torch or cutoff wheel as well, just be very very careful not to burn the whole thing down.

LOL, yeah I think they managed to get the whole tube on there! Holden is good, eat, sleep, poop, repeat, newborn life, lol. We're getting there, figuring out the quirks and tricks to keeping a 2 year old and a 1 week old taken care of and happy while making time for sleep and our needs also. I'm sure we'll have a good routine locked in soon.

Hope it helped!

yes as long as the roof beams will support the added wieght.

Thanks!

I've seen lots of people modify them. Like you said under $200, they're not the best ever, but they're great for the price!

If it's still on the truck, not much option except to cut the heads off the bolts. Cutoff wheel, sawzall, or my preferred method, Acetylene torch all work. Torch is the easiest and fastest, just melt the heads off. Once you have the bed off the frame you can either tack weld the threaded inserts to be able to remove what's left of the bolts, or cut the rails and put new pieces on.

Physically removing the 5'8" bed isn't bad, but you're going to need about 9 more inches of frame to install a 6"5' bed. Or 9 inches less cab. The frames are specific to the cab and bed configuration they come from the factory with so if you try to change the cab style (reg cab, extended cab, crew cab) or the bed length (5"8', 6"5', 8" ) the frame and the mounting points aren't going to match up.

I believe the regular short bed, and the extended cab short bed, use the same length bed. If I'm not mistaken there are 3 bed lengths, the long bed which is 8ft, the short bed which is 6.5 feet, and the short short bed which is just under 6ft. I believe the short short bed was only on crew cab short bed 1500's. A quick measurement will tell you for sure if it's the same length, as long as it's the same length, the bed mounting bolt locations will line up.

@@MohawkMotors thanks for the info 🙏

Thanks!

Lots of places, there are always people selling them on facebook marketplace, truck upfitters often have take off beds for sale, there are even people who import beds from the south or out west. Google search and facebook marketplace search.

Cut the head of the bolt off, either with a sawzall or cutoff wheel, then once you get the bed off you can re weld the female threaded part to the bed crossrail and extract the stud.

Try heating it and working it loose first. If it twists the bolt off you can extract the rest once you get the bed off. If it breaks the caged nut insert free from the bed rail, cut the head of the bolt off however you can, cutoff wheel, torch, carbide burr, whatever.

@@MohawkMotors - many thanks! I have a good oxy/acet torch, I will make sure I have it's ready before starting the job........ 😉

can't be frozen if it's liquid! lol

Take your time, go slow, don't get under anything that can crush you.

@@MohawkMotors thanks, thats what I intend to do. I found places to rent engine hoist.

Hey thanks for watching! As far as balance, it takes a ittle tweaking but yes, it you extend your cherry picker as long as it will go (Usually 1000lb setting) you can get the 6.5 beds to be pretty well balanced. 8ft beds I usually put about a 6 inch extension at the end of the lift arm and 2 50lb sandbags on the back of the picker for counter weight. Then the 8ft bed will balance pretty well also.

Awesome, thx for reaching back. It was a cheaper hard lesson learned and the last thing I wanna do is drop a bed either on the frame or ground when I do attempt to do this. I just wanted to see if you had advice to offer, I really appreciate it! I'm still kinda noob at this, lol. I'm mostly a weekend hobby mechanic

I've stored them on sawhorses and even just on stacked up tires. The bed isn't terribly heavy that you need some big special thing to hold it. You could probably even put it on a table with wheels on the legs to move it around while you work on it.

Thank you!

Yeah, these and the square bodies are pretty similar. I've done both and they're about the same. Square body beds are heavier though, lol

I use 2 pieces that are about 10ft long

I'm in Maryland, but I very rarely get anything of the 07 or never body style, I don't have enough space to keep them long enough.

It depends on whether it's long bed or short bed, stepside or fleetside and the condition it's in. Anywhere from $300 to $900 depending on those factors.

@@MohawkMotors thanks for the reply! Looking to put on a flatbed.

small excavator is even better than a cherry picker!!

You're welcome

Thanks ✌

I can't say for sure, but I would imagine it should. As long as the cargo tie downs in the bed are strong enough.

No you don't have to remove the hitch or bumper

Fair enough. Sounds like you already know what to do though, if the nut insert spins, melt the head off the bolt with a torch to get the bed off the truck, once you have it off, reweld the nut inserts to the crossmembers and extract the seized bolts.

You're welcome!

That would be cool!

A couple neighbors works also. 95% of the tie I'm working by myself and don't really have anybody local to lend a hand so I figure out how to do things by myself.

Thanks. It's been working pretty well.

@@MohawkMotors same!

yes I've done this with 8ft beds as well

About an hour

Thanks!

Yeah absolutely! I've swapped beds from truck to truck using this method. I've also installed flat beds this way. Can easily put the bed on this way also

.

I don't know about texas, but in a lot of states you need to have some kind of wheel cover/fender to prevent the tires from throwing debris that could break windshields into the air.

@@MohawkMotors yes I was reading looks like I need mud flaps here in tx

I get this and "whips out engine hoist" all the time. Guess it all depends on your definition of special equipment. Also the torch isn't necessary, a sawzall or grinder with a cutoff wheel would work also.

should be 8

They're actually big gear heads also!! Couldn't ask for better neighbors

@@MohawkMotors cool! I had neighbors who didn't apricate it

yeah I've had neighbors like that in the past as well. Very lucky to have such good neighbors now though!

I do it because it reduces the likelihood of banging the bed against the bumper and denting it or damaging the paint.

@@MohawkMotors Gotcha

Yes you can remove the bed without unbolting or removing the bumper, just gives more room for error with the bumper off so you don't accidentally bang the bed against it

I believe they will bolt on.

18mm heads, can't remember the actual thread size

Thanks!

No problem

Hope it works for you!

Good tip. I never trust anything over my head or any part of my body, If I'm going to be working under it, there needs to be a failsafe.

Yeah. Typically the rust is worst on the frames, cans, and beds, but the rest of the truck is still great for parts, doors, hoods, fenders, all the plastic pieces, interior pieces, and the drivetrain are all usually still in good condition when the rust has destroyed the frame or cab. I've had so many that the frame was rusted through beyond repair and the cab corners and rockers were completely gone, but they still ran and drove great and had beautiful interiors.

@@MohawkMotors I was wondering do to I see so many 2500hd or 1500s that have bad shackles and they only want 1600 to 2900$+ for them the higher price ones are usually 6L or 8.1 trucks or crew cabs.. I have no problem selling the motor it was a is there a market for what's leftover, I use too part out c/k trucks 72-88 but there passed dried up on the parts vehicle side

@@flagcityparts yeah I think there's a great market. There are soooooo many of these trucks still on the road, GM produced millions of them each year. Plus with the price of new trucks getting so high, people are keeping trucks for longer and repairing older trucks instead of just buying new ones. Im sure it varies based on location, but around me I think the market for these trucks will be strong for a long time.

I should have said, "just a few sockets, unless the bolts are seized" Can't be frozen if it's liquid.

@@MohawkMotors it's expected honestly. I bring a sawzaw and grinder with me for almost every "simple" job lol

Nailed it Cody, like the saying goes, every 5 minute job is 1 frozen or broken bolt from a 3 day endeavor.

Right, just a couple sockets and no lift needed. Rolls out an engine lift/hoist. 🤣

They were going with the bed.