OK, the pickup bed is done. You’ve replaced the panel, filled the dents, feathered, prepped, painted … the Mona Lisa looks like hack work in comparison.

All that remains is to find four or five people with strong backs willing to help you lift it onto the frame. Simple enough. Just get Bill to crawl out from beneath the frame rack. Jerry won’t mind leaving the booth in the middle of his paint job, and just as soon as Sarah finishes writing an estimate, you can probably talk her into taking the “light” corner. You could ask Tom, but his hand hasn’t healed yet from being pinched on the last one.

Or, you could consider this simple solution developed and fabricated by Brad Simons at Higgins Body Shop in West Jordan, Utah.

When mounted on a forklift, the four adjustable arms extend to fit just under the inner lip of the bed. Once they’re locked in place by hand-tightening the turn screws, the forklift can easily lift, position and lower the bed into place Ñ while Bill, Jerry and Sarah admire your cleverness. Tom can use the time to change his bandages.

Writer Steve Desmond welcomes your comments, questions and innovative solutions at [email protected].