Pointers on dropping the fuel tank

[Dan"gerous"]

When my low fuel light comes on I can only go about 5 miles. Just the other day about 5 miles after the light came on the truck started stuttering and ran out of fuel as I coasted into the gas station. I filled it till fuel filled the filler neck to be sure it was full and it only took 26.5 gallons. That's in a 29 gallon tank. I'm guessing the lower fuel pickup is plugged and the upper pickup is doing the work. This would explain running out with at least 3 gallons in the tank. I figured I'd drop the tank and take a look. It also took about 30 miles till the gauge read full. Am I looking in the right direction?? Also, Is it much of a job?

[L&B]

First get the tank near empty. Pull the LR wheel, open the filler door and remove the three 7mm hex head screws. Loosen the hose clamps from the fill and vent. Reach between the frame rail and bed, find the connector for the fuel gauge and disconnect. There are vent lines on the tank front and rear, both on the LH side at the corners; find these and slip them off. Drop the skid plate, get a floor jack under the tank, and remove the straps. Lower carefully, look out for hoses getting caught. Once it's down you can unscrew the big retainer ring, and you're in. Not a hard job at all.

You may also want to snip the vent tube while you're there, I got 33 gal in my 29 gallon tank before the pump clicked after doing that, and it wasn't even empty. There's another thread or three with more detailed instructions, I found them by searching "harpoon" or something of the sort. Some of them describe unscrewing the lock ring with a hammer and punch, but a big set of slip-joint pliers worked well for me. Mine was very clean and nice inside, no trash and nothing on the screen. Kind of a surprise given the amount of mud I washed off the undercarriage...

Edit: I wanted to know how far one should be able to go after the light comes on. Dug through the owner's manual and it says that the light means the tank is "nearly empty or empty." I guess it's really the "you're out of fuel now" light. Not far away from the "Blown Engine" light.

[Dan"gerous"]

Thanks L&B