yes, you can do that, what I don't care for with that method (and it's probably an unwarranted concern) is anytime you put any bed into a pushrod you are creating a weaker flex point. With mechanicals, I always want to have them as absolutely rigid as possible so that you know you have positive lock in the up position and especially the down position. Also, be sure to use 4-40 rods for your retract pushrods, you could use 2-56, but I prefer the strenght of the 4-40's, especially if you are using 3/16" wire and heavy wheels.