I have not taken the cap off. For various reasons, I will not be able to do so. It's a 6" diameter pipe, and the bucket is 3". I'm merely assuming it will fit. If the bucket needs to be used, damaging what's in the well now will not be a concern.
I hadn't given any thought on how to raise and lower it. I was just going to pull it up by hand. A little crank of some sort is a good idea.