Bracing up stakebed sides

[ChoppyChoppy]

What are you all doing to keep the sides from spreading out?

Ideally would be a spreader bar, but with the sides only about 40" tall it'd be in the way all the time.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

 

[kevin j]

the old farm trucks hauling ear corn used chains with small chain binders at one end.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Attached how?

A spreader bar or two across the top would be ideal, but it'd be in the way all the time. I put pics of how the truck is loaded to give an idea of what I'm working with.
I like to load that way so I can see what's going on from the processor. I've tried side loading, don't like it.

I bolted the stakes a year or two ago and that helped, but it's again back to splayed out. Makes closing the doors hard.

Thinking about just putting the last post metal and welding it to the bed, though it's been handy to be able to pull the sides off.

the old farm trucks hauling ear corn used chains with small chain binders at one end.

 

[square1]

How wide are you now? If it doesn't make you overwidth add outside stake pockets so you have removable external supports.

Could possibly weld a 6" long hitch receiver tube vertically to the outside of the bed in line with the side support in front of the side marker light (one forward of the the side support the door hinges are bolted to). You could drop a 4' section of 2 x 2 x 1/4" wall square tube in and pin in like you do a hitch so it's removeable. I'd keep the 6" tube's top level / flush with the top of the bed and shim the bottom out slightly to overcome the slop in the fit between the receiver & the tube.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Rigid steel post on back corners of box, which would give something more substantial for rear door hinges as well. If need be go 6'+ high and tie it together with a removable, or swing bar so not in the way of your processor conveyor.

 

[rancher2]

A couple of my trailers that were made out old grain boxes did the same thing when loading with firewood and like you say a chain is always in the way. Every place I go with my trailers height is no problem so I removed the back stake and replace it with one that goes up high on both sides and then welded a cross piece between the two. No spreading now but the bar is up there as you want to be able to walk under it. Sorry don't have any pictures of the trailers.

 

[JeffHK454]

The farmer down the road from has a couple grain trucks he uses for hauling just about everything..he added hook pockets across the top and midway up on the inside, he uses chain binders to hold his sides together. With pockets at different heights and locations down the bed sides it offers some flexibility, I’ve seen him haul scrap steel , firewood along with grain and the binders make shutting the rear doors possible.

 

[sb47]

Rigid steel post on back corners of box, which would give something more substantial for rear door hinges as well. If need be go 6'+ high and tie it together with a removable, or swing bar so not in the way of your processor conveyor.

That's the first thing I though of when I read the post. If it works for log trucks, it should work on a stake bed set up.