Building Up Too High
I have noticed that several of our firewood haulers tend to build the side rails up too high. You usually don't need more than a foot because you will tend to overload the truck. This is especialy true when hauling about any green wood or even dry oak, locust, hickory, etc. -- the species with the highest heat value (BTU/Lb). My truck is light duty, but even a 1-ton pickup can easily be overloaded by green firewood.
Note than any side rails at all will generally result in loading and unloading difficulty from the side. You will have to get used to climbing up into the truck, especially to remove logs from the center of the bed. One of my friends tried to use tarps to pull the wood out, and that produced nothing except lots of ripped tarps.
I have found that a rail behind the cab window is unnecessary as long as you use the rear rail to protect the window while loading. Seldom does wood stacked above the panels slide forward after loading, and if it does, it won't slide hard enough to cause damage (unless you have a collision). Just don't follow anyone very closely when loaded.
When racked up high, it's always best to cross tie ropes over the load as shown in the Pic above. I keep two ropes handy, one on each side of the rack, tied at the front of the rails. If nothing else, the tied down load gives you piece of mind while driving.
I have noticed that several of our firewood haulers tend to build the side rails up too high. You usually don't need more than a foot because you will tend to overload the truck. This is especialy true when hauling about any green wood or even dry oak, locust, hickory, etc. -- the species with the highest heat value (BTU/Lb). My truck is light duty, but even a 1-ton pickup can easily be overloaded by green firewood.
Note than any side rails at all will generally result in loading and unloading difficulty from the side. You will have to get used to climbing up into the truck, especially to remove logs from the center of the bed. One of my friends tried to use tarps to pull the wood out, and that produced nothing except lots of ripped tarps.
I have found that a rail behind the cab window is unnecessary as long as you use the rear rail to protect the window while loading. Seldom does wood stacked above the panels slide forward after loading, and if it does, it won't slide hard enough to cause damage (unless you have a collision). Just don't follow anyone very closely when loaded.
When racked up high, it's always best to cross tie ropes over the load as shown in the Pic above. I keep two ropes handy, one on each side of the rack, tied at the front of the rails. If nothing else, the tied down load gives you piece of mind while driving.
