Bring In The Reinforcements
Easy fix to prevent bed side separation on pickups used for severe service applications
by Bruce W. Smith
A common malady on a lot of pickups used for off-road and severe service applications — such as gas/oil well field service, right-of-way clearing and building road bases — is bed separation.
What happens is the severity and regularity of the bed flexing weakens and finally breaks the spot welds holding the bed sides and front together.
This is a very costly repair in both time and money.
Bed reinforcement 3/16" angle-iron "cap" keeps bed sides from separating from the front piece.
Crossbed toolboxes, which the majority of those who work in the construction trades utilize, don’t help the issue.
A simple and effective fix that Truck Supply & Outfitters in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has been using for the last couple years is fabricating a reinforcement “cap” that bolts to the top of the bed rails and front bed piece.
Daniel Parker uses 3/16″ 2″x2″ angle iron for the front welded to 3″x2″ angle iron for the bedrail caps.
The “U”-shaped reinforcement is then bolted into place along the front and sides. The cross-bed toolbox then sits on top.
TSO has made this a standard upgrade on every pickup they outfit that’s going to be used for oil/gas field service or road building work. And they’ve never had one comeback with a bed separation issue. — Pro
