I'm thinking about building a stake side of some sort for my F350. I have a couple of concerns given my intended usage. I'm looking for some feedback from those who have used or built stake beds.

I want to do this to increase the volume capacity of my truck bed. one of the main reasons I purchased the truck was to use it for gathering firewood. I heat with wood, I need to gather at least 8 cords per season. Since gas and my time is at a premium, I would like to be able to get as much wood per trip as possible. My thoughts are that some sort of stake arrangement on my truck bed would allow me to stack fireplace cut length logs up to the height of the top of the cab.

My concerns are using the correct materials and building this in a manner to where it can withstand the weight of the wood against it.

Looking at pics online, it looks as if it most people build these completely out of wood. Anybody have any experience or suggestions with anything like this?

 

Good thing you have a one-ton!! Of course some woods are heavier than others. I know in years past you could buy metal stakes that you attached the horizontal rails to. I guess you could search and search.

 

1) You will want some sort of headache rack to keep logs from crashing through the rear window

2) You'll also need to properly secure your load since it'll be higher than the bedsides

I also use my truck to gather firewood from the mountains (sometimes from near you, Hayman burn area) and want to be efficient about it, too... I live down in the city and just go rent a U-haul trailer for $30-$40 and do it that way... can haul LOTS more at once, and I generally fill the bed with the smaller stuff (only up to the top of the sides).

My personal opinion is that stake sides, by themselves, are not sufficient to keep dead trees from from falling off of loads that extend to the cab roof... traveling straight and flat and steady is generally not a problem but that's not the only kind of driving one does, and I don't want to be responsible for getting other motorists hurt or killed should something bad happen.

 

Too bad you are too far away, Friend of mine has a FORD Scripted flat bed with stakes for sale right now!

 

Pic's or it never happened....

Most wood sides I see around here are 2x3 posts and 5/4x6 slats.
Oak would be nice, but I doubt you have much hardwood in Colorado.

Some kind of removable X brace on the rear would go a long way towards keeping the sides from spreading or racking as the load settles and shifts.

 

I would definitely want the tops of the stakes tied together across the bed. Otherwise any outward load on the stakes has a big lever trying to fold your bedsides out. That's still sort of the case with the tops tied together, but at least you're pulling/pushing against both bedsides at the same time so the load is distributed better.

Edit: By the way, another thing you can do to add stability to the load is to lay some tie-downs across the bed before you load the firewood in, then wrap them around the stack of wood and pull it tight together. That lets the stack of wood act more like a solid chunk that's less likely to spill out the side. This works A LOT better with logs that run the entire length of the bed than it does with fireplace-length logs. But it can still help.

But really I'm with ctubutis here, I'd use a trailer before I'd want to load firewood that high and drive down the highway.

 

A lot of guys drop angle through the rear stake pockets and weld up a cross brace connecting them underneath to keep the bed sides from spreading and cracking the welds at the tailgate hinge. ~Bill

 

Thanks for the feedback and the suggestions. I'm not sure what or if I want to do. I'm well aware of the safety aspect and responsibility and will not haul in an unsafe manner.

I have some thoughts for securing the wood, with and without the added capacity. After looking closer at my truck, the stake pockets are only a couple of inches deep, I would need to do some serious reinforcing to safely support a full load of wood above the bed level. I do not know if I want to take it to this level or not. What do you guys thing of a metal stake system, maybe 12" or so above bed level? This probably would not tax the bed sides and should provide for some additional, safe, load capacity?

I don't really want to go the trailer route. I have been collecting wood with my Excursion and a U-Hual trailer for the last couple of seasons, it has been a PITA. I have got it stuck a couple of times (2WD though) and had to unload and disconnect the trailer once to get out of a bad spot.

In the end, I'm about 25 - 35 miles from my preferred firewood collecting locations. I might be best playing it safe and making a few extra trips with the F350.

 

My buddy whom cuts wood for a living made a metal cage that goes around his whole truck bed and keeps it in there just fine.

When I hauled firewood with the 86 F150 I hauled soft wood but I just took some OSB and 2x3s. Put a 2x3 in each stake pocket. Screwed OSB to it. Did that on each side then in the middle I put 3 pieces of 2x3 in between the two behind the back glass. Nothing by the tail gate or above. I did the 2x3s in the window as it strengthen' it and left room that I could see out the back wood when it was unloaded. I never had a problem of loosing wood and I always ended up getting the most wood out of all my buddies when I went out. I had a 2x4 on the back to keep it still but every time I went out that 2x4 would end up broken I got tired of replacing it so I left it off and it did fine. I did probably 10 loads a year 1 load would be hard wood. Did it for 2 years.
When my family stopped burning wood the wood stakes were still good and we sold it to another buddy of ours with a 92-96 F250 and they still have it on their truck all they did was paint it because I had it painted to match the truck.
Trav

 

sorry for the double post but I just found pics of the set up I had and I forgot somewhere throughout time I put another piece of OSB by the backwindow as I was scared of the original backwindow breaking.
Trav