I laid the long beam across the bedrails & put my heaviest ratchet strap over it. The strap is just tight enough to stay in place, and the rags will protect it from the beam's sharp ends.

The beam has been cut precisely so that it's SLIGHTLY shorter than the body's width. This will cause it to apply a mild inboard force, keeping the bedwalls straight up. It will also make the beam less likely to shoot out from under the strap.

I'm using the orange carpenter's squares to gauge how much the body is moving. Initially, the L showed 8" from the bumper to the bottom of the red lens, and the R showed 4" to the top of the lower tire carrier bracket.

Owner caption June 2009 · Photo 2646 of 5000