Sideboards for Trailer

[hunterridgefarm]

I plan on hauling some cut granite rock in the next couple of weeks. At the old home place we have one of the chimneys was torn down a few years ago and this is very nice granite that we want to use somewhere on our new house. Also have some large cut granite slabs used for steps that I will be hauling.

I had put temporary sideboards on my old trailer and just wedged the 2x4's in the stake pockets. I have a new trailer 20' 10k dovetail. I want to make some sideboards for that are 12-24" high and make them easy to remove and have the sides easy to take off for loading.

I plan to use heavy hinges in the front corners with easy to remove hinge type pins so I can remove the side for loading. Also have some type of hinged tail gate at the back where the flat bed stops and the dove tail begins.

Most stake pockets, or at least the ones on my trailer are larger than the 2x4. I can let the sideboard itself rest on the bad of the trailer but would still have to wedge the 2x4 just to make sure it does'nt vibrate out going down the road.

Thought about drilling a hole through the stake pocket and securing the 2x4 with a lag bolt or putting a lag bolt above and below the stake pocket in the 2x4 to hold it in place. Either way I would have to remove the lag bolts to take one side off for loading.

Anyone have a better method?

I would usually just drop the side boards in and maybe wedge a few of the stakes in. But this granite is fairly big cut rock and I will most likely only haul a layer or two at a time. I don't want to risk the side boards falling off and loseing a few big stones on the highway.

Thanks,
David

 

[George2615]

Attach your 12-24" sideboards to the 2x4's that go in the stake pockets. Make the 2x4's long enough to go through the pockets a few inches Then set the sides in the pockets. Northern Tool and TSC stores have hinges you need. They also have straight and corner brackets to connect the sides together (like the sides connect together on a stake rack truck). Once all the sides are connected together it would take a lot to make them come out.

 

[MrJimi]

how about welding a stop on the bottom of your stake pockets to limit the down force? It wouldn't have to be much or fully closed, just something to stop it from going all the way thru
Jim

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Once all the sides are connected together it would take a lot to make them come out.

Thats what I was thinking. So it is most likely overkill to bolt them in.

 

[kenmac]

think about using 3" steel channel (for side stakes)& bolt your sides to the steel channel instead of 2x4 wood. This is what I used on my trailer . I then bolted 2x12 x16 treated side board to the channel I tried the 2x4 wood several times & it just didn't work well for me . Good luck

 

[Huey]

You could drill a hole in the stake below the stake pocket and use a hitch pin in it. Or you could just use a small chain and binder to hold the sides down after they are on the trailer. You will probably want to chain or strap down the granite when you are hauling it, unless it is very small stuff. I used to haul some granite out of Elberton, GA, and granite will move around on you if it is not secured.
Huey

 

[radman1]

I used treated 2x4's in my trailer stake pockets. The treated seem to be just slightly larger that a standard 2x4. I still had to put the bottom of the stake through my joiner and taper the edges slightly for the first 2". Otherwise they were too difficult to get in and out. I have my sides in all the time and the stakes fit very snug. They can only be removed by lifting both ends a few inches at a time or lifting in the middle. I originally thought about drilling a thin pin through the bottom of the stake to secure them, but they fit so tightly, it was not needed. I use 4 stakes on each side over a length of 20'.