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This article was reviewed by Jason Shackelford. Jason Shackelford is the Owner of Stingray Auto Repair, a family owned and operated auto repair shop with locations in Seattle and Redmond, Washington. He has over 24 years of experience in auto repair and services, and every single technician on Jason’s team has more than 10 years of experience.
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Bulkhead (Headache rack) A strong wall-like structure placed at the front of a flatbed trailer (or on the rear of the tractor) used to protect the driver against shifting cargo during a front-end collision. A bulkhead may also refer to any separator within a dry or liquid trailer (also called a baffle for liquid trailers) used to partition the load.
Building a headache rack is not an extremely hard task and is relatively cheap. All you need is 25 feet (7.6 m) of 1 1⁄2 inch (3.8 cm) square tubing, 2 feet (0.6 m) of 1/4 x 1 1/2 inch strip of metal, a welder, and a chop saw.
Steps
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![Step 1 Cut the top of the crossbar to the length of the top of your cap or on a 1991 Ford cut at 58 inches (147.3 cm).]()
Cut the top of the crossbar to the length of the top of your cap or on a 1991 Ford cut at 58 inches (147.3 cm).[1] -
![Step 2 Cut two sides at 35 degrees at both ends going opposite directions at 23 inches (58.4 cm) in length.]()
Cut two sides at 35 degrees at both ends going opposite directions at 23 inches (58.4 cm) in length.[2]Advertisement -
![Step 3 Tack where the sides angle out.]()
Tack where the sides angle out. Take and check how it fits on the pickup truck. -
![Step 4 Cut two more pieces (21 inches long) to place on each side of your slider window.]()
Cut two more pieces (21 inches long) to place on each side of your slider window. If there's no slider window, go 1/3 of the way in from each side. -
![Step 5 Tack and check once more.]()
Tack and check once more. -
![Step 6 Cut your 1 1⁄2 inch (3.8 cm) x 1⁄4 inch (0.6 cm) flat strap into 4 x 6 inch pieces.]()
Cut your 1 1⁄2 inch (3.8 cm) x 1⁄4 inch (0.6 cm) flat strap into 4 x 6 inch pieces. -
![Step 7 Tack the end pieces on to run with the bed flush to the front of the rack.]()
Tack the end pieces on to run with the bed flush to the front of the rack. Take the other two pieces, center, and tack them running with the cab. -
![Step 8 Drill your hole in both rack bases and bed to line up and bolt.]()
Drill your hole in both rack bases and bed to line up and bolt.[3]
Expert Q&A
Tips
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Take your time, use common sense, and don't worry if pieces don't fit. Try make larger pieces and go a little smaller each time until they fit.Thanks
References
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