Built for the Moment Something Goes Wrong
The current Bedlock system is built around a main steel tube, matching support tube, support structure, two chains, hooks and a double key-slot retention plate. The design gives technicians several ways to secure the system under a raised bed and is sold in matched pairs intended to be used together.
“They’ve been tested and rated to a maximum of 50,000 pounds in pairs,” King says.
For many fleet operations, the alternatives are still familiar: factory prop rods, timber blocking or steel supports improvised in the shop.
Harold has seen the weaknesses of all three.
Prop rods can corrode, seize or fail, particularly on municipal trucks exposed to salt and brine. Wood can split under load. Steel supports can move unless they are properly restrained. The harder part, he says, is persuading experienced mechanics that a familiar method is not automatically a safe one.
“The biggest challenge is convincing people that it is a problem and there is a solution.”
In the private sector, he still hears one line more than he would like: “I’ll only be under the bed for just a minute.” His response is immediate. 70 2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION
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