[special-K]

With your idea I thought about a sliding extension. I could make it to slide inside the side rails and tighten with a bolt like on an engine crane, I think I'll start drawing some plans/details. I think with not a whole lot of 'technique' I can load by sliding ladders, scaffold, lumber on w/o needing to lean up against vertically. Also, I can put the bar right at the front edge of the hatch and still lay one end of a board up with the other end on the ground...with the hatch down. actually, on my other truck I had a work top with hatch. whenever I loaded the rack I just pulled the hatch down.