What are bed stiffeners for......thanks

I'd be happy with that......

More horizontal 2 step with added vigor.

 

Can you confirm what additional benefit these braces provided, would the bed rack attached to the same mounting rail not provide the same amount of structural support as the brace right beside it? The same would go for the bed rack at the tailgate, wouldn't this provide similar support to bed stiffeners? A general question as I am debating if bed stiffeners are required with a similar bed rack system.

 

A welded bed rack will maintain the dimension at the top of the bed rails but not the angle at the bottom so the sides can still flex(mostly at the gate)but do so in tandem rather than separately. How much weight you put on them and how much stress they endure off road should factor into whether you decide to use both or not.