Originally posted by Retread:
4onthefloor's suggestion of reversing the wood and steel makes sense except you might need a block and tackle to move it otherwise you might damage the wood wouldn't you? Which is back to square one.
Those metal strips between the boards are there to protect the wood. They are supposed to stick up above the wood so that any load that is wider than the board rides on the steel strip and not the wood. They are not just a pretty fastener, they are functional.
You don't need a piece of metal to protect the bed anyway. An old ratty piece of plywood works fine.
