Abstract: An extensible cargo brace for extending between and maintaining firm contact with opposite walls of a cargo vehicle. A pair of spaced inner rails is slidably, telescopically mounted within a pair of spaced outer rails with a plurality of rungs extending transversely between the rails of each pair. Tension springs are mounted within the outer rails and engageable with the inner rails normally biasing the inner rails into retracted position within the outer rails. A detent rack bar extends between adjacent rungs of the inner and outer rails and is fixed with respect to one pair of the rails and movable with respect to the other pair of rails. Lever actuated ratchet means is mounted on the other pair of rails and engages the detent rack for positively expanding the rails outwardly into engagement with the vehicle walls when a directional control toggle of the lever-ratchet means is in an advance position.