Minivan for hauling plywood?

[Rick Thom]

This is a good idea except the rain or snow weather, if you haul material on a trailer will a tarp keep it dry

In a single word, yes. Tarp the goods not the trailer.

[Doug Ladendorf]

Doug, can you close the gate on plywood in your Honda Odyssey?

Yes. I can get two or three 3/4 sheets in there under the seat clips. At that point I need to go over them and can't quite fit another sheet and close the door.

Here is a recent pic I have on my phone with a full sheet of OSB (actually two and each are just under 1/2") I used when picking up a State B4 sander. I think you can make out the clip on the left.


image-3893781642.jpg

Edit: actually, looking again at the photo it's the front seat mounts that push the sheet back so the door won't close with more than about three. Shave a few inches off the length and you can fit more.

[Joseph Tarantino]

Grand Caravan guys, my wife is telling me the "Japanese" minivans are more reliable (even though they're all made here). Have you guys had an inordinate amount of problems with your Grand Caravans?

254,000 miles on a '96 plymouth grand voyager. 66K on the 2006 caravan i have now, which is my fourth chrysler minivan (2 plymouths and 2 dodges). i've put a total of 500,000 miles on those 4 vehicles and enjoyed every mile. BTW, they were all used cars, so i'm just counting the mileage i put on them. IMHE, i've only had to repair 2 head gaskets (at 100K mile intervals on the really high mileage plymouth) and that one also needed a new tranny @ 205K miles. many people have really bad luck with chrysler products. my experience (and when i was younger, you couldn't GIVE me a chrysler product) has been nothing but positive. several of my business vehicles are also chrysler products. proper routine maintenance pays off.

The average price of a 2004 Sienna is $7700 around here. I could get a 2008 Grand Caravan for the same amount. Any comments?

get the grand caravan and start laughing at all the SUV owners at your local BORG.

[mike holden]

Grand Caravan guys, my wife is telling me the "Japanese" minivans are more reliable (even though they're all made here). Have you guys had an inordinate amount of problems with your Grand Caravans?

The average price of a 2004 Sienna is $7700 around here. I could get a 2008 Grand Caravan for the same amount. Any comments?

Tell your wife to quit reading consumer reports, they are heavily biased toward foreign vehicles - although I trust them on most everything else.

[Mel Fulks]

I agree with Mike. In the seventies I sold cars for about three years. The Audi Fox had been given a good review by CR and was a strong seller. Most people tell salesmen how wonderful their trade in is. Everyone driving a Fox stepped out cursing the car and saying things like "I've had parts on order for this piece of junk for months". But we never had to say anything good about them to resell.They had all read about how wonderful they were in CR.

[Doug Ladendorf]

Tell your wife to quit reading consumer reports, they are heavily biased toward foreign vehicles - although I trust them on most everything else.

Or just telling it like it was? US manufacturers were not at the top of their game for a while there. Hard to argue with poor owner ratings from their survey results. I recently checked out CR recommendations on pickups and was happy to see the Chevy/GMC at the top of the list. Some of the overseas manufacturers are not getting the love they once were.

[Steve Hajewski]

We have a 2008 Honda Odyssey (wife's). It will fit 4x8 sheet goods with door closed, but it's so tight that there is no room to protect the sides of the van. You'll scuff it up bad. Also, the third row seatbelts are just thick enough to get wedged in there with the material. Other than that it's a great van. Very reliable and huge cargo area. Makes the cargo area of my 2012 Durango look puny.

I have a 4x8' yard trailer, light enough that i used to tow it with my old Nissan Maxima. If I'm getting anything messy or sheet goods, that's the way to do it. Plus, I rarely get to buy wood by myself - always one or two kids in tow. So I rarely have the opportunity to remove the middle seats.

One thing I'll point out about Chrysler's stow and go seats - they are REALLY uncomfortable to actually sit in due to being so thin.

Steve

[ray hampton]

In a single word, yes. Tarp the goods not the trailer.

if your tarp do not cover the goods plus the trailer sides then the rain could be blow under the tarp, if the wheels throw water then the trailer bottom may get wet

[Bob Potter]

I just bought a 2013 Chrysler Town and County and before I tried hauling any plywood I cut a 4ft long stick and put it in the back door opening to make sure a 4 by 8 sheet of plywood wood fit and there is a half an inch on each side to spare than I also checked the length and it was ok also.
This week I hauled three 4 x 8 sheets and some 8ft boards. The 8 ft boards were the random oak boards from Menards which can be as long as 103 inches so that did make it difficult to get the tail gate shut but I got them moved around and the tail gate closed.
When putting the seats down to stow them away I have to remember to side the center seats back before dumping them or the won't fit other wise the van works great for hauling limber.

Bob

[Phillip Gregory]

Thanks for all the input guys!

I do regret that fuel efficiency has to go down the list of priorities. As a one man custom WWing shop in an urban area, I need to deliver finished good as well as haul raw stock (and the family). A minivan is the best option for me. If we lived in a suburban or rural area I'd go for the small fuel efficient vehicle and trailer.

So, I'm now looking for a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan. There are plenty around here so the price is a few thousand dollars less than a 2005 Toyota Sienna. That difference will cover a bunch of the repairs I expect the Dodge to need compared to the Toyota (according to Consumer Reports).

I'm looking forward to not having to remove seats. Do you Grand Caravan guys know if the Stow-N-Go seats were standard on the 2005 model or an option I'll have to search for?

I would suggest a full sized van like the plumbers use instead. You can get them in various lengths and the longer ones ("12-passenger length" or longer) can easily hold 4x8 sheets flat on the floor. You also get a flat metal load floor and a truck chassis rather than a floor that may not be flat, is covered with carpet, and unit-body midsize car mechanicals. You can also get these vans set up with seats to haul your family as well. I would recommend going this route or getting an extended or crew cab long-box pickup. The van will be a little easier to park than a 155"+ wheelbase pickup though.

Chrysler minivans in particular are pretty unreliable as their general quality is overall poor and their transmissions are particularly bad. Perhaps the more recent ones are somewhat better but the ones that used the four-speed overdrive were awful. The torque converter was designed to engage too early to modestly improve fuel mileage. It led to these units pretty predictably failing at 50-75,000 miles. My family had one in the 90s and we put two transmissions in it by 130,000 and so did all of the rest of the people we knew who had these vans.

[Michael Kellough]

We have a 2008 Honda Odyssey (wife's). It will fit 4x8 sheet goods with door closed, but it's so tight that there is no room to protect the sides of the van. You'll scuff it up bad. Also, the third row seatbelts are just thick enough to get wedged in there with the material. Other than that it's a great van. Very reliable and huge cargo area. Makes the cargo area of my 2012 Durango look puny.

I have a 4x8' yard trailer, light enough that i used to tow it with my old Nissan Maxima. If I'm getting anything messy or sheet goods, that's the way to do it. Plus, I rarely get to buy wood by myself - always one or two kids in tow. So I rarely have the opportunity to remove the middle seats.

One thing I'll point out about Chrysler's stow and go seats - they are REALLY uncomfortable to actually sit in due to being so thin.

Steve

That's the one place my old Windstar does well, it's 49" between the plastic wheel well covers. It is a jamb tight fit when loading MDF and Novaply, which are both usually 49" wide.

Anyone try to get that material into an Odyssey or Sienna?

[Roy Harding]

if your tarp do not cover the goods plus the trailer sides then the rain could be blow under the tarp, if the wheels throw water then the trailer bottom may get wet

I've been using a landscape trailer behind various vehicles for years. I live in the Great Bear RAIN Forest - so chances are good that it'll be raining or snowing on any given day. If you tarp your load properly (including having it raised on 2 X 4's, or pallets (in the case of finished goods), you won't have a problem.

That being said - I AM looking at either enclosing my current trailer, or purchasing an enclosed trailer. When you're only making one or two runs (either finished goods or raw lumber/sheet goods) a month, tarping is not a big deal - but I'm getting busier now, and the time spent tarping is becoming annoying.

Whatever I end up doing, I WILL be sticking with a trailer - it enables me to have the convenience (and fuel savings) of a smaller truck/car on a daily basis, while still being able to handle big loads on an occasional basis.

Everybody's circumstances are different, of course - but I couldn't let the tarping observation go un-answered.

[ray hampton]

I've been using a landscape trailer behind various vehicles for years. I live in the Great Bear RAIN Forest - so chances are good that it'll be raining or snowing on any given day. If you tarp your load properly (including having it raised on 2 X 4's, or pallets (in the case of finished goods), you won't have a problem.

That being said - I AM looking at either enclosing my current trailer, or purchasing an enclosed trailer. When you're only making one or two runs (either finished goods or raw lumber/sheet goods) a month, tarping is not a big deal - but I'm getting busier now, and the time spent tarping is becoming annoying.

Whatever I end up doing, I WILL be sticking with a trailer - it enables me to have the convenience (and fuel savings) of a smaller truck/car on a daily basis, while still being able to handle big loads on an occasional basis.

Everybody's circumstances are different, of course - but I couldn't let the tarping observation go un-answered.

thank you Roy
a box truck [ASKA enclosed truck ]are the best way to keep wood dry while driving

[Bill Geibe]

"Chrysler minivans in particular are pretty unreliable as their general quality is overall poor and their transmissions are particularly bad."

Ancient history. Since the late 90's, their transmissions have been fine. For that matter, I've had a '96, a '00 and currently a '01 (with 175K miles) and no transmission problems with any of them and I sometimes tow with the '01. I also disagree with the comment about general quality. Their features are excellent and the Chrysler V6's are bullet proof. Are they perfect? No. But they are darn nice vehicles.

Bill

[Joseph Tarantino]

"Chrysler minivans in particular are pretty unreliable as their general quality is overall poor and their transmissions are particularly bad."

Ancient history. Since the late 90's, their transmissions have been fine. For that matter, I've had a '96, a '00 and currently a '01 (with 175K miles) and no transmission problems with any of them and I sometimes tow with the '01. I also disagree with the comment about general quality. Their features are excellent and the Chrysler V6's are bullet proof. Are they perfect? No. But they are darn nice vehicles.



Bill

echo that sentiment here. 205K miles on a chrysler tranny before it quit. all i ever buy these days are pre-owned chrysler products.