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I am reminded of the time I had a 4'X8' sheet plywood in the back of my full sized F150 with the tail gate down. I stopped at a red light and was at the head of the line, but I was in the wrong lane. When the light changed I tried to out drag the one on my left so I could change lanes. Guess what. It was sort of uphill and the plywood slid out into the road...........
Contributor
This is a great thread to keep in mind when making new friends. My one buddy with a truck has tired of me
Moderator
I've started looking at them and pointed one out to my wife last night while we were heading to get the kid from volleyball practice. They look bigger than I thought they would--even a bit wide with a bulldog-like, wide shoulder stance similar to a Hummer. I liked it. But....next summer is a new car...the following summer is likely a car for the kid so she can drive her herself to sports practices...so by summer 2019 I can probably get the okay from wifey for a new "truck". However, they are bit spendy in some of the nicer trim packages and not a whole lot of selection IMO for what one is spending.Originally Posted by mark mcfarlane
, they are a tad expensive at the higher trim levels. For an extra $1K you can get a hard cover to circumvent the weather, plus the rear seats fold up and there is actually a fairly large secure trunk. The first ones hit showrooms in June. I read somewhere that Honda is apparently only building 45K units the first year, my dealer was slated for 7 and they are selling before they arrive and I wanted specific features, so the wait.
The new Ridgeline was designed for the person who wants a semi-luxury car-like ride and occasionally wants to haul some crap, which describes me. Plus, it is the only pickup truck that will let me lay down a 4*8 sheet and will (barely) fit in my garage. Some of the new home builders should be shot for building tiny garages.
And we don't have weather here in California...or at least much wet weather.
Moderator
Me too, I can't imagine hauling without my truck. (Dodge ram 2500 diesel) Not only does it carry a huge pile of sheet goods in the bed, hook up the 18' gooseneck trailer and carry almost enough to build a building. 24' 2x10s? Hard to carry any other way. An entire bundle of 2x6-10s? No problem. But after reading what others are using for carrying wood a truck like this seems like cheating.
JKJ
Member
Trailer: http://www.bikesatwork.com/store/bicycle-trailers
Plywood rack: http://www.bikesatwork.com/store/product/plywood-rack
I suspect the one shown in the photo I'd posted is the 96AW model.
Contributor
The good thing, by summer 2019 you might find a good deal on used one. I would have preferred to go used and save 10-15K, but 2017 is the first year for this redesigned model. The older Ridgelines (pre-2014 when they stopped making them) weren't very appealing to me. I ran into a 2013 Ridgeline owner in a parking lot and stopped to chat. He gave his first Ridgeline to his son and bought his second. He was planning to give this second one to his daughter and buy the 2017 as his third. They guy couldn't stop smiling as he talked about his truck. Kind of sold me on the spot, but I was already a Honda fan....so by summer 2019 I can probably get the okay from wifey for a new "truck". However, they are bit spendy in some of the nicer trim packages and not a whole lot of selection IMO for what one is spending....
Mark McFarlane
Contributor
The new Chrysler Pacifica mini-van can be configured to hold a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood or can be configured to seat 8 people. It is also rated for 28mpg on the highway.
"Don't worry. They couldn't possibly hit us from that dist...."
Contributor
I dont look at new stuff. 92 buick roadmaster. 96 would be better. Rides like a cadillac, works like a pickup. my personal best is 17 feet with the passenger seat removed\, red flag needed, 4 x8 's no problem. Pulls a 16 foot car trailer with load equalizers its like a kite with a tale. Pickup a 3000 lb machine no issues. Best 27 MPG Can gallon, realistic 22 most of the time. No depreciation, no recalls, six years never let me down once. Rear wheel drive you can do donuts in the winter and it excels. Surprising when I do throw it around a bit it handles well for a big car. Then its got wood on it so I can always find it in a parking lot in the sea of the same. Stop at a light and kids will look at it and ask each other what is that? Then they start to laugh so you can even bring joy to other peoples day. Most importantly keeps me out of style.
Contributor
I have an F150 that will fit the bill no problem, but when a friend wants to borrow it, I let him use the 4x8 Harbor Freight trailer or the 5x8 tilting trailer. I ruined a station wagon once by using it like a truck. They just aren't built the same.
Contributor
This is the homemade rack I use to carry full sheets of plywood with my Subaru Outback. It uses commercial roof racks with a 2x4 grid attached. I use Yakima racks because the crossbars are round, which means you don't need to worry about them being coplanar.
The first step is to attach the three supports that run the length of the car. These are what the plywood actually rests on. The middle support is shorter than the outer two for no real reason. The outer two are about 9 feet long.
1_long_pieces.jpg
These are supported solely by the crossbars by means of holes drilled in the boards - nothing in my rack actually rests on the roof. I made the holes slightly oversized to make sliding them on easier. It is important to make sure that the holes are drilled in the same location on each board so that the boards are coplanar. I clamped my boards together and drilled through all three at once with a spade bit.
The long boards are not actually secured in any way yet - they're just resting on the crossbars.
2_support_holes.jpg
To keep the long boards in place, crosspieces are attached. The crosspieces rest in notches which I cut by clamping the three boards together, setting the right depth on my circular saw, making several cuts, and chiseling out the waste.
3_crosspiece_notches.jpg
The crosspieces are secured with bolts and wingnuts. Notice that the notches are deep enough to recess the crosspieces and the heads of the bolts. You don't want your expensive plywood getting scratched by bolts!
4_crosspieces_secured.jpg
Keep in mind that the roofs of most cars are not uniformly wide. They are usually narrower at the front and therefore you have to mark for the holes in your crosspieces according to your car's geometry. You can't just make a "square" grid. DAMHIKT.It helps to make your notches wider than they need to be to accommodate intersections that are not 90 degrees. 3/4" wider than necessary should do it.
This means that your pieces are not interchangeable. I marked mine with "up" arrows to keep all pieces the right way up, and arrows indicating the front of the car, plus I wrote "passenger" or "driver" on the long pieces.
Notice that the crosspieces are significantly longer than appears necessary (they're actually around 5 feet long). You'll see why in the last picture.
5_topview_crosspieces.jpg
Once the grid is attached, you're ready to head to the store. From bare roof to ready-to-go takes me 8-10 minutes. I don't do this that often, so 8-10 minutes is no problem.
After the plywood is laid on top of the grid, I have two more pieces that clamp the plywood to the grid. These are held in place with 9" long bolts and more wingnuts. The pressure from these two clamping boards keeps the sheets very well secured to the grid. The need to drop bolts through the crosspieces from the clamping boards above is why the bottom crosspieces had to be longer than appears necessary.
6_clamped_down.jpg
The number of sheets you can carry depends on your car and your comfort level. Also the length of the bolts holding the clamps, I guess, but if you're carrying that many sheets on a car you need to rethink your life choices.I have carried five sheets of 3/4" ply about 10 miles. For longer distances or highway driving, I have never done more than four sheets.
To make sure the wingnuts don't vibrate loose, I carry a wrench with me and really crank them down. I've never had them loosen.
If you're worried about your plywood getting dinged by the grid or the clamping boards, you could buy a sheet of hardboard to go on the top or bottom. Compared to the price of cabinet-grade ply, the cost is negligible and you'll use it eventually. I've also thought about putting some felt on the grid and clamps but I'm not sure what that would do to the friction that keeps the sheets on the car.
One nice feature of this rack is that it breaks down quickly and stores easily. I keep it on the top level of my wood rack along with some other stuff.
Unfortunately, this rack is not particularly useful for transporting solid wood. For that I usually just use the Yakima racks and some rope.
Before building something like this, keep in mind that your state likely limits the width of your roof racks. In CT, crossbars cannot extend beyond the side mirrors. I think most cars would be wide enough to carry a full sheet, but remember that your crosspieces need to be long enough to accommodate a bolt for the clamping boards. It would be difficult to make your crosspieces shorter than 5 feet and still carry full sheets.
Obviously you need to use your own judgment with something like this. I make no guarantees about the safety or legality of this method. I've only ever done this on my Subaru and I don't know how any other cars would handle something like this. I don't think I'd use this on a car where the commercial roof racks attached to a rain gutter, for example. Regardless, you should exercise an abundance of caution when driving with sheet goods on the roof. I always take the slow lane, and only use the rack in good weather - wind from forward motion or weather could put a lot of strain on the roof of your car.
Member
Easier to just get one of these.
Andrew J. Coholic
Contributor
Brian,
That's a slick setup.
I carried sheet goods on the roof of my Forester for a while but was always nervous about uplift. I've had a mount pop off hauling bikes (almost no uplift) and didn't notice it until I got to my destination. While I had sheet goods up there I could reach up and feel them fluttering from the wind and I'd worry about the whole rack taking flight.
Some roof racks are attached better than my Thule on the Subaru and I'd probably be less concerned but the force of uplift is pretty strong.
Moderator
Yup...and this one replaces the Town & Country going forward, too. The T&C/Caravan platform was discontinued and 2016 was the last model year. The new Pacifica (which bears no resemblance to the old "station wagon" that was discontinued a number of years ago other than the same manufacturer) has the stow-and-go seating that was popular in the T&C/Caravan platform and that helps with cargo hauling. I'm not into min-vans, but I have to admit that the new Pacifica was done pretty nicely.
--
The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Member
I used to carry stuff on top of my vehicles. I put a 14 foot jon boat on a 12 foot long Festiva many times. Looked strange but never gave me a problem. I hauled boxes of vinyl siding on top too. I bought PT boards I screwed to the roof rack and then taped the siding box to the board. I carried them on the interstate at 60+. But I stopped when a sheet of plywood blew off the Suzuki roof rack on my Grand Vitara and damaged another car. I may not have installed it just right but there isn't a lot of margin in roof racks. One strap not quite right and you could loose your load. I wasn't going more than 40mph. Gusts of wind can mess you up even when you have things done right (that may also explain my experience).
I've never owned a pickup but my wife wants one and we will probably get one someday. I don't like the mileage or the length of the vehicle but I'm sure they have advantages too.
But for hauling stuff, especially sheet goods, nothing beats a little utility trailer. I have a Harbor Freight that is more than 10 years old and has required no maintenance. It cost less than $300. I have short sides on it that are spaced out a little so it holds 49x97 sheets of melamine or MDF. I can load sheets off a flat rack at the home center just by sliding them in. I don't need to tie them down for the short trip home. You can't so that with a pickup. You would have to lift the sheets into the truck. But it would be alot easier to back the pickup up to the shop garage door and the bed of the truck would be about the same height as the workbench. But do I really want to haul things in the back of a new pickup? They are terribly pricey - more than my little BMW convertible. I'd rather risk damage to my $300 trailer.
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I've found a forklift to be the easiest way to haul material from the delivery truck to the shop.
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