[Tony B]

How do you haul your lumber and finished projects such as furniture?
I have an old 1998 15 passenger van. I removed all of the rear seats except for one row (seats 3) behind the drivers compartment. This allows me to easily fit plywood in the rear and also I can carry up to 12' or 13' boards.
The biggest problem I have is turning down people that want to borrow it or pay me to haul something for them.

Anyway, what do you use for hauling?

 

[woodnthings]

My pickup truck has a short bed 65" with the gate up. I can barely fit a 4 X 8 sheet in. I did make a ladder rack for the rear stake pockets to support long pieces 10 ft or more resting the front on the cab roof. I have also use a 5 ft X 10 ft 2 wheel trailer lumber and for heavy equipment. This sheet metal brake weighed about 1500 lbs:

 

[allpurpose]

My crappy 05 Town and country.. I might just yank all the rear seats out and lay plywood.. Luckily my working partner has a 6' trailer...8' would be better and 12 would be even better than that, but boohoo..life stinks then we die..

 

[dbhost]

My poor 04 F150 is in the midst of a heart transplant as a DIY effort after I fired the do nothing mechanic I hired to do the job... The truck bed is a 6.5 foot box model, so to haul 8' stock I have to put the tailgate down and use tie straps to secure it. For 12' to 16' stock, I have to borrow a trailer from a friend of mine. He is happy to have it put to use. I have not done much of anything hauling wise since the truck got sick... I need to replace my '06 Chevy Malibu, I am looking at picking up a used mid to full size SUV. Looking at 7-10 year old Lexus LX or GX models. Possibly a Chevy Tahoe / GMC Yukon... Depends on what I can find low enough miles in good enough shape at a decent enough price. Used car prices are stupid high in the last 2 years...

 

[Jim Frye]

Thule roof rack on the Civic. Or a relative's pickem up truck.

 

[difalkner]

2015 Tacoma works for us. It is a short bed and only 59.5" long so a 5x5 sheet of Baltic Birch won't fit with the tailgate up. But I regularly haul Walnut from the sawmill and picking up other loads, like when a friend gave me all of his Walnut/Maple/Cherry scraps. I thought it was going to be a few pieces but it ended up being a whole bed full.

 

[Tree Hugger]

I have a 2 wheel open trailer 5X14 that's invaluable .
Used to have a enclosed trailer and a truck to pull it but there long gone.

 

[Yogi Bear]

I rent a U-Haul. In town for one day doesn't cost much. For me it's way cheaper than owning a truck and dealing with the lousy gas mileage in comparison to my car.

 

[Tony B]

@Yogi Bear

You have the right idea about the lousey gas milage. My 15 Passenger van get about 10 MPG in town and 11.5 on the highway. My problem is I live around 50 or so miles from my suppliers. That mileage is from SE Houston area to NW Houston area with lots of road work in between. The van was purchased used and for pretty much the shop only, but gets used occasionally when my better half is using the car. I thought about U-haul rental but their mileage was around 79 cents per mile for over hundred miles round trip. THAT I refuse to pay for that kind of mileage

 

[John Smith_inFL]

Ohhhhh I really miss my Dodge 15 passenger van. It was my "work van" as well my Motel-6 while on the road. I never loaned it out or hauled for other people. Period. I also had a 16ft utility trailer which made it 40 feet long going down the road. Now, due to serious downsizing, I have a GMC Acadia which carries all I need to.

And, my Jeep Wrangler - - - you just gotta be resourceful.

 

[Steve Neul]

How do you haul your lumber and finished projects such as furniture?
I have an old 1998 15 passenger van. I removed all of the rear seats except for one row (seats 3) behind the drivers compartment. This allows me to easily fit plywood in the rear and also I can carry up to 12' or 13' boards.
The biggest problem I have is turning down people that want to borrow it or pay me to haul something for them.

Anyway, what do you use for hauling?

I have a 1993 G20 Chevrolet van. I put a dividing wall behind the front seats so I can air condition the cab. I've made shelving in the back to carry tools and a garage for the compressor. I left a small area between the seats I can carry 10' lumber but mostly the back is just for 4x8' material. If I have to carry longer lumber I have a ladder rack on the roof which I can carry lumber. If there is very much to haul I have a 16' utility trailer.

 

[Yogi Bear]

You have the right idea about the lousey gas milage. My 15 Passenger van get about 10 MPG in town and 11.5 on the highway.

Oof... That's nearly as bad as a Dodge 2500 V10 pickup I had for a short time.

 

[JayArr]

After years of stuffing lumber into the Envoy XL I went out and bought a trailer last fall that is a little over 4x8. Plywood sheets now fit in lying flat and lumber from the wholesaler that is longer than 8 feet will get angled up toward the vehicle.

 

[Tony B]

Ohhhhh I really miss my Dodge 15 passenger van. It was my "work van" as well my Motel-6 while on the road. I never loaned it out or hauled for other people......................

I was also thinking of setting it up for overnighters. My GF thinks I'm crazy. I do some traveling alone that requires overnighters. I just cant rectify in my mind the spending of $70 + for a 6 hour nap.
The heater and AC are exdellent although I would never use either while I was asleep. I do have a Honda 2K Genertor that I could afix on the rear somehow. The van has excellent insulation. I also think 'why bother' fitting it for comfort. I can sleep on almost any surface so just a sleeping bag is all I should need, maybe even a small marine porta Potty for emergencies.
Also note that I have this van for a year now and I too will not haul or lend my van to others.
A funny story: when I first bought the van and drove it home in my 55 and older community I was stopped several times by some of the elderly wanting to know if I take passengers.

 

[John Smith_inFL]

I can sleep on almost any surface so just a sleeping bag is all I should need, maybe even a small marine porta Potty for emergencies.

I used to travel the long distances alone too. A single size air mattress and a -20* bag and I'm set. Going from Orlando to West Virginia every 6 weeks or so, I planned my trips for truck stops that has the best food I've ever found on the road. I would back the van in between two big rigs with the nose even with theirs and the subtle purr of their diesels makes for a very restful sleep (for me). A hearty breakfast and back on the road.

 

[JayArr]

I would back the van in between two big rigs with the nose even with theirs and the subtle purr of their diesels makes for a very restful sleep (for me).

I used to do that as well when I was younger and travelling a lot. I always felt pretty safe surrounded by the rigs, like the truckers who stopped here and took naps were all looking out for one another and it was a place where nonsense wasn't tolerated - or reported, just handled.

 

[DrRobert]

 

[sanchez]

Doc, is that an 8 foot bed!???!!!

Our 2004 Ranger has a 6 ft bed. Plenty big for furniture length wood and plywood.

 

[DrRobert]

Doc, is that an 8 foot bed!???!!!

Our 2004 Ranger has a 6 ft bed. Plenty big for furniture length wood and plywood.

View attachment 447017

Yessir, Big D has an 8’ bed. 😁

 

[LilMtnDave]

I keep waiting for someone to bring up the old Chevy Caprice station wagons. I used to borrow my MOLs all the time when I had 4'x8's to haul. They fit completely into the back and you could even close the tail door.