How do you bring your sheet stock home?

[John Ziebron]

Actually this post is about how I bring my sheet stock home and perhaps it may give some of you in the same situation an idea.

A couple of years ago I decided to buy a minivan and sold my 8 foot bed pickup. Before I bought it I measured to make sure that a 4 x 8 foot sheet will fit inside, and it looked like it would. In my minivan the third row seating folds down into a well but the second row seats must be physically taken out to gain a long, flat surface

And I did bring home sheet stock like that but realized the first time that I had to move the front seats forward almost all the way putting my stomach into the steering wheel. OK, so I'm a little over weight, but it was still uncomfortable to drive that way.

Then last year I had a better idea. I could make a simple rack out of 2 x stock that would hold the sheets on an upward angle and I could leave my seat back all the way where I normally have it. The following pictures tell the story. The rack can be installed/removed in less than 5 minutes. And I don't have to remove my heavy second row seats (although I have one semi-permanently removed for my dog).

[Mike Henderson]

Around here, Home Depot (http://www.homedepot.com/c/Truck_Rental?cm_mmc=SEM%7cTHD%7cGoogle%7c%7cBase-NB-TRRental&gclid=CjwKEAjw85DIBRCy2aT0hPmS1jkSJAC1m9Uvazf-i3I7zBxU3Nw22ggaT-n8dnSYOHNz-2adHnSLtRoCyX7w_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) will rent you a truck for about $19 for 75 minutes. The time doesn't start until you're loaded so you have 75 minutes to get the load home, unload it, and return the truck.

The truck is fair sized and will easily handle a load of sheet rock or other types of material.

I haven't checked the prices recently, but HD will also deliver the stuff for you and use a fork lift on their delivery truck to put the stuff where you want it. That's for big loads, however.

I've used both methods in the past.

Mike

[Dan Friedrichs]

Nice idea! Thanks for sharing.

[Jay Aubuchon]

Nice! If our minivan weren't so close to retiring, I might make make one too.

[Frederick Skelly]

That's a clever idea John! Thanks for sharing it.

(I usually pay to have the yard cut it into 4 rough-sized pieces.)
Fred

[Tim Janssen]

I'll have to have a look to see if I can adapt your idea to my 2016 Odyssey. Sure beats having to remove the middle seats.
Any concerns about having to make an emergency stop?
Thanks for posting your idea.

Tim

[Leo Graywacz]

Pickup with an 8' bed. And it never goes home, goes to the shop.

[Matt Day]

HF 4x8 trailer. Folds to store, easily hitches up. No folding car seats or taking out kids seats.

Great idea for your minivan though.

[Bill McNiel]

Nice, creative solution sir.

[George Bokros]

Seems a little dangerous to me. Could knock your head into the windshield in the event you are rear-ended.

[Mike Henderson]

Seems a little dangerous to me. Could knock your head into the windshield in the event you are rear-ended.

I think the sheetrock would come forward if he ran into something, not if somebody rear-ended him. With a rear-ender, the sheet rock would go to the rear of the car (the car would be pushed forward and the sheetrock would try to stay where it was).

For $19 I'll rent a truck from HD and avoid those issues, as well as the crud that gets into the car from the sheetrock.

Mike

[John Ziebron]

Thanks for the replies guys. Tim, mine is a 2015 Odyssey so I would think the inside of your 2016 would be similar. You do have to pop the headrests off and fold the seatback forward.

George, I don't think it is dangerous at all. I purposely designed it so the angle is above the top of the headrest. And the top of my head is below the top of the headrest so in the event of a front collision if the sheets moved at all they would hit the headliner and my head would go forward and down into, hopefully, the airbag.

Mike, I see that you noticed it happened to be a sheet of drywall I had in the picture but I usually it's plywood sheets I transport. I bought drywall (sheetrock) twice for my bathroom remodel project; no crud from either trip.

[Ole Anderson]

I have a 2015 GMC Acadia. 4 feet between the wheel wells, but I can only get 7' inside. I just let the last foot hang out and bungee the hatch down. I just don't plan trips in the rain. Don't know what I am going to do when my lease is up, the new Acadia is smaller and I will be looking for another solution. Previously I had Safari vans that would just take a full sheet inside and get the doors closed. Anything new must fit in the garage, be AWD and seat at least 6, and be domestic. Living in the Detroit area, I am sensitive to keeping my neighbor's jobs. Plus my FIL worked for Truck and Coach for 40 years and we still get the discount.

[Shawn Pixley]

Te truth is, I don't. I never buy full sheet goods and seldom buy half sheets. I can get ~9 hardwood in our VW station wagen. It will be going away soon and replaced with a small car.

I don't see the need for a big vehicle for my use, and would be willing to have my hardwood delivered ( they will let me hand select) or rent a vehicle for those occasions when I need the larger capacity.

[Jim Becker]

I have a 5'x8' utility trailer that is used for those times when I need to bring materials home that don't fit in my Grand Cherokee Summit. I bought it in 2006 after I moved to an SUV from a Tundra pickup after we adopted our girls. A utility trailer can be indispensable for so many situations. They are not terribly costly...mine is "really nice" and was under a grand. No inspection required in PA and 5 year tag fee is only $60.

That said, most sheet goods I use are delivered to my shop door from Industrial Plywood in Reading PA for a $25 fee.

[Jim Tobias]

This is exactly why I can never sell/get rid of my trustworthy 1998 GMC Suburban. It'll hold full sheets laid out in the back.

Jim

[Edwin Santos]

This is exactly why I can never sell/get rid of my trustworthy 1998 GMC Suburban. It'll hold full sheets laid out in the back.

Jim

The vehicle of choice on the Navajo reservations is a 1980s or early 90s vintage GMC Suburban. Apparently there is no tougher production vehicle around.

[Greg Parrish]

I use my F350 short bed. Drop the tail gate and stack away. For longer boards, I have some quick attaching aluminum bed rails I can install. With those I can carry longer boards. So far, 16' and 20' is the longest I've used on it building our deck but it worked great. Rest of the time, the rack is off and hanging in storage so we can carry our 5th wheel as needed. If not for the 5th wheel though, this truck would be way over kill for our usage.

As mentioned above I have borrowed a family members honda van to pick ups sheet of plywood as well. :)

[Chris Padilla]

It'll be a cold day in you know where before I'll ever have a mini-van parked at my house! LOL! :D Sorry, just don't care for them.

To that end, my Tacoma, a pair of 2x6s jammed into the bed pockets, tail-gate down, rope around the movable tie-downs, and I'm good for many 4x8 products.

However, I heard on here that the Honda Ridgeline will handle 4x8 stock, wheel-well to wheel-well, fully inside the tailgate. I haven't confirmed this but when my 2006 Tacoma is ready to go, that is likely to be my next vehicle.

[Grant Wilkinson]

I have Yakima bars on my MDX for carrying my kayaks and they work great for strapping sheet goods to.

[Jim Becker]

For carrying "up top", just be aware of the weight limit for a given vehicle's roof rack system... ;)

[Mike Henderson]

For carrying "up top", just be aware of the weight limit for a given vehicle's roof rack system... ;)

And the tendency for a sheet of plywood attached to those racks to act like a wing and try to take off. The rack needs to support stress upward as well as downward.

Mike

[Jim Becker]

Mike, in my experience (DAMHIKT!!), even boards on top can catch wind enough to loosen their fastening and cause, um...issues... ;) I am just not a fan of roof racks in any way, shape or form since that one time when a bunch of really nice cherry kept going when I stopped suddenly. No big deal except for the end of the boards coming down on top of the hood of Professor Dr. SWMBO's brand new Forester at the time... :o

[Larry Frank]

I have a Minivan and love it and it can barely take a 8 ft sheet.

However, the best thing I bought is the 5 x 8 utility trailer with a ramp. It can haul everything for me. I have had it about 20 years and paid for itself many times. I also use it to take in my John Deere for service when needed and that saves a pickup fee which is $75.

Of course, you need to have a place to park the trailer.

[Grant Wilkinson]

Thankfully, I can get sheet goods close enough to home that the drive back is VERY SLOW. However, I agree with all the precautions that you guys have mentioned.

[Robert Engel]

I use my '97 F250HD w/ 7.3 Powerstroke :D

But if I had a minivan and if I were to ever do drywall myself again (NOT), I would simply rent a HD truck. ;)

Looks like you're limited on the # of sheets b4 you hit the ceiling.