Transporting 12' lumber for hobbyists

[Ken Cobbing]

Hi all,

I am about to transport a large load of 8', 10', and 12" lumber over a couple hundred miles. My question is: how do us "hobbyists" accomplish this (i.e., those of us that don't do this regularly and don't have a special setup like a trailer to do so)?

I have a shortbed truck which works fine for 8' lumber. Even 10' lumber can work if the load isn't too heavy - just tie it down and flag the extra 4' off the end of the truck and AFAIK it's all legal and safe. But 12' lumber is too long, especially for a long distance. Regardless, my particular load is about 1,500 lbs and exceeds the payload capacity of my truck.

Enterprise rentals offers Ford Transit and Dodge ProMaster vans. These both have 10' cargo lengths and about 3,000 lb payload. Rental rates are very reasonable: about $70/day and unlimited miles.

Ryder rentals offers Sprinter vans with 12' cargo lengths. But for these vans you pay per mile, making them unaffordable for longer trips.

Any advice?

[Greg R Bradley]

Rent a trailer and use your truck.

[George Bokros]

If I only have a couple of pieces I open the rear sliding window on my pickup and stick it through the window gets about four feet inside the cab but I don't have several hundred miles to make the transport either.

[Robert Engel]

For the difference between renting a trailer and truck, I would rent a truck and save the wear and tear on your own. If the cargo exceeds the load capacity, then adding a trailer to that is not a good formula. Don't know what truck you have but I know a guy who burned up his transmission doing that with an S-10.

I wouldn't rent the van you'll have to tie the doors together.

[Ted Derryberry]

The towing capacity of most trucks is a lot more than the cargo capacity. A trailer is the way to go, as long as you're not trying to pull it with an S-10.

[Lee Schierer]

Towing 1500 pounds with a 6 cylinder truck should be easy. Most Bass boats weigh more than that and people tow them all the time. I have a 2102 Honda Pilot with a 6 cylinder engine and the towing capacity is 4500 pounds. I frequently tow a 3,000 pound travel trailer with no issues other than a hit to the gas mileage. If you return the rental trailer to the same place you picked it up, the rates are pretty reasonable.

[Ken Cobbing]

Thanks for all the replies so far. The advice to rent a trailer is probably the best solution for most hobbyists with a truck.

Unfortunately in my case, I have a 4-cylinder truck. Even if I installed a class 3 hitch (about $200 - $350 I think), my little truck wouldn't have the guts to do my particular haul. My truck works great for 90% of the homeowner tasks I use it for, but not bigger jobs like this.

[Jim Becker]

My 5x8 utility trailer is flat and isn't closed off front and back. I've easily handled 16' boards, centered on the hitch line and have often transported more typical 10-12' stock just flat on the bed. Obviously, anything hanging off the back needs to be marked/flagged accordingly.

[Bill Adamsen]

Roof rack of my station wagon for project loads, or my 14' (bed) utility trailer if roof rack isn't up to the task. If engineered (sheet) goods, and delivery is possible, have it delivered. In fact – from a time and efficiency perspective – having materials of virtually any sort delivered is the best solution. Most places I deal with allow you to select and then have them deliver. Basically I try to avoid the trailer if possible.

[John Lanciani]

Do you actually need 12' lengths? If not, figure out what you need and cut appropriately. For me, 7' and 5' works with very little waste when I have the same problem.

[Richard Verwoest]

Find some good old Redneck and buy him a case of beer.

[David Bassett]

Been a while since I last rented, but we found a bigger U-Haul truck was about the same cost as their vans once all the "mandatory fees" got added on to the van. A big old moving truck that's 5% full would give you flexibility and, back then at least, not cost much more than their pickups or vans. Might be worth getting a quote. (I also like getting a friend's truck, cutting the boards to rough length, or getting delivery as options.)

Good luck.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

Do you actually need 12' lengths? If not, figure out what you need and cut appropriately. For me, 7' and 5' works with very little waste when I have the same problem.

This
I rarely need anything longer than a typical door. (84")

[Wade Lippman]

I've carried a 26' boat on a RAV4 roof rack 500 miles.
I've also carried 16' long 4x4s.

But most roof racks won't carry over 150', so that won't help you.

[Matt Day]

Thanks for all the replies so far. The advice to rent a trailer is probably the best solution for most hobbyists with a truck.

Unfortunately in my case, I have a 4-cylinder truck. Even if I installed a class 3 hitch (about $200 - $350 I think), my little truck wouldn't have the guts to do my particular haul. My truck works great for 90% of the homeowner tasks I use it for, but not bigger jobs like this.

I have a 4 cylinder Subaru Forester (turbo if that matters, and 15 years old). I hauled a 1300+ lb planer on my HF folding trailer in the fall without issue, and done so with ease. I kept it below 60(my comfort zone with the load) and aniticpated well in advance for any turning or braking.

[Steve Eure]

I really do miss the days when we had 8' beds on our PU's. I farmed most of my life and the last 2 trucks I bought had 5 1/2' beds. Can't haul jack with them. Trucks nowadays aren't made for the working man, only for the weekend warriors and soccer moms. I had to special order an 8' bed for one of my trucks and it took several weeks longer because it wasn't a production model. Cost more also.

[Bill Space]

Not sure what your weather is like but what I would do in your case is rent the van with 10' load length capacity, put the long stuff on the bottom, run with the rear doors open and secured in that position with several bungee cords, and secure the load so the shorter pieces cannot fall out the back.

Only question is whether the exhaust fumes would be pulled into the vehicle. In summer you could run with the windows open. Winter temperatures maybe not.

I have done this many times with my full size ford van, but never for a couple hundred miles. Once 20 or 30 miles when snow was on the ground. In my case fumes did not come into the van, but the exhaust goes out the side, rather than straight back...

Bill

[Nike Nihiser]

Find some good old Redneck and buy him a case of beer.
That would be me. I tell all my friends that I work for beer.

[Bob Bouis]

I have a 4-cylinder pickup (an S10, in fact...) and it can easily pull the 2000lb load it's rated far. The engine can actually handle weight far in excess of its rated capacity. It doesn't go fast, but it does go. The real limiting factor is the weight of the truck and its ability to control the weight of a heavy trailer.

My father has a 4-cylinder Frontier with a lot more horsepower and weight, and it can easily tow 4000lbs.

ETA: the most important part of loading the trailer is to put enough weight on the tongue. Err on the side of having the long boards overhanging the tongue rather than the back.

[andy bessette]

Rent or buy a trailer. Your 4-cylinder will be fine.

[Brian Holcombe]

Shipping it is likely comparable or cheaper. I hate paying to ship things but sometimes it’s just a ware of money not to.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I found a good hardwood supplier 110 miles away. I drive a 21014 Honda Pilot V-6 and have a factory hitch on it. I am going to rent a trailer.

However, the supplier has a truck that delivers to my town on Mondays of each week. For $50, they will deliver my order to Lewiston. They aren't sure if their tractor/trailer will make it down the street in front of my home, so I will have to meet the truck some where and make the final delivery home.

Though gas and trailer rental will cost me more than $50, I will rent the trailer and drive the 220 miles round trip so I can select the wood.

[marlin adams]

I dont know if this will work for you but here is a link.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IAM1V8A/ref=asc_df_B00IAM1V8A5363027/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=394997&creativeASIN=B00IAM1V8A&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167151555243&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5005282251370323163&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026806&hvtargid=pla-304733482006

[Steve Demuth]

I really do miss the days when we had 8' beds on our PU's. I farmed most of my life and the last 2 trucks I bought had 5 1/2' beds. Can't haul jack with them. Trucks nowadays aren't made for the working man, only for the weekend warriors and soccer moms.

No kidding. Last pickup I bought, I had to drive 100 miles to find one with a manual transmission, and the darned thing didn't even have stake holes in the sides. So much for hauling sheep or more than a half load of firewood with that.

And that's coming from someone who would almost certainly qualify to you as one of those weekend warriors you're talking about. ;-)

[Jim Becker]

I suspect that the vast majority of pick-em-up truck buyers don't actually haul anything beyond groceries and small home center purchases. And so many live in suburban and urban areas where an 8' bed and the resulting additional wheelbase would make parking and turning radius "a challenge". When I had my Tundra years ago, I bought a bed extender from HF that gave me another three feet of support beyond the ~6' bed and it was handy for hauling lumber up to about 12' or so. My utility trailer, mentioned in my previous post, is honestly easier than using a pickup simply because it's closer to the ground for loading/unloading. :)

[Charles P. Wright]

I use a Backrack plus a bed extender vertically for 16' lengths, but I wouldn't do that for 1,500 lbs.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P2HWC6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I rented a uhaul trailer when I was moving 2500 lbs of slabs/lumber.

[Marc Jeske]

I am frustrated nobody has stated or asked the approx volume or weight of this "large load"

Are we talking 100bf... or 1,000.... or what?

I have taken up to 16' in my hatchback if there are like 10 boards or less.

If it is in fact a "LARGE load" my main concern would be tail heavy weight distribution making steering potentially dangerous.

Marc

[David Bassett]

... Unfortunately in my case, I have a 4-cylinder truck. ....

BTW- You should check your manual before giving up. My 4-cylinder van has 5000# towing capacity. (Admittedly it also has a turbo and I'm sure the mileage would, but an option.)

[David Bassett]

I am frustrated nobody has stated or asked the approx volume or weight of this "large load" ....

Original post says: "my particular load is about 1,500 lbs". Pretty specific.

[Marc Jeske]

Dang ! And I read a few times and missed that.

"Never mind......"

Marc

[Ted Derryberry]

Years ago when I was still in construction I switched from a pickup to a 1/2 ton SUV (Bronco and then Expedition) and a 5'x12' trailer with 2' high sides. All it takes is a little pre-planning to have the trailer when you need it. Saves driving around with an empty bed and a cab stuffed full of tools all the time. I can carry way more by weight and volume in my trailer than I could in a 1 ton pickup with an 8' bed and, like Jim says, it's much easier to load and unload. Overall maintenance and other expenses are less on the 1/2 ton/trailer combo also.

[Mark Blatter]

I routinely transport 50 - 80 bf of hardwood in lengths up to 11' in my 2004 Toyota Corolla. The back seats drop down and the boards rest on the dash. 11' just fits inside the trunk that way. Any longer and I have to break out the trailer and Suburban, which I hate doing due to the cost of gas. I get 36 vs 11, so it makes a big difference.

I would definitely look at delivery or a trailer rental, but since you don't have a hitch, I would check on delivery.

[Thomas Canfield]

I build handicap ramps for Texas Ramp Project and often carry the material to the jobsite. Most of the material is the 8' plywood and other 2x material but I have started using more 10 and 12' material to reduce joints and waste. Material will be in the 1000 to 1500# range with tools and one problem not addressed is the overhang increases the weight on the rear axle more so than load contained in the bed. I don't have to drive more than 30 miles and flagging on the overhanging material makes it legal for the 6 1/2' bed with tailgate down. Just need to make sure and stack some material on top of the longer material to make sure it does not bounce and also secure all the material from sliding out the open end. Good luck.

[Bill Carey]

92 Dodge Caravan with hydraulic load leveling. I took out all the seats except the drivers seat. Can get a pile of 4x8 material in it, and 12' boards with the hatch closed.

[johnny means]

I always prefered to rent trailers. Mostly because $15 a day meant that I didn't feel compelled to rush home and offload a stack of lumber that I had just loaded up earlier in the day.

[Steve Peterson]

I really do miss the days when we had 8' beds on our PU's. I farmed most of my life and the last 2 trucks I bought had 5 1/2' beds. Can't haul jack with them. Trucks nowadays aren't made for the working man, only for the weekend warriors and soccer moms. I had to special order an 8' bed for one of my trucks and it took several weeks longer because it wasn't a production model. Cost more also.

I miss those days also. My first truck had a 6.5' bed, but it was 8' to the end of the tailgate and a full 4' wide between the wheels. I was single then, so a standard cab was fine. If there were more than 3 people, some of them could sit in the back.

Some of the trucks nowadays have beds that appear to be about 3' long. What a waste of an engine and 4 wheels.

[John K Jordan]

Thanks for all the replies so far. The advice to rent a trailer is probably the best solution for most hobbyists with a truck.
Unfortunately in my case, I have a 4-cylinder truck. Even if I installed a class 3 hitch (about $200 - $350 I think), my little truck wouldn't have the guts to do my particular haul. My truck works great for 90% of the homeowner tasks I use it for, but not bigger jobs like this.

I use a trailer - I have 8', 12', 16' and 18' trailers. I pull the bigger ones with huge loads with my diesel truck but I have pulled the two smaller trailers and a 2-horse trailer loaded with llamas with my Jeep Cherokees. It all depends on the load.

I have hauled 22' boards on the 16' flat bed and 24' boards on the 18' gooseneck - I extend some of the extra over the front (be aware of the turning clearances) and let some hang out the back with flags. I'm careful to keep the center of balance in front of the axles. I don't know if there is a legal limit to how far a load can extend out the back but you can google how far can lumber stick out the back of a trailer (or truck)

I use lots of straps and run straps around the back of the load. Boards in a stack can slide.

JKJ

[Bill Graham]

https://www.homedepot.com/tool-truck-rental/load-n-go-truck-rental/

(https://www.homedepot.com/tool-truck-rental/load-n-go-truck-rental/)I'd check their daily rates, $80/hr. after that first 75 minutes could get expensive. But you shouldn't have any trouble hauling your 1500-lb load on it. As much as I hate to recommend the Big Ernge, it's a great place to rent a truck for a short-term thing.

Or check out local car rentals for a long-bed 3/4-ton pickup. Or a medium U-Haul box truck.

HTH,
Bill


(https://www.homedepot.com/tool-truck-rental/load-n-go-truck-rental/)

[Jim Andrew]

Be careful how much lumber you pile on a trailer before you take off with a small pickup. I used to take my car trailer behind my Toyota pickup, and pile so much material on the trailer that I could not go over 35 mph because the truck would start fishtailing. Luckily it was only about 20 miles home.

[John K Jordan]

Be careful how much lumber you pile on a trailer before you take off with a small pickup. I used to take my car trailer behind my Toyota pickup, and pile so much material on the trailer that I could not go over 35 mph because the truck would start fishtailing. Luckily it was only about 20 miles home.

That is frightening!

I understand a common cause of fishtailing/swaying is when the center of gravity of the load is too much to one side or worse, too far back over the axle with not enough weight on the tongue. I think there should be 15-20% of the weight on the tongue at the hitch for a rear hitch vehicle and the center of gravity should be as close to the center of the trailer as possible. If not, the trailer may start to sway without provocation or it may start after a gust of wind or from the pressure/vacuum from a passing truck.

I had the same experience twice in 50 years of driving, once when hauling a uhaul across the country when we were passed by a fast semi. On that one the balance was close but probably not quite heavy enough in the front. The second time was hauling a load of trees and shrubs for planting and the fishtailing started when I got up to about 30 mph. I stopped and redistributed the load to put more weight up front and the problem went away.

I've heard that some haulers will actually measure the weight at the wheels and tongue but most of us have no way to do that and can only guess. When I hauled my tractor or bobcat on a rear hitch trailer I was careful to put it so the weight "looked like" it was just in front of the axle. Now I use a gooseneck trailer and do the same thing although I understand it's not as critical. I read that most trailers are designed so an even weight, such as a load of hay, distributes the load properly. (I'm glad, I haul a lot of hay)

378679

JKJ

[Bob Bouis]

It's definitely possible to overload the tongue, but with relatively small loads it's just not that big of a deal. If you put too much weight on it, it can take weight off your front tires which can be bad, to say the least. You can also damage your hitch or bend the frame of your vehicle, exceed the capacity of your rear tires, etc. The more the merrier, for sure, but if you're pulling 3000lbs with a bumper hitch it probably can't hold 20% of that weight safely.

Like I said, though, for a 1500lb load comprised of boards, too much tongue weight is probably not something you need to realistically worry about. On the other hand letting those 12' boards hang off the back of an 8 or 10' trailer could cause serious handling issues.

I'm not sure how you can balance weight toward the tongue and simultaneously keep the center of gravity toward the center -- but you definitely want to keep your center of gravity as low as possible, if you can. Still, if I had a 10' trailer and a mix of 12' and 10' boards, I'd rather have the 12'ers higher up if it meant letting them overhang the tongue.

This is way safer than the alternatives (source: google image search):

https://woodgears.ca/shed/shed06.jpg

[Jim Becker]

Every vehicle setup for towing has essentially two tongue weight limits. The first is the limit before one needs to use a Weight Distribution Hitch to keep the front end of the tow vehicle from getting "light" and having steering/braking issues. The second is the max tongue weight regardless. (My vehicle's specifications are ~350 lbs for the first and 720 lbs for the second) In North America, that's typically about 10% of the trailer weight including load when the trailer is properly load-balanced. Tongue weight is also considered part of the total vehicle payload limit. So yes, one must be very careful when loading up a trailer to insure they don't exceed the tow vehicles safety specifications for tongue weight, regardless of the trailer's actual load capacity. Oh, and if your trailer uses inertial/surge brakes, there are very few WDHs that can be used, so that complicates things greatly...

[Ken Cobbing]

Thanks everyone for the informative replies. I've learned a lot.

After considering all the options, I decided to rent a cargo van. I had measured the inside of the Dodge ProMaster that was at the local Enterprise and it had 10' of length in the cargo area. When I showed up yesterday morning, they had a different Dodge ProMaster with a high ceiling and 12' of length in the cargo area. I was able to fit all my lumber easily. Absolutely worth the $70 rental fee to avoid trying to use my truck (1900 lb towing capacity) and worry about breaking, handling, and wear and tear and the old gal.

So, to answer my own question: I think the best way for a weekend warrior / hobbyist like me is to rent a cargo van. Inquire with your rental place if they have the extra-long vans for 12' loads.

[Jim Dwight]

I bought a little utility trailer at Harbor Freight over 10 years ago and it is still working fine. I took a little load from tearing out a staircase to the dump today with it. It is only rated to handle 1100 lbs but they have one that will take 1800. I'm not sure if I'd use it will really long pieces close to it's capacity, however. The extra length can cause more up and down load which it might not handle. But my trailer has hauled lots of stuff including a 300 inch 6 cylinder truck motor for my son and has done it without issue. It folds up too. At my old house I put it under the screen porch folded up.

But for what you describe, I would rent a trailer from U-haul. The are heavy but that is because they are rediculously overbuilt. Even their littler ones should handle the load. They have some with tongue brakes which could help if you are worried about your tow vehicle. They don't need any electrical connection for the brakes, when you brake your vehicle it engages the trailer master cylinder to brake the trailer. Only works if you are stopping quickly but for a slow stop your truck should be fine.

I towed a display of electrical equipment many years ago. It was a recloser. I noticed when I hooked it up the tongue weight was very low. When I got up to speed it wagged around a lot. So I stopped by a cut through a hillside and picked up a rock that probably weighed about 50 lbs. I put that as far forward as I could on the trailer. Problem totally solved. Some other guys who used the display trailer asked me what the rock was for. They had noticed the wagging previously but didn't know what to do. The trailer should have had the axle further back but adding a rock was a lot easier.

[Matt Day]

Glad it worked out for you! $70 is a good deal for a big van, especially since you lucked out with the 12’ version.

[Charles Lent]

I have racks for my 84 Dakota 6 cylinder. I have had a lot of long stuff on those racks, but never more than a few hundred pounds. When the load is seriously long or heavy, I borrow my son's 6' X 12' trailer with a winch and ramp. It's rated for 1500 lbs and my tired Dakota pulls it just fine, if it's balanced properly and tied down. When I was young I had a VW bus and had 20 sheets of 1/2" sheet rock on the roof. I'll never attempt overloading again. That was a scary ride home.

Charley