New Car/Truck Cargo Abilties for Sheet Goods?

[Andrew More]

Is there a good way to determine if a car or truck has the ability to accept an entire sheet of 4x8 sheet goods (plywood, drywall, MDF, etc) and still close the trunk?

I know this is a pretty specific question, but it seems like there must be enough people in the trades that this is a common enough question.

I'm thinking maybe there's a topic specific tool or website I can check out for this. Otherwise I feel I'm forced to check out any car I might like in person with a tape measure, which seems really counter productive.

I also must admit I'd like to get a car/truck that is a plug-in hybrid, and isn't a pickup truck. So this is more a question about minivans, hatchbacks, and SUVs. Since I'm a DIYer if I need to go full pickup, I can often rent a truck cheaper than owning a full sized work truck. So maybe I'm a bit off in that my requirement of the ability to carry sheet goods AND not being a pickup truck isn't common for people who do this every day.

Suggestions?

[Daniel O'Neill]

Small Trailer is what I use right now. It's a Harbor Freight fold up which works fine for a few sheets of drywall/plywood.

[Adam Herman]

I think the only plug in that would accept sheet goods is the Chrysler Minivan, and there have been some reliability issues.

We have a Volt and a pickup.

a small trailer maybe the way to go. You can pull a small trailer with nearly any car.

I use my 16 ft. car trailer whenever I am getting more than a few sheets or sticks of lumber. so easy to load and unload.

[mike stenson]

Small Trailer is what I use right now. It's a Harbor Freight fold up which works fine for a few sheets of drywall/plywood.

It's also a whole lot more flexible. Need to run a bunch of stuff to the dump? Way better than loading it into the occupant space.

[Richard Coers]

Is there a good way to determine if a car or truck has the ability to accept an entire sheet of 4x8 sheet goods (plywood, drywall, MDF, etc) and still close the trunk? Tape measure. I'm pretty confident that there has never been a car that would accept a full sheet. Maybe a 1970 Plymouth station wagon would come close. I also doubt if anyone in the trades would use a car to transport sheet goods. My favorite response to a question I read on line; "Is a Honda CRV good for moving furniture", answered, "Yes but the tires will leave marks on hardwood floors."
I drive a Ford Transit Connect cargo van. It's 48 1/2" wide on the floor, but will only take 7' with the doors closed. If I only pick up 3-4 sheets, I angle the first sheet up on the head rests of the front seats and slide the rest in. That lets me close the doors. There is so much headroom in that thing, that the angled sheets go over my head so I feel okay about not getting hurt if I would be rear ended. If I pick up 10 sheets, I pull the doors tight to the plywood and add a couple bungee cords. I love that van for hauling bicycles and even my lawn tractor fits in it.
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[Adam Herman]

Is there a good way to determine if a car or truck has the ability to accept an entire sheet of 4x8 sheet goods (plywood, drywall, MDF, etc) and still close the trunk? Tape measure. I'm pretty confident that there has never been a car that would accept a full sheet. Maybe a 1970 Plymouth station wagon would come close. I also doubt if anyone in the trades would use a car to transport sheet goods. My favorite response to a question I read on line; "Is a Honda CRV good for moving furniture", answered, "Yes but the tires will leave marks on hardwood floors."
I drive a Ford Transit Connect cargo van. It's 48 1/2" wide on the floor, but will only take 7' with the doors closed. If I only pick up 3-4 sheets, I angle the first sheet up on the head rests of the front seats and slide the rest in. That lets me close the doors. There is so much headroom in that thing, that the angled sheets go over my head so I feel okay about not getting hurt if I would be rear ended. If I pick up 10 sheets, I pull the doors tight to the plywood and add a couple bungee cords. I love that van for hauling bicycles and even my lawn tractor fits in it.
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Buick road masters were built until 1996. my dad had them for decades. he even bought a new one in 96 to keep in storage till the 1993 was wore out. he put at least 200k on each of them. haha.

[Andrew More]

Small Trailer is what I use right now. It's a Harbor Freight fold up which works fine for a few sheets of drywall/plywood.


Excellent idea, might even allow me to keep my current beater.

[Jim Becker]

I use a 5'x8' utility trailer for hauling stuff. Almost no "passenger type" vehicles these days have the space inside for carrying things like sheet goods. I can haul that (although I get sheet goods delivered most of the time from my primary supplier) and have had as long as 16' material on the centerline of the trailer, too. Even a really nice trailer will run you under a grand which allows you to choose your vehicle based on your other "comfort factors". Just be sure that it's setup for proper towing..."factory towing" is generally the best solution because it's pre-wired.

[Alex Zeller]

I have a full size truck but will use the trailer most of the time if I can. The truck is a pain because most parking lots don't have the lines spaced correctly. I get tired of people who feel that Doritos are a food staple thinking that 6" between their car and your truck is more than enough room. But having a trailer means finding a place to store it, dealing with tires dry rotting, and what seam like everytime I use it one of the taillights getting broken. The one I have has the expanded metal mesh for the deck which allows every drop of water to spray the bottom of anything I haul so I have plywood on top of it. If you do go with a trailer I would look into one with a wood deck. Ideally a full size van being towed by a Prius would be your best solution, lol.

[andy bessette]

...and still close the trunk?...

Why is this so important?

My 2000 Tundra V-8 4x4 has a 6-1/2' bed and easily carries 4' x 8' sheet goods tipped in over the tailgate, with the work shell hatch up. Sure wouldn't want to deal with a trailer every time.

[Andrew More]

Why is this so important?

My 2000 Tundra V-8 4x4 has a 6-1/2' bed and easily carries 4' x 8' sheet goods tipped in over the tailgate, with the work shell hatch up. Sure wouldn't want to deal with a trailer every time.


To avoid getting rained on.

[andy bessette]

It must rain a lot where you live?

[Alan Rutherford]

One more vote for the Harbor Freight trailer. I never fold it and removed the wheels that let it roll around folded up because they get in the way. As for getting things inside the vehicle - I've had 2 Priuses and with the back seat down both could get as many 8-foot 2x4's inside as I was willing to stack up between the seats over the center console.

Note that a trailer or truck bed with an inside width of 48" isn't quite wide enough to carry sheets of siding with the overlapping edges unless you don't lay it flat. You need another half inch or so.

[Lee DeRaud]

I'm pretty confident that there has never been a car that would accept a full sheet. Maybe a 1970 Plymouth station wagon would come close.Mid-'70s Ford station wagon ("Country Squire"?): I borrowed my neighbor's a couple of times for that when I moved into this house in 1979. That thing was big. Those were the days before Home Depot rented trucks.

But I've had 4-5 (cut) sheets in the back of my Accord: it will handle 30"x80" through the trunk hole. I just don't do many projects that require bigger chunks than that now.

[Brian Elfert]

I have a Dodge Caravan. It will haul 4x8 sheets and still close the hatch, but barely. The fit for 4x8 sheets is really tight and you generally can't carry more than a few sheets due to the design. It feels like the engineers/designers were given a directive that a 4x8 sheet must fit, but don't include any extra space.

99% of the time I use my 6x10 utility trailer instead. It is way easier to get 4x8 sheets in and out of the trailer.

[Doug Garson]

To avoid getting rained on.
Maybe consider this https://kerryallpouch.com/
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[ChrisA Edwards]

I had a 2000 Chevy Suburban and later a 2007 Escalade, I could put 4x8 sheets in them with the rear row of seats removed and the middle row folded down.

When I decide to trade the Escalade in for a new SUV, I looked at the GMC Denali Yukon, but they had redesigned the rear seats (3rd row) to fold flush, but this reduced the interior height by about 5". A few times, I'd only just managed to get a large item in the rear of the Escalade, so I went back to a truck.

[Kev Williams]

I have a Dodge Caravan. It will haul 4x8 sheets and still close the hatch, but barely.
I have a 2002 Chevy Venture van, same thing basically- how well sheets fit depends on how close you can move the front seats forward and still drive ;)

[roger wiegand]

Seem that about 90% of even pickup trucks are too small to carry a sheet of plywood without leaving the tailgate down (which presumably explains the number of pieces of plywood, OSB, and drywall littering the highways). One wonders what in the world those trucks with the micro-beds are used for.

I had Suburbans back in our serious canoe camping days, they would hold a 4x8 sheet with the tailgate closed. Don't know if that's still true of the modern gussied up ones.

[mike stenson]

Seem that about 90% of even pickup trucks are too small to carry a sheet of plywood without leaving the tailgate down (which presumably explains the number of pieces of plywood, OSB, and drywall littering the highways). One wonders what in the world those trucks with the micro-beds are used for.

I had Suburbans back in our serious canoe camping days, they would hold a 4x8 sheet with the tailgate closed. Don't know if that's still true of the modern gussied up ones.

My current F150's got a 6' bed. Then again, so did my 1972 GMC K25. Short beds have been around forever.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I'm another trailer person. We've had Subaru Outbacks for the past 13 years or so, so sheet goods don't fit. I had a Harbor Freight trailer for 4 years and it was fine, the best thing about it was that you could take the sides off and use it as a flatbed, so when I retired from parting out tractors I was able to load pallets of leftover tractor parts on the trailer and the auctioneer could take them off with a forklift when I arrived with each load. For the last 4 years I've had a 5x8 Carry-On trailer from Tractor Supply, it's not as well balanced as the HF but the folding ramp/tailgate is very handy and it's stronger overall. The hinges rusted up on it last year, so I bought a new set and welded them in. Now I can take the tailgate off if I should ever want to. I try to pick up sheet goods and lumber on dry days, but a lot can be done with a tarp if necessary.

[Curt Harms]

Seem that about 90% of even pickup trucks are too small to carry a sheet of plywood without leaving the tailgate down (which presumably explains the number of pieces of plywood, OSB, and drywall littering the highways). One wonders what in the world those trucks with the micro-beds are used for.

I had Suburbans back in our serious canoe camping days, they would hold a 4x8 sheet with the tailgate closed. Don't know if that's still true of the modern gussied up ones.

Leave the tail gate up and put the sheet goods on top. I've been doing that for years (decades) with Ford Rangers. Just gotta pay attention to the weather. A trailer is also viable as long as you have a place to store it when not in use.

[Jim Becker]

Seem that about 90% of even pickup trucks are too small to carry a sheet of plywood without leaving the tailgate down (which presumably explains the number of pieces of plywood, OSB, and drywall littering the highways). One wonders what in the world those trucks with the micro-beds are used for.


~6.5' beds are pretty much standard with most pick-em-up-truck configurations these days which focus more on cabin size and comfort. (there are a few ~5.5' versions, too) You can still get "work trucks" with 8' beds for sure, but not generally with the higher seating capacities most folks want for a personal vehicle. They are also beasts to turn/park. So yea...the tailgate stays down and some folks clearly are not skilled at securing their loads. Of course, that's important with a trailer, too...

[Don Coffman]

Even with today's pickups handling sheet goods isn't straightforward. My '16 GMC Canyon's bed interior has embossed indentations that I use with 2x6s cut to fit, which support 4x8 sheets above the wheel wells and a "stool" I place on the tailgate to support the load full length.

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Luckily this bed also has tie downs in each corner.

[mike stenson]

I had a 2007 Canyon, it had a stop on the tailgate strap that left it level with the wheel arches. That was cool.

[Roger Feeley]

I have a Dodge Caravan. It will haul 4x8 sheets and still close the hatch, but barely. The fit for 4x8 sheets is really tight and you generally can't carry more than a few sheets due to the design. It feels like the engineers/designers were given a directive that a 4x8 sheet must fit, but don't include any extra space.

99% of the time I use my 6x10 utility trailer instead. It is way easier to get 4x8 sheets in and out of the trailer.
i have a 2014 Chrysler Town and country. I agree with Brian. about two 3/4” sheets will fit. I’m 6’-3” and put my seat all the way back. If I remove the center console and move my seat forward, I can get more in there. I hauled About 20 sheets of osb in two trips when I lined my shop walls.

Our parameters for getting the mini Van was that we had to be able to seat 6 people and haul a sheet of plywood on a whim. The Chrysler satisfied that.

if you are willing to compromise, the roof rack on the Nissan Exterra is good. I hauled a lot of plywood in that thing. But I was never comfortable in it. One other consideration with the Exterra is how hard it is for a short or elderly person. My mom had an awful time but she was over 100. If I had thought about that when I bought the car, I would have kept looking.

[Matt Day]

Another vote for a trailer. I don’t put sheet goods or dirty/rusty/sawdust filled machines in my car anymore. SOOO much better. Easily haul mulch and topsoil and whatever else too.

Honestly I don’t even see why so many people have pickups when a trailer does the job better. Yes I know contractors and RV owners and such need them for the towing capability, but Harry Homeowner doesn’t need a pickup. I have a Subaru Ascent with plenty of hauling capacity, supports trailer brakes, and can carry 8 people - well it did before COVID!

Regarding rain, the Kerry all pouch is an option or just designing your own with a tarp or trailer cover.

[Stephen Tashiro]

Is there a good way to determine if a car or truck has the ability to accept an entire sheet of 4x8 sheet goods (plywood, drywall, MDF, etc) and still close the trunk?


I don't know a general product specification that reveals that information. However, if a vehicle has that capacity, I think it will be proudly advertised. A 2012 Toyota Sienna van with the middle seats removed and the back ones folded down can hold a 4x8 ft sheet of material with the back door closed. I had no trouble finding that out before I bought the van.

[Andrew More]

Really amazed at the HF trailer, seems perfect for my uses.

FWIW, why Seattle has a reputation for raining, the part of the Midwest I'm in has consistently had more rainy days. I've also had a few bad days with getting caught in an unexpected shower and ruining stuff. Even once is too many times, IMHO.

@Matt Day - I don't think the selection of a pickup truck is always driven by practical considerations. However the one my dad usually uses is that he wants to be able to "see" what's going on, and you can definitely see better in the higher cabin of a truck than a car. I've had a few more accidents (though nothing serious in a decade or two) than he did, so maybe there's something to that. OTOH, I find that my car is far more nimble, and I never have an issue with the wheels skidding out on rainy days. Had that issue when I borrowed my brothers truck a while back, and nearly had an accident because I wasn't expecting it.

[Lee DeRaud]

I don't think the selection of a pickup truck is always driven by practical considerations.Heh. My dad always referred to his Silverado as a "Texas Cadillac". :)

[Jim Becker]

Even with today's pickups handling sheet goods isn't straightforward. My '16 GMC Canyon's bed interior has embossed indentations that I use with 2x6s cut to fit, which support 4x8 sheets above the wheel wells and a "stool" I place on the tailgate to support the load full length.

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Luckily this bed also has tie downs in each corner.


I had a 2007 Canyon, it had a stop on the tailgate strap that left it level with the wheel arches. That was cool.

The mid-size pickups like the Canyon, Ranger, Tacoma, etc., have less width because, well...they are smaller. Hence, the need to use cross pieces to get 4' wide material over the wheel wells.

[mike stenson]

The mid-size pickups like the Canyon, Ranger, Tacoma, etc., have less width because, well...they are smaller. Hence, the need to use cross pieces to get 4' wide material over the wheel wells.

Yea, and that's been true for a while.. but the stop position on the tailgate made that a lot easier to deal with (especially since I'd just replaced a 1 ton Dodge dually quad cab long bed with it, that was a great towing.. sucky for daily type parking kind of truck)

[Jim Becker]

You must be really having major smiles being able to turn your truck around in less than a half square mile now. :) :D

[roger wiegand]

This is what I look like going down the road-- tell me about turning around and parallel parking!

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(2009 F350 (8 ft bed) diesel dually, 24,800 lbs fully loaded, just shy of needing a CDL)

[Scott Winners]

I can fit a fair bit of sheet goods in my 6.5' bed Tacoma with the tailgate up, with an eye on the weather.

If I need a lot of material, or stuff longer than 8 feet, i have a small trailer. I picked up a boat and a motor and the trailer from Craigslist just to get the trailer. I gave the outboard away, sold the boat with no trailer for $300 and ended up with a trailer that can take 16' planks with new bearings and new races and new grease and new wiring blah blah for under $400 out of pocket. The thing that got me was it uses 14" Chevy rims that take regular tires, and I do have room for it.

[Kev Williams]

I've only had one truck in my life that DIDN'T have an 8' bed. Loved the truck but couldn't haul crap with it.

Bought my trusty '02 F250 brand new. 8' bed, will haul practically anything. Only thing it won't tow is a gooseneck trailer (for now) ;)
While it'll haul plywood great, I've had other uses for it over the years--

2003
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2005
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2006
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2010
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2015 (just moving around the boat yard) :) -below was in 2008
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2016
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coupla months ago at the grocery store
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-- it's never been garaged, never had a wax job. Still looks and drives like new...

-back on topic, did I mention plywood fits in it? :D

(hey Roger, you started it!)

[Terry Wawro]

In February we bought a Chrysler Pacifica. We drove it off the lot and directly to the lumber yard, where I lowered the "Stow & Go" seats and loaded it up with 7 sheets of plywood and 100 board feet of poplar. And yes, the hatch will still close with 4x8 sheets of ply.

[Mike Soaper]

These folks didn't need a truck to haul plywood
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[Rod Sheridan]

Roger, where I live most of those trucks carry one person plus a briefcase, in downtown traffic....Rod

[Brian Elfert]

These folks didn't need a truck to haul plywood
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I would like to figure out if there is any truth to this picture and the story behind it. The story I always read is Home Depot loaded the car with a forklift, but made them sign a disclaimer first. How the heck does that cheap twine keep 1000+ pounds of material from sliding off that fairly steep angle? This picture has been around for years, but I can't imagine current Home Depot policies would allow them to load a car with that much weight, disclaimer or not. Retail stores are really worried about liability these days.

[Brian Elfert]

This is what I look like going down the road-- tell me about turning around and parallel parking!

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(2009 F350 (8 ft bed) diesel dually, 24,800 lbs fully loaded, just shy of needing a CDL)

That is a short combination compared to my 43 foot motorhome towing a 24 foot trailer. Are truck campers not exempt as RVs?

Man, I would think acceleration would be slow with that much weight behind a small diesel engine.

[Anuj Prateek]

These folks didn't need a truck to haul plywood
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Hah! Not same but have done similar load in Accord. 4-5 years back I was lining a small pond with concrete. I went to Homedepot and filled the car with as many 50lb Sakrate bags I could fit. Trunk, back seat and front passenger seat all were full. It was a short trip (a mile maybe) and car survived (and me). Luckily, shocks and other suspension components did not get damaged.

Super stupid of me but I was not aware of yellow sticker on the door. Had never hauled before and checking weight limit never crossed my mind.

@op I would vote for trailer as well. With small pickups or SUV, you will hit payload very quickly, if you haul drywall.

[Mike Soaper]

I would like to figure out if there is any truth to this picture and the story behind it. The story I always read is Home Depot loaded the car with a forklift, but made them sign a disclaimer first. How the heck does that cheap twine keep 1000+ pounds of material from sliding off that fairly steep angle? This picture has been around for years, but I can't imagine current Home Depot policies would allow them to load a car with that much weight, disclaimer or not. Retail stores are really worried about liability these days.

According to Snopes it's rated as true. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/lumber-car/

Seems they also had 10 80lb bags of concrete in the back.

[Mike Soaper]

"Hah! Not same but have done similar load in Accord. 4-5 years back I was lining a small pond with concrete. I went to Homedepot and filled the car with as many 50lb Sakrate bags I could fit. Trunk, back seat and front passenger seat all were full. It was a short trip (a mile maybe) and car survived (and me). Luckily, shocks and other suspension components did not get damaged."

I had a used beater chevy c-20 3/4 ton pickup that supposedly had a heavy? suspension which I had taken to a local gravel pit. The bucket on the frontend loader was large and had a fair size load of gravel.

I was impressed with how much finesse the loader driver had as he slowly dropped the gravel into the truck as I was using my hand to signal keep adding more.

The dust from the gravel caused me to sneeze which caused me to bend forward and lower my hand, upon which I heard a big wooooomp as the driver thought I was indicating to dump it all in. I think I heard the tires screaming at me on the slow drive home.

[Kev Williams]

I would like to figure out if there is any truth to this picture and the story behind it. The story I always read is Home Depot loaded the car with a forklift, but made them sign a disclaimer first. How the heck does that cheap twine keep 1000+ pounds of material from sliding off that fairly steep angle? This picture has been around for years, but I can't imagine current Home Depot policies would allow them to load a car with that much weight, disclaimer or not. Retail stores are really worried about liability these days.


I don't know the back story, but I do have another pic with a little law enforcement added for good measure ;)
And I can attest that's WAY more than 1000 pounds, there's enough lumber there to build a 2-car garage!

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[Jerome Stanek]

You must be really having major smiles being able to turn your truck around in less than a half square mile now. :) :D

I used to have F250 extended cab trucks and went to a F350 crewcab both with 8 foot beds and the 350 would turn inside the 250.

[Ole Anderson]

For years I had a GMC Safari van that would haul 4x8 with the rear doors closed, seats removed (PITA).

[Steve Demuth]

I've had 2 Priuses and with the back seat down both could get as many 8-foot 2x4's inside as I was willing to stack up between the seats over the center console.

Ditto. Lots of rough sawn hardwood from the local mill too.

My version of the OPs problem, though, is finding a light pickup with a long bed that isn't a full crew cab. Been looking locally for months, and literally nothing on the used market that has a standard cab, only a few extended cabs - nearly all full crew cab - and very few that aren't short bed.

Who the hell wants a truck with a 4' bed? Evidently, everybody but me.

[Jim Becker]

I used to have F250 extended cab trucks and went to a F350 crewcab both with 8 foot beds and the 350 would turn inside the 250.

Yes, the newer ones are supposedly better in this respect. I've had a number of equestrian friends mention that when they upgraded to newer trucks.

[Zachary Hoyt]

The Harbor Freight trailer is great for the price, the one thing I had to change on mine was to run a ground wire from each light to the trailer hitch, the painted bolt-together frame parts are very poor ground path and only one light worked at first when I wired it as shown in the instructions.

[Jim Becker]

My version of the OPs problem, though, is finding a light pickup with a long bed that isn't a full crew cab. Been looking locally for months, and literally nothing on the used market that has a standard cab, only a few extended cabs - nearly all full crew cab - and very few that aren't short bed.


That's kind how it's been for awhile now in the general truck market and that's going to limit the used market, too. For "new", Ford does still make the F150 with a standard cab and an 8' bed in both basic and XLT trims. They offer the same in the F250 space. RAM does not appear to offer the same in the 1500, but does have a standard cab with an 8' bed in the 2500. Tundra is available in a double-cab with 8' bed. Titan doesn't seem to come in an 8' bed version, but I could be wrong about that. GM/Chevy have a standard cab with 8' bed available. I suspect most of these would require a special order, however, unless a particular dealer sells a lot of "work trucks". Which brings me back to the used market...there's not going to be much happening there if there's not much happening in the new market for those configurations.

[mike stenson]

6' short beds have been a very standard bed length for as long as I remember.. including my buddies F100 (and very VERY common on pretty much every site I ever worked on). To be fair, a short box isn't all that restrictive compared to a long bed. Especially if you're having sheet goods. If you're filling the bed with rock/dirt, that's a different story IMO.

[Brian Elfert]

My version of the OPs problem, though, is finding a light pickup with a long bed that isn't a full crew cab. Been looking locally for months, and literally nothing on the used market that has a standard cab, only a few extended cabs - nearly all full crew cab - and very few that aren't short bed.


Fastenal sells off their regular cab trucks after a few years. You might check what they have listed for your state at vehicles.fastenal.com.

You won't be able to buy something as a used vehicle if it was never sold as new. People aren't buying very many regular cab long bed pickups new so there won't be many used ones. A lot of people say to only buy used vehicles and never buy new. If nobody bought new vehicles there wouldn't be any used vehicles to buy eventually.

[Steve Demuth]

Fastenal sells off their regular cab trucks after a few years. You might check what they have listed for your state at vehicles.fastenal.com.

You won't be able to buy something as a used vehicle if it was never sold as new. People aren't buying very many regular cab long bed pickups new so there won't be many used ones. A lot of people say to only buy used vehicles and never buy new. If nobody bought new vehicles there wouldn't be any used vehicles to buy eventually.

Thanks for the fastenal tip.

I've got a sedan for transporting my wife and myself places. I want a truck for truck stuff: hauling sheep, lumber, plywood, firewood, on the road and in the fields and woods. I obviously know why I can't find the kind of truck I want for that (light pickup, 4WD, standard cab, long bed, 5-speed manual transmission), but I figure I'm old enough to whine about it anyway.

I really miss my 53 Chevy 5-window, and wish at least once a week I'd never have sold the thing. But it didn't have 4WD, so it really couldn't cut it on my hilly land.

[Jim Becker]

Wanting that manual tranny really is going to "enhance" your search... :D

[Derek Meyer]

I had a 2004 Ford Explorer that I occasionally hauled sheet goods and lumber in. If I put the middle and back row seats down, I could get about 6 1/2" of the sheet inside. I'd pull the lift gate down and tie it so it didn't bounce around, and strap the sheets so they couldn't slide out. It worked okay, though not near as nice as a pickup.

I once hauled 1500 pounds of tile from Home Depot about 35 miles away to my house. The Explorer was only rated for 1/4 ton, so I was just a tad over. If I hadn't had the V8 and towing package I wouldn't have tried. It got a little warm by the time I got up the 7 mile long 7% grade, but it made it fine. The back end was riding pretty low, though not quite as bad as the car in the above pictures.

I did like that I could haul lumber 12' long completely inside if I put the front passenger seat down too. I just had to be careful when loading not to bump the windshield, as that would have been an instant break. I'm glad that only happened once. After that, I carried a blanket with me to protect the dash and windshield.

[Patrick Grady]

I installed a Draw Tight hitch (nice quality -rated 300# tongue weight ) for my Toyota Camry and bought a 4X6 $800 trailer (model DK-2 -made in Canada) from E-Trailer and I like the towing options. The wood shipping pallet for the trailer cuts down and fits perfectly into the trailer to make a 'flat top' which accommodates drywall and ply sheets for easy strapping. The metal (not wire) trailer folds and stands under a 7 mil tarp to slow down the rust. Getting a straight clean title for these small trailers can be troublesome so be careful and research. I wish I had this new trailer back when I loaded 4 double box bee hives into the old Saturn station wagon for a house move.

[Ben Helmich]

Seem that about 90% of even pickup trucks are too small to carry a sheet of plywood without leaving the tailgate down (which presumably explains the number of pieces of plywood, OSB, and drywall littering the highways). One wonders what in the world those trucks with the micro-beds are used for.

I had Suburbans back in our serious canoe camping days, they would hold a 4x8 sheet with the tailgate closed. Don't know if that's still true of the modern gussied up ones.

I now have a full size truck with the short 5.5 ft bed. It sucks. It really does. Except for most of the time when I’m just running around town with nothing in it. Then it’s great. The answer to your question about what the micro beds are good for…not much.

[Ben Helmich]

I've only had one truck in my life that DIDN'T have an 8' bed. Loved the truck but couldn't haul crap with it.

Bought my trusty '02 F250 brand new. 8' bed, will haul practically anything. Only thing it won't tow is a gooseneck trailer (for now) ;)
While it'll haul plywood great, I've had other uses for it over the years--

2003
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2005
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2006
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2010
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2015 (just moving around the boat yard) :) -below was in 2008
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2016
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coupla months ago at the grocery store
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-- it's never been garaged, never had a wax job. Still looks and drives like new...

-back on topic, did I mention plywood fits in it? :D

(hey Roger, you started it!)

Man. I had a 2001 just like that. Best truck I ever had.

[Jim Becker]

I now have a full size truck with the short 5.5 ft bed. It sucks. It really does. Except for most of the time when I’m just running around town with nothing in it. Then it’s great. The answer to your question about what the micro beds are good for…not much.

Fortunately, if you have a hitch receiver on the back of your truck, you can get a receiver mounted "tee support" that will help with supporting longer items with the short truck bed. I had one of those back when I had my 2000 Tundra and it was the 6'5" bed. I think I bought it from Harbor Freight. When I sold the truck, I sold the support to another woodworker and bought my utility trailer to use with the subsequent line of SUVs I've been driving since.

[Anuj Prateek]

I now have a full size truck with the short 5.5 ft bed. It sucks. It really does. Except for most of the time when I’m just running around town with nothing in it. Then it’s great. The answer to your question about what the micro beds are good for…not much.

Actually, in city and near by area it "generally" works better to 5.5' bed. While carrying 8' sheets, to a limit, both will perform equally good. In both cases you have to have tail gate down. In favor of 5.5', parking is little easier and more importantly, it will fit in most garages. On other side, anything 6' in length 6.5' bed makes life simpler, and not to mention it looks better.

I guess it comes down to the primary duty of the truck.

[andy bessette]

If all I'm carrying in my 6.5' bed is a few sheets of plywood, I just leave the tailgate up.

https://i.postimg.cc/CK81wz99/thumbnail.jpg (https://postimg.cc/QBXsbx8q)

[Ron Citerone]

My 2007 Toyota Minivan does 4 x8 with middle seats removed. Have had 7 sheets of drywall in it. 8’ lumber no problem. A few 10’ boards straight up the middle too.

Longer than 10’ means tying down the back door which is somewhat problematic, but can be done.

Not sure about the newer ones.