Hauling Lumber on an SUV

[Brian Kent]

Can I haul Plywood on a small roof-top carrier?

I don't have a truck.
I can rent a truck or borrow one if I need to haul a LOT of plywood sheets.
I can fit long narrow lumber in my Honda CRV.
I get stuck when I want to get one or two sheets of 4 x 8 plywood.

Is it safe to use a car-top carrier on the CRV (a mini-SUV)?

If so, how do I tie it down safely - just on the rack bars or down to the front bumper area too?

My advantage is I'm only 3-4 miles from my lumber sources and I can take surface streets. I just don't want to stupidly ignore any basic laws of physics and aerodynamics and then say, "O yeah, I should have asked about that!"

[Joe Jensen]

I had an SUV that wouldn't fit a 4 foot wide sheet between the wheel wells, (my suburban does), so I built a knock down rack that was just two simple bridges, one over each wheel well, and then a couple of braces that connected the two bridges. The bridges were just 2 by 4s 8 feet long, with legs about 10" tall to raise the 2 by 4s up. With this I could carry 4 by 8 sheets inside with the rear hatch open.

I personally would not carry on the roof. Too much area for the wind to catch. I'd be worried that it would pull the roof rack off if a semi passed at 70 MPH...joe

[Jim Becker]

Consider a small utility trailer. Even with my mid-sized SUV, it makes a huge difference for this activity and is much safer than trying to use a roof-rack. If you can find one used, great, but if not the cost isn't that outlandish.

[Doug Shepard]

I've carried ply on my Aztek's roof rack without any problems. I've limited it to no more than 2 sheets. I'm sure there's a safety limit somewhere heavier than 2. I've just made multiple trips rather than push my luck. I'd probably not do it on a day with heavy winds either. I usually spend 15 minutes or so tieing it down securely so it cant slip side to side or front to back either. I usually tie at the back tow hook area but dont usually go up to the front bumper area. A few wraps going diagonally around the corners and through the roof rack has been sufficient. My dad has literally yards and yards of some 1/2" and 3/4" wide woven nylon banding from his years at the phone company's cable yards. Not sure what they used it for, but it works great for tieing down loads. For hardwood, I can usually fit stuff inside the Aztek with the seats folded down and if necessary a few feet hanging out the back with the liftgate tied down.

[Scott Loven]

Dont do it like this guy did!
http://www.ccsi.com/~mbrown/Email_Flotsam/Home_Depot_Genius/a_HomeDepotIdiot2.jpg

[Lee Schierer]

My roof rack is only rated for 100# max. I probably will never carry a sheet of plywood on it.

The air flow over the car will be quite great even at 40 mph. If you do try carrying it on the roof, run strong ties over the leading edge down to the frame in the front of the car. Go as slow as you can. Remember going 30 mph into a 15 mph wind means the wood is seeing 45 mph wind. Try walking with a sheet of plywood in a 10 mph wind and you will get the idea.

[Brian Kent]

My rooftop load limit is 55 lbs. I may be limited to just one sheet. The small trailor may be the way to go (and a good time to go to Harbor Freight).

The advantage of the roof rack is when I am picking something up without prior planning.

[Craig Kershaw]

If you are buying the plywood for a project and don't need the full 4 x 8, get the HD folks to rip the plywood on their panel saw.

[Brian Kent]

That's what I've done so far. For some reason that part of the store is often a little sparse on help.

[Phil Harding]

I faced a similar dilemma. I opted to buy a small utility trailer from Harbor Freight. I caught it on sale for around $200. It folds up so it doesn't take up too much room in the garage.

-- Phil

[Pat Germain]

While hauling plywood atop a small SUV is something you can away with, it can also be downright dangerous. The problem comes not from the weight, but from the wood acting like a sail. There's an awful lot of force pulling on whatever is holding that plywood down. If it breaks, you could literally kill somebody with a sheet of plywood moving at 40MPH or more.

I'm sure people do this all the time without issues, but the risk is certainly much higher than driving down the road with plywood in the bed of a pickup or in a trailer. Even if it was tied down very securely to a factory roof rack, it's likely the roof rack could pop out of the roof. Those things are pretty lightweight.

[Jim Grill]

The problem comes not from the weight, but from the wood acting like a sail. There's an awful lot of force pulling on whatever is holding that plywood down. If it breaks, you could literally kill somebody with a sheet of plywood moving at 40MPH or more.


Pat's right. I've seen this happen before on a highway during rush hour traffic in Houston, TX about ten years ago. It caused at least a 10 car accident - not to mention others who pulled over (including me) and emergency vehicles and hundreds of motorists stuck on the highway while the police worked the scene.

Don't under estimate the power of 45 mph wind on a 4X8 "sail". It'll snap some rope or even rip your roof rack off, which is what happened in Houston that day.

[Bruce Benjamin]

One of the problems with tying to a factory roof rack has already been explained, the wood blowing off of the rack. If it doesn't blow off of the rack, the rack itself can blow off of the car. A lot of factory racks are only held onto the roof using expanding rubber nutserts through the sheet metal of the roof. Some are probably more secure but I doubt that any are substantial enough to handle the force of an unexpected gust of wind on a sheet of plywood.

The no-brainer obvious choice is to just buy a small flat bed utility trailer. The HF trailers have already been suggested and they will work fine as long as you don't overload them. If you absolutely insist on hauling on the roof of you SUV then buy one of the aftermarket sport racks, like a Yakima. The ones that hook onto your rain gutters, (if you have rain gutters) are the strongest. The racks that only utilize the existing factory rack aren't any stronger than the factory rack. After strapping the plywood to the sport rack, then run some straps over the wood and through the passenger compartment, through the windows. You may have to get creative with this since it will require you to either crawl through the window to get in or tighten the strap in front after you're already in the car. I work at a lumber yard and I've seen this done. The guy secured the rear strap through the rear windows and then kept the front one very loose until after he was in the car. He then used the ratchet to tighten it down. The only way this will fail is if the straps fail or if the roof rips off of your car. :eek:

All of that being said, I still think overloading any car or light truck on the roof is a stupid idea so let your own sense of danger be your guide. Just spend a couple hundred bucks on a Harbor Freight trailer with 12" wheels and you won't have to worry about ruining your car, (Your CRV is a CAR, not a truck or an SUV...No Utility) and possibly injuring or killing anyone in the process. That can't possibly be worth the money you saved on a trailer, can it?

Bruce

[John Lanciani]

Brian,

I'll take the other side of the debate. I have a Honda Element fitted up with a Yakima rack rated for 200 lbs, and I don't think twice about putting 2 or 3 sheets of ply on the roof. I use 2 ratcheting tiedowns (good ones, not harbor freight crap) to hold the ply to the rack and two more to bind the ends of the ply together and I have no reservations about driving at normal speeds. (I'd drive in front of my grandmother without second thought).

I have a nice utility trailer, but to me it's a pain in the butt to use for such a small load. I even get baltic birch 5'x5' on the rack, turned on the diagonal. It's super secure this way, but I do get a few looks sometimes.

My belief is that as long as you use common sense, a good rack is plenty safe.

John

[Scott Loven]

I have mine delivered to me from the lumber yard for $15.00. This way I have someone there to help me carry it into the shop!
Scott

[Greg Cole]

I just wouldn't do it on any roof rack with full sheets for obvious safety issues. I dislike picking full sheets up to toss into my truck, I wouldn't want to hoist them overhead... just to see them make it 1/2 way home.
If you have a cordless circular saw, bring it to the BORG with you if you need sheet goods ripped. I won't wait 2 seconds for a BORG employee for ANYTHING, my free time is worth more to me than that.
I do get a kick out of watching those that do try to load things that shouldn't be put in or on a car or van.... wood sticking out an open trunk and shoved up against the windshield.. seeing someone drive with full sheet goods on a van roof and the driver and the twit passenger both HOLDING the sheets in place as they drove off.....
I bet the security cameras of the BORGS could do an episode of America's Funniest.:D

[Pat Germain]

^^ With gas over $3.00 a gallon, that seems like a great option!

[James Suzda]

It’s ironic but this very subject was discussed on another woodworking forum that I visit. What several of those folks did was to make a 48” x 96” rack with several cross supports to fit over the SUV’s roof rack. (They had notches cut in the wooden rack which allowed it to ‘nestle” down on the roof rack so it wouldn’t stick up so high.) This rack also had a wooden wind dam in the front to prevent air from getting under the plywood panels plus it had a swivel stop in the back to prevent the sheets from sliding off.
Then when they loaded the sheet goods they ran a strap over the top and then through the doors of the SUV to hold the front of the rack and sheets down without relying on the SUV’s rack mounting system. I suppose a person could manufacture some flat steel hooks that would hook into the window channel and just run with your widows open a tad.
The two worse instances of “brain dead haulers” that I’ve witnessed was one guy who was hauling 8’ long boards stuck through the two back windows of his sedan. This guy caused some excitement on the highway. The other was watching a guy put a 4x8 sheet of plywood in the trunk of the car and tying the end up so it wouldn’t drag on the ground!!
All this talk makes me so happy that I have a full size 8’ box on my pickup! :)

[Rob Will]

Consider a small utility trailer. Even with my mid-sized SUV, it makes a huge difference for this activity and is much safer than trying to use a roof-rack. If you can find one used, great, but if not the cost isn't that outlandish.

Jim's got this one right for sure. A small utility trailer is the best and safest way to handle this. Around here, new ones are about $500. If you have a place to park it, go ahead and get a welded angle iron utility trailer with 14 or 15" wheels. If you are in a pinch for space, I suppose the folding trailers with 12" tires would get you by. A small amount of extra weight in the trailer's construction and a bit larger tire sure makes them pull better.

Rob

[david hines]

every time i see that picture i laugh. it was a real photo taken by my bil in waldorf md. most roof racks are very limited in what they can hold . modern cars and trucks are not your fathers chevy/ford/dodge.

[Dave Morris]

Brian, one thing that hasn't been covered is the opposite problem you could face-- stopping. Even at 25 MPH, if a kid runs out in the street right in front of you because he's chasing a ball, you have to stop "now".

Can't happen, right? I had that very thing happen to me years ago with a single piece of plywood tied down to the lumber rack on top of my truck. The ply was tightly roped side-to-side only. Yeah, I was only going a couple miles, and driving slow. The ply flew completely over my hood and missed the kid by inches. Suffice it to say I learned a good lesson, and my loads have always had STRONG front straps from then on.

If you put the load on top of your rig, make sure the load can't slide forward, and drive defensively.

[Brian Myers]

Just remember to check your owners manual for the roofs load limit. I have an `88 Jeep cherokee with a thule roof rack. My roofs limit is 170#, the rack can handle much more but your roofs structure is the limiting factor. Something else to consider is not just wind ,but as your load on the roof gets taller so does your center of gravity which will effect cornering,lane changing, and the body will nose dive more when braking then pitch back (roof loads need to be secure - can`t be allow any movement). SUVs already have a higher center of gravity when compared to a car. I`ve driven with several pallets strapped to my rack (one on top of another) and she gets a bit sloppy in the corners. DO NOT surpass the car manufactures roof load limit even if your only driving a short distance. Remember too that vehicles also have total load limit, which includes the driver and passengers weight plus all your gear, inside or out. Just secure your load well and drive slowly , let other drivers go around you if they`re in a rush. The big thing here is to always play it safe and only do what your comfortable with. If a small trailer is in the budget , go for it . You will be surprised just how much use you will get out of one. Also remember your vehicle has a towing limit, so that gives you more research to do.

[Mike Parzych]

The most important factor is keeping the front end of the sheets from lifting up from the air flow. Run 2 long tie-down the long way over the front of the sheets. If you're only going 3-4 miles (so I'm guessing it's on low speed surface streets) you should be fine. Stick a few C-clamps on to make it 1 thicker sheet for more stability. I've hauled sheets on a flat bed trailer this way without problems.

If they're thin material, on the front end use 2- 2x4's cut at 50" plus with holes drilled near the ends and slip bolts/nuts thru the holes

[Kent Fitzgerald]

Count this as another vote for a trailer. I've put some big items in our CR-V, and I must disagree with Bruce's "no utility" comment, but for 4x8 sheets the trailer is great. Much easier to load than the roof, and you can cut the sheets to size right on the trailer when you get home.

[Hank Knight]

Brian,

I haul sheet goods on the roof rack of my '96 Grand Cherokee all the time with no problems. I don't recall what the weight limit for the rack is, but I've hauled up to three 4'X8' sheets of 3/4" birch ply with no problem. I make a temporary "bed" for the sheet goods by tying down three 10' 2X4 studs securely to the roof rack. Lay the sheet goods on top and tie them to the 2X4s, front, back and side to side. Side to side tie-down is important because the stuff can slide out sideways (DAMHIKT). I've hauled 5X5 Baltic Birch plywood and 8/4 maple over 100 miles on the interstate this way - driving the minimum speed limit - without any difficulty. If you have any distance to travel or if it's windy, you might want to run a couple of lines across the top of the sheet goods to the front bumper to keep the wind from getting up under the load and lifting it up.

Hank

[Bruce Benjamin]

Count this as another vote for a trailer. I've put some big items in our CR-V, and I must disagree with Bruce's "no utility" comment, but for 4x8 sheets the trailer is great. Much easier to load than the roof, and you can cut the sheets to size right on the trailer when you get home.


Well, ok. I guess even a Mazda Miata or a Motorcycle can be said to have some Utility. But in the realistic view of sport utility vehicles, (My realistic view) such as an Expedition or a Suburban or even an Avalanche or Cherokee, the CR-V isn't much for Utility. I call it a car because it's built on a car chassis. When he and I and another friend of our, (all of us are over 200 lbs) would pile into the CR-V to go somewhere you could really tell that the light duty suspension was really getting a work out. The old Buick station wagon we had as a kid had more utility, complete with heavy duty overload springs.

A guy I used to work with had a CR-V. He tried to use it as a pickup too. He bought a house about 35 miles up in the mountains and he used his CR-V to haul building materials up there. It went from an almost new car to a somewhat squeaky and rattling used car in little time. The interior took a beating as did the suspension. At least he still got good MPG! :rolleyes: Granted, it was a long and twisty road so it wasn't the easiest road to drive but in my opinion his Honda faired a lot worse than it should have in a relatively short period of time.

I'm not trying to slam the CR-V. I'm just saying that people are sort of kidding themselves if they buy one for it's utility. Other than having fold down seats and a large rear door, it wasn't really designed for utility any more than my parents' Honda Accord or my brother's Honda Civic.

Bruce

[Brian Kent]

Just for fun, I checked the dimensions on a single engine plane - a version of the Piper Cub. It has 179 sq ft of wing and has a max take-off weight of 1760 lbs. That's about 10 lbs of lift per square foot.

If I support a piece of 4' x 8' plywood in the middle and tie down the ends I will have created an airfoil with 320 lbs of lift. If my roof is rated for just 55 lbs on the rack, 320 lbs of lift may be a problem. (Fast freeway speeds are about the same as lift-off speed for a Piper Cub). On the other hand, If I can figure out a way to reinforce the roof and place ten pieces of plywood side by side on the roof, I can float over the freeway (until I crash, with no air propulsion system or rudder).

In other words, I get the idea I shouldn't carry plywood on my CRV roof.

[Jim Heffner]

I don't think that regular roof rack is the best thing to use. I'm with Jim and the others about getting a small utility trailer. You can even buy a small utility trailer at HF for about $200.00 that will do that job very easily
and be a lot safer too! That picture in the other post about the plywood
on that little car is a real hoot! there are some clowns around here that will do that very thing for sure! Jim Heffner

[Dave MacArthur]

Really enjoyable, and funny, thread ;) This thread may be a bit old already, I got here via a link from Jim, but I'll throw out a funny story anyways ;)
Good calculations Brian, I was gonna do them but you get the idea--Now think of the 320 lbs of force acting assymetrically on that sheet, maybe most of it on the front end due to angle of attack? Middle tied down, what will 320 lbs of force on the corners of the sheet do? I know I wouldn't want two teenagers standing on the corners of my sheet goods...

Like someone up above, I've ONE TIME carried some 2x8 goods on the roof rack of a car... going super slow, surface streets... I'll be really careful... tons of tiedowns----KID ON BICYCLE!! The car in front of me hits his brakes, I hit my brakes, 4 8 foot long projectile spears weighing 40 lbs each or something go flying forward towards this dude's car! Luckily they land 1 foot behind his rear bumper... oh no... they go flying UNDER his car, and shoot out in front of him! We're on a slight downhill grade, and they keep going! One goes in front of the bicycle kid, one goes behind. Kid falls down in street.

No one got hurt, luckily. But you can IMAGINE the traffic blockage as me and my buddy leave our car and run into the intersection to recover our 2x8s, there must have been 40 cars stopped there as the lights changed back and forth, at this 4-way... and EVERY ONE of those drivers was cursing us out the windows.

That was probably the worst "walk of shame" I've ever had to do, people just looking at you and shaking their head as you crawled past.

SO! If you're up for THAT, good luck with the roof-hauling! I recommend either buying a trailer, or calling a buddy with a pickup--Joe Jensen had a great idea up there for building a bridge that will allow most pickups to carry 4x8s. ;)

[Tom Veatch]

...(Fast freeway speeds are about the same as lift-off speed for a Piper Cub). ...

You must have slow drivers in your area. Around here "normal" freeway speeds are about the same as the cruise speed of a Cub. Flying into any kind of headwind in a C150, I'm consistently passed by drivers on the interstate below me.


In other words, I get the idea I shouldn't carry plywood on my CRV roof.
That's wise. I used to do it on the roof rack of a Cherokee, but was never very comfortable with the practice. That discomfort drove me to a utility trailer similar to the HF folding trailer. Now I have a 8' bed pickup that handles that duty.

But - one day I was hauling a set of steel sheathed prehung double doors that was a little too wide for the bed of the truck. One side of the doors stuck up and overhung the side of the bed about a foot. It was only about 2.5 miles from the lumber yard to the destination so no problem, right?. Yeah, right. I was about 100 yards out of the parking lot when a gust of Kansas wind got under the doors, lifted them right out of the bed of the truck, sailed them over a good sized ditch, and landed them about 25 yards out in the wheat field beside the road. The guys at the lumber yard saw it happen and still mention it much more frequently than I'd prefer.

Now, even with 4x8 sheets that lie flat and are completely contained in the truck bed, I run restraint straps to keep them from lifting off and doing "touch 'n' goes" across the wheat field.

[joe greiner]

I've moved some awkward thin stuff (not plywood, but principle's the same) by lashing it to the right side of my SUV. Cardboard to protect the finish, chains hanging down from the roof rack and secured back to the bumper and running board. Also drove very slow - surface streets, short distance, not much traffic. Quite a bother, though.

It would take a lot of delivery charges to break even on the cost of a trailer. Only other uses could justify the trailer for me.

And don't do it like this guy, either.

Joe

[Brian Weick]

Dont do it like this guy did!
http://www.ccsi.com/~mbrown/Email_Flotsam/Home_Depot_Genius/a_HomeDepotIdiot2.jpg
You have got to be kidding! That is one uneducated move. I thought I have seen most bizarre moves before but that picture tops the cake Scott! you start loading paneling on it will act as a sail(obviously) and you could really cause some serious injuries to others on the road not to mention maybe you and who ever else is in the vehicle with you. I would opt for buying a trailer - so you spend $5-$1000 , you will be spending that and more on attorney fees and court costs , not to mention having to live with the results if something goes wrong-is it really worth the risk?
Brian

[Brian Weick]

Looks like the frame broke?

[Dan Lee]

Always wondered about that pic with the red car and ply. What the heck is keeping it from sliding off, I can't believe those little ropes would hold :confused:

[George Leicht]

A few years ago, I worked part-times at Lowes. I was always amazed at what people would try to haul with their grocery-getter. I have seen lots of people tying plywood on the top of SUV's, mini-vans, and even sedans. One of the funniest was a guy who bought two boxes of 16' hardboard lap siding and pulled into the loading area with his shortbed Toyota pickup. He insisted that we load the boxes into the back. They actually touched the ground. We suggested that he could have us deliver them, but he wanted to take them right then, so he went back into the store and bought two 2 x 10 x12' boards. We took the siding out, laid the boards in the bed and laid the siding on top of it. He still only had about 6" of ground clearance, but off he went!
George

[Grant Davis]

Another bone head wood transport gone bad.

66565

[Brian Weick]

Can you imagine what happened with that? what are some people thinking. How did you get that photo?
Brian

[James Ayars]

Back in college, I worked in a borg type store. One day a guy came and bought a pallet of chain link fence rolls and wanted the pallet loaded onto his nearly new looking pickup. Now he wanted it loaded, pallet and all. I said no but another guy said he would load it. Their plan was to lower the pallet partway into the bed then back the fork lift out using the walls of the bed to keep the pallet in the truck.

I spoke up and said I didn't think it was going to work as the pallet was too wide to fit between both wheel wells. My co-worker reminded me that he and the buyer were both retired army(which in their minds meant they knew everything) and I was just a "college boy" and to stand back and learn something.

So I stood back and watched Bill lower the pallet partway into the bed and pull the forks out. The pallet dropped onto one wheel well and beside the other. The pallet fell to one side, the plastic wrap on it broke and the rolls of fence fell aacross the truck and onto the ground. The back window on truck got broken and the paint on the bed walls and sides of the truck got mutilated. Inside I was saying "Told you so." but I knew better to say anythign at the time.

The store manager had a cussing fit at Bill for doing something like that. The fact that he had already got the forklift stuck in the sand behind the warehouse, after being told "Don't drive on the sand" and running over a fire hydrant breaking it off didn't help his case much. Plus the manager was afraid of a lawsuit from the dimwit buyer.
James

[Brian Weick]

Great Story James,
yes- these are the guys you have to watch out for ~ but I am sure he thinks before he reacts now ~ I feel sorry for the guy- but he asked for it-
Great story James
Brain

[Don Eddard]

You have got to be kidding! That is one uneducated move. I thought I have seen most bizarre moves before but that picture tops the cake Scott!

This picture has made the rounds on the Net over the years, but it's still a classic. If I recall the story correctly, the passenger was asleep in the car, with the motor running, while the driver went looking for help. Apparently the rear shocks were punched through to the interior, too.

[joe greiner]

The overloaded flatbed is not from the 'net. December 1966, Orangeburg or Aiken, SC (Don't remember which). There was a low spot in the road about 100 ft east of this location. The truck was carrying about double what's still aboard. (See spillage in front of the truck.) The truck bounced, and then the load bounced. And then the frame broke, dug into the road, stopped, and the rest of the load went west.

Joe

[david hines]

the overloaded red car is a real picture. it happenned in Waldorf Md and yes the local BORG helped him load it. It destroyed the car . the pict. doesnt show the bags of cement inside

[James Ayars]

Bags of cement! :eek: HAHAHAHAHA

Actually I think I see one in the back drivers side window. The borg people helped him load it and we're supposed to consider them experts on buying tools, plumbing, lumber etc?