Tow hitch accessory for hauling sheet goods in an SUV?

[ed mirzay]

Hi all,
Frequent reader, infrequent poster here.

I have a 4Runner SUV, plenty big enough for daily use but a little lacking for hauling sheet goods, even with the rear open and the seats down they hang out quite a ways.

There has got to be an accessory for a tow hitch that will act as a support
bar for the stuff being hauled that extends beyond the interior. Anyone have one/seen one/know where to get one? I could probably make one but experience has taught me that I can usually make things for 2-3 times the price and 50 times the effort to just buy them off the shelf.

Thanks,

[Gene Jordan]

If I understand your question correctly I think that the item you are after is called a truck bed extender. Harbor Freight has these with the item number 39168-4VGA. This is fastened into your trailer hitch and is height adjustable.

[ed mirzay]

Bingo! That is it exactly. Thanks a million Gene, because of you I will be making a trip to harborfreight tomorrow.

[Gene Jordan]

Glad that I could be of help. Good luck.
Gene

[Rob Will]

........or a small utility trailer(?)

Rob

[Jim Becker]

I had the HFT version of the receiver hitch support and it worked just fine. (Bought a trailer now and sold the support thingie to another SMC member)

[Rick Gifford]

........or a small utility trailer(?)

Rob

This is my solution. I have a 5'X10" trailer I use for most of my hauling. I have a Dodge dakota, and can haul some wood in the bed, but the trailer is the way to go.

I'd seriously do the trailer idea if I had to haul inside the vehicle like this.

But that truck bed extender is gonna be less cost and at least you won't have to find a place to park it.

[Wade Lippman]

I have a 1.25" hitch on my SUV. The only thing I have ever used it for is to tow my boat, and it only weights 500 pounds so I guess it is adequate; but all the accessories like this are only available for 2" hitches. Is an adaptor made? I know my capacity is limited, but it ought to handle a few dozen 2x4s...

[Greg Pavlov]

When using an extender, what do people do to avoid backdrafting carbon monoxide into the truck?

[Chris Curry]

what do people do to avoid backdrafting carbon monoxide into the truck?

Being designed for pickup trucks, that's not usually a problem.;)
I'm not sure how well this would work for sheet stock as IRRC there are the raised loops on the sides of the horizontal support bar for tie down use and they aren't 48" apart and the width isn't adjustable. I may be mistaken - it's happened plenty.

[Mike Cutler]

I have a 1.25" hitch on my SUV. The only thing I have ever used it for is to tow my boat, and it only weights 500 pounds so I guess it is adequate; but all the accessories like this are only available for 2" hitches. Is an adaptor made? I know my capacity is limited, but it ought to handle a few dozen 2x4s...

Wade.

Go to the middle of the page.

http://www.bageco.com/hitchaccess.htm

and another,

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000COAVUI?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=yahoo-auto-20&linkCode=asn

[Kevin Groenke]

As has been mentioned, the units that are commonly available are designed to support loads extending beyond a tailgate. I couldn't get 4' sheets into the back of my "truck", so I came up with an alternative. If I had room in the garage/yard for a trailer I would have one.

The plywood carrier I came up with consists of front and rear "outriggers" which attach to, and extend from a 2" rear hitch receiver and a similar receiver mounted beneath the passenger door. The final attachment point is a clamping mechanism which slides over a roof rack crossbar. The vertical distance between the outriggers and clamping screw on the top bracket is either 48.5" or 49.5", so when sheet stock is clamped between the 3 points, it is essentially captive. The clamping mechanism is basically a 1/2" bolt squeezing 1-1/2"x 3/8" steel bar stock around the top of the "stack" of sheet stock.

The pockets on the outriggers are only 5.5" so the capacity is somewhat limited, primarily due to the load limit of the vehicle it is mounted to. If I need more material than I can haul with this, I've probably exceeded the minimum order for free delivery from the local lumberyard.

I'm in town, so the system is used primarily for short runs from the lumber yard/borg to the shop. I have had as much as 5 sheets of 1" MDF on the carrier... 600 lbs?? no problem. I've been on the freeway with a full load and it's basically un-noticeable that the stock is there.

This system is exponentially easier to load than a roof rack and doesn't present the aerodynamic "lift" problems that can be an issue with stock up top. I find this system easier to load that the pick-up I used to drive. It's easy to slide the stock forward from a vertical cart into the outrigger pockets, or to tip the stock off of a horizontal cart. The system is especially easy to load because some passerby will usually stop to check it out in the parking lot and they'll lend a hand as they ask where I got it or if it came with the truck or whatever.

I've driven by several law enforcement personnel with the system loaded and have not been pulled over to date. I did get a thumbs-up from one of them.

At this time the system is not commercially available.

[Mike Cutler]

Very cool.:cool::cool::cool:

I'll take one if it hauls sheetrock.;);)

[Stan Welborn]

Being designed for pickup trucks, that's not usually a problem.;)
I'm not sure how well this would work for sheet stock as IRRC there are the raised loops on the sides of the horizontal support bar for tie down use and they aren't 48" apart and the width isn't adjustable. I may be mistaken - it's happened plenty.

The one I have adjusts in width, plus they rotate so the vertical members can be laid down or even turned upside down. Very versatile. I just leave them in the bed of my truck. Never know when you may run across a few boards you want to haul.

[Lee Schierer]

When using an extender, what do people do to avoid backdrafting carbon monoxide into the truck?

Run the fan on flow through on the highest speed setting. Air can't come in the back if there is a lot of air entering the cabin from the fan.:D

[James Mudler]

I haul a lot of sheet stock and my SUV (ford expy) was bought because it would haul a 4x8 sheet uncut. A 4Runner isn't 48" (49" for MDF) wide is it?

[Gene O. Carpenter]

What's wrong with using the roof rack that comes on most of the SUV's that I have seen..I have a 1989 Isuzu Trooper that I hauled about 100 sheets of 1/2" sheet rock at 10-12 sheets a trip, many sheets of plywood, 20ft 2X12's, 16' 4X4's and it doesn't require any additional outlay of $$!

When ever I would go for sheet rock I would lash two 2"X4"X8' on top with the leading edge about 1 ft in front of the racks front rail or tie down. Then loaded 10 sheet's of DW front edge lined up with front end of the 2x4's. Tie a line to the rack and throw it across, a winching knot to pull it tight, another on the back and go..
The problem that most people make is they load the sheets directly over head extending partially over or close to the top of the windshield. This is right in the airstream and can cause problems.! Load it further back and the air will flow up the windshield and over the sheet goods.

When ever I do load like this there will be a 3ft overhang on the rear but no one can plow into it, there's no back draft to pull exhaust in , there's no road/tire noises.
If you don't have a roof rack take a couple old blankets and spread them out, lay the 2x4's on them then load the sheet rock. If you're hauling plywood you don't need the 2x4's! Today's wall paneling is so thin it will catch in the breeze if the top sheet is the slightest bit in front of the stack so throw a line close to that leading edge, otherwise you'll lose part of that one.

That side load carrying is neat but it obstructs side viewing and I wouldn't want to be involved in an accident while transporting a 4x8 sheet of material with the top edge clearly being high enough to cause a distant blind spot.. With today's "litigating" society you have to CYOAH!!

[Bruce Benjamin]

What's wrong with using the roof rack that comes on most of the SUV's that I have seen..I have a 1989 Isuzu Trooper that I hauled about 100 sheets of 1/2" sheet rock at 10-12 sheets a trip, many sheets of plywood, 20ft 2X12's, 16' 4X4's and it doesn't require any additional outlay of $$!

When ever I would go for sheet rock I would lash two 2"X4"X8' on top with the leading edge about 1 ft in front of the racks front rail or tie down. Then loaded 10 sheet's of DW front edge lined up with front end of the 2x4's. Tie a line to the rack and throw it across, a winching knot to pull it tight, another on the back and go..
The problem that most people make is they load the sheets directly over head extending partially over or close to the top of the windshield. This is right in the airstream and can cause problems.! Load it further back and the air will flow up the windshield and over the sheet goods.

When ever I do load like this there will be a 3ft overhang on the rear but no one can plow into it, there's no back draft to pull exhaust in , there's no road/tire noises.
If you don't have a roof rack take a couple old blankets and spread them out, lay the 2x4's on them then load the sheet rock. If you're hauling plywood you don't need the 2x4's! Today's wall paneling is so thin it will catch in the breeze if the top sheet is the slightest bit in front of the stack so throw a line close to that leading edge, otherwise you'll lose part of that one.

That side load carrying is neat but it obstructs side viewing and I wouldn't want to be involved in an accident while transporting a 4x8 sheet of material with the top edge clearly being high enough to cause a distant blind spot.. With today's "litigating" society you have to CYOAH!!

I don't know what the factory load limit for your Trooper is but most factory racks have a load limit that's probably lower than what you've carried on yours. Even with your sheet goods loaded back from the windshield there is still the risk of wind lifting the load off of the truck. These racks just aren't designed for heavy loads or loads that can lift up from the wind. Whether or not your rack has survived really doesn't prove that this is within the manufacturers specifications.

You bring up todays, "Litigating" society. I don't think you would be any better off in the event of an accident than the other example if the accident was caused by your rack failing and releasing the load. If I had to choose between blocking my side vision a little or possibly losing the entire load I think I'd opt for carrying it on the side, (assuming that the side loading method was sturdy enough).

I use two different vehicles to haul lumber/sheet goods. On my Cherokee I built a very sturdy 4' by 6' roof rack that uses some all-metal aftermarket rack supports that I bought. They're made by Carr. The rack supports clamp very securely to the rain gutters using 3 on each side. The only way they could release is if the brackets broke, (not at all likely) or if the rain gutters ripped off and that would require the gutter metal to rip in two. The rack itself is made from 1" square tubing .188" thick with some thick expanded metal welded over the whole floor. It's strong enough that it supports a couple of adults and a couple of little kids in lawn chairs when we're watching an air show or car races. The other vehicle is my Suburban and it will haul standard sheets in the back with ease and MDF sheets will fit with some pushing and shoving. But I won't haul any sheet goods on the factory roof rack. I doubt that mine is any weaker than the one on your Trooper but it's just not strong enough to do so safely, in my opinion. They may hold for a while but what will happen if you're in an accident and the the roof rack lets go? Where will that lumber go when your Trooper comes to an abrupt stop? That's a law suit waiting to happen.

Bruce

[Kevin Groenke]

I think the load limit of many factory roof racks is determined not by the structure of the rack itself, but by the structure of the roof and how the rack is mounted to the roof. I can easily imagine the lift generated from a sheet of plywood on top of a car ripping apart the 8 spotwelds that hold the factory racks on some vehicles.

I am much more confident transporting sheet stock with this system than I've ever been with material on top of a car or un-secured in the back of my old pick-up (ranger btw). It takes maybe 15 seconds to install/extend the outriggers, another 10 seconds to securely clamp the stock in place when it's loaded. I spent less than $100 bucks on the system (I would have the roof rack regardless).

Obviously we're taking risks every time we get in a car, this is compounded every time we carry something or otherwise use a car in a way not necessarily intended by the manufacturer. This system does obstruct my vision slightly, but so does a large passenger, a dog in the passenger seat, some of the 40 chairs I picked up at IKEA last week, etc...

I have added an extended wide angle mirror since the image below.

[John Grossi]

Kevin, Excellent idea. I usually rent a small uhaul trailer for under 20 bucks, but I really like your idea. Question. The front outrigger. I am guessing it has to be welded to the trucks frame? I think you could have won first prize in the American Inventors show. John

[James Suzda]

I made a bed extender for my PU when I had to haul some 16’ long trim pieces. The tubing cost me about $45 and spent some time with the welder, cutoff saw, and drill press.
When I designed the system I made the “T bar” part removable and I made the extension portion long enough so that when the thing is used with the “upright bar” inserted into the receiver hitch the long part extends is a little higher than the cab of the truck. Now I can put a rack behind the cab and haul things over the top of the cab instead of hanging out the back.
As with hauling any load you must have everything secure and tied down, along with a red flag on the “hangy out part”!

[James Mudler]

I think the load limit of many factory roof racks is determined not by the structure of the rack itself, but by the structure of the roof and how the rack is mounted to the roof. I can easily imagine the lift generated from a sheet of plywood on top of a car ripping apart the 8 spotwelds that hold the factory racks on some vehicles.

I am much more confident transporting sheet stock with this system than I've ever been with material on top of a car or un-secured in the back of my old pick-up (ranger btw). It takes maybe 15 seconds to install/extend the outriggers, another 10 seconds to securely clamp the stock in place when it's loaded. I spent less than $100 bucks on the system (I would have the roof rack regardless).

Obviously we're taking risks every time we get in a car, this is compounded every time we carry something or otherwise use a car in a way not necessarily intended by the manufacturer. This system does obstruct my vision slightly, but so does a large passenger, a dog in the passenger seat, some of the 40 chairs I picked up at IKEA last week, etc...

I have added an extended wide angle mirror since the image below.

I would really like to see more pictures of your set up, or point me in a direction where I can learn more.

[Greg Pavlov]

Run the fan on flow through on the highest speed setting. Air can't come in the back if there is a lot of air entering the cabin from the fan.:D
That's what I do when I leave the back open, but there's always this nagging doubt whether it's really working like (I'm hoping) it should...

[Bruce Benjamin]

I think the load limit of many factory roof racks is determined not by the structure of the rack itself, but by the structure of the roof and how the rack is mounted to the roof. I can easily imagine the lift generated from a sheet of plywood on top of a car ripping apart the 8 spotwelds that hold the factory racks on some vehicles.


This was part of my point. When I spoke of the factory roof rack load limits I didn't just mean that the rack itself couldn't hold the weight. The mounting system is part of the rack. With older Cherokees the rack tracks are secured to the roof sheet metal using expanding rubber, "Nutserts". It's not too hard to overcome the integrity of the rubber, especially after it's aged a bit. On a Jeep forum I used to frequent I heard of one person who had those nutserts fail.:eek: I don't know how many other factory racks use/used this method but I doubt that Jeep is/was the only one. I think many manufacturers use mechanical fasteners of some sort rather than spot welds because the roof racks are usually an option, not necessarily standard equipment. It's easier to drill and attach something than to use a spot welder.

You can buy aftermarket, "Sport bars" like Yakima and Thule racks that attach directly to the factory racks. This may be ok for a couple of bicycles or a snowboard but I wouldn't use these to haul lumber. The crossbars may be stronger and more rigid than the factory ones but that doesn't make the mounts any stronger. The better way to go no matter what you're hauling is a rack that attaches to the rain gutters if your vehicle has them or into the door openings. The brackets themselves would have to fail. The brackets I use are practically bomb-proof. I'd bet I could come close to lifting the whole Jeep with a forklift under the roof rack.:cool: It isn't blowing off or collapsing with anything I'm likely to haul.

Bruce