Contributor
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.
My Dad always told me "Can't Never Could".
SWE
Member
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
Too much to do...Not enough time...life is too short!
Contributor
That would be me. I tell all my friends that I work for beer.Originally Posted by Richard Verwoest
Member
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.
Last edited by Bob Bouis; 02-07-2018 at 12:34 PM.
Contributor
Rent or buy a trailer. Your 4-cylinder will be fine.
"Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."
Contributor
Shipping it is likely comparable or cheaper. I hate paying to ship things but sometimes it’s just a ware of money not to.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
Contributor
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.
Ken
So much to learn, so little time.....
Member
I dont know if this will work for you but here is a link.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IAM1V8A...a-304733482006
Contributor
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. ;-)
Moderator
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.
--
The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
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/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I rented a uhaul trailer when I was moving 2500 lbs of slabs/lumber.
Member
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
Contributor
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.)
Last edited by Lee Schierer; 02-08-2018 at 6:45 AM.
Contributor
Original post says: "my particular load is about 1,500 lbs". Pretty specific.
Member
Dang ! And I read a few times and missed that.
"Never mind......"
Marc
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