Hauling 4 x 8 panels

[Martin Dettmer]

Just lost my 2004 Honda Pilot to a "total loss" accident. Need a new vehicle that can, like the Pilot, carry 4 x 8 panels laid FLAT in the cargo bay between the wheel wells. (8 foot panels will, of course, extend beyond the tail gate which will need to be "bungeed" down.) Who can help me with WHICH SUVs (no vans, no trucks, please) can do the same. I'm quite sure Pilots thru 2011 CAN do it, but not sure where else to look. Thanks!

MartiDee

[roger wiegand]

4x8 will both fit between the wheel wells and fully inside of a Suburban. I think Chevy/GMC still makes a shorter version of this SUV where they will lay flat but hang out the back. If you get the tailgate rather than barn door option they will lay on the tailgate and be supported.

[David Bassett]

Not sure why this is in tech support... (I'm guessing it might be moved,) but:

4 x 8 Sheets Fit These Vehicles should help. (Note an awful lot of the current mini-van & SUV models are 47", or less, between the wheel wells.)

[Jim Becker]

Best solution might be a small utility trailer which would allow you to buy a new vehicle that you like from a much larger pool of options rather than because it can fit the material. And yea...at this point, your options are pretty limited relative to width to "really big" beasts of vehicles. This was exactly the path I took when I gave up my pickup truck years ago in favor of a mid-size SUV that was more appropriate for family use.

[Greg R Bradley]

I know you said "no trucks" but my 2017 Honda Ridgeline is exactly a Honda Pilot in the front seat are and almost exactly a Honda Pilot in the back seat area. It is 50" between the wheel wells, which are only 2" tall and the rest of the bed is 58" wide. The tailgate opens like a door so you can set heavy bulky stuff directly in the bed OR you can flip the tailgate down so that you can put a stack of plywood flat and the rear is supported by the tailgate.
Since it is more car than truck, it actually drives nice unlike all trucks. Of course, it isn't a truck if you want to put something really heavy in it and it isn't ideal for towing a big trailer. If you want an SUV for the enclosed luggage area in the back it isn't going to be good just like it won't be good for a bunch of people.
I would never tolerate driving any pickup for transportation but then we have a yard full of them when I need to haul something big, even up to ones that haul large dozers. If your 2004 Pilot was half as good as my 2006 Ridgeline was, I think you might understand why it is nice to not go far off that path, even considering a used Honda Pilot that will hold your plywood.
I take it the newer Pilots won't fit a sheet of ply laying down?

[Matt Day]

Trailer and whatever car you want. Doesn’t seem like a good idea to base a large purchase like a car/suv solely on fitting a sheet of plywood. I’d put safety, performance, and day to day functionality way in front of that.

[John K Jordan]

I agree with the trailer idea. Any car will pull a small trailer. Even though I have a Dodge 2500 deisei truck that hauls sheet goods fine, I often just hook up one of my trailers to the jeep.

[Robert Cherry]

I use a 5x8 utility trailer. I only pick up materials a dozen times a year or so. Just need to watch the weather and pick up material on nice days!

[Lee Schierer]

My 2012 Pilot hauls 4 x 8 sheets flat. There isn't much extra side space but they will lay flat.

[Bill Dufour]

Compare the extra purchase price and fuel cost for a big vehicle vs a trailer and a smaller vehicle.
Bill D

[Rich Engelhardt]

My alternative was to buy a Makita cordless track saw & and extra 55" section of track.
I simply break down the sheet goods into their finished sizes right at the supplier & load them into my RAV4.

[Dom Garafalo]

My 2012 GMC Acadia SLE can fit 4' x 8' sheet goods flat between the wheel wells. I do it all the time and the lift gate closes to within a couple of inches so the end of the sheet is completely covered for year round transporting.

[Jim Tobias]

This is exactly why I will always keep my 1998 GMC Suburban. Full sheets flat inside with closed doors . I treat that vehicle better than our other cars.

Jim

[Robert Engel]

Not sure why the aversion to a pickup. A crew cab with a cap is almost an SUV.

Plus most of them have all the amenities and the ride, too. I guess it depends on the family situation.

To me, buying a trailer just to haul the occasional sheet of ply or lumber I would have to get that a lot of thought. How much will it be used?

Me, I'll stick with my '97 Powerstroke w/ full 8' bed

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When I need to haul some logs I load them on my 16' flat bed and off we go....

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Or if I go to the sawmill I don't have to worry about the load, either.

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[Jeff Heil]

I traded in my trusty but worn out pickup for a GMC Yukon SUV that is too nice to haul sheet goods inside. I sold my heavy duty 5x8 utility trailer to a buddy since I could not store it outside in my neighborhood and the boat takes up the third stall of the garage. My solution for the handful of times I need a trailer or pickup I rent one from U-haul for $20/day for a trailer or rent the pickup from Menards or Home Depot for $22 for 70 minutes. It has worked for me and might require buying more rough lumber or 4x8 sheet goods each trip. Just adding to your options. When we were building a house the truck and trailer were invaluable, but saw less use as of late. Paid the delivery charge of less that $100 and watched too college kids haul 70 sheets of drywall into my basement when we finished that last year, best money ever spent!