How do you guys get 4' x 8' sheet goods home from lumber yard or big box store?


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I almost exclusively use my roof rack for transporting materials. My current car is a Subaru Forester, and I've taken 4x8 sheets on the roof as well as rough lumber. It's manageable, as long as you accept that it may take a couple of trips. I mostly did the same thing with my CRV. You could get one of the Thule racks or similar that you could take with you to your next car.

I do sometimes stick lumber inside my Fit, but at this point it's a 13 year old car so I'm not too worried about the interior.

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Without investing in any money up front... Hmmm... I think you are limited to rent/borrow something to bring it home or have it delivered. 

Since you have been renting I assume you don't have the option to borrow. That leaves you with the options to rent a vehicle from another place or have it delivered. If you can't get free delivery, Homer's big truck is probably the least expensive and hassle free way to go. 

Start looking at trucks for when the lease is up. There are plenty of truck options that can replace a sedan or SUV and do double duty as a family car and a lumber hauler.

I have a Ridgeline and would not hesitate to buy another. It checked all the boxes for me. I replaced a SUV and my truck has a better ride and handling. It carries 5 people and a 4x8 sheet or 20 will lay flat in the bed. Like most 4 door pickups it is a short bed. I haul 10ft lumber with the tailgate up with no issue. The few times I have hauled 12 ft lumber I put it on top of 8ft materials and strapped it down. Not to go on and on, my point is that the right pickup can serve as both a car and a truck. It just depends on your needs. 

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On 7/16/2020 at 4:36 PM, Robby W said:

I wish I could do that. We have a Hyundai Sonata and a Hyundai Elantra - no hitches allowed. :(

When I retire, I have to come up with a small pickup for this. Or buy a lot of beer for my lumber yard buddy.....

Ahh . . . You are pretty much in the rent or borrow area then.  Around here there are short term (an hour) pick up rentals for pretty reasonable.  I sold a 2005 Tacoma to a family member for a good price.  They do come along, it's just that most are beat. 

A mini-pickup is not ideal for sheet goods but, you have to weigh the cost of owning the vehicle.  Just insuring and maintaining the truck is what made me decide to part with it.  Of course I had another pickup so, easier decision for me. 

The point is that if you add up a month's insurance, registration and maintenance for a truck, even if you got it free, a rental looks pretty good a few times a year.

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On 7/16/2020 at 6:36 PM, Robby W said:

I wish I could do that. We have a Hyundai Sonata and a Hyundai Elantra - no hitches allowed.

Are you trying to maintain a warranty? If so i can understand but after that warranty is gone these guys make a hitch for nearly every car. Here is a link for Sonatas https://www.etrailer.com/vm/Hyundai/Sonata/hitch

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The original poster has not made a second comment since the original post Thursday afternoon. Probably hasn't found an answer her likes? Is there any other possible way? Maybe he is hoping someone nearby will offer help? Maybe he will hire one of us instead? If he lived nearby I would haul a load for him. Free. And that is my best price! Not a nickel less.

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26 minutes ago, curlyoak said:

The original poster has not made a second comment since the original post Thursday afternoon. Probably hasn't found an answer her likes? Is there any other possible way? Maybe he is hoping someone nearby will offer help? Maybe he will hire one of us instead? If he lived nearby I would haul a load for him. Free. And that is my best price! Not a nickel less.

Don't know where he lives so it's hard to offer. I'd offer a similar deal to that as well.

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22 hours ago, gee-dub said:

A mini-pickup is not ideal for sheet goods but, you have to weigh the cost of owning the vehicle.  Just insuring and maintaining the truck is what made me decide to part with it.  Of course I had another pickup so, easier decision for me. 

The point is that if you add up a month's insurance, registration and maintenance for a truck, even if you got it free, a rental looks pretty good a few times a year.

This is why I'm planning to sell my 1991 Toyota pickup. For the $400/year insurance plus registration, maintenance, etc. I can rent something from uHaul probably 10 times before I break even. Plus the uHaul will have AC and it's 100 here today.

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14 minutes ago, legenddc said:

This is why I'm planning to sell my 1991 Toyota pickup. For the $400/year insurance plus registration, maintenance, etc. I can rent something from uHaul probably 10 times before I break even. Plus the uHaul will have AC and it's 100 here today.

Just for conversation sake, when i had my small cheap pickup my insurance was cheaper with it than with out due to a multivehicle discount, registration was a whopping $45/yr. I also only had liability insurance coverage. Full coverage on a vehicle that was only worth $1,000 seemed laughable compared to the deductible. I don't live in DC though and i know our insurance rates have to be drastically different.

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On 7/19/2020 at 1:26 PM, curlyoak said:

The original poster has not made a second comment since the original post Thursday afternoon. Probably hasn't found an answer her likes? Is there any other possible way? Maybe he is hoping someone nearby will offer help? Maybe he will hire one of us instead? If he lived nearby I would haul a load for him. Free. And that is my best price! Not a nickel less.

The OP doesn't post a lot, but when he does he seems to lose interest in his own thread after a few posts.

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