I have a new vehicle ( well kind of )
Manchild
| Posted in Tools for Home Building on
My wife got a new used car and I got her Toyota Siena. A real step up for me. The Dodge caravan has 250,000 miles on it. Boy is that thing beat up.
Anyway, can I put a inexpensive roof rack on it that will carry some lumber or a couple of 4×8 sheets of whatever?
Should i just look in the junk yards for something that screws on? This thing doesn’t have the roof gutter thing that older cars had on them to attach a rack to.
Replies
4x8s go inside.
"Live Free,
not Die"
4x8s don't fit if the seats are in there. The first thing i did was to take out the two in the back. That leaves a bench seat for one kid in the back. I have two kids. I checked and the two seats (singles) in back won't move forward to the middle of the van. That would have been best. One single seat to mess with. Maybe one single all the way in the back is the ticket. I hate those seats but what are ya gonna do. I'd like the rack so i don't have to move junk around. most of the time it will be for long boards. Even with all the seats out long boards are a pain.
Edited 2/12/2005 10:49 pm ET by david
There are roof racks designed for cars without rain gutters. They have brackets that slip into the door frame somehow, I think. Yakima and Thule are a couple brand names, I found a place online that sells both: http://www.orsracksdirect.com/
Thanks Stuart. I'll call them next week. I need to know if the 48" crossbar is just 48" or a little longer so they stick out from under the sheet so i can get some rope on the ends.
You planning on loading up a couple dozen sheets of rock ?
; )
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
look closer.
he said Toyota, not Escalade.
So, what are you saying ?That it will only take a half-dozen sheets ?; )
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
I'm not sure how many sheets of sheetrock it could take. If I need to I can take the bench seat out. A roof rack will expand it's usefullness.
could be a BT scientific experiment
find the max capacity of SUVs
ya think Taunton will subsidize the costs?
We could run it past them and see if that dog barks.: )Hey ! Andy !!!!! We have an idea over here....
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
It'd be nice if they just supplied the beer budget
on the other hand, they might not be able to afford it
I don't think the people at Lowes allow beer budgets.Andy and Mark have had to cut way back, since Lowes bought Taunton...
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
OK, then just enough beer for the 2 of us
they can't be that hard up
That depends on how much you drink.3 beers has me falling-down, ready to pass out drunk.
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
what's the secret of of holding so much beer...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
I think it comes from only holding the beer once every several years...
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
so yer a cheap date
we'll have ta let the ladies know
Heck, long as it's a lady, I'm even cheaper'n that !!!
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
Hello everyone. I'm a newbie to this site, and hope my limited knowledge will be of, at least, some use to some one some day. Anyhow, my experience with converting the old family van into a functional work wagon hasn't been an ideal experience for me but it can be done. The roof rack issue is rather expensive for a van without gutters. I found a local shop that will install a set for my Olds Silhouette for $350. The have to drill through the roof and the brackets mount inside the ceiling lining. As for sheet goods, I gave up on loading inside. I have a 6x10 trailer with 2ft high plywood walls. I haven't maxed it out yet. The only drawback, obviously, is weather. Currently have my eye on an enclosed trailer I saw at Tractor Supply. Got to sell a few more jobs to afford the $2K price tag.
woodbinebill, Welcome. Glad your here.
Yep, I'm thinking an enclosed trailer is the way to go.
A lot of good older threads in the Breaktime archives about trailers.
Cheers."Live Free, not Die"
Thanks Woody, The trailer would be the next logical step. The van has a reciever hitch on it with a towing package. Whatever that means. I'm going to get the Yakama racks probably. The basic rack is $ 183. If it looks like it might slip I can put a SS screw into the roof. I don't plan to put too much up there. I'm real carefull about putting stuff on the outside of my vehicles. I grew up in L.A. and driving down the crowded freeway with something that isn't properly attached happens alot there. Too many people and too much turnover.
I'm not that busy right now. As I get more work I can get a truck. But I don't see that happening in this market. I live in farm country Kansas. People just don't spend money here. Not on their houses.
The Yakama racks are the ones I was referring to. Something like $350 installed. They look like a good sturdy set of racks. Let me know how your DIY installation goes. I'd like to see what you run into before I tear into mine. Bill
How about this:
View Image
The Bad Boy Heavy Muscle Truck, left, draws interest Jan. 19, 2005 in Jasper, Texas. The converted military truck, parked beside a Ford pick-up, can drive through 10 feet of water and climb a 60-degree grade with infrared cameras that peer through darkness. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
"A hard head makes for a sore a$$."
Ok, no fair posting that without a link.You are hereby banned until you post a link...
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
Here 'tis: http://www.badboytrucks.com/index.htm
"A hard head makes for a sore a$$."
Thank you.: )Boys can dream...
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
Hot Damn!! I suppose this would solve the 4x8's and ladder dilemma. Top it off with 12 yards of ready mix as well.
I think DIY is completely feasable. Come on, your a woodworker.
I use to work in the rack biz, and with both thule and yakima they have a limit of about 165 lbs. ( I have exceeded this, and the obey the speed limit with load policys) They will clamp up to the roof pretty well, but the problem you may run into is that the spread between the bars may not be long enough. If this happens, the load can oscilate fore and aft with spectacular results (in a very bad way) I had a full on contractor rack on my toyota, and opted to go for the yakima rails http://www.yakima.com/home.html go to products then rack systems than permanent
because I wanted better mileage and I was not carrying 450lbs plus any more.
It is a little scary drilling holes in a brandy new roof and you need to use a drill stop, and be super carefull not to punch a series of neat holes in the head liner.
If you are hauling large amounts of stuff with the kids in the van, you may end up hitting the max cargo weight of the vehicle before you end up fully loading the rack! Many vehicles have a depressingly low passenger and cargo weight.
I have done hairy installs with both thule and yakima systems, so let me know if you have any other questions.
I went to th permanent part and there were some choices. What exactly do you reccomend? There was a track system that allowed the towers to move closer and further apart ( fore and aft ).
I use the track system because I need the crossbars closer together to carry bikes, and whitewater kayaks, far apart to carry lumber and ladders. the system that secures the tracks down uses stainless bolts that are spaced about 6 inches apart with multliple attachment points to the roof (like extra ledger bolts for a deck) it also looks nicer when the rack isnt on, but if you saw the condition of my truck, you would realize how laughable that statement is..
Thanks ! I'll get the 60" tracks and then go from there.
Excuse me... I'm not sure I heard that right.
Did you just say you used to work in the rack business doing hairy installs?
yep another time when my word choice gets me into deep doodoo.
I meant to say, I was the guy that got called when no one else could figure out to get a rack on the car..
Exactly.
I wish people on here would quit talking about hauling material in their vehicles.
I believe you can still buy a 4x8 trailer for about 350 dollars. Buy a 14 foot single axle and you dont need ladder racks. Then you have a trailer for hauling trash or debri off . Stripping a roof tops the list . Often times you need to haul off the trash the same day and its a trailers job.
Tools go in a van , not material in sheets. I know people here do it though. Open trailers are not talked about very much.
Tim Mooney
just remember ... not all of us live in the middle of no where with tons of trailer parking spaces around the old farmstead.
as it is ... I have to park my jeep in front of a neighbors never used garage.
I'd love a trailer ... but got no where to put it ...
plus ... I bet it'd and up hating one after a week of morning and evening rush hours.
it's been said U can leave them on the job site ... but I could just as easily do that with the van ... just have the wife come pick me up and drive the jeep till the end of the job.
That's actually the plan for if and when I get another bike.
drop the van and ride the bike everyday.
if I set a tool trailer out in the alley 2 12 year olds would have it strapped to the back of their 14 year old cousin and be pulling it down to the pawn shop .... with in 30 minutes!
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
Hey Jeffery!
"Don't know what the quality is, but price is only $199."
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=42709
drum roll please ,.........................................
It folds up in your garage so you dont need no room. hehehe
And,............... you can put it together with house hold tools , hahaha . But you might need a skill saw to break a 4x8 sheet in half and a screw gun to attach the floor with metal tap screws.
"just remember ... not all of us live in the middle of no where with tons of trailer parking spaces around the old farmstead."
Jeff I enjoy your posts the best because of the humor and down right honesty. I wrote this post still laughin. Probably why I posted it as I couldnt stop grinnin. <G>
Yes I know Im in the boon docks and most of you pros are in cities. If I lived in the city I would drive a van no question hands down. Id love to drive one and leave my tools "locked up" and in the dry all the dadgum time. There are two serious draw backs to them . One is traction and you make the other by hauling material in one and having to leave room for it . That sucks ! Mebbe you dont know how bad that sucks cause youre used to it . But Jeff it sucks big time .
Now , that said ; If I had a van , Id want one of those dadgum church buses. You know , the longest van they make . Sucker must be 14 feet behind the seat! I would want it "just to carry my tools ", no damn material. Id fill the sucker up where I couldnt get any material in it . LOL.
I saw a joiner on a stand at a pawn shop yesterday. Very nice and" heavy" .
I couldnt lift it in the truck and I knew it . Not even with two people as high as my 4x4 truck stands. . We were in the suburban yesterday when I saw it. I ran the truck and trailer to Ft Smith today and bought it. I lowered the ramps on the trailer and shoved the joiner on the trailer, course the joiner had those lowering wheels . I could have dollied it if not in a heart beat. Speaking of heart , thats what Im doing with "that " trailer. Ramps and a winch if I need it . It can load and haul big shop tools with ease. Id rent a space before I did with out a trailer. Im am a trailer junkie and dont have a covered one like Smith. I dream of one of those, but I use an open 16 tandem and have a drive in shop in place of a covered trailer.
I love trailers like you love your van.
Tim Mooney
Don't know what the quality is, but price is only $199.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=42709
jt8
The reason so many people never get anywhere in life is because when opportunity knocks, they are out in the backyard looking for four-leaf clovers. -- Walter Percy Chrysler
There ya go ! Thanks John.
Tim Mooney
if you can weld at all... or know someone that can if you can form some... say.. 4"x 4" metal pads... maybe 11ga sheet metal ...form to fit the curve of your roof... near the 4 edges of your roof...where they will be strongest... weld a piece of pipe or tubing to these pads maybe 3" tall with a hole drilled for a pin to act as a receiver for the rack you will weld up to fit in these... get some touchup paint to match your van and if made well they won't look so bad...
how you design your rack will be up to your needs... but you shouldn't have to spend more than $100 total for materials...
how to attach em to your van? thats why the need to fit the metal mounting pads to contour of your roof very well... VHB tape... made by 3M double sided foam VHB (very high bonding) this stuff holds the sheet metal skins on trucks/vans ect... was told even on some planes...
with a ladder rack on a truck u can leave the 16ft tralier home alot of times...
pony
check with a boating supply place ...
My electrician couldn't find nice racks for his cap on his pick up ...
he went with a boat rack.
looks good ... mounted right up ... holds a decent amount considering it's on a fiberglass cap. He said it was cheaper than having traditional ladder racks modified and installed.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
Jeeze David... sounds too nice to be loading plywood on. I'd use a trailer too.
Having an 02 myself with the VVTI motor I would nominate it as one of the best work trucks in existence. (Yup- I hate trucks-big clunky inefficient anchor around my neck so far as I am concerned).
The thing rides nice, handles like a car, gets to 60 in 7 seconds-all on 33mpg.
Just change the timing belt every hundred thousand and dump the tranny fluid every 50 and it's a great vehicle.
I
L
get rid of the bench seat, buy a single bucket from junk yard and mount sideways behind driver. on roof racks find a junk yard with some telephone vans in it, and take the rack modifie for van. Might have to add pipe inside van to floor for suppport
Ha ha ha... not in my van. Mine rarely even gets tools in it. I have a flat bed for that. I rarely get to do the work anymore. I just can't imaging running pipes through the roof of a $30,000 van to carry plywood-Yiikes.
Trailer is the answer.
L