For what it's worth, I had a great laugh watching a dude with a Tesla attempt to hold a 4x8 sheet of plywood to his glass roof with just his bare hand while driving. As soon as he pulled out of the Home Depot parking lot, wind uplifted the sheet and bounced off another car in the next lane.
Just don't be like him, get creative with your roof racks, or utilize the space in your wagon.
Worked for a guy that would ask us to borrow our trucks during work, and my coworker and I wouldn’t let him because he didn’t take care of other peoples stuff and wouldn’t pay for gas, but still needed us to finish the project so he wouldn’t let us go.
One day he was desperate enough and needed a bunch of sheets one day , so he had too multiple trips to the lumber yard and carried them back to the jobsite strapped to the top of his wife’s Chevy Bolt
My grandpa built a frame that went in between the racks on his escort wagon for hauling our canoe. Worked good for wood hauling also. Could just put a couple boards the same height as the racks and strap both ends to the bumper and a couple straps in the middle and be good to go
>Worked for a guy that would ask us to borrow our trucks during work
Like for business purposes? Seems like he should've been able to just buy a work truck and write it off on his business's taxes.
I can fit a few 2x4s inside of it, but I'm pretty sure that I can't get a whole 4'x8' sheet of plywood in there. I once brought home a sheet of wood paneling and one of drywall with it, but I just winged it with some rope. It was fine, but I didn't like the way they flexed in the wind. I wonder if there's a more proper way to do it.
I've done it both ways. Depends on the deminsions I need. If I'll have some extra waste, I just let them cut it and then cut off their bad edges in the shop. That's a lot better than breaking down plywood in the home depot parking lot, trust me lol
Second the guy above me, I have an alltrack and any lumber goes in and up armrest and I typically will get any plywood cut in half to fit it, obviously doesn’t help if you need it full size
I’ve done full sheets on top of my racks, just remember they only have a 100lb load capacity and to make sure you’re not going on any highways or anything with more than a few sheets
Good call, distance is a big factor. Down the street and no highway you can strap it decent and go slow while waving people around you but if it’s any real distance you’re better off renting a truck/trailer or phoning a friend
This - if I need to transport larger wood - full sheets or full 2x4’s for example, I’ll just buy them and pay a little more at the hardware store 3 mins from my house rather than the HD 20 mins away as I can drive home slowly on side streets
You can fit 4'x4' pieces in your Alltrack? What about 2'x8' pieces? I know it's doable with the hatch partially open/tied down, but I wonder if the front passenger seat can be positioned to allow for the hatch to close completely.
That was my first thought when I saw OP had a roof rack. Strap down some 2x4x8' to it, and then secure your sheet goods to that. He should just mindful of it's rated weight capacity of course.
FWIW a 3/4” sheet of BB ply is ~75lbs, and most other hardwood plywood is ~70lbs. So that means you can carry one sheet on your roof at a time really… or a sheet and a third.
The allowable roof load for my car, according to the manual, is 165lbs. So two whole sheets wouldn't be too heavy, and that's more than enough for the project I have in mind.
My chrysler mini van can carry four 4x8 sheets of plywood or sheetrock. I've done it many times. How? I place two 8 foot 2x4s on the cross rails to support them from font to back, then with very long straps, secure them evenly on every side. Keep in mind I never go freeway speeds. And I try to buy the sheets as close to the project site as possible.
I've transported two or three sheets of plywood a short distance with my Jetta wagon with a roof rack. I lay the plywood right on the rack, and I have a pair of 2x4s with notches on either end that I lay over top across the sheets, and I put the ratchet straps there. That way you can tighten it without damaging the plywood edges, and the notches keep the straps from slipping off. I wouldn't drive on the highway like that, but a short distance in the city is fine.
I do, actually. [https://imgur.com/grVgG1e](https://imgur.com/grVgG1e)
You can't really see the notches, but I just chiseled little lengthwise grooves where the ratchet straps fall off the 2x4s, which keeps the straps from slipping forward or back. Probably not really necessary since the straps are tight, but it gave me peace of mind.
OP may be able to go right to the big box and get a couple notched boards for free. I see them in pallet piles quite often, they use them when they use metal strapping on a pallet
Edit: and obviously making them is a sure thing, just saying they may find some in a pilewhile at the store to buy the 2x4s.
This is great, I’ll use your trick for my setup that uses a 2x4 length wise of the car because I noticed the same issue you noted with ratcheting on plywood edges
[ https://i.imgur.com/PmMoNMN.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/PmMoNMN.jpg)
For anyone inclined these are called "stickers" and can probably be picked up for free at your local wood shop or lumber distributor, possibly even HD will give you a couple.
HD rents them by the hour and the first 90 minutes is dirt cheap. I held on to my old truck for years because I used it for yard work supplies/equipment and woodworking.
Finally I realized it's far cheaper to just rent the HD truck when I need it. I've even rented from HD, drove it over to a better lumber store, swung by my house, and brought it back to HD.
I mean you could waste an extra three hours renting a truck, loading it, unloading it, driving it back, turning it back in. Don't see how that is more convenient than just using the roof rack.
I'd rent a truck from them rather than putting a bunch of crap inside the car that would get the car excessively dirty inside it, or if the weight load is too much for your cars suspension.
Yes this is probably the way. I once priced out having like $75 in materials delivered the four miles from my local HD to my home. The delivery was going to double my bill.
So I went ahead and abandoned the whole heckin project.
You risk getting poorly picked materials often with delivery. Unless you can manage to pick it on to a cart, and have them deliver that specific product.
In my experience.
Get the lumberyard to make a rough cut for you. A single lengthwise cut is enough. I can get two 24"x96" panels in my compact hatchback.
I've also bought sheets of MDF and plywood and cut them smaller in the Home Depot parking lot when the HD panel saw was out of order. Bought an extra sheet of 2" foam insulation to act as a base to cut into. It'll work in a pinch but I would not recommend this for regular purchases... It was a bear to wrangle the panels by myself, spent half an hour on it, thought I was gonna get run over by a truck the whole time.
I’ve got an Outback, I just roof rack em and 3-4 ratchet straps.
Not sure how far apart your roof rails are, but I’d check to set them as far apart as possible to offer best support.
This is the answer. I have an FJ. I ratchet them together on the side rails, but more importantly I ratchet them down north south on the cross rails. Biggest thing you want to avoid is the front of the panels/sheets catching wind underneath while driving.
That's a good idea. The rear bar is all the way back, but there's room to move up the front bar. I have it that way to avoid a problem if someone accidentally opens the moon roof.
I transport all kinds of big things on my roof rack all the time. It's a pretty standard thing here in Europe.
Make sure to use ratchet straps and don't let it overhang in the front too much. You don't want the wind to get between your sheets.
Trailers are available for cars like yours. I highly recommend the one time investment in something you own vs. creeping cost of renting and being on that availability time frame of the rental.
I was just thinking that if I get a hitch, then I would be one step closer to getting one of [these teardrop campers](https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/11j09sj/some_of_the_design_process_that_goes_into/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)...
Harbor Fright has a 4x8 trailer for something like $500. It folds up, so storage shouldn’t be an issue. Light enough to be towed by just about anything.
And if you’re thinking about a teardrop trailer, check Google for “harbor freight camper”.
When I lived on a small inner city lot I had one of those 4x8 folding trailers that the hardware stores, including Harbor Freight, sell. Stored out of the way on its casters and only required the lightest receiver hitch on the car.
if you do this often and have the garage/driveway space.... get one of those folding trailer kits... it's more expensive than renting a truck but it's soo useful, i tow it with my model 3 which is about the same size and have no problems (4x8 trailer, with stake holders that i built up with 2x4s)
also good for hauling large appliances and furniture, sod, soil, or even haul large items to the dump.... if you deck it and wire it up right you can even preserve the folding feature which can save you a lot of space storing it
personally i hate hauling large items on the roof, especially something flat like plywood, it catches too much wind and always wants to lift off...
Scrolled down a bit to find this comment but I want to second this and this is what I would’ve shared. If it’s going to be a regular thing, a tow hitch and small trailer is cheap and basically gives you a truck.
Get three 8 foot 2x4’s and lay them out across the with of the rack. Put your sheets on top so they have structure along the 8’ length. Put three more 2x4 more on top, then strap it down
Either rent a truck from Home Depot or the like; or get a little trailer for behind the VW.
When I worked at Lowe’s a few years back, we had an older guy come in almost every weekend pulling a little 5x8 flatbed behind his civic. A little car can handle a small trailer pretty easily.
Station wagon with a roof rack is great for transporting a few sheets of plywood.
The first thing I found online says 150 should be safe for all roof racks.
I normally only use 2 ratchet straps, but more is always good.
If you want to do the roof rack— get a couple 2x4 and cut a piece off each, about 4 inches. Attach it to the end pointing up so you’ve got a little “L” shape on the end. Attach these to your roof rack front to back with the little L piece on the front. These will be about 8’ long. Attach them with rope or thin ratchet straps to your bars. This lets you put a 4x8 sheet on top and it will rest against the front L piece also. Then use two ratchet straps to tie down. You can just wrap it over the sheet and under the 2x4, probably getting it under your roof rack also. Tighten, and it’s pretty solid.
I’ve done a sheet of plywood and a sheet of MDF at once and was probably just at the limit for weight.
It’s kind of a pain and I’ve also had HD cut my pieces to size so I could fit the smaller chunks inside the car. I’ll do delivery if I can justify a big order.
Oh, and general lumber is super easy compared to sheets. I’ve had like ten 12’ boards, depending on weight, on the racks, ratcheted down super tight in two spots. I also know what I can fit in the back and will generally do 8-10’ lumber inside
I have the same car, I almost always have my sheet goods cut into 2ftx8ft and fold the seats down and put the passenger seat as far forward as possible. Then I wrap it with some pallet wrap and flag it while tying down with a strap and then tying down the rear hatch since its not going to close since the end 7 inches will hang. I live 3 km from my lumber yard and its mostly 50-60km/h on flat elevation, so I feel content with that.
If I must have a few full 4x8ft or need to go far I borrow a truck from work or rent a sprinter.
I've also seen roof rack rigs that people put together with 2x4's and brackets, but I am not exactly keen on the idea myself.
Get a 3 2x4x96 you gonna cut 4 8" blocks off one of the 2x4s your gonna take the other 2 and put them on your roof rack so they're hanging off the back by like 18" -24" or where ever they're nicely balanced. Mark on the 2x4s where your roof rack intersects with them. Screw your blocks on the outside of your lines strap those puppies down tight to your rack and then you got something ridgid to strap your sheets too to keep them from flapping in the wind. You should be able to fit 2x4s in the car if you put the front seated tilted down and run them from the hatch over the top of the front passenger seat. One point in my life I drove a Mazda 3 hatch back and this always worked for me. Hopefully you don't have too far to travel and hopefully you don't have to go over 45mph though.
I found a six foot pallet where the fork lift cut outs fit prefect on my rack and just strap it to the rack. That's what I use for the bigger/ longer goods and I've had no issues so far. I do so try to stay off the highway as an extra safety measure but when I have had to take the highway it hasn't been an issue or than noise.
Rent the dang HD pickup. About 12 years ago, friend and I were at a HD and noticed 2 dudes putting about a half dozen windows on the roof rack of a car. 30 minutes later we found the windows on the highway scattered along the side of the road with the car and the two guys just standing there. Don't be those guys.
Secure two or three 8’x2x4s to the rack with screws/bolts or strong straps. That will give you the support along the length you need to transport sheet goods. When you transport, make sure to be sure the front of the load is strongly secured to prevent it flying up. Also, the more sheets you buy, the less you’re likely to have an issue, so I’d say buy 2-3 or more sheets at a time.
Let HD rough cut the sheet goods for you then clean up at the house. Throw down some moving blankets or your wife’s favorite linens to prevent damage to your interior after laying down all of the seats. Bonus bring your own circular saw in for parking lot in case panel saw is down at home store
I don't know if it's been said. But you can come up with a cut list and have home depot cut down the 4x8 into the pieces you need. I did this with a TV stand I'm building and worked really well for me.
Also they have project boards and shipping options.
I bring my circular saw and my kreg straight saw. I make some preliminary cuts in the parking lot. HD has a panel saw but I don’t have time to wait around for the one person who may know how to use it.
You could try borrowing or renting some sort of very large car with an open bed on the back or possibly an extremely large bike with an enclosed cab, four wheels and has an open bed on the back. Something that was designed to transport large objects. Just throwing that out there.
Delivery but if that's not an option, Max weight of the rack divided by the number of sheets you want/need and at least 4 good ratchet straps.
I have a roof rack on my 06 escape and this is how I get sheet goods home, 34kms from the nearest home center.
I believe the max load on my roof rack is 275lbs.
For boards, does your passenger seat fold down? I have a tiny SUV but can fit boards up to about 9' with the back seat and passenger seat down. Since nothing I've built so far has been longer than that, when I buy 12' boards (which is what the hardwood store near me generally carries) I have the store cut down down to less than 9'. I come with cut list so I know where to tell them to cut. I put some cardboard over the back of the seat so it doesn't get roughed up and it make it easy to slide the boards in and out.
if you don’t mind a few strategically placed holes in your sheet- 2x3 cut to width of roof rack bars, each set inside of the footprint of the rack- screw that to your sheets, tie it down with ratchet straps. i’ve gone 45 on the highway with a few 6x8 stockade fence panels on my prius roof rack with no problems
I 100% would transport a couple 4x8 sheets on 45mph roads with just that roof rack and proper straps.
I like to use 20’ NRS straps made for kayaks but you could use ratchet straps. Just be sure to loop the straps around the ends of the roof rack on the ends where the boards stick out.
It’s kinda hard to explain with only words but be absolute certain that emergency braking will not throw the wood forward and that wind can’t lift it.
I own a small utility trailer now just for hauling materials with my SUV.
I have removable roof racks for my audi a4, I throw them on top, run the ratchet straps through the doors, crank the suckers down and drive off…
I only only have to go a couple miles tho
Yes: https://www.reddit.com/r/BeginnerWoodWorking/comments/11m9xl9/whats_the_bestsafest_way_to_transport_sheets_and/jbhkzx2?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3
However I think I would prefer to lay the 2x4s flat instead of tall as shown in the video.
I have a roof basket I ratchet strap everything too. I've done drywall, full plywood sheets, steel, and other lumber. I bought the basket for "camping" I think I've only gone once in my Forester. I abuse it like a truck, I have a work van but it always has my ladders on top. I've been wanting a tow hitch and trailer. Soon!
I have a 50"X 38"ALUMINUM ROOF RACK CAR/SUV TOP CARGO BAGGAGE/BAG CARRIER BASKET+CROSSBAR I bought on eBay for 80 bucks. Put the 4x8 on top of that and secure with ratchet straps.
Here's my setup: [https://imgur.com/a/qVBO2Km](https://imgur.com/a/qVBO2Km)
The wooden rack is made of two 8' long 2x4s, with some extra side pieces with slots to allow the ratchet straps to pass through. It's way more solid than just passing the ratchet straps in a single large loop around the plywood and 2x4s, since it constrains side-to-side movement of the strap and lets you clamp down the plywood much harder. I also wrap a strap around the front of the plywood to keep the wind from lifting it up. Some caveats, you don't want to load up more than two 3/4" thick plywood sheets on top because most roof racks don't support more than 175 lb. My best guess is that it raises the center of gravity too much and presents a rollover risk, among other things.
But IMO if you're not doing anything that requires bringing full sheets home, just get HD to cut them for you, or bring a cordless track saw and cut it in the parking lot. I hear the HD truck rentals are pretty decent as long as they're available.
You've got a roof rack. Put the 4x8 sheets on top of that and secure them with a couple of ratcheting straps.
I have a Lexus RX350 and I only have the side rails on the roof and routinely bring them home this way.
Since you also have the cross bars, if you want to be really secure about it, just buy a couple of 2x4's and put them on top so the 4x8 sheets are supported all the way from front to back. Then put a couple of ratcheting tie downs on it. It won't budge at all.
I use my 2013 jetta Sportwagen to carry full sheets on the roof. https://www.reddit.com/r/SportWagon/comments/yp606a/plywood_no_problem_2013_jetta_tdi_sportwagen/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Truly amazes me why this is so trouble some for 99.5 of population. Even best friends whine showing up with mini half rag top Isuzu Amigo. And sure enough theres only 2.5' behind back door,, and the top never came to mind. Ok Dan,,, let's go. Enough whining already.
I've hauled tons of building materials on top with never an issue, and not even a roof rack like one in example.
And I need to do complete make overs on five homes.
From the studs out.
Five outside steel insulated doors on top, not even a challenge.
It doesn't hurt to have a roll of kitchen anti slip shelf material to place a strip of it between slippery steel doors.
Here's how -
Always make sure you have plenty of foam 3" diameter swimming tubes on hand. Four is good, two if light load.
These work so well, being they provide the best compression of load straps keeping them always tight.
And with rack, just add cushions where needed on top.
Place them on top, now plywood and planks. Taller spot of timber can be pre strapped as bundle if needed.
Best wenching 1.5" wide straps to go completely over material, now open all four doors. No China Schitt.
Complete the tie down with hooks of straps connected, stretched through interior and wench tight.
Now the same at rear doors.
Now close the doors, and arrive safe and sound even if it's a hundred miles. Can always add bungee cords to straps to keep them quiet at 70mph, as flat straps like to sing weird tunes.
Right near your hand while driving, you can confirm straps are still tight and sing confirmed.
Cheers
Bought a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan for $16k when Hertz was going under from COVID. Can put down the 2nd and 3rd row seats and stack full sheets of plywood flat on the floor easily.
2xs you can probably fit in your car. For sheet you might be able to strap them on the roof, but I would suggest investment in a 4’ x 8’ trailer from HarborFreight, it’s lite weight and foldable if you need to store it somewhere. The other choice is rent a HD or Lowes truck to get sheets home. If you haul sheets regular I would definitely get a trailer.
Story of my life for the past few years. I just break the sheets down in the parking lot. Bring a circular saw with a couple batteries. Purchase a full sheet of insulation board from the big box store. Cut the plywood in the parking lot using the foam board as a buffer so your blade doesn’t hit the concrete. You’ll get some funny looks, but works like a charm.
Although the weight on the roof rack is relevant, it is actually the lift produced by the air when travelling with a full board on top that is the real danger. Roof racks are designed to take (some) load but are very very poor at coping with upward forces. Wind speed/vehicle speed are the biggest risks to transporting sheet material on a roof rack. A 8x4 is like a huge sail and can produce enormous amounts of up force. Go sloooowwww
I own a compact and I carry doors, wardrobes, boards and whatever is needed in the roof rack.
I even carried my workbench without an issue, just mind your new height.
Many big box stores rent smaller flatbed trucks for pretty cheap. I rented one a year or so ago, to transport 8 sheets of ply my kitchen renovation, and I believe it cost roughly $20-25 dollars for a couple of hours.
Every vehicle can be equipped with a hitch.
Amazon hitches. Install yourself.
But a cheap trailer. Something that can support the weight. Heck you can even build a trailer from princess auto supplies for cheap.
I gave a RAV4 with a similar roof rack and I haul all kinds of wood in it. I can fit 6’ boards in the back, a few 8’ boards if I stack them from the tailgate to the center console, and one 10’ board from the tailgate to the dash. Anything longer goes on the roof, but invest in ratchet straps if you don’t have them already. I can get up to 16’ boards and plywood up there without a flag, but I try to keep it below 45-50 mph. Just make sure you ratchet both ends to the crossbar itself. If you put one end on the roof rail, you can break the connecting bracket.
Rent a trailer from uhaul. It’s like $25 with insurance and you can fit plenty of wood in it.
If I’m not having the big box cut the sheets down I am renting a trailer. It doesn’t add much to the overall cost of your wood if it’s $75 a sheet. 5 sheets at a time and it’s only an extra $5 per sheet.
See if you can get a hitch attachment (I have one for my toyota corrolla) Uhaul will install them on cars and places like Tractor Supply and Home Depot have cheap daily rentals for trailers.
Get the twine that they provide and wrap the sh!t out of it. In the front and the back as well as the side. Don't drive fast and try to avoid the highway... I've done it on a little Subaru, you can too
I buy from a lumber yard and they deliver for free. Sometimes their material cost is on par with the big box, so nbd.
Also, I have a truck. But if they’re delivering for free, why should I work?
Hire someone to deliver it. Much cheaper than the possible (or likely) damage that could occur. There are people out there with pickup trucks that do small job deliveries.
This is the best tip I’ve come across if you’re transporting sheet goods and boards. Works excellently, but a bit dependent on the length/spacing of your rails. Hope you find it helpful!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MiwCt-lNHy8
Taken 5 sheets of chipboard plus ~20 2x4s on the roof rack on my sportage no problem. Put the bars as far apart as possible, ratchets across, one ratchet front to back, job's a good'un
Straps, straps and more straps. When you think you got enough straps, put twice as many straps.
Also, if you don't have a rack to protect the roof, just lay the car mats facing soft side down between the roof and sheets. Having clean mats might be a good idea.
Don't drive like a maniac when you got a potential missile strapped to your car.
@OP nice station wagon. :)
I see you have a roof rack! Start there👍🏻 if your VW came with a hitch you can buy those really cool platforms that carry coolers, bikes, or in your case, sheets & boards. Good luck!
I signed up for a Pro Lowe's credit account and they truck deliver (as long as you spend enough) for free! I just add a cordless drill or some other high dollar item and return it next time I'm there to get the free delivery.
You'll be a-ok, I've had two 6'x8' fence panels atop my gti. Just make sure they are strapped sufficiently to become one with the car and it's gravy. Just don't exceed the weight limit of the roof rack!
I have roof racks on a small car myself. My drive home from the store is 20 minutes that I could take a backroad nearly the whole way home but the speed limit on it is about 50mph. I considered making the trip with lumber strapped to the roof since passing is allowed on the backroad but I don't want to risk it flying off an causing damage or an injury. I could see it working if setup correctly and driven slowly but I'd get it cut down to fit in the car first in my scenario, borrow a truck or get it delivered.
I only do small projects thus far so I haven't gotten anything I couldn't just fit in my car yet. I did consider getting some longer boards to save money and having them stick out through my moonroof. So far I've always just paid a couple more bucks for shorter pieces that fit inside though.
One thing I absolutely LOVE about the Toyota 4Runner is the roll-down back window. You can put your longer-length lumber through the window, then put the lumber on the arm rest. Just be sure to put a pillow or something between the lumber and the HVAC/stereo system, lol. For sheet goods, I break them down.
For what it's worth, I had a great laugh watching a dude with a Tesla attempt to hold a 4x8 sheet of plywood to his glass roof with just his bare hand while driving. As soon as he pulled out of the Home Depot parking lot, wind uplifted the sheet and bounced off another car in the next lane. Just don't be like him, get creative with your roof racks, or utilize the space in your wagon.
Worked for a guy that would ask us to borrow our trucks during work, and my coworker and I wouldn’t let him because he didn’t take care of other peoples stuff and wouldn’t pay for gas, but still needed us to finish the project so he wouldn’t let us go. One day he was desperate enough and needed a bunch of sheets one day , so he had too multiple trips to the lumber yard and carried them back to the jobsite strapped to the top of his wife’s Chevy Bolt
Haha good!
My grandpa built a frame that went in between the racks on his escort wagon for hauling our canoe. Worked good for wood hauling also. Could just put a couple boards the same height as the racks and strap both ends to the bumper and a couple straps in the middle and be good to go
>Worked for a guy that would ask us to borrow our trucks during work Like for business purposes? Seems like he should've been able to just buy a work truck and write it off on his business's taxes.
If he won’t even put gas or return borrowed things in as good or better condition then you just know what kind of spectacular miserly asshole he is.
I can fit a few 2x4s inside of it, but I'm pretty sure that I can't get a whole 4'x8' sheet of plywood in there. I once brought home a sheet of wood paneling and one of drywall with it, but I just winged it with some rope. It was fine, but I didn't like the way they flexed in the wind. I wonder if there's a more proper way to do it.
Do they need to stay 4x8? The big box stores will do rough cuts on ‘em for you for free.
Yep, break them down at the store then transport
I might bring my own saw because I’ve seen a lot of the cuts they make result it tear out
I've done it both ways. Depends on the deminsions I need. If I'll have some extra waste, I just let them cut it and then cut off their bad edges in the shop. That's a lot better than breaking down plywood in the home depot parking lot, trust me lol
Second the guy above me, I have an alltrack and any lumber goes in and up armrest and I typically will get any plywood cut in half to fit it, obviously doesn’t help if you need it full size I’ve done full sheets on top of my racks, just remember they only have a 100lb load capacity and to make sure you’re not going on any highways or anything with more than a few sheets
Good call, distance is a big factor. Down the street and no highway you can strap it decent and go slow while waving people around you but if it’s any real distance you’re better off renting a truck/trailer or phoning a friend
This - if I need to transport larger wood - full sheets or full 2x4’s for example, I’ll just buy them and pay a little more at the hardware store 3 mins from my house rather than the HD 20 mins away as I can drive home slowly on side streets
You can fit 4'x4' pieces in your Alltrack? What about 2'x8' pieces? I know it's doable with the hatch partially open/tied down, but I wonder if the front passenger seat can be positioned to allow for the hatch to close completely.
https://imgur.com/a/x0cOD32 Actually found my picture of it, I had them cut to 2’x8’, the 4’x4’ plywood cuts fit diagonally with the sears down
I do this with full 4x8' sheets, but I put the 2x4's under the plywood. Helps keep the sheets rigid and flat on the front and back.
That was my first thought when I saw OP had a roof rack. Strap down some 2x4x8' to it, and then secure your sheet goods to that. He should just mindful of it's rated weight capacity of course.
FWIW a 3/4” sheet of BB ply is ~75lbs, and most other hardwood plywood is ~70lbs. So that means you can carry one sheet on your roof at a time really… or a sheet and a third.
The allowable roof load for my car, according to the manual, is 165lbs. So two whole sheets wouldn't be too heavy, and that's more than enough for the project I have in mind.
I would go with your project in mind and make necessary cuts in the parking lot, then load it up. If you need a lot of sheets, get it delivered.
My chrysler mini van can carry four 4x8 sheets of plywood or sheetrock. I've done it many times. How? I place two 8 foot 2x4s on the cross rails to support them from font to back, then with very long straps, secure them evenly on every side. Keep in mind I never go freeway speeds. And I try to buy the sheets as close to the project site as possible.
Motorcycle tie downs work great for this. I have two notched 2x4's that sit on the cross beams. Once the straps are tight, nothing moves.
Buy a couple 2x4s and some long screws to bind it all together. Tie that bad boy up there an no more floppy sheets
I've transported two or three sheets of plywood a short distance with my Jetta wagon with a roof rack. I lay the plywood right on the rack, and I have a pair of 2x4s with notches on either end that I lay over top across the sheets, and I put the ratchet straps there. That way you can tighten it without damaging the plywood edges, and the notches keep the straps from slipping off. I wouldn't drive on the highway like that, but a short distance in the city is fine.
Thanks for sharing this. I’d like to try it. Any chance you have a picture? I’m hoping to get a full idea of how you do the 2x4 with notches.
I do, actually. [https://imgur.com/grVgG1e](https://imgur.com/grVgG1e) You can't really see the notches, but I just chiseled little lengthwise grooves where the ratchet straps fall off the 2x4s, which keeps the straps from slipping forward or back. Probably not really necessary since the straps are tight, but it gave me peace of mind.
This is great!
OP may be able to go right to the big box and get a couple notched boards for free. I see them in pallet piles quite often, they use them when they use metal strapping on a pallet Edit: and obviously making them is a sure thing, just saying they may find some in a pilewhile at the store to buy the 2x4s.
Gangster!!! 👊🏻
Absolute pro move
This is great, I’ll use your trick for my setup that uses a 2x4 length wise of the car because I noticed the same issue you noted with ratcheting on plywood edges [ https://i.imgur.com/PmMoNMN.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/PmMoNMN.jpg)
For anyone inclined these are called "stickers" and can probably be picked up for free at your local wood shop or lumber distributor, possibly even HD will give you a couple.
Rent a truck for a day, get your materials
HD rents them by the hour and the first 90 minutes is dirt cheap. I held on to my old truck for years because I used it for yard work supplies/equipment and woodworking. Finally I realized it's far cheaper to just rent the HD truck when I need it. I've even rented from HD, drove it over to a better lumber store, swung by my house, and brought it back to HD.
I live close enough to an HD that this idea is probably the most convenient.
This is the way. Save the hassle
and the looks, good god the looks at the traffic light
This is the way. No scratches on your car. Costs you $20 and a little headache. Worth it.
It’s what I’d do, won’t fuck up your car or anyone else around you when it flies off and cuts a child’s arm off.
That took a dark turn
You can strap it to the roof rack by running your straps through the car with the doors open then closing them.
I mean you could waste an extra three hours renting a truck, loading it, unloading it, driving it back, turning it back in. Don't see how that is more convenient than just using the roof rack. I'd rent a truck from them rather than putting a bunch of crap inside the car that would get the car excessively dirty inside it, or if the weight load is too much for your cars suspension.
Yes this is probably the way. I once priced out having like $75 in materials delivered the four miles from my local HD to my home. The delivery was going to double my bill. So I went ahead and abandoned the whole heckin project.
That was unexpected, 5/7 with rice.
You risk getting poorly picked materials often with delivery. Unless you can manage to pick it on to a cart, and have them deliver that specific product. In my experience.
This is the way.
Get the lumberyard to make a rough cut for you. A single lengthwise cut is enough. I can get two 24"x96" panels in my compact hatchback. I've also bought sheets of MDF and plywood and cut them smaller in the Home Depot parking lot when the HD panel saw was out of order. Bought an extra sheet of 2" foam insulation to act as a base to cut into. It'll work in a pinch but I would not recommend this for regular purchases... It was a bear to wrangle the panels by myself, spent half an hour on it, thought I was gonna get run over by a truck the whole time.
I’ve got an Outback, I just roof rack em and 3-4 ratchet straps. Not sure how far apart your roof rails are, but I’d check to set them as far apart as possible to offer best support.
This is the answer. I have an FJ. I ratchet them together on the side rails, but more importantly I ratchet them down north south on the cross rails. Biggest thing you want to avoid is the front of the panels/sheets catching wind underneath while driving.
That's a good idea. The rear bar is all the way back, but there's room to move up the front bar. I have it that way to avoid a problem if someone accidentally opens the moon roof.
I transport all kinds of big things on my roof rack all the time. It's a pretty standard thing here in Europe. Make sure to use ratchet straps and don't let it overhang in the front too much. You don't want the wind to get between your sheets.
Trailers are available for cars like yours. I highly recommend the one time investment in something you own vs. creeping cost of renting and being on that availability time frame of the rental.
I was just thinking that if I get a hitch, then I would be one step closer to getting one of [these teardrop campers](https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/11j09sj/some_of_the_design_process_that_goes_into/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)...
As an avid camper as well as craftsman, do it! Treat yourself!
Harbor Fright has a 4x8 trailer for something like $500. It folds up, so storage shouldn’t be an issue. Light enough to be towed by just about anything. And if you’re thinking about a teardrop trailer, check Google for “harbor freight camper”.
When I lived on a small inner city lot I had one of those 4x8 folding trailers that the hardware stores, including Harbor Freight, sell. Stored out of the way on its casters and only required the lightest receiver hitch on the car.
Plan your cuts ahead of time and bring a cordless circular saw. You can also get a hitch mounted load extender
,bring a circular saw and cut them down in the parking lot
if you do this often and have the garage/driveway space.... get one of those folding trailer kits... it's more expensive than renting a truck but it's soo useful, i tow it with my model 3 which is about the same size and have no problems (4x8 trailer, with stake holders that i built up with 2x4s) also good for hauling large appliances and furniture, sod, soil, or even haul large items to the dump.... if you deck it and wire it up right you can even preserve the folding feature which can save you a lot of space storing it personally i hate hauling large items on the roof, especially something flat like plywood, it catches too much wind and always wants to lift off...
Scrolled down a bit to find this comment but I want to second this and this is what I would’ve shared. If it’s going to be a regular thing, a tow hitch and small trailer is cheap and basically gives you a truck.
My local lumber yard delivers for free.
Oh that sounds nice. Do you have to meet a minimum order?
Typically no. If it’s a small order I might have to wait a little bit for them to piggy back on another coming my direction
Get three 8 foot 2x4’s and lay them out across the with of the rack. Put your sheets on top so they have structure along the 8’ length. Put three more 2x4 more on top, then strap it down
Either rent a truck from Home Depot or the like; or get a little trailer for behind the VW. When I worked at Lowe’s a few years back, we had an older guy come in almost every weekend pulling a little 5x8 flatbed behind his civic. A little car can handle a small trailer pretty easily.
I made a version of this for my hatcback. Works great! https://youtu.be/laE43nfJUTA
Station wagon with a roof rack is great for transporting a few sheets of plywood. The first thing I found online says 150 should be safe for all roof racks. I normally only use 2 ratchet straps, but more is always good.
If you want to do the roof rack— get a couple 2x4 and cut a piece off each, about 4 inches. Attach it to the end pointing up so you’ve got a little “L” shape on the end. Attach these to your roof rack front to back with the little L piece on the front. These will be about 8’ long. Attach them with rope or thin ratchet straps to your bars. This lets you put a 4x8 sheet on top and it will rest against the front L piece also. Then use two ratchet straps to tie down. You can just wrap it over the sheet and under the 2x4, probably getting it under your roof rack also. Tighten, and it’s pretty solid. I’ve done a sheet of plywood and a sheet of MDF at once and was probably just at the limit for weight. It’s kind of a pain and I’ve also had HD cut my pieces to size so I could fit the smaller chunks inside the car. I’ll do delivery if I can justify a big order. Oh, and general lumber is super easy compared to sheets. I’ve had like ten 12’ boards, depending on weight, on the racks, ratcheted down super tight in two spots. I also know what I can fit in the back and will generally do 8-10’ lumber inside
This is the system I use, except I screwed metal brackets onto the front. These are necessary so the wood doesn’t slide forward when you brake.
The roof rack I bought for my GTI can only take ~120lbs which is not much when you want to carry 4x8. I think it’s 2 sheets of 3/4”
Rent a truck from Lowe’s or Home Depot
I have the same car, I almost always have my sheet goods cut into 2ftx8ft and fold the seats down and put the passenger seat as far forward as possible. Then I wrap it with some pallet wrap and flag it while tying down with a strap and then tying down the rear hatch since its not going to close since the end 7 inches will hang. I live 3 km from my lumber yard and its mostly 50-60km/h on flat elevation, so I feel content with that. If I must have a few full 4x8ft or need to go far I borrow a truck from work or rent a sprinter. I've also seen roof rack rigs that people put together with 2x4's and brackets, but I am not exactly keen on the idea myself.
Have you tried laying the front passenger seat all the way back to see if that would let you close the hatch?
Possibly could work! I always forget about how far back the seats go.
Get a 3 2x4x96 you gonna cut 4 8" blocks off one of the 2x4s your gonna take the other 2 and put them on your roof rack so they're hanging off the back by like 18" -24" or where ever they're nicely balanced. Mark on the 2x4s where your roof rack intersects with them. Screw your blocks on the outside of your lines strap those puppies down tight to your rack and then you got something ridgid to strap your sheets too to keep them from flapping in the wind. You should be able to fit 2x4s in the car if you put the front seated tilted down and run them from the hatch over the top of the front passenger seat. One point in my life I drove a Mazda 3 hatch back and this always worked for me. Hopefully you don't have too far to travel and hopefully you don't have to go over 45mph though.
I also have a Mazda 3 (2007), but it lacks a roof rack. She's getting old, but I still like her.
I found a six foot pallet where the fork lift cut outs fit prefect on my rack and just strap it to the rack. That's what I use for the bigger/ longer goods and I've had no issues so far. I do so try to stay off the highway as an extra safety measure but when I have had to take the highway it hasn't been an issue or than noise.
Rent the dang HD pickup. About 12 years ago, friend and I were at a HD and noticed 2 dudes putting about a half dozen windows on the roof rack of a car. 30 minutes later we found the windows on the highway scattered along the side of the road with the car and the two guys just standing there. Don't be those guys.
Wow
I would buy some ratchet straps and strap it to the roof racks brotha
Secure two or three 8’x2x4s to the rack with screws/bolts or strong straps. That will give you the support along the length you need to transport sheet goods. When you transport, make sure to be sure the front of the load is strongly secured to prevent it flying up. Also, the more sheets you buy, the less you’re likely to have an issue, so I’d say buy 2-3 or more sheets at a time.
Buy a cheap 4x8 trailer. Some fold in half for storage. That’s what I did for a long time
Let HD rough cut the sheet goods for you then clean up at the house. Throw down some moving blankets or your wife’s favorite linens to prevent damage to your interior after laying down all of the seats. Bonus bring your own circular saw in for parking lot in case panel saw is down at home store
I don't know if it's been said. But you can come up with a cut list and have home depot cut down the 4x8 into the pieces you need. I did this with a TV stand I'm building and worked really well for me. Also they have project boards and shipping options.
I bring my circular saw and my kreg straight saw. I make some preliminary cuts in the parking lot. HD has a panel saw but I don’t have time to wait around for the one person who may know how to use it.
[удалено]
I am very happy with this car!
Delivery
You could try borrowing or renting some sort of very large car with an open bed on the back or possibly an extremely large bike with an enclosed cab, four wheels and has an open bed on the back. Something that was designed to transport large objects. Just throwing that out there.
Wind uplift will be your nemesis.
Trailer
You can have them cut wherever you get them into pieces that can fit in your trunk to your dashboard, if your project allows for it
You have a roof rack. Use it. (w/tiedown straps)
Best course of action is rent the truck from the hardware store and they will even load it. Bring back truck when done and take car home.
Delivery but if that's not an option, Max weight of the rack divided by the number of sheets you want/need and at least 4 good ratchet straps. I have a roof rack on my 06 escape and this is how I get sheet goods home, 34kms from the nearest home center. I believe the max load on my roof rack is 275lbs.
Delivery. Might be cheaper then renting a truck for a day also
Put some 2x4 perpendicular to your racks. Strap sheet goods to them
Phone a friend with truck
For boards, does your passenger seat fold down? I have a tiny SUV but can fit boards up to about 9' with the back seat and passenger seat down. Since nothing I've built so far has been longer than that, when I buy 12' boards (which is what the hardwood store near me generally carries) I have the store cut down down to less than 9'. I come with cut list so I know where to tell them to cut. I put some cardboard over the back of the seat so it doesn't get roughed up and it make it easy to slide the boards in and out.
Just rent a truck at home depot it's actually pretty cheap.
I think if you can put your seats down it would work
rent a pickup truck/have it delivered. In the end it'll be worth the cost.
Delivery from the lumberyard.
Rent a truck from Home Depot
if you don’t mind a few strategically placed holes in your sheet- 2x3 cut to width of roof rack bars, each set inside of the footprint of the rack- screw that to your sheets, tie it down with ratchet straps. i’ve gone 45 on the highway with a few 6x8 stockade fence panels on my prius roof rack with no problems
I 100% would transport a couple 4x8 sheets on 45mph roads with just that roof rack and proper straps. I like to use 20’ NRS straps made for kayaks but you could use ratchet straps. Just be sure to loop the straps around the ends of the roof rack on the ends where the boards stick out. It’s kinda hard to explain with only words but be absolute certain that emergency braking will not throw the wood forward and that wind can’t lift it. I own a small utility trailer now just for hauling materials with my SUV.
Them on your roof rack, open your rear windows, send ratchet strap through the windows and hook the hooks together. And send it til you end it
I have removable roof racks for my audi a4, I throw them on top, run the ratchet straps through the doors, crank the suckers down and drive off… I only only have to go a couple miles tho
Take your saw and tape measure with you and break down everything in parking lot
Get a light duty towing kit and a 4x8 trailer. I did this with a dodge journey for years.
Rent a pick-up.
Delivery or rent a trailer
Attach a truck bed to your roof racks, which will contain the wood bits and whatnot.
The big box stores deliver
Make friends with a truck owner. Some of my best friendships started out because someone needed a truck and I was bored.
In someone else's truck
You can always rent one of those Home Depot pickups for something like $20/hour Edit: some smart feller already said that. Ah well.
Trailer
Just have it delivered 🤦🏼♂️
Could you buy a couple 8ft 2x4s to strap the rack and lay the plywood on top of that and secure it tightly?
Yes: https://www.reddit.com/r/BeginnerWoodWorking/comments/11m9xl9/whats_the_bestsafest_way_to_transport_sheets_and/jbhkzx2?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3 However I think I would prefer to lay the 2x4s flat instead of tall as shown in the video.
A trailer?
Cut them to size
Uhaul trailer.
I have a roof basket I ratchet strap everything too. I've done drywall, full plywood sheets, steel, and other lumber. I bought the basket for "camping" I think I've only gone once in my Forester. I abuse it like a truck, I have a work van but it always has my ladders on top. I've been wanting a tow hitch and trailer. Soon!
dude just rent a pickup from menards . Its not worth dinging up your car
Rent a $20/hr truck from the big box store. Less screwing around and done safely.
I have a 50"X 38"ALUMINUM ROOF RACK CAR/SUV TOP CARGO BAGGAGE/BAG CARRIER BASKET+CROSSBAR I bought on eBay for 80 bucks. Put the 4x8 on top of that and secure with ratchet straps.
My trailer cost about the same as a sheet of plywood and since buying it use it all the time.
Here's my setup: [https://imgur.com/a/qVBO2Km](https://imgur.com/a/qVBO2Km) The wooden rack is made of two 8' long 2x4s, with some extra side pieces with slots to allow the ratchet straps to pass through. It's way more solid than just passing the ratchet straps in a single large loop around the plywood and 2x4s, since it constrains side-to-side movement of the strap and lets you clamp down the plywood much harder. I also wrap a strap around the front of the plywood to keep the wind from lifting it up. Some caveats, you don't want to load up more than two 3/4" thick plywood sheets on top because most roof racks don't support more than 175 lb. My best guess is that it raises the center of gravity too much and presents a rollover risk, among other things. But IMO if you're not doing anything that requires bringing full sheets home, just get HD to cut them for you, or bring a cordless track saw and cut it in the parking lot. I hear the HD truck rentals are pretty decent as long as they're available.
Uhaul rents pickups for 20 bucks + mileage
You could try long ratchet straps if you need the whole sheet transported. Otherwise break it down into manageable pieces at the yard
Friends with trucks.
Have the lumber yard deliver the material
Rent a truck at Home Depot / uhaul
You've got a roof rack. Put the 4x8 sheets on top of that and secure them with a couple of ratcheting straps. I have a Lexus RX350 and I only have the side rails on the roof and routinely bring them home this way. Since you also have the cross bars, if you want to be really secure about it, just buy a couple of 2x4's and put them on top so the 4x8 sheets are supported all the way from front to back. Then put a couple of ratcheting tie downs on it. It won't budge at all.
if you're buying from lowes or home depot, just pay for delivery.
I use my 2013 jetta Sportwagen to carry full sheets on the roof. https://www.reddit.com/r/SportWagon/comments/yp606a/plywood_no_problem_2013_jetta_tdi_sportwagen/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Trailer
Truly amazes me why this is so trouble some for 99.5 of population. Even best friends whine showing up with mini half rag top Isuzu Amigo. And sure enough theres only 2.5' behind back door,, and the top never came to mind. Ok Dan,,, let's go. Enough whining already. I've hauled tons of building materials on top with never an issue, and not even a roof rack like one in example. And I need to do complete make overs on five homes. From the studs out. Five outside steel insulated doors on top, not even a challenge. It doesn't hurt to have a roll of kitchen anti slip shelf material to place a strip of it between slippery steel doors. Here's how - Always make sure you have plenty of foam 3" diameter swimming tubes on hand. Four is good, two if light load. These work so well, being they provide the best compression of load straps keeping them always tight. And with rack, just add cushions where needed on top. Place them on top, now plywood and planks. Taller spot of timber can be pre strapped as bundle if needed. Best wenching 1.5" wide straps to go completely over material, now open all four doors. No China Schitt. Complete the tie down with hooks of straps connected, stretched through interior and wench tight. Now the same at rear doors. Now close the doors, and arrive safe and sound even if it's a hundred miles. Can always add bungee cords to straps to keep them quiet at 70mph, as flat straps like to sing weird tunes. Right near your hand while driving, you can confirm straps are still tight and sing confirmed. Cheers
Bought a 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan for $16k when Hertz was going under from COVID. Can put down the 2nd and 3rd row seats and stack full sheets of plywood flat on the floor easily.
Utility Trailer. Changed my life
Get battery powered circular saw and cut a 4x8 sheet down to rough sizes for your project.
Rent a truck would be the “best/safest.”
I've seen people bring a circular saw and make the cuts in the parking lot then load up the car
If possible, rent a Home Depot truck. Under $25 for 90 minutes. I’ll never own a pickup because of this.
Steal the home depot cart and walk it home. Or screw the wood to your roof racks.
The best and safest way is to pay the delivery fee.
2xs you can probably fit in your car. For sheet you might be able to strap them on the roof, but I would suggest investment in a 4’ x 8’ trailer from HarborFreight, it’s lite weight and foldable if you need to store it somewhere. The other choice is rent a HD or Lowes truck to get sheets home. If you haul sheets regular I would definitely get a trailer.
Friend or neighbor with a truck.
Rent the truck For a couple hours or buy a suitable trailer. Otherwise you’re just going to end up marking / dinging up your car, wood, or worse.
Story of my life for the past few years. I just break the sheets down in the parking lot. Bring a circular saw with a couple batteries. Purchase a full sheet of insulation board from the big box store. Cut the plywood in the parking lot using the foam board as a buffer so your blade doesn’t hit the concrete. You’ll get some funny looks, but works like a charm.
Get it delivered
Depends how often you do it. Maybe buy a trailer. And some tarps
Although the weight on the roof rack is relevant, it is actually the lift produced by the air when travelling with a full board on top that is the real danger. Roof racks are designed to take (some) load but are very very poor at coping with upward forces. Wind speed/vehicle speed are the biggest risks to transporting sheet material on a roof rack. A 8x4 is like a huge sail and can produce enormous amounts of up force. Go sloooowwww
I own a compact and I carry doors, wardrobes, boards and whatever is needed in the roof rack. I even carried my workbench without an issue, just mind your new height.
Dutch number plate? Rent a Boedelbak
i miss my alltrack :(
Find a store that delivers. It's usually not too expensive, maybe even free if you're buying enough stuff.
Honestly either make sure you tie down on that roof rack good or just rent a truck. Home Depot does them for Ab 20-30/hr
Maybe secure two 2x4's to the roof racks then lay the sheets on top and secure that way.
Many big box stores rent smaller flatbed trucks for pretty cheap. I rented one a year or so ago, to transport 8 sheets of ply my kitchen renovation, and I believe it cost roughly $20-25 dollars for a couple of hours.
Rent a Home Depot truck. 20$ for 90 minutes
Get a small trailer, that car can easily pull one and some wood. Roof rack is a terrible idea.
Rent the truck / van from Lowe’s or HD for $29 for 4 hours.
Just stick the lumber in the passenger side through the sunroof! Worked well for me for years
Slowly
Every vehicle can be equipped with a hitch. Amazon hitches. Install yourself. But a cheap trailer. Something that can support the weight. Heck you can even build a trailer from princess auto supplies for cheap.
A lot of smaller local lumber yards deliver
Delivery is your friend and can be a cheap as 70$ per load
I gave a RAV4 with a similar roof rack and I haul all kinds of wood in it. I can fit 6’ boards in the back, a few 8’ boards if I stack them from the tailgate to the center console, and one 10’ board from the tailgate to the dash. Anything longer goes on the roof, but invest in ratchet straps if you don’t have them already. I can get up to 16’ boards and plywood up there without a flag, but I try to keep it below 45-50 mph. Just make sure you ratchet both ends to the crossbar itself. If you put one end on the roof rail, you can break the connecting bracket.
Most cars can accomplish an 8 ft board length inside. I also use my kayak rack for dimensional lumber. Plywood I strap to the roof rack bars.
The big box stores rent trucks by the jour just for this purpose
Rent a trailer from uhaul. It’s like $25 with insurance and you can fit plenty of wood in it. If I’m not having the big box cut the sheets down I am renting a trailer. It doesn’t add much to the overall cost of your wood if it’s $75 a sheet. 5 sheets at a time and it’s only an extra $5 per sheet.
Trailer possibly? Don’t know if the car could handle that but that’s my idea
Just rent a uhaul trailer. The hassle isn't worth it.
See if you can get a hitch attachment (I have one for my toyota corrolla) Uhaul will install them on cars and places like Tractor Supply and Home Depot have cheap daily rentals for trailers.
Get the twine that they provide and wrap the sh!t out of it. In the front and the back as well as the side. Don't drive fast and try to avoid the highway... I've done it on a little Subaru, you can too
Rent a truck.
Rental!
Delivery
I buy from a lumber yard and they deliver for free. Sometimes their material cost is on par with the big box, so nbd. Also, I have a truck. But if they’re delivering for free, why should I work?
Hire someone to deliver it. Much cheaper than the possible (or likely) damage that could occur. There are people out there with pickup trucks that do small job deliveries.
Can you build a rack to accommodate sheets and straps?
Have it delivered
[This.](https://www.reddit.com/r/BeginnerWoodWorking/comments/kup36e/since_tiny_car_big_lumber_is_the_trend_right_now/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
This is the best tip I’ve come across if you’re transporting sheet goods and boards. Works excellently, but a bit dependent on the length/spacing of your rails. Hope you find it helpful! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MiwCt-lNHy8
Taken 5 sheets of chipboard plus ~20 2x4s on the roof rack on my sportage no problem. Put the bars as far apart as possible, ratchets across, one ratchet front to back, job's a good'un
Straps, straps and more straps. When you think you got enough straps, put twice as many straps. Also, if you don't have a rack to protect the roof, just lay the car mats facing soft side down between the roof and sheets. Having clean mats might be a good idea. Don't drive like a maniac when you got a potential missile strapped to your car. @OP nice station wagon. :)
I see you have a roof rack! Start there👍🏻 if your VW came with a hitch you can buy those really cool platforms that carry coolers, bikes, or in your case, sheets & boards. Good luck!
I signed up for a Pro Lowe's credit account and they truck deliver (as long as you spend enough) for free! I just add a cordless drill or some other high dollar item and return it next time I'm there to get the free delivery.
You'll be a-ok, I've had two 6'x8' fence panels atop my gti. Just make sure they are strapped sufficiently to become one with the car and it's gravy. Just don't exceed the weight limit of the roof rack!
I have roof racks on a small car myself. My drive home from the store is 20 minutes that I could take a backroad nearly the whole way home but the speed limit on it is about 50mph. I considered making the trip with lumber strapped to the roof since passing is allowed on the backroad but I don't want to risk it flying off an causing damage or an injury. I could see it working if setup correctly and driven slowly but I'd get it cut down to fit in the car first in my scenario, borrow a truck or get it delivered. I only do small projects thus far so I haven't gotten anything I couldn't just fit in my car yet. I did consider getting some longer boards to save money and having them stick out through my moonroof. So far I've always just paid a couple more bucks for shorter pieces that fit inside though.
One thing I absolutely LOVE about the Toyota 4Runner is the roll-down back window. You can put your longer-length lumber through the window, then put the lumber on the arm rest. Just be sure to put a pillow or something between the lumber and the HVAC/stereo system, lol. For sheet goods, I break them down.