So here's a thought,
why not just have the lumber yard deliver the materials? for the gargantuan
loads most of you seem to be carrying, most lumberyards will deliver for
free or a small fee, save the wear and tear on your van. I am a carpenter,
the most my vanagon carries is myself and my tools. (If my F**d work truck
isn't running)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Shawn Wright" <swright@ZUIKO.SLS.BC.CA>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 1:57 PM
Subject: Ridiculous loads...

> Funny this topic should arise now...
> We have spent the last 8 months building a house, and some
> fairly hairy van loads (and Jetta loads) have occurred during
> this time, but two stand out the most:
>
> The runner up was a load of 50 16' 2x6s, with a 4x4 placed
> along the rear metal edge of the engine compartment to
> prevent mattress compression, and the 2x6s extended to the
> rear of the front seats. Those were cedar, so weight was not
> too bad.
>
> But the winner was a few weeks ago, when I carried *all* the
> materials for a 12x16 deck, and a 5x26 front porch in the van.
> The list included in order of loading:
> 50 pcs 16' 5/4x6 radius PT decking
> 6 pcs 16' 2x10 FIR
> 12 pcs 12' 2x10 FIR
> 10 pcs 10' 2x10 FIR
> 16 pcs 10' 2x8 FIR
> This brought the load to within 2 inches of the upper cabinet in
> the Westy, and left about 6" on either side, and of course hung
> out the rear about 6 ft...
> The final items were 8 50lb bags of concrete placed in the
> passenger floor area to keep the front end on the ground. If
> you're not familiar with Fir lumber, it is approximately the
> density of concrete when green. I estimated the 10' 2x10s
> weighed in around 50-60lbs each.
>
> Although I worried the rear tires would not hold (old Sears LT
> tires), they survived the 15 minute ride just fine, including one
> long steep gravel hill. I had to shift into 1st near the top of this
> hill, as 2nd wouldn't make it...
>
>
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> Shawn Wright, Systems Manager
> Shawnigan Lake School
> http://www.sls.bc.ca
> swright@sls.bc.ca
>