Safe transportation of board on roof
Discussion
andyps said:
I think you will need something to stop it bending in the wind depending upon the stiffness of the board. The main issue is probably how flat the bars are to ensure good support rather than just point loading. Some lengths of 4x4 timbers should support things well!
He's right you know. If it isn't stiff enough , it will flap about uncontrollably.I brought back 6 sheets of 8x4 on the roof of a Passat estate.
It was 9mm marine ply, so sturdy enough not to flap.
Had about 50 ft of thin rope - just criss-crossed length / width under I ran out. Slow run home though, back roads, no speed above 30mph, 8pm on a Wednesday evening.
Seemed safe enough and didn't move an inch. Wouldn't have wanted to set off on a 100mile motorway journey though!
It was 9mm marine ply, so sturdy enough not to flap.
Had about 50 ft of thin rope - just criss-crossed length / width under I ran out. Slow run home though, back roads, no speed above 30mph, 8pm on a Wednesday evening.
Seemed safe enough and didn't move an inch. Wouldn't have wanted to set off on a 100mile motorway journey though!
Matt UK said:
I brought back 6 sheets of 8x4 on the roof of a Passat estate.
It was 9mm marine ply, so sturdy enough not to flap.
Just be careful with roof loads.It was 9mm marine ply, so sturdy enough not to flap.
Plywood weighs approx 25lb per 1/4inch of thickness in an 8 x 4 sheet
So the above load on the Passat would be 225lb which is 102kg
VW say the Passat's max roofload is 100kg. On other cars it's often less.
) it should be ok.^^^ Yes , put something stiff under the floppy boards.
I used to carry a few big things around on my old espace roof using just the bars, plasterboard, fence panels etc...
Best thing I ever bought for it wa a pack of ratchet straps, 4 of them for about a tenner. loop the strap through the bars or windows and then tighten with the ratchet. No way anthing is gonna come loose with a couple of those holding it in place.
My neighbour borrowed a couple to take his 16ft canoe on top of his van, main thing to check is not to overtighten them; we stopped when his canoe started making cracking noises.
So much easier than dicking around with 50M of cheap string, in the cold, in the rain, trying to tie a knot that you last tried at cubs 20 years ago!
I used to carry a few big things around on my old espace roof using just the bars, plasterboard, fence panels etc...
Best thing I ever bought for it wa a pack of ratchet straps, 4 of them for about a tenner. loop the strap through the bars or windows and then tighten with the ratchet. No way anthing is gonna come loose with a couple of those holding it in place.
My neighbour borrowed a couple to take his 16ft canoe on top of his van, main thing to check is not to overtighten them; we stopped when his canoe started making cracking noises.
So much easier than dicking around with 50M of cheap string, in the cold, in the rain, trying to tie a knot that you last tried at cubs 20 years ago!
sparkythecat said:
Matt UK said:
I brought back 6 sheets of 8x4 on the roof of a Passat estate.
It was 9mm marine ply, so sturdy enough not to flap.
Just be careful with roof loads.It was 9mm marine ply, so sturdy enough not to flap.
Plywood weighs approx 25lb per 1/4inch of thickness in an 8 x 4 sheet
So the above load on the Passat would be 225lb which is 102kg
VW say the Passat's max roofload is 100kg. On other cars it's often less.
But then again, the wood strapped to the top, a full tank of derv and my coat on the back seat probably doubled the value of the car.
(eta, this post is not meant to infer I have a very expensive jacket - the point is that the Passat is worth very little)
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