Hauling 16 Ft Boards On An 8 Ft Trailer - Easy Peasy!

[DerbyDad03]

I bought some reclaimed Douglas Fir on Craiglist so I can build a bed for my
daughter. The seller had three 6/4 x 6 x 16 boards which will be perfect
for the bed rails. If I had cut them to length at his house, I could have put
them in my van. However, I wanted to take my time choosing the best sections
to use, so I needed a way to get them home intact.

I borrowed a friend's utility trailer and came up with a system to get them
home safely. I used some wood that I had lying around to build a back wall
for the trailer. I then used short pieces of 2 x 4 to "surround" the boards
so they couldn't move side-to-side or up-and-down. Ratchet straps fore and
aft prevented any forward or backward movement. I used a screw and fender
washer at each end of the boards to ensure that the straps couldn't slide
off. 30 miles later, the wood was in my garage.

Wood On Trailer:

http://i.imgur.com/3ICIwpl.jpg

The 6/4 rough stock above will be surfaced for the rails and the 5/4 S4S
stock below will be planed down to make the head boards, legs, etc. The S4S
stock came home inside the van.

S4S Stock:

http://i.imgur.com/GF2qOCd.jpg

My daughter is looking for something like this.

The Goal:

http://i.imgur.com/lVY9OQQ.jpg

[Ed Pawlowski]

That is some good looking wood. It should make a good looking bed in
that style.

[hub...@ccanoemail.ca]

>
>My daughter is looking for something like this.
>

>http://i.imgur.com/lVY9OQQ.jpg
>


Some bed-rail hardware can be seen here ..

http://www.leevalley.com/US/Hardware/page.aspx?cat=3,40842&p=43730

[DerbyDad03]

Thanks. I like the look of it too. It's left over from a Post and Beam house
that the seller had built. I called the company that built the house and
was told that they have their own acquisition team that actually goes to old
buildings and decides what wood they want. In other words, they don't get it from a third party source, so when they say it's reclaimed, it really is.

The head board may end up being more of a random length style because there
isn't enough long stock to run single pieces the full length. I haven't
worked that out just yet.

[Uncle Monster]

Derby Dad got wood. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Aroused Monster

[rbowman]

On 06/11/2016 08:10 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
> I borrowed a friend's utility trailer and came up with a system to get them
> home safely.

You obviously haven't absorbed the a.h.r culture. You just put the 16
footers on the trailer and have Cousin Bubba sit on the near end to keep
everything balanced. What could go wrong?

[DerbyDad03]

Thanks. There's lots of options at that site. I'll check them out.

This will be my 5th bed build. I've built all the beds in my house:

A bunk bed that converts to 2 singles, an L-style bunk bed and a platform bed.

I also built a knockdown platform bed for one daughter's college apartment.
About a week before she came home for Thanksgiving she told me wanted
something that she could fit in her car and that was also tall enough to
store those 18 gallon totes underneath. The challenge had been posed.

After Thanksgiving, she took the following bed back to school with her. 5
pieces for the frame, 2 for the platform, along with a set of instructions
a cordless drill, and a box of screws. It's really basic, but with a bed
skirt hiding the legs, it's fine.

Frame:

http://i.imgur.com/eBHvDEG.jpg

Frame With Platform:

http://i.imgur.com/Is1Kryc.jpg

When she graduated and switched to a different college for her Masters, I
gave her this as graduation gift. I built it tall enough to match the
tall platform bed.

http://i.imgur.com/qNF7c6M.jpg

[DerbyDad03]

Re: "What could go wrong?"

Cousin Bubba splattered all over the rear window when I hit the brakes?

Actually, you've reminded me of the time I was at a friend's cabin in central
New York. A couple of locals came by inquiring about the old pick-up truck
that had been sitting on the access road leading to cabin for a few years.
These guys were pure Appalachia.

My buddy told them that they could have it just for hauling it away, but the
brakes were frozen so towing it wasn't possible. Well, a few beers and a
million laughs later, they tied a few tow straps to the under carriage and
dragged it down the road, hooting and hollering, smoke spewing from the tires
when they reached the blacktop at the end of the dirt road.

It ranks way up there as one of the funniest events in my life.

[dadiOH]

DerbyDad03 wrote:

> The head board may end up being more of a random length style because
> there
> isn't enough long stock to run single pieces the full length. I
> haven't
> worked that out just yet.

Rip narrow strips from long boards.

Butt short boards end to end

Glue narrow strips to top & bottom of butted shorts

[Jon Danniken]

On 06/11/2016 07:10 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
> I bought some reclaimed Douglas Fir on Craiglist so I can build a bed for my
> daughter. The seller had three 6/4 x 6 x 16 boards which will be perfect
> for the bed rails. If I had cut them to length at his house, I could have put
> them in my van. However, I wanted to take my time choosing the best sections
> to use, so I needed a way to get them home intact.
>
> I borrowed a friend's utility trailer and came up with a system to get them
> home safely. I used some wood that I had lying around to build a back wall
> for the trailer. I then used short pieces of 2 x 4 to "surround" the boards
> so they couldn't move side-to-side or up-and-down. Ratchet straps fore and
> aft prevented any forward or backward movement. I used a screw and fender
> washer at each end of the boards to ensure that the straps couldn't slide
> off. 30 miles later, the wood was in my garage.
>
> Wood On Trailer:
>
> http://i.imgur.com/3ICIwpl.jpg

That is functional, but it would not be legal, at least here in Oregon,
as maximum permitted overhang off of the back of a trailer is 1/3 of the
wheelbase (trailer axle to car rear axle).

You would, of course, have to be seen by a law enforcement agent who
wanted to deal with it, though.

Jon

[DerbyDad03]

If I understand you correctly, you are suggesting something like one
these, correct?

http://i.imgur.com/pqnuoZL.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/VGHrxKV.jpg

I like the idea. Of course, I'll have to see what my daughter says.

[DerbyDad03]

I opted for "ignorance is bliss" in this endeavor.

I was talking to some guys at work about my plans and one of them ask about
the legal limit for stuff hanging off the end of a trailer. I quickly put
my hands over my ears and started making "La-La-La-La" noises so I couldn't
hear any answers. ;-)

The overhang was about 6', which is probably over the limit for my state.

However, what I found most interesting was the trust that other drivers
put in my set-up. More than once I surprised to see drivers that were way
closer to the red flag than I would have gotten. They would have had no
time to deal with an issue had it occurred.

On the other hand, the one tractor trailer that got behind me maintained a
safe distance and eventually moved over to a different lane when he
got the chance. Smart guy!

[dpb]

On 06/12/2016 10:05 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
...

> However, what I found most interesting was the trust that other drivers
> put in my set-up. More than once I surprised to see drivers that were way
> closer to the red flag than I would have gotten. They would have had no
> time to deal with an issue had it occurred.

...

I'd not call it "trust", I'd call it "ignorance" and simply typical.

Try driving a large truck in a major metro area and see how many little
girls (amazingly how many are girls as compared to boys) are excessively
aggressive and have no compunction whatsoever of darting in front just
to get one place ahead at the impending light; simply presuming you've
got enough brakes to not run 'em over...

--

[Oren]

On Sat, 11 Jun 2016 19:10:17 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
<teama...@eznet.net> wrote:

>Wood On Trailer:
>
>http://i.imgur.com/3ICIwpl.jpg

Good job, Derby.

I needed a 4" x 10" x 20' Lam beam for building our patio cover with
Bubba. The lumber yard only had a 24 foot beam. I suggested to Bubba
we cradle it under his Ford F150 and strap it to the front and read
bumpers. Nope.

He opened the rear cab slide window and we shoved it into the cab,
maybe 6-8 inches from the windshield. Rested on the tailgate. strapped
down. Red flags galore on the end. About a 12 mile drive. We made it
home. Cut off 4 feet and installed the beam over three columns. We
still reminisce of building the patio cover :-\

[Oren]

Laws are made to be broken. LEO has discretion in enforcement.

"Come and get me, Copper,"

“White Heat,” (1949) Was James Cagney’s Most Menacing Gangster

[rbowman]

On 06/12/2016 10:17 AM, Oren wrote:
> He opened the rear cab slide window and we shoved it into the cab,
> maybe 6-8 inches from the windshield. Rested on the tailgate. strapped
> down. Red flags galore on the end. About a 12 mile drive. We made it
> home. Cut off 4 feet and installed the beam over three columns. We
> still reminisce of building the patio cover:-\

I went to the lumber hard with my father when he was building our patio.
In the best tradition, he rolled down the passenger side front window
and stacked the boards with their ends resting on the package shelf of
the '57 Chev and the rest sticking out the window. Worked great until
he drove into the garage. I was scared, figuring I'd get blamed for the
pile of little glass cubes in the back seat.

[Stormin Mormon]

On 6/12/2016 11:05 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
> I opted for "ignorance is bliss" in this endeavor.
>
> I was talking to some guys at work about my plans and one of them ask about
> the legal limit for stuff hanging off the end of a trailer. I quickly put
> my hands over my ears and started making "La-La-La-La" noises so I couldn't
> hear any answers. ;-)
>

What would this country be like if we all did
what was safe, instead of what was legal? I
mean, we've all got to obey the law to the
letter if we want to be free. After all, Frank
Burns (eats worms) said that on the TV show
MASH.

--
.
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
. www.lds.org
.
.

[Stormin Mormon]

On 6/12/2016 11:05 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:

> However, what I found most interesting was the trust that other drivers
> put in my set-up. More than once I surprised to see drivers that were way
> closer to the red flag than I would have gotten. They would have had no
> time to deal with an issue had it occurred.
>
> On the other hand, the one tractor trailer that got behind me maintained a
> safe distance and eventually moved over to a different lane when he
> got the chance. Smart guy!
>

Typical of drivers, now days. The four wheelers
have little common sense. The long haul drivers
often make much more sense.

One time I had a driver on my tailgate, in a
pickup truck. I tried every thing I could to
encourage him to allow a safer following distance.
Tap the brake lights. Brake to near stop, and
then continue on. Nothing helped. When we got
to the end of the cloverleaf ramp and onto the
highway, he passed and zoomed out in front of
me. I followed, at my usual safe distance. He
stomped on his brakes (to punish me?). I let off
the gas a very little bit, coasted. He then took
off at road speeds. With my safe following
distance, I was hardly affected by his braking
action. Hmm. He sure punished me, right?

[DerbyDad03]

re: 6" from the windshield...

When I was younger and poorer, my best man was moving out of an apartment
about 300 miles from where I had just bought a house. He had put
wall-to-wall carpeting in the apartment's bedroom and living room and
the landlord would not pay him anything if he left it, so he said "The
hell with him" and asked me if I could use it in my house, just to get
started.

I was driving a 1980 Mustang LX Hatchback at the time. We rolled up both
pieces of carpet and loading them through the hatch. The bottom roll went
almost all the way to the dashboard and the top was as close to the
windshield as it could be and still let me see a little out of the passenger
side. The hatch was tied down to the rolls and we were praying that it
wouldn't rain.

The 2 rolls were so high that I couldn't see my fiance in the passenger seat.
We didn't talk much on the way home partly because of the road noise and
partly because it was really strange talking to someone who was right next
to you but you couldn't see. When I wanted to turn left or change lanes, I
had to yell over to her to let me know if it was safe. Of course, she was
looking left or backwards so I could barley hear what she was saying. It was
quite an adventure.

[Oren]

On Sat, 11 Jun 2016 21:27:56 -0600, rbowman <bow...@montana.com>
wrote:

Nothing is wrong if just moving lumber across an animal pasture.
--
"We recommend using your hand to replace the fuse as it will take much longer using your knee."

[Dean Hoffman]

On 6/12/16 2:56 PM, Oren wrote:
> On Sat, 11 Jun 2016 21:27:56 -0600, rbowman <bow...@montana.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On 06/11/2016 08:10 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
>>> I borrowed a friend's utility trailer and came up with a system to get them
>>> home safely.
>>
>> You obviously haven't absorbed the a.h.r culture. You just put the 16
>> footers on the trailer and have Cousin Bubba sit on the near end to keep
>> everything balanced. What could go wrong?
>
> Nothing is wrong if just moving lumber across an animal pasture.

I didn't see any mention of duck tape in the plan.

[DerbyDad03]

Actually, before I had the idea of the horizontal 2 x 4 to keep the wood
from moving up and down, the thought of wrapping gorilla tape around the
the boards and the verticals had crossed my mind. In the end, 2 pieces
of wood and 4 screws was a much better and faster idea.

[dadiOH]

No, I wasn't suggesting that at all, just showing you how to join short
pieces into longer ones.

Of course, doinng so with multiple pieces would allow you to do something
similar to your links, the difference being that those also are - appear to
be - angled. If they are, I wouldn't have them on a bet, too many
horizontal surfaces to accumulate dust.

[DerbyDad03]

On Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 7:39:25 PM UTC-4, dadiOH wrote:
> DerbyDad03 wrote:
> > On Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 6:36:08 AM UTC-4, dadiOH wrote:
> >> DerbyDad03 wrote:
> >>
> >>> The head board may end up being more of a random length style
> >>> because there
> >>> isn't enough long stock to run single pieces the full length. I
> >>> haven't
> >>> worked that out just yet.
> >>
> >> Rip narrow strips from long boards.
> >>
> >> Butt short boards end to end
> >>
> >> Glue narrow strips to top & bottom of butted shorts
> >
> > If I understand you correctly, you are suggesting something like one
> > these, correct?
> >
> > http://i.imgur.com/pqnuoZL.jpg
> >
> > http://i.imgur.com/VGHrxKV.jpg
> >
> > I like the idea. Of course, I'll have to see what my daughter says.
>
> No, I wasn't suggesting that at all, just showing you how to join short
> pieces into longer ones.

I see. Of course, there are multiple ways to join short pieces to make long
pieces, such as splines, T&G, M&T, even pocket screws. Figuring that out
was not my concern, which is why I thought you were offering a design idea.
As it turns out, your "non-design idea" isn't a bad design idea. :-)

>
> Of course, doinng so with multiple pieces would allow you to do something
> similar to your links, the difference being that those also are - appear to
> be - angled. If they are, I wouldn't have them on a bet, too many
> horizontal surfaces to accumulate dust.

There are no (or will be no) angles. I took a picture of one piece of S4S
5/4 x 4.5 x 36" board lying on the floor and copied and reshaped that single image multiple times.

Original image:

http://i.imgur.com/Ux3OUJ0.jpg

The headboards examples I posted are simply 15 or more copies of that same
board-image stretched, squished, rotated, and then pieced together. It was
all done in PowerPoint, as was this idea.

Angles? You want angles? ;-)

http://i.imgur.com/rgRRMmf.jpg

[rbowman]

You put the duct tape over Bubba's mouth so you don't have to listen to
him whine about having to ride in the back.