If you had to design one for your truck what would your ideal lumber rack
be? First would you use round or rectangular tubing? I've seen one made out
of stainless steel and another made of copper (both with large 3-4" tubing)
and it looked too good for lumber but I'm not set up to weld stainless or
copper. The copper was just for show its really too soft for a working
truck. Has to be a full rack to take 20' long lumber. Has lots of tie downs,
the new trucks went cheap with tie downs - four on mine new truck instead of
eight on my old one. Provision for folk lift loading, and removable top bar
above the tailgate to get it out of the way for loading something like a
tall bookcase. Steel mesh across the back window, don't want anything like
lumber or a RAS going through the passenger compartment. Clamp down instead
of bolt down so no damage with holes drilled to the truck bed for mounting
the rack. A 12V DC electric winch attached to the reinforced lumber rack
frame would be nice to pull heavy stuff up to the bed.

Anything else?

Responding to subject line only--levitation.

Duane Bozarth wrote:
Responding to subject line only--levitation.

Man, would that be nice!

No more breaking your back moving tons of lumber to get the one piece
you want...

A full one, with Cherry, Maple, Ash and lots of exotics!!


"Gus" wrote in message
oups.com...

Duane Bozarth wrote:
Responding to subject line only--levitation.

Man, would that be nice!

No more breaking your back moving tons of lumber to get the one piece
you want...

"Gus" wrote in message
oups.com...

Duane Bozarth wrote:
Responding to subject line only--levitation.

Man, would that be nice!

No more breaking your back moving tons of lumber to get the one piece
you want...


If that would lift up my truck up a little too, $3+ gas wouldn't be an
issue.

You must not be using a standard 8' bed pickup truck.

The ability to handle 20' stock is going to require a
MUCH longer truck.

"Fork Lift loading" in a pickup truck is going to
present several more problems.


I think you need a tandem axle 24' flatbed trailer with
a reasonable amount of truck to handle said trailer.


Fred wrote:

truck. Has to be a full rack to take 20' long lumber. Has lots of tie downs,
the new trucks went cheap with tie downs - four on mine new truck instead of
eight on my old one. Provision for folk lift loading, and removable top bar
above the tailgate to get it out of the way for loading something like a
tall bookcase.

Pat Barber wrote:

You must not be using a standard 8' bed pickup truck.

The ability to handle 20' stock is going to require a
MUCH longer truck.

I gather he's talking of one of the "over the cab" thingies that could
theoretically be used but would be a pita for anything more than a few
pieces imo.

I agree the trailer would probably be simpler for most purposes of
actually hauling long material of any volume w/ a pickup.
.....

"Fred" wrote in
:

If you had to design one for your truck what would your ideal lumber
rack be? First would you use round or rectangular tubing? I've seen
one made out of stainless steel and another made of copper (both with
large 3-4" tubing) and it looked too good for lumber but I'm not set
up to weld stainless or copper. The copper was just for show its
really too soft for a working truck. Has to be a full rack to take 20'
long lumber. Has lots of tie downs, the new trucks went cheap with tie
downs - four on mine new truck instead of eight on my old one.
Provision for folk lift loading, and removable top bar above the
tailgate to get it out of the way for loading something like a tall
bookcase. Steel mesh across the back window, don't want anything like
lumber or a RAS going through the passenger compartment. Clamp down
instead of bolt down so no damage with holes drilled to the truck bed
for mounting the rack. A 12V DC electric winch attached to the
reinforced lumber rack frame would be nice to pull heavy stuff up to
the bed.

Anything else?




Maybe one loaded with curly maple & cocobolo? ;-)

Patriarch

Pat Barber wrote:
You must not be using a standard 8' bed pickup truck.

The ability to handle 20' stock is going to require a
MUCH longer truck.

"Fork Lift loading" in a pickup truck is going to
present several more problems.


I think you need a tandem axle 24' flatbed trailer with
a reasonable amount of truck to handle said trailer.


Fred wrote:


truck. Has to be a full rack to take 20' long lumber. Has lots of tie
downs, the new trucks went cheap with tie downs - four on mine new
truck instead of eight on my old one. Provision for folk lift loading,
and removable top bar above the tailgate to get it out of the way for
loading something like a tall bookcase.


We've carried 28 foot steel and 24 foot lumber on our F150 long bed. It
has a simple modified round tube lumber rack on the rear and we fab'd up
a steel yoke which slips into a socket with a pin we punched and welded
into the front bumber (no good for chrome bumpers). This gives a rack
that is effectively the length of the truck bumper to bumper. 2-3 feet
of overhang front and rear and you have a LOT of length. Do it on an
extra-cab or quad and you have monster length capability. The killer is
most dont realize the effect of a bit of weight up that high going down
the road. It can really cause you some greif with regards to handling
and as said in another post, even on a larger truck its only good for a
few pieces here and there. Our yoke will handle perhaps a dozen 2x12-24'
and that would be a major load up that high.

As far as the OP's original question I cant think of a commercially
available rack which would do all he is looking for nor could I imagine
the cost of fabricating such a rack, even if you fab'd it yourself. It
would sound to me like you need to rely on your lumberyard/salesman to
do a little more of the organization and legwork of getting materials
where and when you need them. With 3$ a gallon gas we let our lumberyard
do all the hauling consolidating even small orders to go out with larger
ones etc.. Salesmen get a commision on all your business, let them earn it.

Mark

One that would magically expand into the shop, carrying 400 lbs each of
prime ebony, pink ivory, boxwood, and one ton of afzelia and amboyna burl,
along with several thousand board feet of curly maple, curly English
sycamore, and QS and curly cherry.



Times five.

-- Andy Barss
--

Andy Barss
Department of Linguistics, University of Arizona
Douglass 208, 626-3284