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Who needs a truck, the Prius will haul it all!

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by dorunron, May 20, 2014.

  1. Epiphany2000

    Epiphany2000 Member

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    Case in point:

    WBIP.jpg

    Yes, that's a workbench in the back of my Prius that I picked up at an estate sale. The guy I bought the workbench from said, "it's not going to fit in a car." I told him that I wasn't so sure, and I went ahead and took some measurements. Needless to say, there was no need to rent/borrow a pickup truck to bring my workbench home (y)
     
  2. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    I am reviving this thread that I started earlier this year. I started hauling stuff again. Adding more flower beds in the front yard.

    This load consisted of the following.

    • Two Rolls of 40' Plastic Barrier
    • 20 Pieces of Sod 16X24
    • 8 40 pound bags of Top Soil
    • 1 40 pound bag of Composted Cow Manure
    • Two men in car, weight of men total - 270 pounds.
    I had the back seats folded down and lined the back end with a plastic tarp that I bought recently to use when hauling material in our Prius. I still haven't had the need of a truck. And I don't miss my old 1/2 ton I used to drive once or twice a year that normally set in the driveway. Our Prius did fine and still delivered excellent gas mileage all while protecting my cargo from the elements.

    Ron (dorunron)

    Rear View.jpg

    Side View.jpg

    Front of Home.JPG

    The new bed is the small left hand circle bed.
     
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  3. ibmoses

    ibmoses Junior Member

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    First time I sat down in a Prius I looked around and asked the salesman....do those seats fold down?
    I knew immediately I could sell my pickup and use a Prius to haul most everything I need.
    Last weekend I hauled a few bags of mulch and some pine straw.
     
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  4. DoubleDAZ

    DoubleDAZ Senior Member

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    Nice home and yard Ron. Every haul a sheet of plywood, even cut in half (4x4)? I keep meaning to measure and then forget.

    Edit: Never mind, won't fit. :)
     
    #64 DoubleDAZ, Aug 3, 2014
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2014
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  5. Stratman

    Stratman Member

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    My son and I hauled our old water heater off in ours a couple of weeks ago in mine. Drained it real good, wrapped it up in a tarp. No problem fitting in with the seats down and it was one of those tall thin ones. I have always had at least one hatchback type vehicle. I will also admit that a Prius handles that job well.

    Nice yard in the pics. I've been working on mine as well.
     
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  6. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Just remember you are only limited by how you load, what you load and weight limitations. The weight limit is 800 pounds which INCLUDES the driver and any passengers. Example: 200 pound driver, 150 pound passenger - you can load an additional 450 pounds of material. So with that said, the less you weigh and if you limit the humans inside to one person, the more you can haul. I would not recommend exceeding the 800 pound limit. I also recommend that you load as much as you can towards the front of the car. It is a good idea to fold down the rear seats and move those heavy loads to the front. Some guys have even gone to the point of placing pallets on the seats and then placing the loads on top of the pallets. Invest in a good plastic tarp to protect the interior of your Prius. If you do that, and then simply clean up when you are done you can store the tarp in the black box under the floor in the back. I keep my tie down straps and a few other things back there. But just the essentials. Extra weight just brings down the MPG and lessens the amount of load I can carry.

    The real beauty of the Prius when hauling loads is the four point tie down system in the back. You can use those inexpensive ratchet straps and securely tie down just about anything. I have hauled 2x4's eight and ten foot long - both treated and untreated. I have also hauled 4x4 treated fence posts, 80 pound bags of concrete, 6 foot long dog eared treated fence pickets, and just about everything else. I use tie down straps on material that might move around. If the load is too long to fit inside the cabin, I simply load to the front as far as possible, then let the trailing end stick out of the back end of the Prius. I tie a red flag on the end, and using a ratchet strap I will pull down the hatch to just above the high point of the load. I haven't lost a thing out of the Prius. I take my time, and respect her. I don't drive like a bat out of hell when hauling. I choose smooth roads to drive on, and above all make certain the tires are inflated properly and not in need of repair or have any damage whatsoever. Today I hauled over a hundred dollars worth of plants from two different nurseries. Yesterday, it was the sod and dirt plus the stones the day before. And I am still getting excellent MPG in my opinion. My fuelly stats says it all. Last tank was the best yet. And I was hauling stuff during that tank too. ;)

    Ron (dorunron)
     
  7. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Thank you for the compliment. We have been living here for over 35 years now. A lot of effort has been put into this place to make it the home it is today.

    Ron (dorunron)
     
  8. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Post some pics of your loads and also what your place looks like. Thanks for the compliments.

    Ron (dorunron)
     
  9. The green contractor

    The green contractor Junior Member

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    THE BEST TRUCK I HAVE EVER OWNED.
    150 k miles and no break downs 40 mpg average as a work truck and it can haul 3100 pounds on the roof and another 1000 pounds inside the car. the rack extends 6 ft by 18 feet so 8x 20 welded wire works nicely on top. so does 30 foot beams and kitchen cabinets and tons of other crap. hands down best car ever. I still use my diesel sprinter van to haul the 18000 pound dump trailer. but after 10 years the truck only gets about 1000 miles a year and the prius is being used 20k per year now.
     
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  10. Kentwang

    Kentwang Junior Member

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    Here are mine pics.
     

    Attached Files:

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  11. Much More Better

    Much More Better Active Member

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    So true. I'm in Canada and it's the same. Every joe blow that calls himself a contractor drives a full-sized pickup. The ones that are truly hauling stuff, for sure, that's legit. But the guys that drives from site to site, making phone calls all day, and hires the hands that actually does the work? Why are you rolling around in a Tundra?
     
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  12. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Composted and bagged? Having grown up on a ranch, I consider that almost cheating. :)

    I did some hauling for dad last week. Lots of fresh manure. Most it began the trips still in the cattle, not yet emitted. Fortunately, the other guy, the one actually getting paid, shoveled it out of the truck bed afterwards.

    Trucks still have a purpose.
     
  13. aBuela

    aBuela New Member

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    This sounds like the best place to post my question. New to this whole chat thing so forgive me if I'm not doing this correctly. I need to carry a wheelchair occasionally on a carrier attached to the back. Wondering and waiting for reply from Toyota about whether this voids the warrants. But then I got thinking that since I'm not pulling a trailer therefore straining the engine, the set up is no different than carrying cargo like you did or two adult passengers, right? Thanks.
     
  14. aBuela

    aBuela New Member

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    Well done Ron. I love gardening esp veges and fruit bushes and trees. Just bought a Prius 2, loving the gas mileage, but I need to carry an electric wheelchair occasionally and want to buy one of those carriers that attach to the back of the car. Since I won't be pulling anything stressing the engine, isn't this pretty much the same as having stuff inside the car. The total weight for the wheelchair and carrier would only be about 200lbs. Concerned about toyota warranty.
     
  15. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    "Carrier attached to the back" as in a hitch? If so the official Toyota answer will be "No". But as you can see here, it is up to you to do what Toyota says or what the car can actually do. Dragging around a few hundred extra pounds no matter where will "strain the engine" more than not hauling the extra weight. One of the bigger annoyances will be the big drag effect on the back now. It is no longer as slippery so your fuel economy will tank.
     
  16. FroggyTaco

    FroggyTaco Member

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    Any chance for pictures of your set-up?
     
  17. aBuela

    aBuela New Member

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    Thanks for responding. Guess I'll have to take my chances since the Prius is my only vehicle.
     
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    tons of people here have hitches for bikes, trailers and etc. no worries, sleep well.(y)
     
  19. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    200 pounds cargo reasonably distributed inside would be no problem at all, but that much (plus the carrier and mounting hardware) behind the rear bumper is likely to have signficant effects on handling and stability.
     
  20. FroggyTaco

    FroggyTaco Member

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    If it's severely cantilevered cargo box I would concur but if it's a trailer it's more of a tugging & less of a leverage concern.