I'm looking at transporting a rigid office chair mat which is basically a thin sheet of tempered glass. Length is doable and thickness is less than 0.5". Just wondering what the maximum widest dimension would be at the hatch opening. I'm assuming it would need to be inserted at some odd angle. Has anyone else tested the limit of their hatch with a similar object?
I believe you don't want the widest hatch opening dimension, but the most narrow width of the floor with the seats down. Transporting a piece of glass wider than that at an angle supported only by the edges sounds like the beginning of a story that doesn't end well.
@Winston Smith I had assumed the hatch opening was more narrow than the space of the seats folded down. This piece of glass is designed to have a heavy office chair + full size person sitting/rolling around on it all day. If it cannot survive a car ride with no load I'd be surprised.
That calculus holds true when you have a good flat supporting structure underneath it. If you need to transport it on an edge, rather than laying it flat on your cargo area - it can crack or break without proper packing around it.
At some points, yes, but the space will narrow somewhat between the wheel wells. Those are neat and can be very durable on a floor where they can't flex much. Bend it between two distant points and it will flex right up to the point it doesn't. This may illustrate the importance of a friend with a pick-up or van.
Load the glass into the car. Then, roll up a bunch of blankets to fill the space under the glass. Enough to keep it from touching the car's interior directly. That large support area will relieve stresses.
