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quick question about cargo and the prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by slair, Aug 25, 2008.

  1. slair

    slair Ubër Senior Member

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    Real quick and simple while I'm at work and my wife has the prius for the whole day. Can a 4x8 sheet of wood fit in the prius? With the seats down and everything. I cant get to it to measure it right now. :p

    I need to know if I need to let my buddy know if I need to borrow his truck or not.
     
  2. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    No, a 4'X8' sheet will not fit in a Prius. No matter what you do.
     
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    43" or 44" width is the maximum if you have the wood laying flat. However, if you have the wood turned diagonally and don't mind having three feet of wood hanging out the hatch opening, you might be good to go for a short distance.
     
  4. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Yes, but you have to saw it into a bunch of smaller pieces. :D

    Tom
     
  5. Qlara

    Qlara New Member

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    No need to fit inside, just tie it 'very securely' on the roof......
    Your MPG will drop a lot though, due to the increased in wind resistance.
     
  6. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    Folding always works, or rolling it up into a tube ....

    or renting a van or pickup so you don't kill yourself!!!

    Thats why I kept the gas sucking 4Runner, Home Depot!!!

    73 de Pat KK6PD
     
  7. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    You can also buy your plywood in kit form, where you get several rolled sheets of veneer and a gallon or so of glue.

    Tom
     
  8. slair

    slair Ubër Senior Member

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    (I'm not being a smart@$$, I promise!)
    I never said it was plywood :p
     
  9. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    OK, OSB, MDO, veneer plywood
    What else comes in 4' X 8' sheets???!!!!!

    Pat KK6PD
     
  10. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    The roof? Yeesh! Unless you can creep along at less than 20 MPH or so the forces there will either damage the roof or tear the sheet away. Put it in the back with lots of bungees to secure it and the hatch, or have it delivered.
     
  11. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    OSB, chipboard, or plywood - we can give you a kit for any of these. If you have a 4x8 plank of wood, I want to see the tree! :D

    One way around the size problem is to buy a small tree, take it home in your Prius, then plant it in the back yard. Once it gets a bit over four feet in diameter you can harvest it for wood.

    Tom
     
  12. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    My previous car - Buick Regal - wouldn't carry a 4x8 sheet either. I still do what I did back then: borrow a buddy's full-sized truck and return it with a full tank and case of beer.

    If you have no friends with full-sized trucks, follow KK6PD's advice and rent a flatbed from a home improvement store.
     
  13. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    Now that's funny!!! If I only had the time to wait!

    Pat KK6PD
     
  14. slair

    slair Ubër Senior Member

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    hah, thats good :D
     
  15. Sarge

    Sarge Senior Member

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    Don't forget to hug the tree as well, to further reinforce the stereotype us Prius drivers seem to carry... :D
     
  16. Qlara

    Qlara New Member

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    30MPH is the max, I did it last time when buying a storm door.

    It won't inflict any damage if you know how the air will flow on top of the roof. Just never stick out more than 3 inches on top of the front windshield and drive with caution will be fine. The car DOES show you the sign (loud banging) when you're in dangerous speed, indeed.....

    People used to carry mattress with car this way, not see one on Prius yet.
     
  17. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    I carried a bunch of mdf for some shelving, but I had it cut at the store. :)
     
  18. Danny Hamilton

    Danny Hamilton Active Member

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    Sorry to bump such an old thread, but this is the one that came up when I searched.

    So plenty of joking on here, and 2 conflicting answers (yes diagonally, and not at all). I'm assuming based on all the joking answers that David's answer is the correct one. So I'm curious, does anyone know what the largest possible size plywood will fit diagonally (or otherwise)? Or do I need to go try it out myself to find out?