Carrying 18 ft lumber

So I will be ferrying 18 ft and 20 ft LVL's and composite lumber multiple trips. I have 6ft bed with ARE cap and rack. Not nearly enough support.

For the high cost to rent a 20 ft flat deck trailer (175/dy+tax) I can buy or make a bigger rack for my truck. Already ordered a Curt front receiver hitch to modify.
Having a front hitch could be useful for trailer yard maneuvers and stupid stuff like winching 18 tons of dirt and rock out of my basement, should I opt to do it a second time just for kicks.

Question: has anyone used a front lumber carry receiver similar to what some use in rear?
Thinking I can weld a second receiver to the passenger side of the new front hitch and weld up a removable tubesteel 'wishbone' carrier maybe 24" wide over on the passenger side. One vertical support and a cross tee with ears.

Is this even legal? Obviously not going to do nice things in a crash.

Edit to add: zero room to turn around or park a trailer here either. Another reason to come up with a long term solution on truck.

 

Legality will depend on state
Seems like a terrible idea

 

I made this rack that bolts to one of my bed stiffeners. Have brought 24 foot sticks of angle iron home no problem.

Is it legal? I have no idea but I havent been bothered yet.

 

As someone who worked in a lumber yard for a lot of years putting myself through college, I can say 100% confidently that I have seen worse.

 

Have a wooden rack I made (actually built like a timber frame complete with pegs) 49" x 72" you would be amazed as to what I can carry, so it's 6 foot on the rack and equal length front and back works fine. 4X8 plywood no problem. Ratchet straps and bed tie downs for the ride. Pull into the barn hook the rack up and hang it from the ceiling for the next time out.

 

My humble opinion ... unless you carry 20 ft long lumber flat like TacoTuesday603 did (truck is 17 ft, 1.5 ft front/back overhang), carrying at an angle could be bad. I will carry 8ft angled in my bed (not too high in the air) but if it angles too high you might have to plan an indirect/open route.

 

20 foot LVL's are a MASSIVE load to carry up high. And likely impossible to properly secure.
Get a trailer. Or have them delivered.

 

Comes a point when lives are more important than the $175 (plus gas). I do not think I could dissuade the police from seeking charges if carrying 20 ft lumber on the top of a Tacoma on a public street.

 

I’m not sure about laws in the land of the eagle.

But I would advise against having such a long cargo hanging way behind the rear axle.

but again, this is me carrying 5pc of shed 40 21ft steel pipes on my roof rack to avoid the large tail swing.

 

This guy was carrying a load of composite deck boards, and the truck was bouncing and tilting like an emm effer. Gave him a wide berth and scooted past quickly.

 

Eh, the weight isnt that crazy. So we all have no idea what size lvl he is talking about but a 2x12x20' LVL is right around 100 lbs (and not floppy).

Ive carried 3-400 lbs of steel with my setup on multiple occasions and I do not think its in the "public endangerment" level of sketchy.

 

Another one of my all-time favorite examples of "I don't need no trailer" and/or "they rip you off on the delivery fee."

 

I've never purchased a single LVL at a time, have you?
20' ers are either floor joists or rafters. Which means you need a shit ton of them.

 

Don’t know how many you plan to carry or the weight but I agree with others it is a really bad idea. Dangerous for you and especially dangerous or even deadly for others on the road. If you run into someone that load is going right through the other car. Spend the $$$ and have it delivered or rent a flatbed trailer.

 

Same here, not a carpenter. I do not think LVL's are used for typical floor joists though. Ive only seen them being used when you need a span of joists supported without having a wall there.

OP did mention piecemealing it to be fair if he does need a bunch of them.

 

If you had a proper bed rack (i.e. a ladder rack or similar), I'd think it's fine to carry a beam or two up there.

The composite decking will need supported over that much length, and that would suck to load and manage.

16-20' trim boards? Go crazy.

20' LVL and composite decking? Pony up for delivery, it will be less headache in the long run.

 

Legal, probably not. But reality, you'd probably be okay until you aren't and you'll be walking the razors edge of risk even on a good day.

Maximum hang off varies per state, but 4' beyond the truck is common. The reality is you have such a wicked amount of swing because that radius is crazy long. It's really difficult to turn safely if there's any traffic. I used to drive class B CDL doing deliveries when I was young. Had no idea the illegal shit my employer asked me to do with trusses hanging off, and how much I'd have been screwed if something went wrong. "Throw a piece of red cloth on the back and you're fine" is how you get a fine.

 

"My boss told me to ...". Yeah, police call that "bullsh*t".

 

1. Get
2. The
3. Proper
4. Equipment

I'm just so sick of having to share the road with people like in the many pictures already posted, where all it takes is 1 unnoticed pothole to close the road down, cause damage to other cars, etc.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/front-hitch-install-3rd-gen-tacoma.539449/#post-17410531