Haul Lumber With Side Rax
By Benjamen Johnson
Just because you own a car doesn’t mean you’re forever barred from entering the lumber yard. You might be lucky enough to have a roof rack on top of your car, but if fortune doesn’t favor you, pick up a pair of Side Rax to help carry home that longer lumber — up to 44 lbs. of it.
Side Rax aren’t limited to cars — you can also hook ‘em on your pickup truck to extend its carrying capacity. They’ll hook over open car windows, vent windows, or pickup bed rails. Bungee cords secure the Side Rax to the bottom of the vehicle.
Padding on the inside of the door hooks protects your vehicle from scratches. When not in use the compact Side Rax store easily in the trunk. They’re made of a strong, lightweight nylon-composite.
You can find Side Rax on clearance at Hartville Tool for $16. Normally they run $25 to $35. Included in the price are one pair of Side Rax and two bungee cords.
Side Rax [Corporate Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Side Rax [Hartville Tool]
Via Amazon
February 1st, 2008 at 10:12 am
How about something to haul large sheets of plywood!?
February 1st, 2008 at 10:36 am
Looks like a good way to get a couple of long pieces of rebar. I guess the weight limit might kick in if you wanted to buy a lot of rebar.
February 1st, 2008 at 10:43 am
Almost enough to haul a deer.
February 1st, 2008 at 11:26 am
Wow, this looks awesome. My car would be in better condition if I had this 5 years ago. Don’t always have my truck with me.
Anyone actually used this?
February 1st, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Reminds me of the Crown Vics that Halliburton and Schlumberger used to have in the late ’80s, in the days before everyone got a pickup. They had something similar hard mounted on the front and rear fenders so that the cars could haul lengths of pipe (and other things) out to the field offices.
February 1st, 2008 at 4:21 pm
before I broke down and bought a pickup truck, I put a Thule rack on our Toyota Matrix. I hauled plywood…12′ers of lumber…you name it. I was TV for the guys at the lumber yard when I would load up.
February 1st, 2008 at 5:08 pm
For that price, I’d rather just rent one of their trucks and take it home in that manner instead of possibly harming my car.
$20 + rental truck = a much better deal.
February 1st, 2008 at 6:00 pm
A DMV cop told me these were illegal in MA.
February 1st, 2008 at 9:03 pm
If you have fold down rear seats (and most family sedans do now) then I just don’t see the point. I can put 8′ boards in my Nissan Maxima and still shut the trunk (and yeah, I have a “convienent” arm rest at that point).
The only thing I can’t put in it is uncut sheet goods; I suppose I could buy (or build) a Handirack (http://www.handirackuk.com/ — available in the US now too), but for $80-100, I’m more likely to just rent a truck on the rare occasions I need it.
Could’ve sworn the Handirack had been reviewed here before; guess not.
February 2nd, 2008 at 2:40 am
Hmm, now let’s see … two sets of Side Rax … plus a set of roof racks … and yep!, I can load ‘er all up!
February 2nd, 2008 at 9:42 am
I’m darn close to buying a few sets. Has anyone used these first hand? I have fear that 44lbs of wood will make the end of this thing into a metal-crumpling pressure point
February 2nd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
This thing REALLY depends on what you’re driving. If you have a nice shiny new car, I’d pass, since you can pretty much count on getting two slight indentations where the weight pushes on the door trim, not to mention the extra force caused by every bump and pothole on the trip home. If you’ve got an older ride that’s got it’s share of wear and tear, or a beater, these are worth it compared to the cost of a second vehicle or renting a truck. A roof rack may still prove more useful, but these are a better quick-on/quick-off solution.
February 3rd, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I can fit 8′ long alum channel or 1″ stock by folding down by rear seats and foregoing armrest space.
I really wouldn’t feel comfortable with a stack of lumber hanging off the side of my car. Still, would probably be a lot better than carrying lumber in the following manner:
http://toolmonger.com/2007/03/07/doh-the-lumber-car/
February 5th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
My little Mazda Protege doesn’t have a folding rear seat but I can still fit in 8′ lumber through the back door…with windows closed. I’ve fit 10′ PVC pipe in my ‘02 Celica but I’m not sure if something stuff like lumber would work at that length. If I really need to haul, my bus (see my web site) should be able to handle stuff up to 14′ in the ‘garage’ or up to 30′ if I use the full length of the bus
February 8th, 2008 at 10:44 am
[…] Haul Lumber With Side Rax The Side Rax lumber carrying system is proof positive that you don’t need a truck to go to the local big box and haul wood. The Rax hooks can carry a 44 lb. load of lumber to your work site or prepare you for a spirited round of freeway jousting with your friends. […]
February 18th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Neat idea. I may try a remake of these out of a few layers of plywood ganged together. I can also make it sit a little lower & customize to fit my old VW with out damage.