Need suggestions!

butch81385 · Jul 12, 2008

So, I am trying to move a twin bed from my old college apartment to my new apartment... I managed to get it inside the back, but the driver's seat is too far forward for me to drive like that. I thought about tying the box spring to the roof racks, but for a 3 hour drive down the highway I don't know... And there is a chance of thunderstorms tomorrow...

So, does anyone know of a good way to tie the tailgate partially closed? Unfortunately I did not see any tiedown points on the tail gate or even any places to loop a rope around... Any suggestions?

If not, I will have to toss the nice bed to the curb as I have to turn in my keys and have the apartment empty..

Dmentd_Dan · Jul 12, 2008

buy some plastic meant to protect the floor when you paint and 2 or 3 rolls of duct tape and 2 ratchet tie down and you will be good to go. A little funny looking but function always trumps form.

butch81385 · Jul 12, 2008

Hmm... the new question would be do I keep the mattress in the back and drive uncomfortably or put it on the roof with the boxspring?

Also, I guess I should change my gps to "avoid highways" to avoid high speeds and flying mattresses?

Dmentd_Dan · Jul 12, 2008

I drove an hour and a half on the highway with a king matress and two twin boxsprings on the roof of my wife's expedition. they were in the original plastic so no bug splats on the matress. Yeah we looked like hillbilly's but who cares. The above suggestion was to have the matress and boxspring on the roof protected by the plastic which is held on by the two rolls of tape applied very generously, the ratchet tie downs will be more than enough to keep everything held down. Just don't go above 55mph.

butch81385 · Jul 12, 2008

I should probably mention that I don't have the cross bars, so I really don't have a way to tie the front and back down. I was thinking with just the box spring I can weave the ratchet strap between the wood on the bottom of the box spring so that It can't slide forward and back without the box spring or strap breaking... I assume there isn't any place that would sell cross bars except the expensive mopar ones at a local dealer...

Dmentd_Dan · Jul 13, 2008

ok, I just measured my kids twin bed and the distance between the cross bars on my patriot. Twin matress is 38" wide and between the roof bars is 38 and 3/4". So not having the roof bars will be just fine. Put the matress down between the rails as it is soft and shouldn't mar the paint and then put the box spring on top of that and strap down with ratchet straps. You don't need anything running the lengthof the fmatress, the side to side will be just fine. Remember when you ratchet it down you are applying pressure the whole length of the matress/boxspring. that is alot of friction! Imagine sliding a book on a kitchen counter, very easy huh? now press down on the book with one hand with firm pressure, every square inch of that book touching the counter is making lots of friction when you try and move it thus making it very difficult. Same for the matress. Also the matress will have the boxspring on top which will keep it from from wanting to lift at the front (not that a matress is that floppy to begin with) just put your strap as far forward as you can.
One very important thing is to keep the plastic that you wrap the matress/boxspring in taped down very well. Flapping plastic will beat on your paint for the 3 hr trip and leave a rub mark. I always wince when i see a truck go down the road with a tarp covering somethin in the bed and the sides of the tarp are flapping against the side of the truck!:doh: The duct tape will solve that prblem entirely if used well. Good luck!

butch81385 · Jul 13, 2008

Well, its up on the roof. Used a tarp to cover it, tied the tarp to itself with ball bungies (on the top side so that they can't scratch paint) and about 1.5 of the extra large duct tape rolls. I then laid 3 ratchet straps across the roof. One in the front hole, one in the middle, and one in the back hole. I then laid one from back to front. I put the box spring up on top, ratcheted the 3 going across, and then ratcheted the long one to the first and last straps to ensure it can't slide back to front. I then tied the loose ends of the straps to other straps and then taped them down.... I tested it and it just moved the whole jeep and the box spring didn't budge... I will let you know this evening how the drive was...

Thanks for the suggestions!

butch81385 · Jul 14, 2008

Made it home without the box spring moving a centimeter... Unfortunately I went through what seemed like two Cat. 5 hurricanes on my way home and some water got in on the box spring... Should dry out though. Definitely a good move keeping the mattress inside though!

Thanks for the help!

jack.allwardt · Jul 14, 2008

butch81385 said:
So, does anyone know of a good way to tie the tailgate partially closed? Unfortunately I did not see any tiedown points on the tail gate or even any places to loop a rope around... Any suggestions?.

Take a bungee cord, "close" the tailgate latch onto it, hook the ends into the tie-down rings--suggest you use the forward ones, gives you more "leverage" to hold the gate down during highway speeds!

Works <nearly> every time!

jeremywearsvans · Jul 17, 2008

I always like watching people transport mattresses. Usually its a van... I see alot of ford Aerostars with mattresses on the top.
One time when I was young and immature my brother and I were driving down the freeway next to a van with a matress on the roof and the guy saw me looking at it so I pointed up... he freaked out and pulled over... it was funny to me

UN4GTBL · Jul 17, 2008

jeremywearsvans said:
I always like watching people transport mattresses. Usually its a van... I see alot of ford Aerostars with mattresses on the top.
One time when I was young and immature my brother and I were driving down the freeway next to a van with a matress on the roof and the guy saw me looking at it so I pointed up... he freaked out and pulled over... it was funny to me

HA HA HA HA HA HA that's hillarious!!!

UN4GTBL · Jul 17, 2008

butch81385 said:
Made it home without the box spring moving a centimeter... Unfortunately I went through what seemed like two Cat. 5 hurricanes on my way home and some water got in on the box spring... Should dry out though. Definitely a good move keeping the mattress inside though!

Thanks for the help!

glad to hear! Gotta love the room in the back!

jepstr67 · Jul 17, 2008

Women, you can just laugh at this but for you guys out there.....Why we tie.

We tie to avoid embarassment.
Not to protect the load. Not to defend against lawsuits. and certainly not because someone told us to.

That being said, I had no idea a matress would blow out of a pickup going under 40 MPH.

Which brings me to my other story. When I was in highschool I was driving around Lake Minnetonka and came to curve in the road at Shorewood. There in the middle of the road were 3 guys and a large V8 engine which had rolled out of the back of their pickup. Obviously to heavy to lift and sunkin 3" into the hot pavement. That motor was there until someone with a hoist of some kind could arrive on the scene. So, not only embarassing, but continuious embarassment for the duration of the event.

Probably not as bad as my dad's friend who had his sail boat slide off of the trailer and block a bridge for the better part of an evening. Which evening.....October 31.

Why we tie.

Need suggestions!

butch81385

Dmentd_Dan

butch81385

Dmentd_Dan

butch81385

Dmentd_Dan

butch81385

butch81385

jack.allwardt

jeremywearsvans

UN4GTBL

UN4GTBL

jepstr67

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