Any non-pickups or SUV's good for hauling stuff?

[desura]

Like, for the occasional visits to garden supply stores where you want to haul like 20 bags of soil or mulch, which smallish cars can handle it? A guy I know tried to move a few bags of stones with his subaru impreza, but it didn't work out well. Suspension got weighted down too much. OTOH, he does have oversize tires so that likely contributed to the problem.

 

[XavierMace]

You might have to elaborate on just how much weight/space you are talking about. When you say 20 bags of soil, I'm thinking those 40-50lb bags. On the other hand, Pandasaurus's Impreza survived this: http://content.meagainst.me/images/serverwin.jpg

Between what you see in that picture and the rest of the stuff in front of it, that was probably about 800lbs. Maybe 1k lbs. I can't picture you putting much more weight in the back of a car.

 

[Kelvrick]

Get a hitch and a trailer. Way better than basing your vehicle purchase around payload for an occasional visit to the garden/hardware store.

EDIT: Even better, pay $20 to lowe's/home depot to rent their truck for an hour. If you don't live by one of those stores, then go back to my hitch/trailer suggestion.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Go to Lowes/Home Depot and spend the $19.95 to rent a pickup for those few times if you're really hauling twenty 50-pound bags of soil/mulch. It's just easier. Plus, when the bags leak (and they always do) it'll be in a pickup bed instead of the inside of your car.

That said, most wagons/hatchbacks will do fine. Just pay attention to the max load information in the owner's manual. For example the capacity weight on my car ('98 Volvo S70) is a bit over 900 pounds. That means that, in addition to myself (170 pounds) I can carry a maximum of a bit over 730 pounds of other stuff in the car. Remember, cargo capacity includes the weight of the driver and passengers.

ZV

 

[OCGuy]

I will be honest, I did a Google search to see if an Impreza recently got busted at the border due to the extra weight being obvious.

 

[Ben90]

 

[EagleKeeper]

While a vehicle may have a max load weight; putting 300-500lbs of weight in the trunk itself will not work. Will crush the suspension and/or lift the front end up where you have minimal control. Such a weight load is expected to be dispersed between the passenger compartment and the trunk.

A rental truck is best.

 

[NAC]

If it is just bags of dirt or mulch – you can get a small load delivered for a bit more than it costs to buy the bags and rent the pickup. Considering the time and effort to move 1000 lbs. of dirt – I consider it money well spent.

 

[Hugo L.]

Many cute-utes will do the job, otherwise get a Subaru Outback.

I have a regular 2005 Legacy, and this thing will haul so much stuff it's amazing. The latest, uglier generation is even roomier.

 

[desura]

Many cute-utes will do the job, otherwise get a Subaru Outback.

I have a regular 2005 Legacy, and this thing will haul so much stuff it's amazing. The latest, uglier generation is even roomier.

Yeah, that's kind of what I'm thinking.

Just curious, really, if there are any outliers. Like, I'll bet that it might turn out that like the VW Golf is really good for hauling stuff.

 

[mmntech]

It's times like these I wish they had kept making the Ranger.

I can get quite a bit in my Civic though loading stuff is awkward. The record is a 7ft Christmas tree.

You're probably best with a hatchback, small SUV, or even a minivan if you're hauling stuff often. Maybe Mazda 5 if you want something small. Station wagon with a sliding side door like a minivan. SUV perhaps a Toyota RAV 4. They're quite spacious when you put the rear seats down and the rear door opens nice and wide. Minivan, as much as I hate them, the Dodge Caravan with the Stow-and-Go seats. Really all minivans should have seats that fold into the floor.

 

[JTsyo]

Many cute-utes will do the job, otherwise get a Subaru Outback.

I have a regular 2005 Legacy, and this thing will haul so much stuff it's amazing. The latest, uglier generation is even roomier.

Like the Fit?

 

[Black2na]

http://www.harborfreight.com/1090-l...-12-inch-four-lug-wheels-and-tires-90153.html something like this with wood sides. Tow behind most compact cars. And you don't overload the suspension

 

[ViviTheMage]

I put 22 bags of 40lbs bags of dirt inside my xterra ... it was tight, but it all fit.

 

[EagleKeeper]

I put 22 bags of 40lbs bags of dirt inside my xterra ... it was tight, but it all fit.

How did it drive and what was the travel distance?

 

[Scarpozzi]

If you have a trailer hitch, your best bet is to buy or borrow a trailer. Trailers don't typically have suspensions. They have axels that are rated for x lbs.... Most are 3000 per axel....so a 2 axel trailer will typically haul 6,000 lbs....what a typical half-ton pickup can pull.

So for you to haul mulch or whatever, you can get a $500-1000 single axel trailer with a 2,000-3,000lb limit and pull it behind most SUVs with ease. If you get a new vehicle down the road, you won't have to worry about getting it dirty either.

 

[desura]

If you have a trailer hitch, your best bet is to buy or borrow a trailer. Trailers don't typically have suspensions. They have axels that are rated for x lbs.... Most are 3000 per axel....so a 2 axel trailer will typically haul 6,000 lbs....what a typical half-ton pickup can pull.

So for you to haul mulch or whatever, you can get a $500-1000 single axel trailer with a 2,000-3,000lb limit and pull it behind most SUVs with ease. If you get a new vehicle down the road, you won't have to worry about getting it dirty either.

That is a really good idea.

But, can you hitch a trailer to a non-SUV?

 

[Zenmervolt]

That is a really good idea.

But, can you hitch a trailer to a non-SUV?

Easily. There are hitches available for most cars.

However, you have to watch the car's limit. Using my Volvo again as an example, I can tow a trailer weighing up to 1,100 pounds with no more than 165 pounds in tongue weight. If I use a trailer that has brakes on it, the towing capacity increases to 3,300 pounds but the maximum allowable tongue weight doesn't change.

ZV

 

[phucheneh]

Vibe/Matrix have the optimal 'stuff-hauling' design short of an actual truck. Or at least a big wagon.

Decent sized hatch area and fold-flat seats is good. Add in durable plastic covering the hatch area and seat backs, even better. Plus a few tie-downs and a folding front passenger seat.

Mazda5 and some others are also super-utilitarian, but generally geared more for passengers than cargo. An old Vibe is great for chucking bags of dirt and gravel and whatnot in. And it fits lumber pretty good...IIRC you can close the hatch with a few 8' 2x4's in it. As long as you don't have a front passenger. I've also hung a lot of crap out of the hatch window.

edit: suspension-wise, they can bear a pretty admirable weight. Pretty decent springs and a sturdy beam back there; a lot of similarly-sized hatches have a more delicate (IRS) setup.

 

[Zargon]

How did it drive and what was the travel distance?

I had 10 80lb bags of quikcrete mix, and ~6 40 lbs bags of paver base in my xterra a few weeks ago


it had a case of sagass

but the suspension still worked OK

it was a bit bouncy, the rear springs are a weak point on those trucks though

 

[Pandasaurus]

I will be honest, I did a Google search to see if an Impreza recently got busted at the border due to the extra weight being obvious.

I must admit, I was amused that I got waved through the AZ/CA border without even slowing down...

 

[BurnItDwn]

I've got an 08 forester. Most I've carried is about 12 of the 3/4 sq foot bags of dirt. It was pretty wet, so maybe about 700 pounds worth.

I also regularly drive it to lunch with 3 co-workers (all over 200 pounds), and myself over 300 pounds.

It takes a little bit longer to get up to speed, but, the car has no issues with 1000-1500 pounds of passengers+payload.


it's rated to tow a ton or ton and a half, so, for bigger jobs, a trailer would be optimal, but, I'd just rent the truck at menards or home depot for anything truly heavy.

 

[halik]

Like, for the occasional visits to garden supply stores where you want to haul like 20 bags of soil or mulch, which smallish cars can handle it? A guy I know tried to move a few bags of stones with his subaru impreza, but it didn't work out well. Suspension got weighted down too much. OTOH, he does have oversize tires so that likely contributed to the problem.

20 bags of mulch should be around 400-600 lbs. Unless your car can't handle 4 people inside of it, I don't see how that would be an issue.

I've had 400lbs worth of audi shortblocks in the trunk of my A6; no issues what so ever.

 

[Zargon]

because the weight is all behind the rear axle so its a lot different than having passengers.

 

[EagleKeeper]

I had 10 80lb bags of quikcrete mix, and ~6 40 lbs bags of paver base in my xterra a few weeks ago


it had a case of sagass

but the suspension still worked OK

it was a bit bouncy, the rear springs are a weak point on those trucks though

Front was probably floating.

And you probably did nothing that afternoon after unloading the bags.

Soreness