My Focus is a general workhorse. I carry anything and everything in it, but when I was doing some dry lining at a house this year, I was stuck for a way to transport 8x4 sheets of plasterboard from the Builders Merchant to where I am working.

The solution then came to me when I was looking at one of the large pallets used to carry the plaster boards on lorries from the board manufacturers to the Builders Merchants. I decided that if I could fix one to the roof bars on my car and add some stops around the edges of the pallet to stop the boards sliding off, this would be a perfect way to transport half a dozen boards at a time - as many as I need in one go.

The photo shows my contraption in operation, and it works jolly well. The pallet can be attached in about five minutes, and is also useful for transporting bulky stuff to the tip.

All in all, it's a win, and I hope that passing on what I've done might help someone else out who has to transport sheets of board materials. I've used it for plywood and chipboard as well as plasterboard. Just use common sense and don't overload it and you'll be fine.

David

Ooh your poor car! 

I just pay the few quid for delivery if i cant fit it in the boot. Usually get it dropped off for free though for being a good customer!

I think someone might be overfilling your fuel tank!

Don't think i would try that 

That is actually abuse of a perfectly good vehicle. Sort it out mate.

I'm curious as to what the black soot(?) is coming out of the filler cap?

12 minutes ago, jmurray01 said:

I'm curious as to what the black soot(?) is coming out of the filler cap?

It's called diesel spillage lol 

5 minutes ago, stef123 said:

It's called diesel spillage lol 

I've spilled diesel before, but it never dried in like that!! 

Just now, jmurray01 said:

I've spilled diesel before, but it never dried in like that!! 

It attracts dirt and grime. Most of our work plant and equipment looks like that around the filler lol 

Just now, stef123 said:

It attracts dirt and grime. Most of our work plant and equipment looks like that around the filler lol 

Ah yes, that makes sense.

Just now, jmurray01 said:

Ah yes, that makes sense.

Being an oil it doesn't evaporate like petrol does lol. 

It's actually slight over spillage of biodiesel which I make myself and use to fuel the car. It's done over 200,000 miles and is a real workhorse. I do clean it off occasionally with a solvent, but it always gets like it after a while. When I do clean the car, the old girl comes up well. 

 

1 hour ago, DavidShinn said:

It's actually slight over spillage of biodiesel which I make myself and use to fuel the car. It's done over 200,000 miles and is a real workhorse. I do clean it off occasionally with a solvent, but it always gets like it after a while. When I do clean the car, the old girl comes up well. 

 

Crikey!  I'm not surprised though.  I do like to see a car being well used, even if it means getting some abuse from time to time.  Better that than sitting sitting in the driveway 24/7 and only being used to go to the Post Office once a week!!

6 hours ago, DavidShinn said:

My Focus is a general workhorse. I carry anything and everything in it,

So is mine, I have to admit!

It is regularly filled with logs & firewood. Driven down rough tracks. And generally abused,  though I do try to make up for it sometimes with some extra care and attention!

I have transported 6 or 7 large Christmas trees (7 to 10 feet long, and quite fat), on top of it a couple of times. Not this year though, just 1 six footer that went inside. A load of trees on top does not slow it down much, but does hammer the MPG. Once you get above about 40mph, you can really feel the resistance, but it copes more than adequately. I do keep the speed down to help the MPG & reduce strain on the ropes.

Methinks the car requires a touch of TLC. A wash, polish and a nice waxing wouldn't go amiss.

200k on homemade bio is pretty impressive!  I guess it's a 1.8?  Can't see a 1.6 coping with that lol!

I'm surprised about the dirty car comments, it doesn't even look that bad apart from the fuel spill lol.  My cars are always workhorses as well, diesel dribble and country lanes means they look like that in days lol.  The Focus is just always a bit too small I find, but I was spoilt with an estate plus a trailer a few years ago lol, no dropping seats or awkward hatch shapes, just chucked everything straight in! 

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

200k on homemade bio is pretty impressive!  I guess it's a 1.8?  Can't see a 1.6 coping with that lol

to be honest Tom, any diesel car, even a modern common rail one will run on bio. The problem and the bad reputation it has comes from the use of poor quality biodiesel that is not fully converted from the starting oil (cooking oil) and is not properly tested and purified after the process. I've never had a problem and the car goes a treat. Believe you me, she pulls some heavy loads and carries everything from plaster, rubble, wood and garden waste to the drums of used cooking oil people give me for my fuel process. 

David

We need someone like PETA but for ford ... Feta? Hahah you sir are grounded :).


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an emergency stop above 40mph with that contraption would leave your plywood / plasterboard sitting on the car in front lol.

and those roof bars are rated at around 25kgs , me thinks you got a bit more than that on it  :-D

i sense the fail is strong with this set-up.......

Yeah. As above. OK you use your car as a workhorse But builders yards offer Free delivery! !!!!!!!! Is there a Selco builder's warehouse near you?
Where the biggest flaw after the rated weight limit of the roof rack is using g syring/rope. Pure stupid madness and totally irresponsible. STRAPS is what you should be using.
Your 'modified' pallet. Those end plates are next to useless.
I know the weight of 8x4 plasterboard and ply. I delivered the stuff for Selco in a 7.5 ton truck.
Sorry if it sounds like I'm having a go but I'm giving friendly advice which could save your bacon.

On 28/12/2016 at 4:58 PM, biff55 said:

 

and those roof bars are rated at around 25kgs , me thinks you got a bit more than that on it  :-D

 

An 8 x 4 board is around 8kg according to gyproc, even heavier if its a fireline board (fireproofed, for ceilings usually).

8 minutes ago, Figgis41 said:

An 8 x 4 board is around 8kg according to gyproc, even heavier if its a fireline board (fireproofed, for ceilings usually).

An 8x4 sheet of what? Lol. A standard of 12.5mm plasterboard is not far off 25kg. 

yer sorry,, wife was talking to me while granddaughter was crying,,, roughly 23-24 kg for a half inch thick board,,,, doh
I've carried plenty of em in my time,,, wish they were 8kg then lol

 

2 minutes ago, Figgis41 said:

yer sorry,, wife was talking to me while granddaughter was crying,,, roughly 23-24 kg for a half inch thick board,,,, doh
I've carried plenty of em in my time,,, wish they were 8kg then lol

 

I had 50 sheets of it delivered one day I had to unload, 8kg would have been a blessing lol. 

hahaha, i bet it would,,, my family are builders and one summer many years ago i worked with my father and older brother as i was on summer hols from Uni,, they were working on Student accommodation for Hull Uni, it was a 4 floor building with 20 flats per floor, dot and dab job with 8 x 4 boards and ceilings done in firelined, we had to carry all the boards by hand up the stairs to the upper floors first,,, glad im not a builder hahaha.

Just now, Figgis41 said:

hahaha, i bet it would,,, my family are builders and one summer many years ago i worked with my father and older brother as i was on summer hols from Uni,, they were working on Student accommodation for Hull Uni, it was a 4 floor building with 20 flats per floor, dot and dab job with 8 x 4 boards and ceilings done in firelined, we had to carry all the boards by hand up the stairs to the upper floors first,,, glad im not a builder hahaha.

It's a hard life that's for sure, if it's not sheets of plasterboard it's probably heavy blocks.. Stuff that!