Looking for Roof Rack for long pieces of lumber

What are you planning to carry- what kind of material, how many, how long, etc? And what kind of rack do you have?

We have a Yakima roof rack that clamps on and use it to haul a couple of fairly light road bikes. It does fine. I think our rack would handle hauling some lumber just fine. There would be some practical limit to what it could carry- seems like it would depend on total weight, potential issues with wind catching it, etc.

 

Here are some threads about roof racks you may find interesting...

https://priuschat.com/search/69925648/?q=Roof+rack&o=relevance&c[node]=123

 

Maybe a small utility trailer would work. I haven't towed our lightweight 4'x8' utility trailer behind our 2012 Prius v Five but I'm sure it would handle it just fine. I've often carried lumber much longer than 8 feet on it. It took maybe 15 minutes to install a $100 trailer hitch on the Prius but we've used it only to carry a bike rack. I didn't install a trailer light harness but that would be super easy since the 12V battery is at the rear.

BTW, our utility trailer is 36 years old and still in great shape but it has always been covered when not in use or stored in a garage. These little trailers can last a lifetime.

 

If you keep the length of pieces to around 6' they'll fit behind seat back. And longer, say nearly 8', would fit if you pass them between the two front seats.

 

I'm an old carpenter and I often haul sheets of plywood and 2x3s and stuff. ( You probably already know some of this stuff).
Roof racks. 1. You do not need to spend a fortune on a Yakima or Thule rack. The cheapest rack, the ones that need a piece of wood? They work just as well and are a lot cheaper.
2. At the minimum you can just put a moving blanket on the roof for plywood.
3. It's more important to tie down the ends than the middle. (Every kayaker I've ever heard of losing a kayak, lost it because it wasn't tied bow and stern, or there was a problem with these lines). There's just incredible leverage on unsecured ends. With plywood it's that front edge that wants to lift. A few of the bigger spring clamps can hold a pile of ply together, but won't keep it from lifting.
4. I usually run the middle rope through the window of the closed door. A flat piece of webbing can probably run through the door gap without ruining the fit.
5. Front tie down. There isn't one on the Prius, unless you screw in the tow-hook. 6. Do this instead: Seattle Sports Hood Loops Tie Down Attachment Point for bow and stern tie downs - CargoGear These are cheap enough. What I did was to just take about 6- 8" of 1" webbing, fold it in half, then poke a hole with a soldering iron, remove one of the fender screws (like in the photo) and then screw it back in to hold the webbing. Use the thinnest webbing you can find. [I personally don't think the grommets in the photo do anything except make your fender screws too short. You can then flop these inside the hood when you don't want them.]
7. Remember to unscrew the silly antenna, or it'll break right off and no one last time I check sells a springy one of these. Mines been smashed a few times and still works.
And always, always, as soon as you have doubt. Pull over and check. Sometimes the ropes have loosened a bit, usually it's nothing. And it will be nothing, until the time you don't pull over and check....
btw my current kayak weighs about 50 pounds, I have a Yakima rack, (second hand).Tied down the kayak has never been a problem, the roof holds as well as any car, no windage issues. I've also had at least a hundred pounds of plywood up there without any worries. With plywood I run a rope through the windows. With the kayak I have webbing that's only connected to the rack, but always tied bow and stern. My Yakima racks used to be kind of loose. When I finally found the right replacement pads, I looked up the exact instructions for my my Prius V 2015. When I followed Yakima's instructions, to the 1/4", the rack was secure and solid.
You might be able to find a roof rack second hand. I found it nearly impossible to find the specific rubber replacement pads for the rack. They really don't want you fixing up their old stuff, they want you to buy new. So someone has probably just given up and it's in a yard sale. Also I put cheap tennis balls on the ends of the tubes. You only have to get poked once by those ends.
Once you sort this, you should have no problems. The plastic parts are usually ABS, after a few years in the sun it looks terrible. I queried Thule about a cargo container I have and they recommended doing nothing to it. It should be good for many more years.
Hope this helps.

 

Sorry, I am not much of help, but please show us the photo of your rack and 10' lumber on it. I am curious as to how to securely tie those numbers onto the Prius. I used Sienna to haul many lumber and plywood sheets, but had to get rid of the van. If a long lumber can be hauled on top of Prius I would like to see how it is done. Thanks, and good luck.

 

It's important to remember that, even on Toyota vehicles that have reinforced roofs designed for carrying loads, the maximum roof load including the rack is 150 pounds. The maximum safe load on a Toyota without roof reinforcements is less.

The idea of carrying 10' lumber on top of a Prius reminds me of photos on People Of Walmart - Funny Pictures of People Shopping at Walmart : People Of Walmart

Mainstream home improvement stores rent out small flat bed trucks at nominal cost which can be used even if you aren't transporting products purchased at their stores. And Uhaul rents small trailers that can easily carry lumber. Small utility trailers that can transport lumber are quite inexpensive. I've carried all the lumber, sheet rock, vanity, sinks, shower enclosures and toilets I've needed to finish out basements and to build decks on my inexpensive 4'x8' utility trailer without risking vehicle damage. I'm "retired" from doing these sort of projects but most of the towing was done with a 62 horsepower Diesel midsize sedan.

 

Please share your install pics. I have been looking for a roof rack too.

 

I like the idea of putting the front toe hook in, and any roof wrack, tie the front of the lumber which is even with the front of the vehicle to the toe hook, then simply tie the wood down to the wrack and go anywhere, at any speed, heck you could easily use a wrack with bike and kayak attachments.