I need to carry one 20 ft lumber from HomeDepot to my home. I don't have a truck but have a minivan (Odyssey). The minivan does not have a roof rack though. A friend of mine suggested that I could open the window of the front passenger seat and place the lumber diagonally, making it stick out the window. But, I am not sure about the method and haven't found anybody other than my friend who suggested this method. The HomeDepot is very close to my home (about 5 minutes local driving).
If anybody has an experience of carrying long lumbers with a minivan, can you please share the tip?
Thanks,
EDIT: I attached the photo below. The first two beams are connected to the roof structure to support it. They are 18-feet 2×4. The third beam (shown in the bottom right corner of the picture) does not provide any support even though it looks so.
Best Answer
Do NOT stick a board out your window!
The board will be angled outward, making your overall vehicle significantly wider than usual. Worse, you will not be able to judge how far it sticks out. Misjudge and someone gets killed.
Why not simply put it on your roof and tie it down to the front and back bumpers (or better, the tow points under the bumpers). Any extension past the rear bumper must be highlighted with a red warning flag attached to the rear end.
Also consider renting a truck from the big box store which charges a flat rate for a few hours.