Head rest modification - maybe?

So, one of my biggest complaints with my Rav is that I have not found a convenient way to carry basic lumber and building supplies - I've found I can fit 10' lengths of pipe in the cab fairly easily, and I can fit 8' lengths of lumber. But it is a pain -

My thought is that if I could replace the headrests with a couple of welded steel racks that would slide into the headrest holes and let me slide in some lumber easily and lash it in place - not huge amounts, maybe 8 or 10 2x4s, or 50/60 bf of hardwood.

Anyone seen anything like that, or have a reason why this would be a bad idea?

I wouldn't intentionally put that kind of weight on the tops of the seats.

i think you might do better by taking the passenger seat out entirely and putting a rack that used the seat mounting holes in its place.

I've taken the seats out of my older Pathfinder a few times to haul things, i dont see why it wouldnt work in the Rav4.

n3ckf said:

i think you might do better by taking the passenger seat out entirely and putting a rack that used the seat mounting holes in its place.

I've taken the seats out of my older Pathfinder a few times to haul things, i dont see why it wouldnt work in the Rav4.

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Heated seats, passenger airbag sensor, and seat-mounted side airbags. This is a bad idea. Don't do it.

Why not just use a roof rack?

mostly because I haven't seen a roof rack that would hold a sheet of plywood - or some 10' pipe. The cross bars on the roof rack I have are only about 2.5' apart, so they won't by themselves hold any item of length, and there are no easy spots on the front or rear of the vehicle to tie off the ends. But if you know of a roof rack asseembly that will reliably hold sheets and lengths (not planning on large amounts of weight, no more than a couple sheets of ply OR a few 2x4s/pipes/rebar, I would REALLY like to hear about it -

If I end up with a hitch option, then I'll be looking for a reasonable trailer, but I really want to avoid that -

I once did a bad job of trying to carry 10 foot PVC in our CRV.
Rested the pipe on the front dash, closed the back door and cracked the windshield!
Doh!

On second thoughts, a full 4x8 on a roof rack is probably asking for trouble unless you drive slow.
If you don't need full sheets have the store cut them to size and they might fit inside.

Home Depot truck for $19.95 for 45 min. You can carry tons. Last weekend I carried 16 4x8 pieces of plywood and about 30 2x4s. Unless you need to do this more than once a year.

I would agree that transporting a 4x8 sheet is not really viable , i would use a friends truck or rent something

I bought an inexpensive 4x8 trailer from Harbor Freight for $300 to make the occasional home depot run.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1720-lb-capacity-super-duty-48-inch-x-96-inch-utility-trailer-with-12-inch-five-lug-wheels-and-tires-94564.html

(they always have 20% coupons in the back of magazines)

My lightweight tilting trailer