Moving Beverly Hillbillies style

May 11, 2005 8:13 PM

Highway_Patrol_Filter: I'm moving from Baltimore to Manhattan in three weeks and trying to avoid shelling out $250 for a moving van. I don't have that much stuff, but want to take my mattress Is it ok to strap a full sized mattress to the roof of a volvo station wagon on I-95 or will that result in me getting pulled over by the cops? Also, for those of you who've moved like this, what's the best way to strap it to the roof?
posted by slapshot57 to Travel & Transportation (18 answers total)

For what it's worth, I can't recall seeing anyone with a mattress on the roof being pulled over, and I see trucks with unsecure loads everyday. Think surfboard in Lethal Weapon 2 unsecure.
posted by bh at 8:19 PM on May 11, 2005

you can totally do it--just don't speed. tie it lengthwise and widthwise (widthwise thru the windows), and use tons of twine/rope--more than you need. I'd cover it with a plastic tarp too.
posted by amberglow at 8:46 PM on May 11, 2005

and stay in the right lane.
posted by amberglow at 8:47 PM on May 11, 2005

Tie it lower on the front so it doesn't catch the wind and act like a sail. This piece of advice courtesy of my brother, who once ran across several lanes of freeway to retrieve his mattress and then had to drag it back across those same lanes as cars whizzed by honking at him.
posted by cali at 9:12 PM on May 11, 2005

Second cali's comment. Strap down the front of that thing securely.

My friend did something similar to what you're describing. The 55mph winds were enough to pop the first set of ropes and the front half of the mattress bent straight back, dumping all the stuff he'd strapped on top of it onto the highway.
posted by event at 9:36 PM on May 11, 2005

Put me in for a vote that shelling out the $250 makes a bitmore sense. I've tried both ways (and the whole matress-to-car thing seemed to be WAY more trouble than it was worth for me) and can say that the time I moved with a van, it was totally worth it. It'll also mean that you won't be so restricted to take just what you can fit in your car.
posted by incessant at 9:48 PM on May 11, 2005

The Highway Patrol has now been alerted of your plans.
posted by sourwookie at 11:02 PM on May 11, 2005

If you tie it down just right you'll get an airfoil, and you can bypass the freeway.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 12:21 AM on May 12, 2005

Perhaps you can sandwich the mattress between two peices of plywood, then tie it down--very, very well. Use tie down straps, the kind with ratchets. You could even drill large holes in the plywood to place the straps.

It's always hilarious to me when I see a mattress bent in half on the highway. Don't be that guy.
posted by recurve at 2:41 AM on May 12, 2005

instead of getting a moving van, you could rent a truck from a rent-a-car type place. a decent bit cheaper and not so overkill if all you want to move is a bed and some other crap.
posted by yeahyeahyeahwhoo at 4:32 AM on May 12, 2005

I just saw two mattresses on the side of the road (Beltway) this morning. I'd be afraid that no matter how secure I think they might be, that they'd still end up flying off my car and into someone else. Think about how bad you'll feel when someone gets injured or killed because you didn't want to spend $250. Better safe than sorry.
posted by MsVader at 5:52 AM on May 12, 2005

Forget string, twine and rope. If you decide to use the Volvo, go to the hardware store and invest in two or three ratchet tie downs. They are the best way to secure something to your car.

Throw it on the roof, cover it with a tarp, and secure it with the tiedowns. If you use them correctly, that matress isn't going anywhere.
posted by nyterrant at 6:26 AM on May 12, 2005

Oh yes. I have fond memories of quite a few confident guys who said "that there [mattress, boat, couch, grand piano] ain't going anywhere." Because, well, it usually did.

I use these excellent tie downs for canoes, but mattresses are tricksy. You might consider renting one of those small enclosed trailers, which are a lot cheaper than a truck, if your car has a tow hitch.
posted by naomi at 6:49 AM on May 12, 2005

Why not just rent a trailer of some kind? I see crazy stuff strewn around the freeways every day, and I'm sure the guy who tied down the later I saw in the middle of the road last week thought he did a good job tying it down.

Alternatively, depending on the size of the mattress, you might able to amtrak it up there cheaply.
posted by ph00dz at 6:49 AM on May 12, 2005

Most mattresses can be rolled loosely lengthwise (you don't want to overdo it or you might damage the springs). For the brief time I was a furniture mover, some thirty or so years ago, we almost always rolled and tied mattresses when moving them. The strap that tied them also gave a secure handhold, the handles that are usually on the side are largely decorative, it's quite easy to rip them right off.

Rolled and wrapped it might cause a little more wind resistance than flat, but it will be easier to secure (those ratcheting straps mentioned above are much better than any rope and will set you back all of about $10 at Home Depot) and a lot less unwieldy.
posted by Quinbus Flestrin at 6:59 AM on May 12, 2005

yeahyeahyeahwhoo: instead of getting a moving van, you could rent a truck from a rent-a-car type place. a decent bit cheaper and not so overkill if all you want to move is a bed and some other crap.

I'll second this, even up here a one day weekend rental of a pick up is ~C$30.00 with unlimited mileage. It'll be a lot easier.
posted by Mitheral at 7:04 AM on May 12, 2005

Ah, memories. I moved from Baltimore to New York with a mattress on top of my Honda. That is my mattress in the dumpster behind the Chesapeake House, since it was flapping so wildly we thought it was going to kill someone, possibly even us.

Leave the mattress. Buy a new one in NY - you can get one for less than $250.
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:04 AM on May 12, 2005

Thanks for all the advice everyone, I decided not to risk bodily harm for everyone on the road and based on suggestions am going to rent a van from enterprise. Didn't even know they rented vans until I started looking at renting trucks from them, so thanks a lot. Actually it's a really good deal too, 80 bucks a day for unlimited mileage.

and definitely worth not being that guy on the highway.
posted by slapshot57 at 7:41 AM on May 12, 2005