Some loads are not heavy and not bulky. They are simply long. A set of ladders, lengths of timber, guttering, coving, scaffold boards, a roll of underlay or a run of skirting board will all defeat a car boot and most estate cars, no matter how much you fold down. Long load van hire is a category people arrive at by frustration rather than planning, usually after a failed attempt with a roof rack. Before you book van hire in Warrington for something in this shape, it helps to know which of our bodies actually gives you the internal run you need.
Measuring the Load Before You Choose the Van
The number that matters is the longest single item, measured accurately rather than estimated. People routinely underestimate by half a metre, and the difference between a load that lies flat and one that has to sit at an angle against the back doors is the difference between a safe journey and a nervous one. Standard timber lengths, guttering runs and ladder sets are frequently longer than customers expect. Our extra long wheelbase van offers a four point three metre load length, which is the longest internal run in our fleet and covers the large majority of these jobs. If you are carrying anything approaching that figure, the extra long wheelbase van is the one to ask for by name rather than leaving the choice open, because a shorter body will simply not take it however you angle the load.
Why Angling a Long Item Is a Bad Habit
The temptation with a load that is slightly too long is to prop one end up on the wheel arch or against the bulkhead so it fits diagonally. It works for the first roundabout. The problem is that a long item resting at an angle has a pivot point, and every time you brake or corner it moves a little, working its way loose and eventually leaning against the rear doors. Opening those doors at the other end then becomes genuinely dangerous, because the load comes out at you before you have hold of it. If the item will not lie flat on the floor with the doors closed behind it, you have the wrong van, and it is worth ringing to swap rather than setting off hopeful.
Securing Lengths So They Stop Moving
Long items behave differently from boxes because they have so little friction against the floor relative to their length. A bundle of timber will slide forward under braking as one mass. The approach that works is to push the load hard up against the bulkhead so there is nowhere forward for it to travel, then strap it laterally so it cannot roll or fan out sideways. Bundle loose lengths together before they go in rather than after. If you are carrying ladders, close and tie them so the sections cannot telescope. It is also worth putting something soft between a metal load and the van floor, both to stop it sliding and to keep the vehicle in the condition you would want to find it in yourself.
Getting Long Loads Through Warrington Traffic
Driving with length rather than weight changes how the van feels. The vehicle is not heavier, so acceleration and braking are much as you would expect, but the overhang behind the rear axle means the back end swings wider than you instinctively allow for. Mini roundabouts catch people out, and there are plenty of them on the routes out towards the villages. The swing bridges and the narrower approaches around the town centre reward taking your time. Give yourself a wider line into turns than feels necessary, use your mirrors before committing, and remember that the vehicle behind you cannot see what you are about to do. Out on the M6 and M62 none of this matters much, but the last mile at either end is where care pays.
Where People Are Collecting These Loads From
Most long load hires we see are heading to trade counters and builders merchants around the industrial estates, to the larger DIY units, or out to a property where work is already underway. Collections around Great Sankey van hire customers make regularly tend to be the domestic end of this, with fencing, decking and roofing materials going back to houses with driveways that are easier to unload on than a terraced street. If you are unloading kerbside in a tight residential road, think about which way you will approach so the back doors open onto the pavement rather than into traffic, and plan to have someone with you for anything over three metres.
Planning the Booking Around Our Hours
Trade counters and merchants often keep shorter Saturday hours than you assume, and our depot on Tilley Street is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 4pm and closed on Sunday. That combination catches people out on weekend projects, so work backwards from the collection you need to make rather than forwards from when you would like to start. There is no deposit on most vehicles, collection needs your photocard licence and a DVLA check code, and there is free secure parking on site for your own car while you are out. Booking at least a fortnight ahead also opens up the ten per cent advance booking discount on selected vehicles, which is set out on our van hire special offers page.
If you are unsure whether your load will fit, measure the longest item and ring us with the figure. We will tell you which body takes it and hold that vehicle for your dates. Call the depot on 01925 396 222 and we will sort it out before you commit to the collection.
