Artificial grass is sold by the square metre and delivered by the roll, and the gap between those two facts is where the transport problem lives. A modest back garden can mean a roll two metres wide and several metres long, weighing far more than the sample in the showroom suggests. Artificial grass van hire comes up constantly through spring for exactly this reason. Getting van hire in Warrington sorted before you order is far easier than afterwards.
Roll Width Sets the Van, Not Garden Size
Artificial grass is manufactured in fixed widths, commonly two or four metres, and suppliers cut to length from those. That means the width becomes a fixed dimension you have to accommodate however small your garden is. A four metre wide product will not fit across any van, so it has to travel along the load space, and the cut length then has to fit too. Ask the supplier for both the width and the cut length in metres before you agree anything. People routinely think in terms of the area they are covering and get caught out by a roll that is physically longer than their vehicle.
Weight That Surprises People
Backed artificial turf is heavier per square metre than customers expect, because the latex or polyurethane backing carries most of the mass rather than the pile. A garden’s worth is a genuinely heavy roll, and it is heavy in an awkward distribution, being long and cylindrical with all the weight along its axis. Two people can usually manage a domestic roll if they lift together at each end and keep it horizontal. Trying to stand one on end to walk it round a corner is where people hurt their backs, because the whole weight comes onto the bottom edge at once.
Choosing a Body With the Internal Length
Because the roll cannot bend, internal load length is the only measurement that matters. Our extra long wheelbase body offers a four point three metre internal load length, which covers the majority of domestic cut lengths in a single piece. The extra long wheelbase van is the one to ask for by name if your roll is anywhere near that figure, rather than hoping a shorter body will take it at an angle. A roll propped diagonally against the back doors is unsafe to unload and will crease the backing permanently.
Keeping the Roll Clean and Uncreased
Artificial grass keeps whatever shape you leave it in for a while, so a hard crease or a tight fold shows in the finished lawn and can take days of sun to relax out. Keep the roll rolled rather than folding it, lay it flat on the van floor rather than across wheel arches where it will bend over a hard edge, and do not stack anything heavy on top. Sweep the load space first, because grit and cement dust work into the pile and are difficult to get out afterwards. If you are also collecting the sub base materials, keep them entirely separate from the turf.
Planning the Base Work Before the Turf Arrives
Laying artificial grass properly means a compacted sub base, edging, a sand or grano layer and a weed membrane, and none of that happens on the same day the roll arrives. Get the groundwork finished first. A roll delivered early sits on a driveway taking up space and getting dirty, and if it sits in strong sun it can distort. Customers laying gardens around Cadishead van hire bookings and the surrounding area frequently do the base one weekend and the turf the next, hiring the van only for the second.
Booking the Van and Collecting
Our depot is on Tilley Street at the main entrance to Cockhedge Shopping Centre next to Asda, open Monday to Saturday from 8am until 4pm and closed on Sunday, with free secure parking on site. Bring your photocard licence and a DVLA check code, there is no deposit on most vehicles, and no credit card is required. Suppliers frequently cut to order, so confirm the roll will actually be cut and ready before you set out rather than waiting in a yard while it is done. Anything else you want to check is likely covered on our van hire FAQs.
Handling the Offcuts and the Joins
Unless your garden happens to match the roll width exactly, you will be joining two pieces, and the join is where a good installation is distinguished from an obvious one. Both pieces need to run in the same direction, because artificial grass has a pile that lies one way and a piece laid against the grain shows as a different shade in daylight. Mark the direction on the backing before you cut, since it is easy to lose track once the roll is unrolled on a driveway. Offcuts are worth keeping rather than binning, both for patching later and for smaller areas around a shed or a bin store. They are also heavy, so if you are taking waste to the tip at the end of the job, factor the offcuts into what you are carrying rather than assuming the van will be empty on the way back.
Give us the roll width and cut length and we will confirm which body takes it in one piece. Call the depot on 01925 396 222 and book around your groundwork rather than your delivery date.
