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I often wonder without having a pickup truck and a car, how do Europeans haul heavy hardware stuff like MDF boards, 3x4 wood plank, steel pipes to their place.

I often wonder without having a pickup truck and a car, how do Europeans haul heavy hardware stuff like MDF boards, 3x4 wood plank, steel pipes to their place. When I was in US I drove to nearest big box store, loaded my pickup and drove to my place. Easy, unfortunately no other country I've found such convenience and this makes me wanna go back to US.

jfk13 6y ago
Most things I need from the hardware/DIY store, I can bring home in my car. With the seats folded down, 8-foot lengths of timber aren't much of a problem. For the rare occasions when that wouldn't be feasible, they'll deliver for a moderate charge. It would make no sense to pay all the costs of keeping an extra vehicle (or a much larger one than I generally need) just to avoid a couple of deliveries per year.
HarryHirsch 6y ago
Station wagons are popular, as are hatchback cars where you can fold down the rear seat. That will fit a fridge or bicycle. If you really need the space you just rent a van for the day. Gas is expensive on the old continent, so people really do not like to drive huge cars.
handelaar 6y ago
People who need it for work have vans, which are an amazing invention with rooves and doors and which can carry pallets. Some have a trailer instead. People who need it barely once or twice a year for home take an estate car, rent one for a taxi, borrow a trailer off a friend, or get the store to deliver - because owning your own van or pickup just for that reason would be considered completely insane.
Theodores 6y ago
Pickups trucks are an American phenomenon due to the Chicken Tax and how that sector of manufacturing is protected. European and Japanese manufacturers that trounce the big three in every other sector are forbidden to compete fairly in the land of the free when it comes to these bizarre pickup trucks that make little sense in normal countries. In the UK we have the Ford Transit van and people that can do things for you. You get stuff delivered or collected. The guy with the Transit van gets a high level of utilisation out of it. People can therefore have normal cars and SUVs. Or a bicycle. We don't have those man size trucks with dual tyres in the UK and certainly not at US prices. You can buy Ranger and Hilux size trucks and those are a bit too large for UK roads. In the US these would be toys, not man size at all. In the UK you can play a game watching cars and counting how many have more than one person in them. In the US you can count how many trucks are hauling stuff. They ain't.
ivanche 6y ago
Depending on the country, but some hardware stores offer transport or you can rent a van for $30 or so. OTOH, in 41 years I had exactly 0 times needed large MDF boards or wood planks or steel pipes...
- sgt 6y ago
  Clock is ticking, buddy. Best order some MDF boards tonight.
u678u 6y ago
> how do Europeans haul heavy hardware stuff like MDF boards, 3x4 wood plank, steel pipes to their place. You do this like once every 10 years? I wouldn't choose a car on this.
vidarh 6y ago
Why would I ever haul anything to my place? It's far easier to have it delivered. A couple of years ago I did maintenance to my garden. I ordered planks and bags of cement from Amazon for next day delivery because I couldn't even be bothered to order from a specialist store. But if I wanted to, there's a store with bulk construction supplies literally at the bottom of my road, and a more retail oriented one 20 minutes away. But I don't even have a drivers license. Never felt worth the time.

jfk13 6y ago

Most things I need from the hardware/DIY store, I can bring home in my car. With the seats folded down, 8-foot lengths of timber aren't much of a problem. For the rare occasions when that wouldn't be feasible, they'll deliver for a moderate charge. It would make no sense to pay all the costs of keeping an extra vehicle (or a much larger one than I generally need) just to avoid a couple of deliveries per year.

HarryHirsch 6y ago

Station wagons are popular, as are hatchback cars where you can fold down the rear seat. That will fit a fridge or bicycle. If you really need the space you just rent a van for the day. Gas is expensive on the old continent, so people really do not like to drive huge cars.

handelaar 6y ago

People who need it for work have vans, which are an amazing invention with rooves and doors and which can carry pallets. Some have a trailer instead. People who need it barely once or twice a year for home take an estate car, rent one for a taxi, borrow a trailer off a friend, or get the store to deliver - because owning your own van or pickup just for that reason would be considered completely insane.

Theodores 6y ago

Pickups trucks are an American phenomenon due to the Chicken Tax and how that sector of manufacturing is protected. European and Japanese manufacturers that trounce the big three in every other sector are forbidden to compete fairly in the land of the free when it comes to these bizarre pickup trucks that make little sense in normal countries. In the UK we have the Ford Transit van and people that can do things for you. You get stuff delivered or collected. The guy with the Transit van gets a high level of utilisation out of it. People can therefore have normal cars and SUVs. Or a bicycle. We don't have those man size trucks with dual tyres in the UK and certainly not at US prices. You can buy Ranger and Hilux size trucks and those are a bit too large for UK roads. In the US these would be toys, not man size at all. In the UK you can play a game watching cars and counting how many have more than one person in them. In the US you can count how many trucks are hauling stuff. They ain't.

ivanche 6y ago

Depending on the country, but some hardware stores offer transport or you can rent a van for $30 or so. OTOH, in 41 years I had exactly 0 times needed large MDF boards or wood planks or steel pipes...

sgt 6y ago
Clock is ticking, buddy. Best order some MDF boards tonight.

u678u 6y ago

> how do Europeans haul heavy hardware stuff like MDF boards, 3x4 wood plank, steel pipes to their place. You do this like once every 10 years? I wouldn't choose a car on this.

vidarh 6y ago

Why would I ever haul anything to my place? It's far easier to have it delivered. A couple of years ago I did maintenance to my garden. I ordered planks and bags of cement from Amazon for next day delivery because I couldn't even be bothered to order from a specialist store. But if I wanted to, there's a store with bulk construction supplies literally at the bottom of my road, and a more retail oriented one 20 minutes away. But I don't even have a drivers license. Never felt worth the time.