I'm going to buy a few 8' long 4"x4"s this weekend for a project.

Is there a way to bring the rear gate "down" without closing it? Can I disconnect the motor drive somehow?

Thanks in advance.

 

Roof rack?

 

Thats the best option.

 

So the part of the answer (per the owner's manual) turns out to be that the gate goes up and down by power and you can "stop" it at any point in time by pressing the remote, the button on the lift gate or on the driver's side door.

However, stopping it doesn't cause the gate to "lock in place", Hence, you need to still do something to tie it in place. Just the vaccum from driving causes it to lift open. You can easily move it by hand.

I got my load back home, but will need to find a better way to tie the gate down. All it really needs is a tie down point on the gate itself. The load points on deck (and/or the trailer hitch) are good for what to tie it to.

My roof rack was an option, but for a bed load of 4"x4"s, it would have taken several trips. It's also (honestly) less secure in the case of needing to stop quickly.

I'll let you know what I come up with...

 

Got a friend with a Volvo V70 or XC70 wagon? The passenger seat back folds forward and the rear seat folds down. I have put a couple dozen 2x6x8' in my XC70. Otherwise, rent a pickup. Do lumber yards not deliver anymore?

Wayne

 

The ML350 will carry a huge load inside. The seats fold and it handles material very well. (The tie down points are great!) The only "issue" is what to do with the gate itself when the load won't let it close. Since it is an electric gate, I didn't know what to do. Now I know it can be treated just like any other car. It only lacks a way to tie it "closed down". I'll have an answer for that shortly.

 

Did you consider removing the front passenger seat?

 

No. Is it hard to do?? (My point of reference would be whether it be harder than tying down the liftgate!)

 

My point about the Volvo was that with the passenger seat back folded forward, an 8' long board rests on the dash and clears the rear tailgate so that the tailgate is in the down & locked position.
If your passenger seat back doesn't fold forward and flat, you might be able to move the whole seat all the way forward & tilt the seat back all the way forward and have room for 8' lumber and close & lock the rear tailgate.

Wayne

 

OK, Gotcha! Thanks for the suggestion.

Without regret... I no longer own the minivan that would swallow 8 feet within!

The rear seat bottoms fold forward and create a bit of a blockage so that the "move-the-front-seat" approach really isn't practical. The load limit for my ML350 is about 6 feet with the rear seat folded forward.

Enclosing an 8 foot piece was not a purchase requirement. If I were doing this a lot, I'd get/rent a trailer. This is really just an occasional use.

 

you know you can stop the gate closing midway if you press the button on the liftgate again? i'm not sure what happens when you put the car in drive or reverse. anyway, are you sure you want to put lumber inside your ML? you probably will scratch something. if you don't have roof racks, just put some Styrofoam on your roof and strap it down good. you will be amazed how strong those syrian wrap are. make sure you wrap some around each piece and wrap them together onto the roof through the rear seat opening. you can still close/open the rear doors. your biggest enemy is when you turn and the long pieces start to rotate on top or slide forward if you brake hard. wouldn't recommend that on highway speed for long distances though.

 

Oh good grief. Afraid to hurt the interior? So you strap 4x4s on the roof? Right.

As for the rear seat blockage...
Place protective coverings (I use old folded bathmats & backpacking foam sleeping pads) on the upper edge of the folded seats and the back of the passenger seat. Now measure how far it is from the back of the passenger seat to the inside of the closed & locked tailgate. It just might be 8 feet and change. If so, you're good to go. Otherwise, get a truck or delivery.

Wayne

ps: A completely enclosed, over 8' long cargo bed, U-Haul truck is $20/24 hours.

 

it's an 8 footer. you have to lean the front passenger seat as forward as you can and rest the 4x4 on top of your seat. the gate should be able to close. you have to be careful of the 4x4 sliding in your car and hitting/scratch the dash, doors or window. again, watch out for hard braking. you don't want a piece of 4x4 shooting out of your front windshield.

 

Fair enough. That is what the tie-downs are for. When I haul lumber in my wagon the lumber never touches the car directly. The lumber never moves & the tailgate is locked. Works for me.

Wayne

 

Wow - I thought my earlier comment about removing the seat was silly enough! (I fear the airbag would require a reset if unplugged out of sequence.)

But having heavy timber sitting on the roof panel - regardless of packing and restraining methods (each of which work against the other) is really fraught with danger.

A much cheaper method is to pay the man $50 or whatever to home deliver, presuming you do not have a towbar or trailer.

 

+1, either use a trailer if you have a hitch or pay to have it delivered to you.