i wanted to know someones opinion on driving with the back window open. i wanted to put my surfboard inside the truck because i don't have a roof rack yet, so until then i wanted to see if anyone else was doing it this way.

 

As long as your window struts are in good shape, I'd have no concern. I had to do it when I picked up the steel for my rockrails -- a bit of confusion on my order and they had given me 11' pieces of tube steel.... I had them wedged in between the passenger seat and the front passenger door and it still stuck out like 5' in the back through that window. I just drove slowly so the steel wouldn't get out of hand -- your surfboard will do far less damage, I'm sure. If I was to PLAN on it, I'd get some pipe insulation from a local hardware/bigbox store and put it over the tailgate so the board lays on something softer and neither surface should get marred.

See attachments! I did shove a rag under the tube stock before I drove with it -- again, had no plans of them being this large when I arrived!!

Dave

 

Be aware that driving with the rear window open could allow exhaust fumes to enter the vehicle. The open window also could allow the board to bounce around on bumps and damage the board or your truck. You might want to see about putting some sort of a strap to hold the board in place or even hold the window closed on it. The back window glass was designed to be closed during driving and driving with it open could be a bad thing if it gets hit by a rock or something while laying flat in the open position.

chances are you would be fine.

 

Crack open the two front windows a good amount and the sun roof so the air is not trapped in the cabin.

 

I do it all the time. As long as your CATs are working, its nearly impossible to hurt yourself from CO poisoning.

 

There are many ways to go about this and, of course, the best option is to buy a roof rack. But, until then, I always say "no truck? no problem."

You can put the lower gate down, use the front cargo anchors to hold down the surfboard with a rachet strap, lower the upper window portion, and use another strap from the latch pin to the one of (or both) or the rear cargo anchors. This way the lower gate is down and the upper window is closed. With the upper hatch open, the third high mounted centre brake light is pointed to the sky and useless (although it is not a necessity in the first place).

You can place the surfboard diagonally from the front passenger seat to the left rear corner with the front seat set to a more forward position to gain a bit more room, and perhaps even be able to close the rear hatches.

I have hauled a HUGE array of different cargo in many ways, but the LR3 has never eased to amaze me as to just what you can do when you get creative.

The important thing is to not cause any unwanted damage. Secure your load to protect your vehicle's finish and the occupants that could be struck by cargo. Secure your load to prevent it from falling out of or off your vehicle and causing damage to the load and other vehicles. Be aware of how you park, long loads that stick out into traffic lanes will be damaged or cause damage. Finally, place a red/orange/reflective or otherwise high visibility flag to any load that protrudes past your vehicle's rear bumper by more than 3 ft (1 m).

It is a Land Rover. Fully capable of anything and everything you ask of it.

Notes:
- strap goes through handle of jerry can to prevent side to side movement, with hooks attached to rear wiper and towing safety chain attachment point.
- a love seat will fit with the hatch closed, but a couch will not.
- an assembled BBQ will need a few bits of plywood to support all the wheels as the tailgate is a bit too small,
- A small four wheeler will fit and not even have to be strapped down as the rear tires are wider than the available space and when squeezed into the cargo area actually held the atv by what I call "friction fit" (I didn't even put the second row seats down for that one.
- four 33 inch x 11.5 inch mud tires fit (second row upright again).

 

I wanted a more secure way to carry tools when I worked for a renovation contractor (to prevent theft and also securely hold the tools in the event or a collision or rollover). The tool box is attached to drawer slides and the brackets for the drawer slides are bolted into the rear cargo anchor bolt holes. Drawer slide allowed access to the spare tire winch and made loading/unloading easier and was just plain cool. haha

tool box measures 24in by 24in by 36 inches wide.