Like this?

 

It is 5' from the folded backseat to the rear hatch. We're talking about 3' hanging out the back. (37.5% of the board) I can make a bed extender in an hour with less than $10 worth of material. A roof rack is a project planned for down the road, after bumpers and rock sliders. I do not haul material daily, maybe once a month. I asked a simple question, will driving with the hatch open damage the hatch? Many SUVs have a rear window that rolls down, how is that different from riding with the hatch open?

 

Get a cheap utility trailer and haul your stuff on that. It's what I do. No big deal and you have the ability to haul tall stuff.

 

i can only speak of the 4runner, but owners manual says to not drive with that window down

 

The SUVs you speak may have been designed from the factory to be driven with the window down. The XJ was not made that way.
I do see extra stress put on the hinges. If you had to panic stop it might either rip the hatch off or slam back down on the lumber & destroy the hatch or shatter the glass.

 

This seems like a better idea. At least there are roof rails that you can tie things down to plus the roof is longer.

 

The struggle is real... I'm in construction and I know all too well what a PITA it is to haul lumber around. Best thing to do is strap it to the roof or trailer it.
Also, you can remove the passenger seat and fit a fair amount of 8' lumber in the cab with you.

 

I've hauled 6 plywood 4x8s. Couldn't even tell you how many 2x4s or 2x6s. Don't think I'd make a habit of it. On top that is. Slow speeds, blinkers on. Watch ahead for the lights or stops. Don't be stupid with it. Make 2 trips if necessary. Or buy a cheap folding trailer from harbor freight.

 

Oh, and I strapped the hell out of it. And slow around the turns.

 

No, they don't. They have no doors, which is a very different thing from having windows down. They have PLENTY of air coming in to keep the exhaust out.


Exhaust aside, you'll wreak havoc on your gas struts and your hinges as you drive carefully around paved roads with the normal bumps and turns. It won't take much of that to wear them out. They are not made to handle those kind of forces.

Get a cheap Harbor Freight fold-up trailer - these things pull a small trailer VERY well.

 

I have hauled a few times with oversized items short distances, not a frequent everyday hauler for sure. Not a big deal, strapped the hatch down as far as possible so it wouldn't bounce. Fumes on a 10 minute drive, mehh, unless your burning nitromethane maybe. You'll smell it, but not oxygen depleting levels by no means.

 

Had my passenger seat out for a while and boy was it nice. Kind of a pain now that it's back in. You could try reclining the passenger seat all the way back and put boards in from drivers rear to passenger front. Or get a set of ladder racks that clamp on the gutter.

 

If you must do it, firmly tie the hatch down against the lumber. Leaving it up and unsupported just seems dumb. Even if the CO issue is as big a deal as people think, a short drive probably won't kill you.

The 4x8 folding trailer from Harbor Freight is the best idea. I've had mine for 10+ years, and it's still going strong. I've hauled wood, motorcycles, ATVs, car parts, and all kinds of other stuff on mine.

 

your gonna do it anyway so do it and tell us how great it worked

 

IIRC, the XJ is made to be able to drive with the hatch open in a pinch. That's why the rear dome light can be clicked to disable the hatch switch so you won't be driving along with the interior lights on.

It's been a long time since I read my manual, but IIRC, driving with the hatch open was not encouraged, but for cases where it was necessary there were tips in there for doing it safely. Clicking the rear dome light to disable the hatch switch was one of the tips. Seems like it also said to make sure it's well ventilated (windows down) and to tie down the hatch so that it's not bouncing around.

I have driven mine this way several times with no ill effects, including a four hour drive from Atlanta to Nashville with my Jeep full of boxes of Ikea furniture. I loaded it up and tied the hatch down using the inside handle on the hatch and the loops on my tow hitch. I drove an hour with a Dana 30 strapped to a half pallet the same way. There was never any issue whatsoever with exhaust, and the hinges were more than sufficient to support the hatch secured that way.

I wouldn't be worried about the exhaust unless you expect to be sitting idling in the same place for an extended period of time. If you're driving, the exhaust might swirl up under the rear hatch, but with the windows down you get enough flow through to push it on out. Your exhaust is not going to fight a 70 mph wind on the freeway to reach you in the driver's seat.

I wouldn't drive it with the hatch all the way up with it completely unsecured. I don't think the hinges would fail, but it might beat the crap out of the struts if you hit some rough road.