How to Transport a Real Yuletide Tree Inside Your House
Not a maintenance bill or a traffic penalty should bring you joy when you visit a tree farm.
There’s a right method to bring that once-live tree inside for the holidays, whether you prefer the smell of a newly cut fir in your living room or fake trees are just not your thing. That’s how:
Calculating & Stuffing
Prior to anything else, decide where you want your tree to go and make sure a path leads there. In order to have the tree ready to go as soon as you come home, you might also put up the mount.
Next, take a measurement of the area to determine the largest tree that will fit within without touching the ceiling. After that, you can plan how you’re going to transport it home, such as using your car’s interior or roof. Make your strategy after measuring the pickup bed, roof, and/or interior. You’ll need to gather a few items once that’s resolved before leaving for the tree farm.
The following items are essential to have with you:
* A tape measure
* Manual shears
* A moving blanket or tarp
* Scissors and twine
* Tightening the tie-down straps (if transporting the tree in a pickup bed or on a roof)
* A reflective flag, if the tree you purchase will reach past your bumper.
* A roof rack, if you intend to carry the tree on top of your car.
Pre-Haul and Post-Cut Prep
After choosing and cutting down your conifer, it’s time to prepare the tree for transportation.
* Shake the tree vigorously to remove any fallen leaves or loose needles. You can get this serviced by a vibrating stand found in many tree farms.
* Trim any unwieldy or extra branches to avoid a mess of gooey trimmings at home.
* Pay the small charge for netting if the tree farm offers it. It’s a simple and efficient approach to keep the branches from breaking during the journey home. Bring out the twine if net baling is not an option. Cinch the branches close to the trunk as you loop it around the tree from base to tip.
* Place the tree on the tarp and wrap it up, tying off the ends with twine as needed. This can cover your tree from the weather and, if you’re thinking of taking a rooftop ride, your car from sap drips and scratches that can be difficult to remove.
Safeguarding the Tree for Passage
Ask a friend or two to assist you in lifting the tree into the desired location, such as under the hatch, onto a pickup bed, or atop the car, to avoid having a backache later.
If putting the tree above your car is your only choice, we strongly advise utilizing a roof rack so you have appropriate mounting locations to fasten your tie-downs. You may still fasten the tree on top if you don’t have a roof rack by opening the doors (not the windows) and tying the straps through the cabin, but be aware that you could harm a seal or the paint of your car.
Regardless of the approach you take, ensure that the tree’s trunk is pointing forward. This will improve aerodynamics and shield the branches from wind damage. One strap should be placed around the lowest branches above the trunk at the lowest third of the tree. Add one more in the middle for safety, and another in the upper third. Fasten the straps firmly, especially if you plan to drive home.
The amount of space that an object can occupy behind a car’s bumper varies depending on the state, however, federal law forbids states from setting limits less than three feet in front and four feet in rear. If you keep those restrictions in mind, you’ll be fine. Having said that, if your tree does hang over your car, make sure it is visible to other cars by attaching a reflective flag to the end of it.
If you intend to use the tree as a backseat passenger, you should place a moving blanket in the cargo hold to prevent the tree from sliding around and to shield the carpet from loose needles and sap. (Twine can assist with that as well.)
Traveling back home and dumping
If at all possible, head straight home and take the scenic (i.e., slower) way back. It’s best to get the tree out of your automobile as quickly as possible.
It should take two or three people to dismount. As a group, lift the tree out of the car and carry it inside. Fasten it firmly in the prepared mount. Take off the tarp and place the clean side on the ground near the tree to collect any fallen needles and sap. After adding water to the mount, cut the net. Take out the tarp and give the branches a few hours to settle before you begin hanging lights.
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