Will You Load Me? How We Load Your Truck or Trailer at Metal Roofing Pickup

Short answer: yes, we load you. We have a forklift and a crew, and when you pick up your panels at our Westfield, MA shop, we put them on your vehicle. You do not have to hand-load a pack of metal or bring a friend to wrestle it onto your truck.

If you found us on Facebook Marketplace, we get why you might ask. A lot of people selling metal on Marketplace are selling leftovers out of a backyard, and you load it yourself. That is not us. Hometown Metal Roofing is a working roll-forming shop. We make panels and trim to order, stock coil on the floor, and run a forklift every day. Your panels are formed to your exact lengths, banded on wood, and loaded for you.

What changes from customer to customer is the vehicle. Some are easy and some take more work. This post walks through each setup with real photos from our shop, so you know what to expect and what to bring.

• Best: a flatbed trailer (deck-over is ideal) or a flatbed truck. We set the bundle down from the side and back out.
• Panels over 24 ft: back your trailer into our shop and we load inside.
• Landscape trailers, dump trailers, trailers with fenders: doable, just slower. We carry, roll, or hoist the load in depending on weight.
• Pickups, SUVs, vans: fine for shorter, lighter orders. Length is the limit.
• Ladder racks: we can set metal on them, but watch the rack's weight rating.
• Not sure? Tell us what you are driving and what you are ordering before you come.

A flatbed trailer or flatbed truck is the best way to pick up metal roofing. Nothing is in the way. Our forklift comes in from the side, sets the bundle on the deck, and backs out. The panels are banded on wood bunkers or cribbing, so they sit off the deck and are easy to strap down. It is the simplest, fastest, and safest setup.

Our shop doors are only 20 ft wide. Panels over 20 ft are generally loaded inside the building. You back your trailer in, we load it with the forklift, and you pull out.

Realistically we can bring 22 ft and even 24 ft panels outside by angling them on the forklift. Once you get past 24 ft, like the 28 ft panels below, the right move is to back in and let us load you indoors.

Landscape trailers, dump trailers, and trailers with fenders have sides in the way, so the forklift can't just come in from the side. We still load them. How we do it depends on how heavy the pack is.

A few sheets are easy. The forklift brings the metal out of the shop, and the customer and one of our crew set it on the trailer by hand.

If the pack is too heavy to carry but not extremely heavy, the forklift carries it to the back of the trailer and sets one end on the trailer. A cylindrical tube under that end works as a roller. With the forklift holding up the rest, the customer and a crew member roll the pack in. Once it is in position, the forklift picks up the other end, we pull the tube out, and we set it down. It takes some time and careful work, but it works.

A big pack of roughly 2,000 to 2,500 lbs is too heavy to carry or roll. For that, we put lifting straps around the pack, hang the straps from the forklift, lift the pack, move it over the side of the trailer, and lower it in. Then we pull the straps out. It is a bit slower and more technical, but it works well for heavy loads, whether the trailer is a dump trailer, a landscape trailer with sides, or anything with fenders in the way.

Plenty of customers show up in a pickup, and sometimes in an SUV, minivan, or full-size van. We can usually make these work for shorter orders that are not too heavy. We bring the metal to the back of the vehicle, set one end on the tailgate or the rear opening, and use a tube as a roller. The customer and one of our crew roll the load in, the forklift moves out of the way, and the customer straps it down.

Length is the real limit. Remember that a 6 ft bed with the tailgate down gives you roughly 8 ft of support. Past that, the metal is hanging in the air behind you, and there is a point where it is simply not safe.

Here is what too long looks like. This was a 13 ft order in a 6 ft bed. That left 7 ft hanging past the tailgate, which is not safe and is too far to be legal. We load you whenever it is doable, but this one was not. Physics are physics.

Another example: a customer once showed up with an 8 ft pickup bed to haul a 20 ft panel. That would have left 12 ft hanging out the back. He had driven a long way and simply had not thought it through, so as a one-time fix we cut the panel in half and he took two 10 ft pieces. Please don't plan on that. Panels are made to order at the exact length you ask for, so work out how you will haul them before you order, not when you get here.

Pickups and vans with ladder racks are fairly easy. It works a lot like a flatbed. We come in from the side, raise the forklift, and set the metal on the rack. The thing to watch is weight. Don't exceed your ladder rack's capacity. If you want to know what your order weighs, just ask us and we will calculate it for you before you come.

• Tell us what you are driving. Trailer type, bed length, or a ladder rack. We will tell you if it works.
• Know your longest panel. It decides whether you load outside, inside, or need a different plan.
• Ask about the weight. We can calculate it, especially if you have a rack or a smaller truck.
• Bring your own straps or tie-downs to secure the load for the road.
• If your vehicle is the problem, consider renting a trailer. A rented landscape trailer or trailer with fenders is a better option than a pickup with metal hanging out the back. Or have the order delivered.

Pickup is at 627 Southampton Rd., Westfield, MA. Call us at 413-507-0959 or email [email protected] with your order and your vehicle, and we will tell you the best way to load it.