A single strap on a slippery nest will walk
Aluminum and vinyl gutter sections are smooth, and a nest of them will telescope under braking so the inner piece becomes a spear past the tailgate. Nest the sections, then tape or wire each end of the bundle so no inner length can slide. Add straps in at least two places to rated anchors, not one strap in the middle that acts as a pivot. Tape cut ends. A raw cut will slice the strap as the bundle flexes, and then you have no strap. Keep the bundle below the rails and inside the bed if the sections allow it. If a section is longer than the bed, you have an overhang that has to be secured and marked the way your road rules require. Do not let that overhang be a surprise you notice in the rearview mirror.
Vinyl and metal should not share a slick bundle
Vinyl gutter flexes and metal gutter does not. Bundled together, the vinyl creeps and the metal saws it. Make two bundles. Downspouts are smaller and rounder, so they roll out of a U-shaped gutter nest. Strap them as their own bundle or put them in the gutter only if the ends are taped and the strap actually bears on the downspout. Screws in a jar go in the cab or in a crate. Loose screws in the gutter will be in your knee when you lift the bundle. Leaf grit left inside a section adds weight and dumps on the highway when the bundle tips. Empty the sections before they come up the ladder, not after they are strapped.
Lift the bundle, not one end
A long bundle picked up by one end will fold and whip. Two people, one at each end, keep it straight. Set it in the bed with the cut ends away from the cab glass, even with tape. At the site, leave the end tape on until the bundle is on the ground. Cutting the tape while the bundle is still angled out of the bed is how an inner section slides onto the scale. If you are going to a scrap yard and a disposal site, put the bundle you will unload second on the bottom only if you can still get the straps off safely. Otherwise give each bundle its own layer you can reach.
Before you go
- Nest sections and tape both ends so an inner length cannot telescope.
- Strap metal and vinyl as separate bundles, in two places, to rated anchors.
- Empty grit first, and keep cut ends taped and away from the cab glass.
- Unload the whole bundle to the ground before you cut the end tape.
One mid-point strap on a nest of gutters, which then telescope past the tailgate.
Questions people ask
Should I cut every piece to bed length?
Cutting at home avoids an overhang, if you can do it safely and tape the new ends. Do not cut sections while they are hanging off the tailgate in traffic.
Can I flatten aluminum before the trip?
A careful flatten at home can stop telescoping, if the destination allows flattened pieces. Tape the sharp seam that flattening creates.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.