On edge is a supported row, not a loose lean
A sash standing on its edge carries its own weight through the frame. A sash lying flat carries the next person's knee and any tool you set down. Stand intact windows on edge in a tight row, with a pad or a scrap of cardboard between glass faces, and block the row so the first and last sash cannot domino. Tape each lite corner to corner first. The tape does not add strength so much as it keeps a crack from opening into pieces while you brake. Do not stand a window above the bed rails where the top becomes a sail and a head-height hazard. If the frame is taller than the bed, lay that one flat under the row or make a second trip. This article is about the ride. The site still decides whether glass is accepted.
Broken glass does not stand
A sash with loose shards should not be stood on edge at all. Box those shards, close the box, and set the box on the floor of the cab side of the bed where it cannot slide. Standing a failed frame just shakes the remaining chips into the bed. Label the box. Anyone who unloads with you should know which container bites. Keep the box out from under heavier rubble. Concrete on a glass box is how the box fails before you arrive. If the frame still holds the broken lite, tape both sides and carry it as a unit only if nothing is falling out. Otherwise pull the loose pieces into the box at home, not at a stoplight.
Straps without crushing the stile
Run a strap across the row at mid-height and another near the bottom, with a corner pad so the strap does not crush a vinyl stile or chip a wood edge. Anchors should be in the bed, not hooked over the top of the glass. A hook on the lite will break it the first time you tighten. Leave a path to the tailgate so you are not climbing over the glass to get out. At the site, set the brake, then loosen the upper strap first while a second person holds the row. Hand the sashes down one at a time. A row released all at once will fan open on the concrete.
Before you go
- Tape intact glass and stand the sashes on edge in a blocked, padded row.
- Box loose shards instead of standing a frame that is already shedding glass.
- Strap the row to bed anchors with pads, not over the face of the glass.
- Unload one sash at a time after the truck is parked and held.
Leaning untaped windows against the cab with no strap and no block at the ends.
Questions people ask
Should double-pane units lie flat instead?
They can, if you pad them and put nothing on top. On edge still works when the frames are blocked. Do not stack heavy tools on either arrangement.
Is cardboard enough between panes?
A clean pad or cardboard sheet between faces keeps glass from grinding glass. It does not replace the strap across the row.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.