If you’re thinking of moving a sofa with a van and trying to figure out if a sofa can fit in a cargo van, this post is for you. Read on to find answers to ‘can a sofa fit in a cargo van?’
Knowledge byte – Anything is possible
You know the secret to doing anything successfully lies in knowing how to do it from experience or research. Anything – including fitting a sofa in a cargo van.
So you’re moving into a new place, or you bought a new set of furniture – a sofa and you’re weary on how to transport the whole bulk?
Or you’re a professional mover and this is your first sofa gig and you’re weary as to how to fit that sofa in your cargo van, you’re in the right place.
Cargo vans are currently one of the most popular with moving companies. There are compact-sized cargo vans and full-sized vans popularly nicknamed 9-feet cargo vans.
People who are moving from their offices or dorms or even small apartments prefer compact cargo vans to full-sized ones. This is because the former is easier to maneuver when loading, unloading, and even driving the vehicle.
Cargo vans have back and side doors, so you can easily make adjustments for the safe and proper loading of the couch.
How Big Is The Inside Of a Cargo Van?
If you plan to move a sofa, it’s only rational to be sure that your cargo van will be fit for carrying the sofa, right? To determine this, you should be sure of the size of the inside of the cargo van.
So, let’s talk about how big the inside of a cargo van is.
Many vehicle manufacturers make cargo vans and the sizes may vary. However, there are size ranges for cargo vans and the type of cargo van would depend on its size range.
Using their size range, there are 3 categories of cargo vans:
- Heavy Duty
- Full Size and of course
- Compact-sized cargo van.
There is also the maximum amount of payload that these cargo vans can comfortably move. Depending on the size, their weight load varies, so familiarize yourself with this before settling on a particular cargo van.
For the Heavy Duty Cargo vans, they can stand a payload of 4,080lbs and have an interior dimension of about 126″ by 56″ by 55″ and that’s for length, height and width respectively.
How about full-sized cargo vans? These ones measure about 126″ by 65″ by 55″ for length, height, and width respectively, and can stand a payload of 3,700lbs.
A compact cargo van is smaller than the rest with interior dimensions of 83″ by 42″ by 58″ for the length, height, and width measurement respectively. The compact cargo van can comfortably hold a payload of 1,480lbs.
So, how then do you fit a couch in a cargo van? In the below section we cover the important things you should keep in mind before you get started moving.
Can a Sofa Fit In a Cargo Van: How to Fit a Couch in a Cargo Van?
Know the measurements:
Before fitting anything into a cargo van, you need to be able to physically verify the measurements if that is possible. For a compact cargo van size, you have a length and height, and width measurement of 83″ by 42″ by 58″, respectively.
There are different types and sizes of couches. However, the ones that will fit in a compact cargo van would be the smaller ones.
Couches like a single-seat armchair measure 36″ by 38″ by 34″ in width, depth, and height respectively. By this measurement, your single-seat armchair will fit perfectly in the cargo van.
Finish the plans:
Before you decide to hire a cargo van, you must have made plans so that moving will be pretty easier for you.
You need to decide what cargo van you will use, when, and how you will load your belongings, especially hard-to-move ones like a sofa. This way, nothing you won’t be prepared for.
Making plans ahead of time will also help you save a lot of costs because you will be able to identify what is necessary and what isn’t, what you can manage, and what you can do without.
When loading, do not exceed the GVWR of the cargo van:
For any vehicle, whether a cargo van or not, the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating MUST not be surpassed. This GVWR refers to the possible payload plus the total weight of the vehicle.
The average weight of couches is about 68kg or 150 pounds, and frankly, there shouldn’t be any concern when loading a sofa into a cargo van. While larger cargo vans come with larger spaces, a compact cargo van can just be about enough to fit your sofa.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fitting Couch in a Van
Can a 9 inch cargo van fit a couch?
Yes, 9-inch cargo vans are fairly large and will sufficiently accommodate furniture like tables, couches and even queen-size beds.
How much furniture can you fit in a cargo van?
You can fit quite a lot actually. This is because if you’re going for a 9-foot cargo van for instance, you get in excess of 20 cubic feet of space to pack as much items as you can. With a maximum load of around 3,880 lbs, there’s a large furniture carrying capacity.
Can I fit a couch in a Ford Transit?
Typically, you should be able to fit up to a 3-seater couch in a ford transit van.
What are the inside dimensions of a cargo van?
The inside dimensions of a cargo van depends on if they are compact or heavy-duty. For compact cargo van, LHW is 83”x52”x48” while heavy duty cargo van is 126”x56”55”
Final Thoughts
If you have had to move to a new office or new apartment before, you’d admit how much stress that can be. It’s especially worse if you have large furniture like a big bed or a standard sofa.
The cost of moving this furniture alone can be worrisome especially if you hire a full-sized box cargo van. To avoid such exorbitant costs, you should opt for a cargo van.
Cargo vans are easy to load and offload and hence alongside saving some exorbitant fees, you can also save time.
If you own a sectional sofa, you can detach them before loading them into the cargo van. However, if you own the rigid, standard sofa, you may need a bit of creativity as explained earlier, to get the sofa properly into a cargo van.
