Can you get a billy bookcase in a 90?

So I need another piece of Ikea's finest bookcaseware for the house, and I was wondering (having had some of the traditional "fun" experiences of actually trying to transport large items in a Defender 90...) will I get a Billy Bookcase in there?

The bookcase is obviously fixed in size. 80 x 28 x 202 cm

The rear door is opening 86cm wide, so I will get the box through: issue 1 ok.

The cargo bed is 114cm - which means I am going to have to go for the "drop the passenger seat and rest the box on the central bulkhead toward the windscreen" approach.. but does anyone know, will this afford me the extra 88cm I need to get the box in? An/or will the angle of the box on the wheel arches/bulkhead/passenger seat be too steep and the box will jar the roof?

I am looking for any excuse to buy a roofrack, but the pressing need for the bookcase (the missus' words) will outstrip the time it'll take to save up for one of those (as well as bloomin' bookcases).

Excuse to buy roof rack granted

Think you'll struggle - the 2m length is your problem. Think you'll struggle to rotate it with the door opening to be able to get it over the passenger seat

I've been vey pleased with my Rhino Roof Bars

i have 3 with side stops and a rear roller, but you'd get away with just 2 bars for now - easier to store than a full roof rack if you don't want to leave on all the time


Rhino Roof Racks & Bars for Land Rover Defender 90

Ikea have the actual box sizes on their site.

its ikea, its flatpack, so it wont be 80cm wide...

package size is

Width : 29 cm
Height : 13 cm
Length : 212 cm
Weight : 37.5 kg

timtheenchanteruk said:

its ikea, its flatpack, so it wont be 80cm wide...

package size is

Width : 29 cm
Height : 13 cm
Length : 212 cm
Weight : 37.5 kg

Click to expand...

Never been to Ikea In that case easy, but poor srlawr doesn't get his roof rack now

Just have it poking out the back door, tie it down securely and have something hi-viz on the end so people can see it. Tie your back door so it doesn't flip around.

I moved 10 x 2.4m long sleepers in my 90 last summer. Granted I have a soft top so they were supported by the tailgate but I tied a hi-viz waistcoat on the end. I was followed about 5 miles along country lanes by a copper but he didn't do anything so I don't know the legalities of doing this. I wasn't weight overloaded but I don't know rules on volume. I did secure them very well with more ratchet straps than necessary tho

timtheenchanteruk said:

its ikea, its flatpack, so it wont be 80cm wide...

package size is

Width : 29 cm
Height : 13 cm
Length : 212 cm
Weight : 37.5 kg

Click to expand...

If you've got a full height door, you may struggle.

I transported a ikea wardrobe, and the box length was 184. That went from touching the back door to into the fron cab area, I can't remember, but I don't think there was 30cm free space - You could get a tape measure to check

How far is Ikea from you? It may be cost effective to have they deliver it.

Couldn't fit them into my 88". Ended up with three of them on the roof. Interesting cornering roll!

zeaphod said:

Couldn't fit them into my 88". Ended up with three of them on the roof. Interesting cornering roll!

Click to expand...

Nice! The full width ones are not light...

timtheenchanteruk said:

its ikea, its flatpack, so it wont be 80cm wide...

package size is

Width : 29 cm
Height : 13 cm
Length : 212 cm
Weight : 37.5 kg

Click to expand...

I think thats the dimensions of the narrower bookcase, the full width ones are definitely 80cm, the back panel is one piece and then all the sides/shelves layered on top...

Amazingly I have bought these before and got them home in my old '96 Ford Fiesta - by a similar process of dropping the back seats and having the box basically resting on my head (and the rear view mirror) fitted by millimeters (and possibly not a legal driving position?)

Stationhouses comments on the angle of the wheelarches/passenger seat sounds like the truth to me though... and like GSE1986 said - when I get back to the truck, I'll just take a tape measure!!

Thank you though everyone I just thought it might be nice to have a thread about what you CAN do with a Landy, rather than just what liquids you can collect out of the bottom of them when they're parked

Just stick it on the roof - with an old towel or sheet to stop scratching - couple of ropes to hold it... and don't corner too fast!

How about three skateboards and some rope:crazy_driver:

well, I haven't yet got round to Ikea, but last night I had the 90 down B&Q and I was buying some 2400mm battening.

Firstly.. it's worth people knowing that B&Qs "cutting service" won't cut battening because it is "too small" to put in their bench saw and get the health and safety shield sufficiently close to it... fair enough I suppose for the blokes who have to follow these rules, but a bit embarrassing for them too - thus please also note, B&Q don't (unofficially) give a toss if you start sawing battening up in their carpark!!

So with that said, I'd gone along with a wood saw and tape measure, as I needed this in 90 and 60 cm pieces, so if I chopped 90cm off the end of each one, I was sure they would fit... BUT WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT I managed to get the full 2.4m of wood in the back, with probably 2cm to spare. The fronts were resting on the front vent shelf, right behind the tax disk, then on the central bulk head, and eventually resting in the back corner on the roof cill, next to the "back door open" switch (what's the actual name of that).

I think, with the passenger seat full dropped (to add width) in a similar way (but running straight down the length of the truck) you could fit about 2.25m from the vent shelf to the back door... i.e losing the diagonal costs you about 15cm.

Still nervous enough about the bookcase to warrant packing a couple of ratchet straps and an old blanket