Strapping Down Pallet Boxes

[Harold_J]

What would be the safe and proper way to tie down pallet boxes, ie. those cardbord bins that hold watermelons, pumpkins and other produce etc., when the full bins are setting on pallets on a flat bed trailer behind a pickup? Would you need to have cardboard lids on the bins or could they be hauled slightly overfilled? The 36" bins would run about 1,000 lbs, plus or minus.

 

[tejasgf3]

If it were me I would use straps both around and then over the top. Strapping only over the top you can not get tight enough to keep the cartons from crushing down. Would never stay tight, but with strap around cartons and then over the top, you can get tight.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Run a strap through the pallet then up around the box with lid, back down the side and through the pallet again and ratchet down on the opposite side of the trailer from where your strap was hooked. A little extra work but two straps would be better. J-hooks hanging on the stake pockets or rub rail would be best since they won't drop out if the strap slacks. You don't really need to ratchet down to hard. Wooden stakes in the pockets with a strap hooked to the rub rails will work too.

 

[Harold_J]

Run a strap through the pallet then up around the box with lid, back down the side and through the pallet again and ratchet down on the opposite side of the trailer from where your strap was hooked. A little extra work but two straps would be better. J-hooks hanging on the stake pockets or rub rail would be best since they won't drop out if the strap slacks. You don't really need to ratchet down to hard. Wooden stakes in the pockets with a strap hooked to the rub rails will work too.

Thanks for the advice. What's the idea of the wooden stakes in the pockets? Is this just to keep the pallets from sliding side to side? I picture that in order to get the weight loaded correct some of the pallets would only be a single line down the middle, with a few two across up front. I've moved these things before on a stake body truck with side racks, just load them on and go, but the open trailer makes me a little nervous.

Your method of going thru the pallet twice and over the tops sounds good, just need a lot of straps that are long enough; and I would probably need to have an extra bin/pallet for the ones theat are over-full.

 

[Stimw]

If you are going to haul them on a regular basis I would find some kind of heavy cargo netting to secure the total load.
Straps can loosen up and they will as the bins collapse.

 

[QRTRHRS]

If you are going to haul them on a regular basis I would find some kind of heavy cargo netting to secure the total load.
Straps can loosen up and they will as the bins collapse.

The boxes I have seen simply sit on skids. By running the strap through the skid and around it, the strap will resist sliding and keep the box on the skid. If the hooks are hanging properly on the pockets or rub rail, they won't drop off should the webbing slack. Produce does not take much abuse to get damaged so you cannot simply throw some straps over the top and go. I have used this method to haul a lot of material that is like hauling eggshells.

Harold_J, your correct, the stakes will stop skids from sliding off the side of the trailer. I am betting you won't need them if you strap like I suggested.