Show us Yours... Pallet Thread

[JP11]

There's a handful of us on here using pallets and or totes that we have built for wood storage and transport.

Here's a few pics I snapped of how I'm making them.

Ingredients. 3 pallets
Handfull of 2" sheetrock screws.
Couple 4' boards or 2x4s or whatever is hanging around.

Takes less than 5 minutes to make.

JP


Just a half dozen sheetrock screws thru sides where you can catch something solid.

 

[Charlie2]

Gonna be hard to beat that JP, simplicity at it best.

 

[JP11]

I'd say the big weakness is it needs level-ish ground. I've had pretty good results using some cast off slab like material to put under the pallets. I'm blessed with a pretty big flat area that I had A LOT of gravel hauled in on. I learned really fast that the FASTEST way to dump a pallet is uneven ground. The second fastest is driving too fast.

JP

 

[bmblank]

The engineer in me wants to tell you you'd probably be better off putting the sidewalls on top of the bottom pallet as opposed to the side of the bottom pallet. The forces from the wood are pushing the walls outward placing the screws in tension when they work better in shear.

 

[JP11]

But I'd lose the 8" of width. I know i'd get more in height, but I set up my pallet racking in the barn already based off this design.

I've had very flew blowouts. All have been rather obvious "oops" moments on my part. I don't think there's a lot of stress pushing out down low. I would say there is on top. Even when I've lost a top board, I haven't lost a load because of it. I learned quick that rough ground and uneven stress of that ground will destroy these FAST!

They are on gravel outside for a year or two, then on concrete or pallet racking the last year till empty. Always looking to improve them. Maybe some small pieces of bendable strap like pipe hanger to brace the corner?? My attempts have been just repair and beefing up as I re-use. I've used some 3X already. Can't complain. Even if I have the pallets delivered, I'm under 10 bucks per U

JP

 

[Charlie2]

Try pulling a deck screw out of wood that is put in across grain. You'll break off before you can pull it out. The only thing I'd add to that design is some temporary corner to corner bracing when moving it.

 

[JP11]

That's not a bad idea. I have some 1/4 thick flat bar kicking around.

If I had a couple pieces with small, pre drilled holes (like a belt)

I could put two in an X and just wind a couple screws in for bracing. i guess I'll just see how it goes now that I've got the 'real' forklift. I don't think i've ever dumped more than 5 of them. and that's with burning 35 or so in a winter. I beat up a few of them banging them with the tractor to get them free of the ice last winter. I won't have that issue this year, they are ALL already in the barn for this winter's use.

JP

 

[Charlie2]

I was thinking 1x4 pine from corner to corner on both ends. Cordless drill and deck screws, one screw on each end, two minutes, not counting finding the drill and screws.
But on a more serious topic, when is the best time to come up there and get some lobster?

 

[JP11]

Summer lobster prices are cheapest. It doesn't get super cheap like 25 years ago when I was in high school. back then you could get a couple lobsters for 6 bucks. I really don't mess with them now. You can get clear meat all picked for about 40 to 60 bucks a pound. Work is all done. Pound of meat is probably 5 or 6 lobsters worth.

I was thinking of being able to re use the braces over and over. I for sure wouldn't want them on there loading. my 'first generation' setup had one cross piece on the middle at the top, and one at mid level on one side. The current setup is way easier to load.

 

[Missouri Frontier]

nice,easy idea JP. Thanks. I could use a few of those for uglies and fire pit wood.

 

[maple1]

Thanks for starting this thread. I keep forgetting to take pics dang it. I'll see if I can sneak out later & snap a few.

JP, you can put the sides on top of the bottoms & gain most of that lost width back by cutting out the slats between the 2x's. You would also gain some kindling in the process.

More to come...

 

[mass_burner]

There's a handful of us on here using pallets and or totes that we have built for wood storage and transport.

Here's a few pics I snapped of how I'm making them.

Ingredients. 3 pallets
Handfull of 2" sheetrock screws.
Couple 4' boards or 2x4s or whatever is hanging around.

Takes less than 5 minutes to make.

JP
View attachment 135631View attachment 135632View attachment 135633

Just a half dozen sheetrock screws thru sides where you can catch something solid.

so is this for storage or transport? as each use has it's own set of requirements.

 

[maple1]

Snuck out & snapped some quick pics.

For me, 'easy collapsability' is a big thing so they don't take up so much room when they're empty, and you can move around a few at a time when empty & piled up.

I've got 2 configurations going on. Wire between the upper portions of the uprights are important to both. Double stack on both.

The first one is borrowed from wood handling on the farm. Main parts are 4x4. Uprights are boards. Here is collapsed, waiting for me:



Here is ready for wood:



Here is some all piled up & drying:



Those ones get set on top of two dollies by the FEL, then wheeled into the basement. It's a real tight fit getting around a corner & through the second doorway & usually involves colourful language. So I came up with version 2, based on ordinary pallets, that I roll in with a pallet jack. V2.1 used wood pallets, v2.2 used some plastic ones I found last year.

Here is one half-full, this is wood that is way past prime & I'm getting rid of it over the summer while keeping our water hot. Shows the wire:



There is currently a hornets nest behind the upright of the pallet on the right - discovered the hard way last weekend.

Here's a few loaded & drying:



Collapsing is easy - pull each upright straight up out of the blocks or hole it's in, and lay them down. The plastic ones have an X brace buried in the middle, made out of 2 scrap pieces of metal drywall corner with a screw thru each end. Not likely necessary but figured I'd try it and I have all these pieces of drywall corner laying around.

Here's my unused as yet plastic pallets:



I got enough that I also now lay one on the ground before putting down & piling on the wood ones. So all my v2 pallets are sitting on a second plastic pallet that's just laying on the ground. The farther you can get them off the ground the better. The first type, I just set them on top of a split under each corner. And, I am trying to get them all sprayed with wood preservative as I go (everything wood), to try to help them last longer. Hopefully there's a few years in them between the preservative & keeping them off the ground.

 

[JP11]

so is this for storage or transport? as each use has it's own set of requirements.

Both.
My firewood goes right from the splitter to these U.

Then the next time I touch it (not counting moving around the yard or into the barn) is when it comes out of the pallet and into the boiler.

I'll grant you that there can be a heck of a pile of empties come spring. I tend to stack them 2 and 3 high when empty.

JP

 

[Mikel Ward]

I like the collapsable pallet idea and make something similar but its a combination of the two


I also load the pallets right from the splitter until all but 1 or 2 are full then I use them to transport and restack
wood on piles to dry. I have about 25 of these pallets full.

 

[maple1]

Looks good!

Anybody else thinking of this stuff - using the wire close to the top (I usually use old clothesline) really helps hold the sides in, with 1/4 or so of the wood laying on top of it, and it also takes a lot of the strain off whatever is at the bottom trying to hold the sides upright. Which might make the whole thing easier to build and makes for easy collapsing.

It's all about making the most of whatever you have laying around or have cheap easy access to.

It think the most expensive part of my last ones, was the preservative (Pentox type stuff) - but still less than $5/pallet. I got the plastic ones for $3 - not sure I'd find that deal again.

And we do stack the longer ones I use two high at times. A capable FEL or forklift is needed for that though - but if they spend most of their year inside, and the rest of it up off the ground on blocks or splits or whatever, they will last a looong time.

 

[maple1]

Bumping this up in case it was missed by some using pallets. I see the odd post in scattered places about peoples pallet setups - would be nice to get them all here too!