# Securring a palletized load.



## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

Does anyone have some good dimentions and or photos of the boards that go over the top of the load from side to side make the load secured for long hauls?
Thank you for your input,
Ernie


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## Gregg (Dec 22, 2003)

No pictures, but the trucker that I just loaded mine on used V boards (2 boards strapped together; 1 is on top and the other hangs on the side of the load) made from, I believe, 1 x 4s. They seemed a little flimsy to me, generally the v boards I have seen are made from 2 x 4s. The boards that went on top of the load (then the strap went directly on top of it from side to side) were 2 x 6s.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

On semis, stud length 2x6s are just right. That is 7' 6".
On bobtails, you can make small narrow pallets that are half length so you can set them on top before loading. They need to be less than 8' total also for tie down. Otherwise they pop up in the middle. Also helps if they are higher in the center where they butt together so that the load is crowned slightly.
V boards are for cross tie front & back on semis, or short hauls with bobtail I just use v boards.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Tom G. Laury said:


> On semis, stud length 2x6s are just right. That is 7' 6".


I use full length 2x8s.

My friends use 2x4 spreaders. These are two parallel 2x4s, eight ft long w/ a 16" piece of 2x4 nailed on both ends, on the same side. Then, on the opposite side, two more 16" pieces of 2x4 are nailed to the parallel boards so they will touch the hives on the inside of the load.

I bet that there are bigger operations than mine on beesource who have photos of these "boards". Didn't we do this thread subject last year? Look for it.


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

I located this thread:
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=220869&highlight=TYING+PALLETS
Thank you for the ansers!
Ernie


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

A little off topic, but related in a way.

I never strap my hives to the pallet. But I guess if I send bees to Almonds or Blueberries I will have to.

While unloading a semi about 10 days ago I had a new experience in beekeeping. I flipped a 4 way pallet of hives onto the top of my Bobcat. And I'm glad that the hives were strapped to the pallet. Or the whole mess may have landed in my lap.

What happened was that I had to take three pallets down off the truck at the same time. I couldn't reach high enuf to get the top two off. My machine is too short, I guess. As I was lowering the three pallets down to the ground I apparently wasn't keeping them level and the top pallet slid back towards the cab and as it came off the stack it flopped onto the top of the cab.

So I set the other two pallets on the ground and drove as close to the deck of the trailer as possible and the other guys tipped the pallet over the way it was supposed to be. This was the next to the last stack of the load.

There goes my days w/out an accident record, I guess.


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## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

Hives strapped or banded to pallets are very uncommon.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I didn't know that. Though I never assumed that "everyone" did it. Since my friends who send bees to Blueberries do strap hives to pallets, I thought that it might be somewhat common. Now I know better.

Supposedly they do it because someone else is unloading and moving their hives and don't want them thrown off the pallet because someone else is in a hurry.


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## JohnK and Sheri (Nov 28, 2004)

The only time I have seen hives strapped to pallets was when no clips were used. The first time we sent bees to Texas years ago we actually screwed the boxes to the cargo pallets we used to move them on. 
Sheri


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

I'll strap hives that are sent to Southern Alberta on canola pollination. I sent this season with an excluder and 2 honey supers. I don't want the fellow unloading to have any troubles.

I'm pretty sure Mark that you were very happy that your bees were strapped. That's something I have not done, yet. Nice to have the helpers to flip the hives over.

Jean-Marc


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## Beeslave (Feb 6, 2009)

sqkcrk said:


> I flipped a 4 way pallet of hives onto the top of my Bobcat.QUOTE]
> 
> Did you say a prayer on how thankfull you were to have a cab. I cringe when I see beek friends loading and unloading with no cab on their cat.


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## suttonbeeman (Aug 22, 2003)

I usually load and unload four pallets high (1 1/2 story hives)....a complete stack each time. Just gotta be careful, havent turned over yet but came very close.


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## nabeehive (Oct 23, 2009)

In addition to the metal clips my father-in-law puts screws in from the bottom of the pallet to help keep the boxes from shifting. The idea is for the tip of the screw to just penatrate into the hive body (1/8"-1/4") but not actually attach it. This way you can still remove the hive body from the pallet without backing out the screws.

Michael


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## paul h (Apr 19, 2009)

Years ago I had a load of 144 on 4way pallets on a 2 ton truck stacked
3 high. These were strapped front to back. I was going into a bee yard
and didn't see a 2' ditch in the tall grass. well one of my rears droped
in and rocked the truck so bad that 1/3 of the load fell off. These hives
were not strapped to the pallets, what a mess. Well i will tell you i couldn't
believe how many bees could find that little hole in my vale.:doh:

Now all my hives are strapped to the pallets. I don't need to use boards
on the top of the semi now. No more lids blowing off. 

Paul


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

jean-marc said:


> I'm pretty sure Mark that you were very happy that your bees were strapped. That's something I have not done, yet. Nice to have the helpers to flip the hives over.
> 
> Jean-Marc


Well, I'm glad that those hives were strapped, though they aren't mine. I don't strap my hives to their pallets. Never saw the reason to. And if I had been paying better attention, and if the other three guys standing around gabbing w/ each other  had been paying attention to what I was doing (you know who you are) maybe it wouldn't have happened.

No body got hurt. Just a little wakeup call.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Beeslave said:


> sqkcrk said:
> 
> 
> > I flipped a 4 way pallet of hives onto the top of my Bobcat.QUOTE]
> ...


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

nabeehive said:


> The idea is for the tip of the screw to just penatrate into the hive body (1/8"-1/4") but not actually attach it. Michael


Are these screws in the board that would be under the outside edge of the hive?


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## nabeehive (Oct 23, 2009)

The screws are on in the inside corners of the hive not thru hive rest. When you set the hive on the bottom board the screws are on the inside of the hive. Keeping it from sliding around.


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## bigbearomaha (Sep 3, 2009)

I am a truckdriver. I have pulled just about anything you can put on a flatbed trailer or in a dry van.

Most times, a 'v board' is the quick and easy way to go.

I don't and won't use them on bee hives, although I've only hauled them twice in my time.

Both times, I used dead pallets on the tops of the hives. Straps can be secured more tightly without incurring damage to the boxes.

Anyway, dead pallets, though weighing more, offer a lot more protection to the freight and allow it to be secured better. it also allows the pressure to be distributed across the load better than in one point under the strap. in my opinion anyway.

Big Bear


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

Thank you for the posting Big Bear.
It could work for making divides after the almonds.
Ernie


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