# Flatbed Size Question



## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

Not sure how putting onside rails could make your deck go from 7'6" to 8'. I'm a little confused, perhaps some more explanation. If it's 14 feet long and you have migratory pallet usually 4' long by 33" wide then you will get 10 pallets per layer. So 20 pallets if you stack them. My pallets and many migratory pallets, but not all, have a 2" by 4" runner underneath the pallet. That is 6 inches from the edge of the pallet. So even if the deck is 7'6'' wide you should get 2 across but you'll only have 3 inches to play with on the width. The rest of the pallet will overhang by 3 inches on both sides. Shouldn't be a big deal unless it is for the DOT man.

Good luck

Jean-Marc


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

You should be able to get 5 rows of 4way pallets on that deck. My truck is similar length, but 102 inches wide counting the rubrails. W/ that GVW you can probably go three 2 story hives tall. And pull a trailer w/ a skid steer loader on it. I have an F-450 Superduty Diesel w/ 15,000 lb GVW and I can carry 80 hives on 4way pallets and pull a 10,000 lb GVW trailer w/ Bobcat Skidsteer Loader. Pulls just fine. Rides thru the hills of PA w/ a little trouble when loaded, but so do semis.


----------



## LSBees (Sep 24, 2009)

Thanks for the information on that, I am not real sure how to explain it but the actual bed size behind the headboard is roughly 7'6" x 14' diamond plate. On both the passenger and driver side of the bed the stake bed pockets are on the outside of the solid 7'6" bed adding 2-1/2" or so to the width of the bed on each side, these pockets are framed by a rail probably around 1/4" thick for an overall width of just under 8'. I move all my hives manually right now and plan to move to 4 ways but since I don’t have any I want to be sure to get a good fit.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I get my 4way pallets inside the rub rail of my deck. So they are covering 8 ft of deck across the bed of the truck. There is also about 8" of space between the pallets across the deck. So, your pallets would be somewhat closer to each other, across the deck, but they shouldn't touch. I don't think so anyway.

I use an 8' 2x6 across the top of each row of pallets to strap them down. Friends of mine use a 2x4 thing, kinda like a ladder. But I like my 2x6s. They stack better and don't take alot of room when not in use. And you can find them at any Building Supply outlet.


----------



## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

A 7'6" by 14' bed should be a good size for bee hauling, like Mark we have one mounted on a 450 and its the workhorse of our outfit, the bigger trucks end up sitting a lot of the time. The 2x6's that Mark suggests do an excellent job of securing and we use them a lot on long hauls but can be a bit of an overkill for some situations at least out in rural South Dakota. For full loads and quick securing front to back straps work well with an additional side to side strap or 2 if you are expecting rough terrain.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I've thought about front to back strapping. I'd have to add something to the top of my headboard though, I guess. What do you have? How is your F2B strap held at the headboard?


----------



## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

A heavy rod welded on top of the headboard works well, its nice to have it spaced so that the hook dosent slip off while you are in back working with the ratchet. You will probably want to run four straps unless you are confident your lids are well stuck down or secured and are only going a short distance. To properly secure a part load you need to either run a short chain or cable running across the bed at the base of the back pallet to hook your ratchet to or strap the back pallet across as you normally would. We secure loads we move at night like this a lot without a net, quick and easy and you can really tighten them without anything shifting.


----------



## Beeslave (Feb 6, 2009)

I see alot of migratory pallets that are only 42" long. When you haul 6 way pallets of supers the pallets will hang over but that won't be an issue when strapping down. 

If that deck is all steel you will wish it had a wood platform. It's nice to be able to nail boards down to keep drums from sliding. Steel beds are terrible for the loads sliding.


----------



## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

front to back is the way to go! I never lost any hives strapping that way much quicker than side to side i havn't seen any one strapping side to side on 4 ways in a long time.


----------



## LSBees (Sep 24, 2009)

Thanks for all the input I really appreciate it and all the ideas. While thinking about it, where is a good place for me to pick up bee nets for the truck?


----------



## pahvantpiper (Apr 25, 2006)

For bee nets Dothan Tarps is pretty good. 318-747-3800 and ask for Danny


----------



## Scott J. (Feb 6, 2007)

What are people using for loading their four ways? Does anyone use a bed mounted crane or are most using a forklift type setup? Is a 8' x 12' bed on an F350 the most usefull dementions for running four ways? Air shocks required or perfered? I have a F250 with a lift gate now, and would like to upgrade to something that would support a 100 hive operation and save my back.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I would think that a small skidsteer loader w/ a forklift mast would work well for a 100 hive operation. If you can afford the truck and trailer to pull the skidder.

Do the math. Five rows on a deckrequire a 14 ft deck. So, 8'x12' would only have room for 4 rows. Stacked two high, that would allow the movement of 72 cols at a time. How many do you need to move at one time?

Maybe a crane loading system would be better for you.


----------



## Scott J. (Feb 6, 2007)

I anticipate moving about 50 at a time. At this point I am not planing on going to the almonds. Who sells a crane? Does anyone have plans on making one?


----------



## rocky1 (Jul 19, 2009)

sqkcrk said:


> I've thought about front to back strapping. I'd have to add something to the top of my headboard though, I guess. What do you have? How is your F2B strap held at the headboard?



I welded a piece of 1 1/4" x 3/8" flat steel across the front of the head board. Rope hooks can be made out of 5/16" round stock. Simply cut the round about 3 inches long and weld to the flat steel before mounting the flat. I cut 2 pieces about 8 inches long and welded them pointed upwards, one on each side, to hang ropes on behind the cab. 

The bed I did this on, we set back about 6 inches behind the cab so we can reach in easily, to hook ropes and straps. The flat was welded at a height easily accessible from the ground, rather than at the top of the headboard. In this fashion you can hook ropes, or either of the two common 2" strap hooks. If you don't want them to fall off, simply wrap them around the flat before hooking. Having the flat mounted at a lower height also allows flexibility in tying shorter stacks with your straps, if your headboard is designed where you can run a rope or strap through at different heights. 

It's also heavy enough that it serves well as a step for crawling up on the front of the load from the truck cab. 

This one is going to be common to any beds we build in the future! And will likely be added to 1 or 2 currently in service. It's simple in design, very easy to build, easy to attach to the headboard before or after installation of the bed, and very functional.


----------



## bigmitch (May 1, 2010)

if your bed is 7ft6 and your pallets are 8ft how do you attach the straps if you cover the pockets? also have you used v-boards at the top? two 1x4's attached with a canvas strap,and placed across the top of your hives,,with one 1x4 on top and the other on the side. i used to run flatbeds over the road and they were handy to have,especialy 8ft long.


----------



## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

Rocky, can you post a photo... I'm a dummy and don't quite grasp your idea:doh:


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I don't know about the other guys, but my pallets aren't 8 foot. I'll have to go measure them, but I beleive that the 2x4s are 42 inches or 44 inches. So two pallets across the deck cover 84 inches. Except I have mine out to the edge of the deck and inside the rubrail. Other than the channel in the rubrail, I don't have pockets.

I try to have straps and ratchets inside the rubrail too. Except the one that is right at the fuel tank cap.

Those boards don't fit into my outfit, since alot of the time I am hauling fewer rows. The 2x6s work best for me. My semi driver has used them a few times. But mostly he uses the 2x6s that I provide too.


----------



## Flyer Jim (Apr 22, 2004)

Do the math. So, 8'x12' would only have room for 4 rows. Stacked two high, that would allow the movement of 72 cols at a time. 

Mark, can you do that math for me one more time? I seem to have missed some thing.

Jim


----------



## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

Jim: So your saying you dont carry the last two pallets on your forklift?


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Flyer Jim said:


> Do the math. So, 8'x12' would only have room for 4 rows. Stacked two high, that would allow the movement of 72 cols at a time.
> 
> Mark, can you do that math for me one more time? I seem to have missed some thing.
> 
> Jim


Let's see. Each pallet is about 33" wide. So 33 X 4 = 132 divided by 12 = 11 ft. So there is only room on a 12 ft deck for 4 rows. Two pallets in a row across the deck by 4 rows is 8 pallets, stacked two pallets high, that's 16 pallets times 4 hives per pallet = 64. I don't know why I thought it was 72. Except w/ my trailer I would put some on the front of that before I loaded the skidder. Sorry for the confusion.

Like I said, "Do the math." Sometimes I need to follow my own directions. Oops. 

Thanks Jim.


----------



## Tim Stewart (Jul 19, 2009)

Does anyone use a small truck mounted forklift on their smaller trucks?
My 4 ways measure 32 1/2 by 41, and i put them on so entrances point to the front and back. This way with a little overhang on my 7' 6" by 10' 6" flatbed I get three across and three long. This makes 32 hives to the layer. (There's wings on the front of the bed so I can only fit two in the front row. Hoping to remove the wings someday.) With a mounted forklift it would be a quick compact way to move 64 hives at a time.


----------



## EastSideBuzz (Apr 12, 2009)

Can you guys post some pictures I would love to see your rigs and how you load them. I am interested in getting one and I want to see what I am looking for. Please post some links or send me a PM with a link to see your rigs.


----------



## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

>>Jim: So your saying you dont carry the last two pallets on your forklift? 

Ha ha ha !


----------

