Attachment Storage Question - Pallet Racking

[eljuncal]

Greetings,

I will be storing my attachments in my garage. Space is always at a premium and thus, will need to go 'vertical' .. with this in mind I purchased a used teardrop style Pallet Rack Frame and Beams of 96" tall by 36" deep by 120" long .... I have beams and reinforced wire racking for two 'shelves' - the idea being I could stack two implements per 'shelf' ... with a couple on the floor. Approx 1000lbs per shelf or so ....

Here's my question ... has anyone built their own 'pallets' that have a rack strength suitable for your typical 4-500lb attachments? I was considering using 1" thick plywood or similar to build my own pallets ... any other ideas?

Warnings? Recommendations?

Thank you!

 

[fried1765]

Greetings,

I will be storing my attachments in my garage. Space is always at a premium and thus, will need to go 'vertical' .. with this in mind I purchased a used teardrop style Pallet Rack Frame and Beams of 96" tall by 36" deep by 120" long .... I have beams and reinforced wire racking for two 'shelves' - the idea being I could stack two implements per 'shelf' ... with a couple on the floor. Approx 1000lbs per shelf or so ....

Here's my question ... has anyone built their own 'pallets' that have a rack strength suitable for your typical 4-500lb attachments? I was considering using 1" thick plywood or similar to build my own pallets ... any other ideas?

Warnings? Recommendations?

Thank you!

Depending on just how you build your pallets, I would think that 1" plywood is unnecessarily heavy.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

1” seems thick to me too…but i really don’t know. I’d say if there is any concern for moisture / humidity / wet (say leaving outside) eventually plywood can start to delaminate…which in this case could weaken it…that being said 1” seems like overkill to me so maybe it’s fine. Also consider the failure mode of a pallet and what can happen if the bottom side lathes come undone…it may be overkill but consider how you will fasten so the pallet can’t tip forward off the forks….especially if you would not want to drop an implement. (Screws are better than nails but through bolts with washers and nuts better yet…sure it’s overkill). Maybe plan to strap the implements down as well for the items up high. Ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

[i7win7]

... any other ideas?

Warnings? Recommendations?

2 - 2x4's across the center, like floor joists.
If you can put 2x6's across the bottom and buy steel wheel casters, the racks can be pivoted from the wall for loading and then swung back.

Working on a "Kubota toybox" myself

 

[fried1765]

2 - 2x4's across the center, like floor joists.
If you can put 2x6's across the bottom and buy steel wheel casters, the racks can be pivoted from the wall for loading and then swung back.

Working on a "Kubota toybox" myself
View attachment 91719
View attachment 91721

Planning to put a shed roof over that I hope.

 

[animals45]

I bought a pallet rack for my new shop along with a Harbor Freight mpotorcycle lift . I installed the lowest beams on the rack just above the collasped height of the motorcycle lift . I can store the lift under the rack
when not in use. I still haven't put my motorcycle on it yet but it is so handy for working on other tools, snowblower, generator , plate compacter the list is endless . After 4 failed back surgeries ( Dont Have Back Surgery !!! ) everylittle bit helps .
animal

 

[Daferris]

Being you have the wire shelf to go between the cross beams. I would think that 1/2" plywood is plenty as the wire racking will take the weight. You just want to spread it around and have a smooth surface so you don't hook something on the wire shelf when your loading/unloading an attachment. Probably not a bad Idea to bolt the plywood to the shelf. That way the plywood will not slide around.

 

[DustyRusty]

No matter what else you do, make sure that the pallet racking is well secured to the floor, and possibly even the wall also. You don't want to have a situation where when you are removing an item from the rack, and it snags on the rack, the rack falls forward toward you and crushes both you and your tractor. That can seriously ruin your day even if you weren't hurt. I have seen many videos of pallet rack failures because of human error.

 

[mikester]

I've built my own custom racks from steel tube for odd shaped items. The reality is you can buy new or slightly used commercial pallet racking pretty cheap. If you have employees I strongly suggest avoiding home built racking to avoid liability issues.

Last summer I added a couple new certified 16 foot high racks for 36 inch pallets with 10 foot span 3,000 lb beams and mesh filler plates. It wasn't worth trying to build from scratch. Frankly it is't even worth buying used uprights as companies throw them away as soon as they get dented or twisted.

The new ones come with all the hardware you need, just stand them up and lag bolt them to the concrete floor with the provided fasteners.

 

[GeoHorn]

If you can weld….or bolt-together…..I’m a fan of 4” rectangular tubing instead of 2x4s, and 4” square tubing for post….. C-purlins for bracing.

 

[BobInSD]

Here's my question ... has anyone built their own 'pallets' that have a rack strength suitable for your typical 4-500lb attachments? I was considering using 1" thick plywood or similar to build my own pallets ... any other ideas?

Warnings? Recommendations?

I get used pallets from a tool & die company. Some of their steel comes in on pallets that are constructed of 2x6 cross pieces on 4x4s running perpendicular (so, like a regular pallet but much beefier). I'd see if you can get some of those for the hauling. Downside is I have to compete with people that want them just for the wood--they disassemble and build more useful stuff.

 

[Dennis.D]

I would look for some used metal pallet racks. I have all my implements on pallets and store some of them in racks and the others on the floor on pallets. I have a pallet jack so I can easily move the ones on the floor to get to what I want. I even have my back hoe on a pallet. That was always in the way and taking up a lot of space. Now I just push it over in a corner until I want it then roll it back out.

 

[eljuncal]

Final follow up here ... many thanks for the info and advice. The warnings about safety hit home with me so I have anchored the pallet frames to my concrete floor and added wall anchors as well. Also, I have these little doohickey things that came with the frame set that prevent me from upsetting the beams by accident. Never would have thought of that .... as for pallets - I went with an expensive solution but, in keeping with an emphasis on safety, selecting plastic pallets with a more-than-enough rackable capacity rating - plus they look kinda nifty. So glad this forum exists!