Increasing the Life Span of Your Pallets

If you are reading this article, you’re probably worried about the slow decay of your wooden pallets. Even though they can last up to 3-5 years, there are some things that get to pallets faster than you’d expect it and, therefore, shorten their life span.

If you are a pallet courier, then keeping your pallets safe means that you will spend less money on buying new pallets or repairing the ones you currently have.

Therefore, in today’s article, we will talk about increasing the life span of your pallets. Namely, what can you do to make sure that your pallets will live up to their approximate age and save your business some money?

Proper Pallet Handling

Naturally, before talking about more complex ways through which you can increase the life span of your pallets, it is important to mention the fact that your employees must know how to properly handle pallets.

• They must not push or drag the pallets across the floor.
• When loading pallets, they must align the forklift slowly, in order to avoid any damage to the pallet’s lead board.
• The forklift tines and pallet jack have to be fully inserted before lifting the pallet.
• Employees must not drop pallets.
• Moreover, they also have to avoid stepping on pallets. However, if they have to do so, they must make sure to step only on the places that are reinforced by a stringer or a block.
• They should not stack the pallets more than roughly four to six feet high.
• The employees must stack the pallets uniformly.
• Pallet must not stand on their side as they can fall over.
• Employees must check the pallet’s load capacity before transporting it. If a pallet is loaded beyond its capacity, it may crack or warp, drastically reducing its lifespan.

You have to inform your employees as to how they must treat the pallets. One wrong step or procedure may render a pallet completely useless. That’s why, before repairing the pallets, your staff should know exactly how to properly handle them.

Repairing Pallets

Repairing pallets is much cheaper than buying new pallets. However, you must know exactly when to repair them.

At the first sign of damage, you have to stop using that pallet and consider either replacing or repairing it. That’s why it’s important to regularly inspect your pallets and know the status of your pallet inventory.

For example, a damaged pallet can be used to repair other pallets. You can replace broken boards and you can use new stringers to reinforce any warped or broken ones.

Using Treated Pallets

A pallet treatment may cost you a bit, but it will surely save you some money in the long run.

First of all, untreated pallets are more easily affected by inclement weather, bugs, and moisture. Naturally, this will limit their lifespan and you might find yourself buying new pallets after only a year or two.

Treated pallets are usually made of air-dried material. One study revealed that treated pallets – using air-dried material – offer 43% improvement in durability.

Conclusion

Keeping your pallets safe is not a hard thing to do. Even though you have to keep an eye on and check them regularly, doing so will save you some money in the end.

You could also join a pallet recovery program. Such programs are based on a closed-loop system that consistently repairs your pallets when the time comes.

However, the three big things that you have to keep in mind are informing your staff on how to handle pallets, repair the pallets when needed, and consider treating them for better, improved durability.