Do you think it is possible for one average sized adult to lift a 14'
upright (ie. the side portion) of a pallet rack. I've needed pallet racks
in my shop for some time. Every once in a while, used pallet racks will
show up in my area on ebay or in the local paper for a reasonable price. I
have a forklift but no dock. I can't figure out how to unload them from the
truck. I don't think I can balance 14' on my forklift. I thought about
getting a boom attachment but new ones are around $700 including shipping
and I haven't seen any used ones. So before I hire professionals and pay an
arm and a leg, I'm wondering if it is possible to unload one piece at a time
by hand. Has anyone tried this?

"AL" wrote in message
...
Do you think it is possible for one average sized adult to lift a 14'
upright (ie. the side portion) of a pallet rack. I've needed pallet racks
in my shop for some time. Every once in a while, used pallet racks will
show up in my area on ebay or in the local paper for a reasonable price.
I have a forklift but no dock. I can't figure out how to unload them from
the truck. I don't think I can balance 14' on my forklift. I thought
about getting a boom attachment but new ones are around $700 including
shipping and I haven't seen any used ones. So before I hire professionals
and pay an arm and a leg, I'm wondering if it is possible to unload one
piece at a time by hand. Has anyone tried this?
I've assembled a few, they're typically not that heavy. If it is the usual
stuff it's made out of pretty thin steel.

I concur on the thin steel and light weight. The ones we got were
origionally at a local Fred Meyer store and were used to hold building
material. They remind me of giant Gorilla Racks. Three of us
disassembled them and moved them to the plant. One man can easily carry
any single piece. The racks are rated at 8000 lbs. Two of us put them
back together.

Perhaps the racks you have been looking at are a different type, but I
think all I have ever seen have been made up of posts, beams and
bracing. All would come apart into individual pieces.

Paul

ATP* wrote:
"AL" wrote in message
...
Do you think it is possible for one average sized adult to lift a
14'
upright (ie. the side portion) of a pallet rack. I've needed
pallet racks
in my shop for some time. Every once in a while, used pallet racks
will
show up in my area on ebay or in the local paper for a reasonable
price.
I have a forklift but no dock. I can't figure out how to unload
them from
the truck. I don't think I can balance 14' on my forklift. I
thought
about getting a boom attachment but new ones are around $700
including
shipping and I haven't seen any used ones. So before I hire
professionals
and pay an arm and a leg, I'm wondering if it is possible to unload
one
piece at a time by hand. Has anyone tried this?
I've assembled a few, they're typically not that heavy. If it is the
usual
stuff it's made out of pretty thin steel.

wrote in message
ups.com...
I concur on the thin steel and light weight. The ones we got were
origionally at a local Fred Meyer store and were used to hold building
material. They remind me of giant Gorilla Racks. Three of us
disassembled them and moved them to the plant. One man can easily carry
any single piece. The racks are rated at 8000 lbs. Two of us put them
back together.

Perhaps the racks you have been looking at are a different type, but I
think all I have ever seen have been made up of posts, beams and
bracing. All would come apart into individual pieces.

Paul

There are some that are made out of structural steel, I've only seen one
example of that type. The uprights for that type might get a little heavy,
but not forklift heavy.

ATP* wrote:
"AL" wrote in message
...
Do you think it is possible for one average sized adult to lift a
14'
upright (ie. the side portion) of a pallet rack. I've needed
pallet racks
in my shop for some time. Every once in a while, used pallet racks
will
show up in my area on ebay or in the local paper for a reasonable
price.
I have a forklift but no dock. I can't figure out how to unload
them from
the truck. I don't think I can balance 14' on my forklift. I
thought
about getting a boom attachment but new ones are around $700
including
shipping and I haven't seen any used ones. So before I hire
professionals
and pay an arm and a leg, I'm wondering if it is possible to unload
one
piece at a time by hand. Has anyone tried this?
I've assembled a few, they're typically not that heavy. If it is the
usual
stuff it's made out of pretty thin steel.

Grainger sells pallet racks. You can look in their web site at the
weights of various pieces. They come is various weights. The heavier
framss weigh about 125 lbs. Light ones half that.

Dan
AL wrote:
Do you think it is possible for one average sized adult to lift a 14'

upright (ie. the side portion) of a pallet rack. I've needed pallet
racks
in my shop for some time. Every once in a while, used pallet racks
will
show up in my area on ebay or in the local paper for a reasonable
price. I
have a forklift but no dock. I can't figure out how to unload them
from the
truck. I don't think I can balance 14' on my forklift. I thought
about
getting a boom attachment but new ones are around $700 including
shipping
and I haven't seen any used ones. So before I hire professionals and
pay an
arm and a leg, I'm wondering if it is possible to unload one piece at
a time
by hand. Has anyone tried this?

Al: The teardrop type racks that I bought were 12' end pieces. They
weigh less than 100 poounds each if I remember correctly. The system I
have will handle either 12,000 or 16,000 pounds per bay and has 12'
crossbeams. My 68 year old dad and I raised up both sections and put in
10 sets of crossbeams with nothing more than one pair of light weight
load straps. It too more work to cut and fit the plywood decking than
it did to set the rest of the rack system up. If you feel that the
racks are a bit too heavy for you, sounds like a great excuse for a
pizza party in exchange for a little labor for a couple of the local
high school or church kids....

What ever you buy, make sure you get something that is generlly
available and not an orphaned rack design.\


Craig C.

wrote:

Al: The teardrop type racks that I bought were 12' end pieces. They
weigh less than 100 poounds each if I remember correctly. The system I
have will handle either 12,000 or 16,000 pounds per bay and has 12'
crossbeams. My 68 year old dad and I raised up both sections and put in
10 sets of crossbeams with nothing more than one pair of light weight
load straps. It too more work to cut and fit the plywood decking than
it did to set the rest of the rack system up. If you feel that the
racks are a bit too heavy for you, sounds like a great excuse for a
pizza party in exchange for a little labor for a couple of the local
high school or church kids....

What ever you buy, make sure you get something that is generlly
available and not an orphaned rack design.\


Craig C.




Got in late on this but I would agree. Most of the racks are not so
heavy as to be a problem EXCEPT keeping the uprights in place
temporarily while the cross beams go in. One man could probably fudge a
system to do this but having a helper would definately make the job less
of a bitch.

As to getting the racks, in western WA there is a company called "The
rusty rack guys" who seem to price well, have a ton of parts for every
imaginable rack style and deliver free locally.
http://www.rustyrackguys.com/ is their website for comparison.
Although most people are not lucky enough to be in their delivery area,
I would assume some digging would pull up similar in most localities.

Koz

AL wrote:
Do you think it is possible for one average sized adult to lift a 14'
upright (ie. the side portion) of a pallet rack. I've needed pallet racks
in my shop for some time. Every once in a while, used pallet racks will
show up in my area on ebay or in the local paper for a reasonable price. I
have a forklift but no dock. I can't figure out how to unload them from the
truck. I don't think I can balance 14' on my forklift. I thought about
getting a boom attachment but new ones are around $700 including shipping
and I haven't seen any used ones. So before I hire professionals and pay an
arm and a leg, I'm wondering if it is possible to unload one piece at a time
by hand. Has anyone tried this?


Al,
It is no problem moving pallet racks one piece at a time. In the
seventy's my family owned a public warehouse and we bought nearly 1000
sections of used racking. We move hundreds of the uprights by hand.

If you happen to buy used racking bundled, it is fairly easy to move the
uprights by sliding the forks under the bundle,tilt the forks all the
way forward,insert a tubafour(2x4) between front of the forks and the
bottom of the bundle, run a chain (or strap)over the bundle and under
the bottom of the forks (make sure the strap/chain is tight) and the
tilt the forks backward. The bundle will act like very long fork
extensions. i've done it many times. Just watch out for the swing on the
front of the bundle.And drive the jeep slowly.
IF my directions were unclear, send me an email and I will send you a
drawing of how to do it.