How to load trailer with 18 inch high sides with forklift with a long bundle

[case580c]

I usually place bales of hay on the trailer deck (they come even with the sides) to allow the forklift to just place the palletized load on top of the hay, for instance a palletized bundle of corrugated tin. But I hate having to mess around loading and unloading the hay and raising the center of gravity of the load on my trailer. If I am hauling a long load of beams or anything rigid I usually can just place straps or chains under the beams and place the chains over the forks of the lift and then just place the load on the trailer and then unload with my tractors loader when I get home.

Anyone have any tips on how to load a trailer with 18 in sides with out having to deal with hay bales ?? Thanks Bill

 

[4570Man]

Buy a deckover trailer. It seems like you’ve already figured out the only 2 ways to do it with the current trailer.

 

[mcfarmall]

Good advice from 4570Man. Make sure you have stake pockets in the deckover trailer and you can add or subtract side sections as needed.

 

[Oldoak]

Load the trailer from the rear and use the next pallet to push the first one forward, etc. Or use an empty pallet to do the pushing if you are only loading one. To unload, leave the trailer connected to the tow vehicle and pull the forward pallets back to the rear with a chain until you can reach them with your forks.

Ok, I just reread your post. If the palletized corrugated tin is very long, my suggested method would not work.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Well, if the idea is to be able to get the long load off again when you get home, then the methods you're using are about it. If you're going to break down and use the load off of the trailer when you get home, you could always just come up beside the trailer with the load, then tip the forks down over the side rail and kind of walk the load off of the forks as you back out of them. Not a great way to be sure.

One of the reasons I'm looking for a 30' deckover gooseneck.

 

[radioman]

i have metal sides on my trailer and its all welded in. When i need to do a forklift loading - i just grab free pallets from businesses i know of on the way that always give them away. lowes and home depot wont give them away. when i am done i just cut em up for firewood.

 

[flyerdan]

You could make some short metal sawhorses just high enough to clear the trailer rim. Position them where the pallet needs to sit, and just take them out when done. I did this so I could get a pallet above the wheel wells in my Datsun pickup.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Long fully palletized loads are easy to load from the rear. With the forklift centered on the pallet, set it on the rear of the trailer and support the free end somehow. Then reposition the forklift to the rear of the load, lift, remove the temporary support and slide it onto the trailer.

I have hauled a lot of barn tin and none of it was ever fully palletized. Rather, it was sandwiched between two 2x4's that were banded. The 2x4's were spaced every so often. We never lifted any of the longer bundles with a standard forklift because the tin was easily bent. In the yard, we used a lift with multiple forks to properly support it.

 

[Lowcountry Rebel]

we use straps to cradle the load- then the strap loops slide over the forks, lift the long bundle over the sides and set it down on the trailer deck- load lumber and metal roofing like this all the time

 

[nyone]

Cut the sides off.

 

[Fallon]

Good advice from 4570Man. Make sure you have stake pockets in the deckover trailer and you can add or subtract side sections as needed.

I'll 3rd that. My old 16' tilting deck had a 4-6" lip around the edge. Between that & the fenders it drove me nuts loading anything but a tractor on it. Usually stacked a pallet or 2 to clear the lip.

My new 22' deckover power tilting deck is way steeper & consequently harder to load the tractor on. But it's not that hard & I dont gave to wory about impliments hitting the fenders. Everything else is trivial to load over the sides with pallet forks. My only regret is not getting a 25' or so.

 

[MossRoad]

we use straps to cradle the load- then the strap loops slide over the forks, lift the long bundle over the sides and set it down on the trailer deck- load lumber and metal roofing like this all the time

Like this.... that's how we did it at the airport. Straps on the forks and load it over the side rails.

 

[dnw64]

Long fully palletized loads are easy to load from the rear. With the forklift centered on the pallet, set it on the rear of the trailer and support the free end somehow. Then reposition the forklift to the rear of the load, lift, remove the temporary support and slide it onto the trailer.

We load dry vans this way multiple times per week.

We have a deadman made of 2x4s with triangles of OSB screwed to the inside corners to make it stronger (we load up to 17' long pallets that can weigh 4000#). It's a rectangle - with the long side matched to dock height for the normal dry van loading, and the short way is about pickup truck height.

For odd situations we will use a second forklift at the end to eliminate the deadman.

 

[QRTRHRS]

We load dry vans this way multiple times per week.

We have a deadman made of 2x4s with triangles of OSB screwed to the inside corners to make it stronger (we load up to 17' long pallets that can weigh 4000#). It's a rectangle - with the long side matched to dock height for the normal dry van loading, and the short way is about pickup truck height.

For odd situations we will use a second forklift at the end to eliminate the deadman.

Loading van's was where I learned the trick. Often as not we just used a pallet since they are just about the right heighth but the dead man would be a lot more stable. Load enough van's and you are likely to see it all!

 

[Big Barn]

How long are your bundles?

I made 7 foot fork extensions and would handle 12 foot bundles of tin roofing easily.

 

[dnw64]

We have 6' fork extensions that fit our small (5k) forklift, and they're a great asset, but only go so far...

 

[Renze]

I used to drop pallets under it. If your side rails are strong enough you can hook some crossbars on them. But deckovers are much nicer, universal trailers.

 

[dnw64]

But deckovers are much nicer, universal trailers.

Except that, the deck is higher, which makes loading angles steeper...

There is no perfect trailer (or car, or house, or tractor, etc).

 

[4570Man]

Except that, the deck is higher, which makes loading angles steeper...

There is no perfect trailer (or car, or house, or tractor, etc).

I’ve never had a problem with the loading angle on my current deck over. Not all deckovers are created equal.

 

[Fallon]

Except that, the deck is higher, which makes loading angles steeper...

There is no perfect trailer (or car, or house, or tractor, etc).

My deckover power tilt is 3 times as steep as my old low gravity tilt was. I looked at nice gravity tilts assuming I'd just replace my old gravity tilt with one that wasnt way to short, before i ended up eyeing the deckovers. 90% of my hauling is the tractor with impliments. I'd still get the deckover tilt over a gravity tilt, despite the steeper deck being a bit of a pain. Not dealing with fenders no matter what I'm putting on is so nice.