Unloading Pallet of Pavers

[downslope]

I have a pallet of pavers loaded toward the front of the 8' bed on my 1-ton pickup. The pallet is about 1 foot from the front of the bed and weighs about 3200 lbs. I need to get it to the rear to offload with loader pallet fork. I will remove the tailgate so I can get in close and also remove a few of the bricks if it's too heavy.

The question is, how can I slide it to the rear? The guy who loaded it pushed it in with a bobcat. I haven't tried it yet, but I thought I would wrap a chain around the front of the pallet and pull it back with the tractor, maybe parking the truck on an incline to make the pull easier.

The potential problem I see is that the pallet is sitting on a 4X8 piece of plywood and the truck has a plastic bed liner, so what I see happening is that the plywood will slide back along with the pallet. Any ideas?

If I can get this unloaded without too much trouble I can pick up a few more pallets of the pavers for free. I never even thought about the plywood, I just usually keep it in there to protect the liner when loading machinery or sliding pallets of fertilizer that might have nails sticking out.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I think the ply will come with it. You will need to find a way to secure it. Maybe put your forks against it then use a come along from the tractor to the pallet.

Chris

 

[LD1]

I would do a diamondpilot suggested. Gotta secure that plywood.

Also, what do you have to unload it with??? Gonna take a pretty large tractor/FEL to lift a 3200# pallet of bricks:thumbsup:

 

[downslope]

If I can't secure the pallet I suppose I could cut off the overhanging plywood, what do you think?

I will try Diamond Pilot's idea if I can find a come-along. I only have a chain hoist right now.

The tractor is a NH TD75 4WD. I believe the loader is rated around 2800 lbs and the forks have a rating of 3500. It should be a good test of the loader:laughing: I have had it to the limit lifting some logs and stumps, but who knows what they weighed. Like I said I may have to remove some bricks. There are approx 450 pavers on this pallet. Sometimes "free" is not always so free:laughing: I have about 10 pallet-fulls available, each with 450-500 bricks, but that would be a load on a 10-wheeler and they're 50 miles away.

Thanks for the ideas.

 

[B8FISH]

couple of c clamps to secure the plywood to the liner? It would also appear that there is only 3' of "excess" plywood, what is the distance from the grill guard/front of tractor to the pallet fork frame--you may have enough clearance to make it work.

 

[downslope]

couple of c clamps to secure the plywood to the liner? It would also appear that there is only 3' of "excess" plywood, what is the distance from the grill guard/front of tractor to the pallet fork frame--you may have enough clearance to make it work.

Hey, you're right, there was a little less than 3 ft overhang and I was able to get in with the forks and lift it off.

The loader was at it's limit. I could raise it off the truck bed by using the curl and then I drove the truck out from under, but it didn't want to lift until I raised the rpm to 2000 and then I could hear a relief valve bypassing.

If I can approach the pallet from the side (long edge) that should make it easier to lift and move around the yard, right?

Now to decide if it's worthwhile to pick up another pallet and a quarter.
Thanks again, everyone.

 

[schmism]

Now to decide if it's worthwhile to pick up another pallet and a quarter.
Thanks again, everyone.

Shure, take the Plywood out to start, place the pallet right over the axle, and you should have no issue getting to it with the forks.

 

[LD1]

Shure, take the Plywood out to start, place the pallet right over the axle, and you should have no issue getting to it with the forks.

YEP:thumbsup:

3200# should be nothing for a one-ton (assuming DRW). You dont have to force the load all the way to the cab.

Or better yet....if you have a trailer, haul them 2 skids at a time:thumbsup:

 

[RJD2516]

Wow, that is a pretty big load for that tractor. I learned last week that my L3800 with pallet forks on it will pick up a pallet of 36 cinder blocks, but it won't lift 45 of them on a pallet. And the 36 blocks felt really close to the limit. I had 850 Lbs of ballast on the back. But, it was sketchy.

At 1260 lbs (34.1 lbs each, plus pallet), I think that was a lot to ask my tractor. But my tightened butt checks pretty much guarantees that I won't lift that much again.

 

[CurlyDave]

If you end up having to cut the plywood off, think about the value of a pallet of pavers vs. a sheet of plywood. I know I paid $600-700 for a pallet of pavers last summer.

 

[Egon]

There may be a fast alternative that involves reverse and the brakes. Might not be the best though!

 

[forgeblast]

Or if you have your base done, just do the toss and catch method might speed up laying the pavers.

 

[downslope]

There may be a fast alternative that involves reverse and the brakes. Might not be the best though!

If I try this would it be a good idea to first coat the plywood and the truck bed with some old drain oil?
Do you think 20 mph would be fast enough in reverse? My wife can hold the beer while my brother-in-law stands behind the truck and signals me when to hit the brakes.:laughing:

 

[Egon]

Just lay some poly on the truck bed before you put in the plywood. Helps if you are on a good slope.:thumbsup:

 

[sparc]

If your forks can reach the back edge of the pallet then pick it up just an inch or two and put a piece of 1/2 or 3/4 pipe under the pallet. Then attach a rope or sling to the bottom of the pallet and slowly pull it toward the back of the truck. Hopefully the bottom of the pallet will let the roller do its work. You might need a second piece of ply under the bottom of the pallet if it is oriented such the the rollers can not roll the length of the pallet. I have used this method to move crates of pipe fittings to the back of a pickup bed so a fork truck could reach.

 

[downslope]

If your forks can reach the back edge of the pallet then pick it up just an inch or two and put a piece of 1/2 or 3/4 pipe under the pallet. Then attach a rope or sling to the bottom of the pallet and slowly pull it toward the back of the truck. Hopefully the bottom of the pallet will let the roller do its work. You might need a second piece of ply under the bottom of the pallet if it is oriented such the the rollers can not roll the length of the pallet. I have used this method to move crates of pipe fittings to the back of a pickup bed so a fork truck could reach.

That sounds like a great idea. I'll try it the next time the situation arises.

 

[SPYDERLK]

This thread is making a good case for 48" forks ... or extensions.
larry

 

[jeffsw6]

or just cutting the plywood as someone already suggested. Plywood is inexpensive. Personally, if I could get a few tons of valuable pavers for free, I would just pay to have them hauled to me if I didn't own a vehicle that could carry them all.

 

[downslope]

or just cutting the plywood as someone already suggested. Plywood is inexpensive. Personally, if I could get a few tons of valuable pavers for free, I would just pay to have them hauled to me if I didn't own a vehicle that could carry them all.

This was something I had to move on fast. The owner was installing a new patio and wanted the old pavers out of there to make way for delivery of the new ones. I wanted to make one trip to see what they looked like. They were in excellent shape and all stacked on 11 pallets. After picking up one pallet I thought I would go back with a big truck and get the rest. But in the meantime after 2 weeks of no buyers, interest in the pavers perked up and he started selling them off pallet by pallet and even brick by brick, so I only got the one (free) load. With hindsight I should of just showed up with a big truck and hauled them away.:drool:

 

[downslope]

This thread is making a good case for 48" forks ... or extensions.
larry

I had 48" forks, but when dealing with this kind of weight I really had to get the forks all the way in to the backplane of the pallet fork attachment.