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How to know when to replace your lumber tacks
have become distorted or rippled also may be cause for replacement.
"The old, overworked adage about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure really applies in rack systems," explains Darnell. "It's best to 'pre-act' by ordering the proper equipment to begin with."
the tower or base to the point of metal fatigue; rusted or corroded arms that dip below the horizontal position.
(3) Cantilever base bent, twisted or otherwise damaged by lift trucks; protruding sharp angles put employees and customers at risk of injury.
For roll-formed steel pallet racks in high capacity areas, he suggests using uprights with protective double posting on the front column to resist lift truck damage. Or consider more damage resistant structural steel pallet racks.
WHETHER cantilever racks are roll-formed mean a world of difference. or struclural steel can banged by properly.
Any one or a collection of these symptoms provides a good reason to replace roll-formed cantilever racks.
(4) Bolt holes through the tower somewhat reamed usually from being lift trucks; arms don't seat VARDS typically replace their I lumber racks either because they're breaking down or are less efficient than alternative systems. Should you be among them?
Roll-formed cantilever racks are the most susceptible to damage. According to Alan Darnell, Sunbelt Material Handling, Inc., Alpharetta, Ga., warning signs on roll-formed racks include:
(1) Significant arm damage; arms broken or bent below the horizontal position.
(2) Substantial rust or corrosion on
Structural steel pallet racks are much thicker and sturdier, so problems such as rust on the I-beam tower are generally not as critical. Most important is to look for any evidence of cracked welds. Arms that sit at a slight downward angle are a red flag to inspect them rather closely where they are welded to the connector plate.
Flanges on the beam tower that
On cantilever racks for all uses except the very lightest capacity applications, always use cantilever made of structural I-beam construction. While much more durable than roll-formed cantilever, it is only slightly more expensive. Its useful life should be two to three times that of roll-formed.
Since rust and corrosion seriously affect the rolled steel components of cantilever and pallet racks, it's best to employ structural steel racks for exterior uses, especially in coastal areas.
Last year, Sunbelt began working with Georgia-Pacific to supply all the storage rack systems for the reconfiguration of G-P's entire building materials distribution and millwork divisions. Weeks were spent in the design phase to ensure that all rollformed rack was properly reinforced with double posting where needed, and structural steel was specified in the most damage-prone areas. All cantilever rack was of structural Ibeam construction. Drive-in, stack racks and many other types were specificd. The idea was to preplan to prevent as much damagc as Possible and ensure the mttst appropriate rack system was used lbr each application.
Sometimes yards replace thcil' racks not as an cmergency Ineasurc, but as a competitive manuever. Badly designed storagc systems make stocking and unstocking rnore dif'l'icult and time consuming. Others take uP too much space. Uncovered outside storage contributes to inventory shrinkage.
"Indcpendent lumbcryards all belong to a co-op. so they're basically buying at the same prices. Their only way to cut costs is to irnprove effi-
Story at a Glance
Are your lumber racks ready for replacement? new storage systems can increase safety, productivity.
ciency." says Jerry Ritz. Auto-Stak Systcms. River Vale. N.J. "Material handling and labor take up 50(/c to 60% of their total costs. so ctltting material handling costs by l0% will pr"rt 5% on their bottorr.r line."
Rirz encourages yards to ask a rack rlanufacturer or consultant abgut the advantages of tl'rc latest tcchnoltrul irt storrr!le sysi,;"
t;il-'',..r,',.i.o,' Checking Up On Your New Racks
rilke up lhout half the
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(1) On roll-formed pallet racks, any encourage regular safety inspections. rernr rtro prorccr y,,rir' ,pribni*itn ruOsUntiatOamage to the vertic;l
Roll{ormed beams with defective or damvalu*ble inucnrorj tlonr p[s[ snoufO Ue reptaceO imirediately. Most aged sa{ety devices. can be bolted.to the rhe sun and rain. .'Lurnbcr accidents o.rritiSr trilure of tne lprights qpright ensuring their.continued safe use. is a preuy tow nralgin ilern. *nrn Ajrig.d, and regular inspectiohs can Beams in structural pallet,rack tig,q?|]!d h yet it takes up the biggesr easily detect r,.ir[ J.rig., H;;;t rri ;d the uprigh.t anyway, but should also be' purr ot ru deuter':r lurd coirosion ian tatigue rotisteel in tire upright insneqtej t_o _e]lsure that the bolts remain and reprcsenrs rhc hulk trl frame and be just as dangerous as a cause prOpenylOrqueo' his investrnent." Ritz notes. for collapse as a badly damaged upright.
(3) nott_tormed cantilever has basically
(2)wrrire it is,possibte ro.overtoad a pal meidme prootems ur pirr*i"rrt uprishti particurarry *itr, n.'ut.rr,tii let iac'k beam to the point ol failure, the most and arms showing severe lift truck damage or such as rreated lumber." commgn damage oi safety problem occurs serious rust and corrosion should be your ord racks rna1, be when beams ar6 improperty ionnected.to the replaced. Typically, structural l-beam cancosting you more rnn.i upright,post. geam! in roll-formed rack sys- tilever needs only regular inspection to rhan a new system *ouralt tdmi share one thing in common: thev'all ensure ihat all bolts connecting components nave Some sorl ol sa"fely latch device that ij remain properly torqued'
