All About Pallets

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What is a pallet?

All About Pallets

Pallets are a key piece of industrial material handling equipment. They are used for product shipping, receiving and storage. They are made of plastic and aluminum and are an economical and efficient way of arranging and transporting products such as drums. Here is a breakdown of three different types of pallets, courtesy of beacontechnology.com.

  • Aluminum pallet: ideal for the food and chemical industry because it is durable, reusable and easy to clean with power washers. The aluminum pallet has a non-skid surface and stands up against high power steam, brushes and pads. The pallet weighs 40 or 50 pounds and has a capacity of 6,000 pounds.
  • Plastic pallet: ideal for export, pharmaceutical, medical and food applications. Made of polyethylene for a longer life. These have serrated deck holes for good drainage. These are safer to handle than wooden pallets.
  • Drum pallet: allows you to move drums around. Holds four 55-gallon drums. Has four-way entry and holes for drainage. Made of polyethylene.
And here is what's on the market in the way of pallet accessories:

  • Pallet jacks with digital scale: haul loads and weigh them at the same time
  • Power pallet jack: lifts the forks and reduces the pulling force by using the power drive accumulator
  • Hand pallet trucks: has two steering wheels and two front load rollers. Full featured hand pallet trucks include nose wheels located on the front edge of each fork to help with clean pallet entrance and exit
  • Pallet protectors: keep pallet loads safe from rain, snow or sleet while the pallets are being loaded and unloaded
  • Pallet stand: made from heavy duty welded steel. It's a work table for your pallet with an adjustable height
  • Pallet pullers: move pallets to a trailer's rear to allow forklift access

   

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