Wooden pallets are designed to bear heavy loads and handle wear and tear. They can carry thousands of pounds by being lifted with a forklift or pallet jack.
The impact on the pallet can lead to damage requiring repair or replacement. Although sometimes it is not possible to avoid it, there are many ways to increase the pallets’ life span and avoid damage. If you are planning to buy pallets for your business, contact Spec Wood pallet components.
How to prevent wooden pallet damage
- Aligning forklifts carefully
Sometimes, a forklift makes a mistake during insertion into the pallet by misaligning the forks. It causes wear or puncture when the forks touch the front leaderboards. If the same damage is done repeatedly, it will result in replacement or repair. When the front leaderboard gets damaged, the entire pallet becomes unusable and will require repair.
- Do not drag the pallets.
Pallets are designed to pick up and transport, not drag and push them through the floor. Pushing and dragging can cause damage to the bottom of the pallet leaderboards. It is also worth knowing that the bottom leaderboards suffer the most after the front leaderboards.
- The product should not be big for the pallet.
Products transported with pallets should not stick out, which has higher chances of getting caught, hit, or bumped when transporting, unloading, or loading. It is also likely to damage the pallet if the product is too big. When the products are bigger than the pallets, it causes extra torque and strain on the joints, which results in failure.
- Keep the pallets dry
We often overlook moisture with regard to damage prevention. Honestly, moisture does not cause damage to the pallets, but if you have an industry where moisture mold is a problem, then it will make your pallets unusable. Pallets should be kept dry to prevent such kind of pallet damage.
- Proper training of forklift
When it comes to damaging pallets, one of the most significant causes is the improper use of pallets jacks and forklifts. You can prevent damage from forklifts by adequately training your employees and letting them know the best practices for moving pallet products.
Here are some tips for using a forklift.
- Always take entry at a low and appropriate speed.
- Ensure that the forklift is lined up with the pallet’s level before lifting.
- Avoid hitting the pallet block when entering a pallet.
- Do not drag or drop pallets or lift them off the ground completely.