- 36 - 



The largest of the commercial pallet boxes, which contained about 

 37 loose, field boxes, appeared to be too large for a tractor fork attachment 

 to handle two at a time. All of the smaller pallet boxes could be handled by 

 twos. Thus there was some loss of efficiency with the larger container. 



An expensive part of the pallet box operation proved to be dumping. None 

 of the dumpers presently used were fully automatic, some of them requiring 

 2 operators. It is possible that a change in pallet box design might be made 

 to simplify dumping or that the dumping procedure itself could be modified as 

 it was in the case of one plant that made a simple, tilting type dumper at 

 considerably less expense. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING PALLET BOX CONSTRUCTION 



AND DESIGN 



The most frequently suggested improvement in pallet box design was to 

 make the boxes sturdier. Sturdier construction can be obtained in a number of 

 ways. First, the top and bottom panel boards should be the largest and the 

 heaviest boards in the box. Strength can be increased by using rough lumber 

 rather than finished„ However, unless the pallet box is lined with fiberboard 

 or other material the inside surface should be smooth. The diagonally cut 

 corner post is stronger and has a slight advantage in reducing bruising and 

 makes it a little easier to stack the pallet boxes in storage (fig. 23). To 

 add to the strength and help the pallet boxes resist racking, it would be 

 desirable to increase the amount of nailing space or use glue and screws or 

 bolts. 



The pallet box used in the orchard needs to be stronger and sturdier than 

 the one that might be used only for handling around the warehouse. If it ever 

 becomes practical to size apples before placing them in storage, it is possible 

 that a pallet box especially designed for use in the orchard and for hauling to 

 storage might be desirable. 



For the warehouse, the maximum size of the pallet box should be designed 

 to specifically fit the cold storage rooms. In older storages the dimensions 

 might well be affected by supporting post centers. The height should be 

 determined by the height of the ceilings in the storage, and preferably be 

 such as to give an even number of pallet boxes so that the forklift truck can 

 handle near its maximum rated capacity during the storage operations. 



If pallet boxes are to be used only at the storage plant they should be 

 designed with low fork entry space. Each additional inch of depth obtained 

 in a 24-inch deep box by reducing fork entry space is equivalent to approxi- 

 mately a 4-percent increase in cold storage capacity, a financial consideration 

 well worth evaluating. The fork entry space might be reduced by using 3 by 

 4's on their side and eliminating the skid boards underneath the pallet. This 

 would increase the storage capacity about 1-1/2 inches per pallet box or 

 nearly 6 percent. 



