- 8 - 



NEC BN-5791 



Figure 7. — Tractor equipped with forklift converted loader attachment 

 used to load pallet boxes onto a flat-bed orchard trailer 



Loading; and Transportation 



Pallet boxes are transported with equipment already standard to the 

 industry. Motor trucks, commonly used for standard boxes, were also used for 

 pallet boxes. A forklift unit is necessary for loading pallet boxes on such 

 a truck. A typical operation is shown in figure 8. Here a 16-pallet box 

 load equivalent to about 432 loose standard boxes is being completed. For 

 shorter hauls, regular, flat-bed orchard trailers were successfully used, 

 usually with boxes loaded only one high (fig. 9). 



Pallet boxes are also well suited for straddle-carrier hauling, and 

 the straddle units, either truck or trailer, can be used without modification 

 for either pallet boxes or standard boxes on pallets. The loads can be set 

 up at the edge of the orchard as the filled boxes are brought out (fig. 10). 

 With this system the tractor forklift need not be on hand for loading and 

 one box handling is eliminated. The straddle carrier drives over the load of 

 boxes on the loading skids and picks it up as shown in figure 11 in a matter 

 of seconds. Usual straddle-carrier loads are 12 or 14 boxes. Adapted lumber 

 carriers of smaller capacity are also being used. 



One operator transported filled pallet boxes two high on a rear-mounted 

 tractor forklift directly from the orchard to his packing plant. Empty pallet 



