BN-7913 



Figure 7. --Rear view at destination of the last 

 stack of lAO-count cell -pack boxes with their 

 longest dimension crosswise of the trailer. 

 This produced too much crosswise slack which per- 

 mitted the boxes to shift during transit, even 

 with load locks in place. 



An appreciable part of the container damage occurring in the test shipments 

 resulted from crosswise shifting in the loads in which there were three or more 

 different sizes of boxes. The loads which contained only two sizes of boxes 

 had less damage. The receivers also preferred boxes of uniform outside di- 

 mensions to better facilitate handling and stacking. 



The number of different size boxes was reduced by the cooperating shipper 

 when the controlled-atmosphere apple shipments began in April 1958. In those 

 shipments a new type of box was used which had no side inner-liners. The box, 

 however, was equipped with top and bottom pads and pads between the layers --a 

 total of five pads. One box of uniform dimensions was used for the 80-, 96-, 

 and 160-count apples and another of uniform dimensions for the 120- and 140- 

 countsj the spacers or cells were adjustable to fit the size of apple intended 

 for each box. Thus the number of box sizes previously required for these 

 counts of apples was reduced from five to two. 



The new sizes of boxes were used in the 8 test shipments of controlled- 

 atmosphere storage apples from April 11 to May 2, 1958, and the inspection 

 reports at destination indicated the boxes arrived with little or no damage. 

 It appears, therefore, that the use of fewer types of boxes with more uniform 

 dimensions lessens transit damage to the containers through more uniform 

 loading patterns with better fitting loads. 



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