Masonry Magazine January 1977 Page.13
Q.-What is the average life of a pallet? Or do they have an average life?
Bronson: You're lucky if they last two years, and it would have to be a decent pallet to start with.
Lunde: Our pallets were two-faced. They were reversible, either side was good, and they had four runners. Today the pallets like the kind we used would cost between $7 and $8; they would last a long time, of course. We used to buy the best pallet we could to last a long time. If the pallet broke on one side, we could use the other. They weighed about 100 pounds, so you would add that to your load. Ten pallets and you've got 1.000 pounds right there.
Q. One of the things I've seen somewhere is a strap chopper. Have you ever tried one of those?
Knuth: No, we haven't, but Signode is working on that.
Zivkovic: Signode did develop a prototype model for on-site disposal of straps. We did some field experimentation with it, and the reports we got back were that it took more time for the laborers to bring the strap over to the chopper than it did to dump it down the dust chute. That was only one concept. It really didn't prove worthwhile. We will have to investigate this further.
Q.-Is there a problem disposing of straps?
Smith: I would rather pick up straps any day than muscle skids around. The straps do, however, get to be a problem. We tried to bury them. But you put one end down, and the other end pulls up.
When we first started, we did have some injuries with straps. We solved this by having the laborer break the strap at the top of the bundle first. Then he goes down to the bottom of the bundle, folds the strap over, taps it one time with a hammer, and it breaks right out. So you're breaking out both sides of the bundle on the scaffold, and that eliminates that loose end from flopping out all the time.
If they cut the strap just one time, it will flop open and lay there. Somebody will bend over it and that sharp end will cut him. So we cut the strap on both sides equally. We fold it over, hit it with a hammer; that fractures it, and then you just pick it up.
Q.-Isn't that more labor?
Harrison: Definitely no.
Hansen: It's a lot faster to do that than distribute those blocks on a scaffold.
Q.-Is there any difference trucking pallets than there is packaged block? Are you utilizing the full load capacity of your truck with packages and with pallets?
Lunde: Yes.
Olson: There is a cost savings in hauling packaged block over pallets. We make those the same size as the cube. Whatever my truck is licensed for, that's what we use. We are more compact.
Q.-What is the size of the cube?
Olson: 48 by 32.
Klos: We have 40 by 38.
Olson: You say you were packaging 8's and 72's. We used to palletize at 90. Now we are at 72. So we have ten pallets instead of eight.
Q. In other words, your full load capacity is being utilized with packaged block.
Lunde: Yes.
MCAA Material Handling Committee
Survey on Concrete Block Packaging
In October, 1975, the MCAA Material Handling Committee chaired by Jerry Dufour conducted a survey on cubing and packaging of concrete block. Of the mason contractors polled throughout the United States, 196 responded. These were the highlights of the survey:
What type of masonry construction do you do primarily?
Commercial and institutional-73%.
Commercial and multi-family (combined)-93%.
Single-family-2%.
What type of scaffolding do you use?
Tubular-75%.
Power and tubular-15%.
Power-pack-9%.
Swing-1%.
How are blocks normally delivered to your projects?
Palletized and strapped-90%.
Palletized-56%.
Without pallets or strapping-18%.
Strapped-17%.
Would you prefer to receive blocks palletized (percentages reflect yes answers)?
Palletized-41%.
Strapped-32%.
Palletized and strapped-17%.
Without pallets or strapping-10%.
If you receive your blocks on pallets, what percentage are chipped?
Less than 5% chipped-55%.
Five to 10% chipped-28%.
Over 10%-3%.
No answer-14%.
Do you ever disagree with a block manufacturer concerning the number of pallets charged for return?
Yes-64%. No-28%. No answer-8%.
What is the deposit charged for each pallet?
Plus or minus $5.00 (average).
How many man-hours do your laborers spend each week restacking pallets?
Zero to 12 hours (not averaged).
Would you do away with pallets if you had a method of transporting your cubes intact and clean?
Yes-76%. No-13%. No answer-11%.
Is ground cover necessary for your block in the job site area if delivered without pallets?
Yes-76%. No-16%. No answer-9%.
Q.-Is there much breakage in the strapping itself? Is this a noticeable problem?
Smith: Very rarely. If the strap breaks it's usually the forklift operator's fault, or if somebody does something.
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