Stacking By length/size for crane truck

[quadracutter222]

Good Day sawyers.

I have a question about stacking lumber for pick-up via hiab crane.  Trying to see if there is a smart and efficient way to stack lumber of various lengths and widths, to make the job of the hiab operator as fast and safe as possible, also allowing for some efficient stacking on the receiving end.  

My current job is about 1700bf of fir with only about 360bf of that being 6x6.  The rest will be 2x4, 2x6 in lengths of 8-10-12-14-16.  

Any thoughts on organizing the lumber for pickup?  Am thinking a pile for 2x4 and a pile for 2x6, mark lengths on the ends, and just have the lengths stacked as they come off the logs.  But that does not make it easy for stacking on the customer end.  Could have a pile for each width, by length, then restack in to two at the end, but thats 8 piles to manage, then me re-stack prior to trucking.  For stacking it would make sense for the longest stuff to be on top of the hiab loads, so it can go on the bottom of the sticker stacks, but that is not great for slinging onto the truck.  

Any experience to pass along would be great ;)

Happy Spring folks!!!

[WV Sawmiller]

   Can you saw the logs longest to shortest so you generate the lumber in that order? I'd sure try to stack it that way and sort it by length and thickness. I'm also thinking some of the time you lose sorting and stacking you will make up come tally time. Standard stacks make for quick and accurate counts. Good luck.

[longtime lurker]

I prefer to run packs at approximately 2'6" wide for transport. Reason being that means I can load 3 packs across a standard truck tray with enough room to spare. (Truck or trailer here is 8' across.) I dislike 48" packs for transport because they can get heavy quick.

So 6" boards get stacked 5 wide.
4" boards get stacked 7 wide.

Strap dunnage to them and they are easy to manage... Pick it up with forks or get a sling under them, no sag or pack distortion when you pick it up, easy peasy. There's no reason to stack at the other end because each pack remains an integral unit

Couple of offcuts vertically between the packs when loading will make it easier to get slings under it when unloading too.

[mike_belben]

Todays picker trucks should all have 102" wide beds to the outside of the rub rails. Hopefully not a 96" bed but it would be wise for you to ensure that if a 96 shows up he can get his strap hooks through the rub rails.  If your load is too wide they will sit over the rail and block the hook from passing, very annoying.  Youre better to go a tier higher than a tier wider when building your packs so theyre easier to secure.  The truck has more height capacity than width.  13ft vs 8ft.



nothing can prevent the packs from being jammed together on the spine of the bed.   FMCSA cargo securement regs require that the center of two pallets setting side by side with straps over them as a double barrel pair, be touching in the middle with no space.   And its a good rule because if they arent the load shifts and straps loosen then flutter down the road.  So what im saying is trim any stickers flush with the sides of the pack.



I like LL's 3 across bundling.  That means the packs are small enough for a little bobcat on the jobsite to move them.  = happier, more efficient crew and end customer.  And youll never have a crane that cant pick the pack.



Remember that cranes spin an arc to the left and right and lift straight up so have your stuff laid out where he pulls in a lane and stuff is on both sides, canted and close to the arc pivot because reach is the limitation.   I wouldnt want my customer angry that his thin finish trim boards were bowed and gouged from having posts and beams sitting on top so i would lay things out for the big rougher wood to go down first.  Then the truck can pull up or i will feed the fine stuff to him by forklift to go ontop.  Have some 6" cardboard or carpet strips to insist the driver puts under the straps of anything delicate. They will rub and chaffe any planed lumber and leave a mark.


If all your packs are the same height it does give the option to pyramid stack one pack top the two below, on the spine of the bed.  You cant do that if the base layer is uneven.

[mike_belben]

the biggest assorted lumber securing issue happens when say picket fence sits ontop 16ft lumber.  The 16ft lumber dictates straps be placed in certain number and distance to comply with state and fed laws that often differ.. But then the fence ontop will get crushed on the outer pickets when the straps are tightened.  


So if you need to ship 4/4 lumber or something with a likelyhood of being distorted and bent or cracked by an overzealous winch bar, you better build a 4" wide plank frame at each end of the pack that goes over the top so that the strap pressure is applied to the sacrificial frame and dunnage instead of the delicate material.  And tell him face to face.. I need this stuff secured here gently.  That way he can strap his first tier down tight [called belly strapping] and then put the delicate stuff ontop and secure with hand ratchets or atleast place it where he has winches to land right.  "Strap here please" in magic marker cant hurt either. 


Otherwise the trucker wont care.. Hes gonna bind the crap out of it wherever his winches land and if its ruined oh well, he picked and dropped and gets paid.   


Thats what you should anticipate for an issue. Overtightening in the wrong spot on the wrong material.