Freight haulers, how many load bars do you need?

I could hang in that trailer for a while.

 

Most drivers call those wratcheting loadbars in your picture "loadlocks."

There are other bars that lock into specially designed posts that are integrated into the trailer wall. Many times they are the trailer ribs with slots machined into them that run from the floor to the ceiling every two feet from nose to tail. These are called loadbars, e-bars or logistics bars. You can stack upto 4000# on these without bending the bars or ripping the posts from the walls. I am guessing that the original poster was probably talking about about logistics bars and not loadlocks. You could never stack anything on those worthless things.

IMO, logistics trailers with straps and loadbars work really well and can save the carrier a lot of space in the trailer and keep stacked freight from getting damaged. I think that smooth sided trailers will soon be a thing of the past.

 

Ah, I think I know what youre talking about. They are square shaped bars, right?

 

Those won't work on a beer load, the end of the load is never even with the e-tracks.
By the way, I run Anheuser Busch loads all the time, including out of Jacksonville. I use straps. I don't carry bars. I can't rely on them. I'm not strapping the load down to simply satisfy the shipper. Ask anyone that's had it happen, when those pallets fall over, the receiver isn't going to pick them up, YOU ARE. Those load bars work great in a reefer trailer, but a modern day dry van trailer they are useless because the walls flex when you are driving down the road. The bars will hit the floor when you drive over the first set of railroad tracks.

 

Yep. Those are the ones.

I agree that 3" wratcheting straps are better than bars to keep tall pallets from falling over. The cheapie 1-2" straps with the hooks on the end are worthless, IMO, you get what you pay for. I'll trust your expertise on beer loads. The only beer I've ever hauled is the keg from the store to my house.

I will disagree with your take on the bars hitting the floor in a new dry van. Loadlocks will do that, for sure. I have never had a logistic e-bar fall out of the track. The newest model of bar (about 5 years old) has a locking mechanism on them that is better than the old model. The only way it is going to hit the floor is if it wasn't locked in properly, was broken or the trailer flipped.

Anyhow, this is just my opinion. I have a bad habit of over- arguing meaningless points. The e-bars are not right for all types of freight and they are more for stacking freight on top of than keeping freight from falling over. They are best used together with good straps. Thanks.

 

I typically carry 2-4 loadlocks but I've never had a load that required more than 2. I carry 2 E-track straps, I use them when I'm using more than 1 loadlock. I set the loadlocks then use the strap in the nearest track between the locks and crank it down tight, this keeps the loadlocks from moving and falling down.

 

If the shipper asked for 26 load bars, it meens he dids want to double stack the pallets. The 26 load bars are used to build a seconde floor. You can then load up to 58 pallets of 50 inch height.

 

Thats what I'm thinking. Its called e-track. The slots are built into the trailer wall and run the length of the trailer on each wall, the square bars lock into those tracks. You can then either put plywood on the bars for a second floor or stack pallets directly on top of the bars provided they are spaced correctly.

 

Two load locks, one load bar, six straps. Never needed more.

 

2 loadlocks and 16 E straps