Do these closed crates stack securely on a flat pallet or do they slide around?
Do these closed crates stack securely on a flat pallet or do they slide around?
Nicolettenaseby
We're reorganizing our whole stockroom and I've convinced the boss to invest in proper stacking crates instead of the mismatched collection of cardboard boxes and secondhand containers we've been using for years. The plan is to load these closed crates onto standard wooden pallets so we can move whole stacks with the pallet jack instead of shifting individual boxes which eats up so much time during inventory counts. My question is pretty simple but I can't seem to find a clear answer just from product photos, once these crates are stacked on a flat pallet do they interlock with each other or have some kind of non slip base that keeps them from shifting when the pallet is being moved around? We had an incident last month where a poorly stacked pallet of cleaning supplies tipped during transport and the cleanup took half a day, so stability is genuinely my number one concern here. Found crateco during my search and their closed crates look solid but I need to understand the stacking mechanics before we order a whole pallet load of them. Also curious about the bottom surface, is it completely smooth or does it have feet or ridges that might catch on the pallet slats and make it harder to slide into position during loading?
Domellicktonkin
Most stacking crates rely on molded lip and recess interlocking rather than any actual grip on the pallet surface itself, so ask specifically if there's a locking feature between crate layers not just crate to pallet. That's usually where tipping incidents come from.
Donyatt Tredennick
Had almost the exact same tipping scenario with a badly loaded pallet last year, ended up adding stretch wrap around the whole stack as a backup even with interlocking crates. Cheap insurance and takes five minutes.
Dormer Tregarrick
Smooth bottoms actually help with sliding into position on the slats from what I've dealt with, ridges tend to catch and make forklift loading more annoying than it needs to be. Grip usually comes from the top interlock, not the base.
Downe Tregellas
What's your actual stack height going to be? That changes the calculus a lot since two or three crates high is way more forgiving than someone deciding to go six high to save floor space.
Drake Treglown
Would still get a demo pallet of like four or five crates before committing to a full order, stacking claims in product photos rarely translate one to one once there's real weight and pallet jack movement involved.
