Question about pallet racking.

[Ultradog MN]

I've been looking for some pallet racking here.
Like everything else there is a bit to learn about it.
It seems here are lots of different brands of the stuff. Most of them are tear drop style. I get that the tear drop is how the horizontal beams attach to the uprights.
Is the tear drop style universal - like can you mix and match brands or does each brand have its own pattern of attachment?
I'd like to buy about 16' of 8' x 2' medium duty racking for my garage. Basically, replace what you see in the photo.
Wish I hadn't spent the $ for materials for these shelves as now I'd like to move them.

 

[DoubleO7]

I believe some brands will interchange.
But yes, there are many different designs that will not.
Everyone thinks there design is the bestest.
there is lik an interchange list out there on the www.

A Kmart in town closed, I bought about 120' of backroom shelving. The 18" deep x 4 feet wide shelving with particle board shelves. Fully adjustable, end to end stuff.

 

[Factotum]

16' isn't very much. Like 3 uprights and as many crossbeams the you need for shelves. There are companies that sell this stuff used. Find a local one and get a quote, I found some on Kijiji (Canadian Craigslist) for a good price. It probably won't fit with other brands but that's fine as I doubt I'll be adding any more anyway.

 

[504]

It’s on Facebook marketplace a lot around the cities. Springfied, StLouis etc. I drove a hundred miles to get 2 more uprights that match what I already had. Just an FYI you can can cut one 16 foot up right into 2 ,8 foot uprights

 

[Tony in SD]

I've been looking for some pallet racking here.
Like everything else there is a bit to learn about it.
It seems here are lots of different brands of the stuff. Most of them are tear drop style. I get that the tear drop is how the horizontal beams attach to the uprights.
Is the tear drop style universal - like can you mix and match brands or does each brand have its own pattern of attachment?
I'd like to buy about 16' of 8' x 2' medium duty racking for my garage. Basically, replace what you see in the photo.
Wish I hadn't spent the $ for materials for these shelves as now I'd like to move them.

I buy mine at Macs Hardware. Their price is as good as any. The have a great selection too. Not sure how close you are to one though.

 

[RBnSC]

If you weren't so far away you could come pick out what you wanted. My boss has a yard full of it. There are at least three different brands that he has. He bought out a store called "good wood" mostly to get two forklifts. A bunch of racking most of it taken apart. We use the metal to build stuff.
Ron

 

[Dan in North Houston]

I've been looking for some pallet racking here.
Like everything else there is a bit to learn about it.
It seems here are lots of different brands of the stuff. Most of them are tear drop style. I get that the tear drop is how the horizontal beams attach to the uprights.
Is the tear drop style universal - like can you mix and match brands or does each brand have its own pattern of attachment?
I'd like to buy about 16' of 8' x 2' medium duty racking for my garage. Basically, replace what you see in the photo.
Wish I hadn't spent the $ for materials for these shelves as now I'd like to move them.

 

[Dan in North Houston]

I picked up some pallet racks years ago for the barn, one of the best ideas I've had in a long time. Mine are Sturdi-Bilt brand, probably some of the first on the market, not compatible with any others but great for my use. Tear-drop is one of the more popular that you see these days, and you should assume no brand inter-changability unless you actually test it out. Even with the same brand, the uprights and the cross beams come in different dimensions and strength ratings. For the uprights, not only is the height a variable, but the width that would govern the depth of the shelf. For the cross beams, they come in different lengths and strength ratings. Some of my cross beams are rated for 9 tons. I got mostly 7' beams with my racks, whereas 8' is more common.
The overall width and depth of the shelves is somewhat standard, so finding wire decking is not that difficult. The decking also comes in various styles and strenths. I had to find wire decking from a different source, and I had to cut some of the panels down a little to get them to fit. But the wire decking is well worth the cost.

 

[Case/Chev]

I've been looking for some pallet racking here.
Like everything else there is a bit to learn about it.
It seems here are lots of different brands of the stuff. Most of them are tear drop style. I get that the tear drop is how the horizontal beams attach to the uprights.
Is the tear drop style universal - like can you mix and match brands or does each brand have its own pattern of attachment?
I'd like to buy about 16' of 8' x 2' medium duty racking for my garage. Basically, replace what you see in the photo.
Wish I hadn't spent the $ for materials for these shelves as now I'd like to move them.

There are many companies that reclaim used pallet racking and re-sell it in all shapes sizes and colors. I would not purchase anything from the big box stores or tool places. Find a pallet racking and office/industrial supply place and they could show you lots of stuff on display. It might be beneficial for you to take a trip south to Monticello Iowa.......Welters. Very easy to deal with......have lots of stuff......and they will ship. They have an website I think and are very helpful over the phone. I am very happy with the used reconditioned stuff I got from them.

 

[cleddy]

I picked up some pallet racks years ago for the barn, one of the best ideas I've had in a long time. Mine are Sturdi-Bilt brand, probably some of the first on the market, not compatible with any others but great for my use. Tear-drop is one of the more popular that you see these days, and you should assume no brand inter-changability unless you actually test it out. Even with the same brand, the uprights and the cross beams come in different dimensions and strength ratings. For the uprights, not only is the height a variable, but the width that would govern the depth of the shelf. For the cross beams, they come in different lengths and strength ratings. Some of my cross beams are rated for 9 tons. I got mostly 7' beams with my racks, whereas 8' is more common.
The overall width and depth of the shelves is somewhat standard, so finding wire decking is not that difficult. The decking also comes in various styles and strenths. I had to find wire decking from a different source, and I had to cut some of the panels down a little to get them to fit. But the wire decking is well worth the cost.

I like you picked up various Racks after working in a Spacious shop that had all matching racks and best beams, cross pieces and decking. However my Free & Mis-matched stuff was a disaster in the limited space of a 40 x 80 foot building. The best rack had 7" tall beams which take up a lot of height and very many beams made the shelves so close together that hand loading only(Had a forklift) since no room to manuver up& down. I re-worked some with mis-matched teardrops but still hard to adjust. To top it off there is tractors & so much stuff parked in front that shelves got un-organized full and big pile of junk.. Need to re-think that whole project and get rid of most of the stuff for it to work,(OVERLOAD).

 

[Ultradog MN]

There are many companies that reclaim used pallet racking and re-sell it in all shapes sizes and colors. I would not purchase anything from the big box stores or tool places. Find a pallet racking and office/industrial supply place and they could show you lots of stuff on display. It might be beneficial for you to take a trip south to Monticello Iowa.......Welters. Very easy to deal with......have lots of stuff......and they will ship. They have an website I think and are very helpful over the phone. I am very happy with the used reconditioned stuff I got from them.

I called Welters a couple of days ago.
They quoted me $827 for 3 new 2' uprights and 10 used cross beams. But the uprights were only 7' tall and I would like 8' and the cross beams were 8'5" long and wont fit between the back wall and the door. Plus it would be an 8 hour round trip from here.
So I will pass. Going to keep watching the ads and auctions.

Thanks to all.

 

[DoubleO7]

I called Welters a couple of days ago.
They quoted me $827 for 3 new 2' uprights and 10 used cross beams. But the uprights were only 7' tall and Going to keep watching the ads and auctions.

Thanks to all.

Two foot deep pallet racking might be kinda rare as two feet is to shallow for conventional pallet racking. Since 4 feet deep is way more common, you might be money ahead to buy that and alter the uprights to suit your two foot depth. And you could also make any shorter or but two 16 talls and cut them in half.

"Industrial shelving" might be a good search term for two foot deep stuff.

 

[Steve@Advance]

The few times I have had to deal with racking I found:

Buying new was completely out of the question!

That used was plentiful and reasonable, especially if it was damaged.

That damaged was no big deal as it would have to be cut up and modified to fit.

Any style will do as long as you don't try to mix brands.

 

[Slowpoke]

I have been lucky to find 30" wide uprights, 8' high. I cut them down to 92-1/2 to fit nicely in an 8' container. 4" beams are set about 20" apart with 4 levels, none on the floor level. Used 2x6 and 8's are the shelf for each level. I stick with light 8' beams No forklift use.
Here on the left coast used pieces are very pricey and 30" is hard to find. I picked up 42" uprights and cut them down to 30" with my trusty angle grinder and mig welder. I always use tear drop style mostly by Interlake. Look for the name stamped on the upright. There are a few that might look the same, but the holes have slightly different spacing. Bring your tape measure!

 

[da.bees]

8'tall x 2' deep racks are tipsy unless braced or attached to wall. I have 3 different brands 8'Tx4'dx8'L picked up at different times I didn't pay more than 20% new price for. If you see a rolling ladder,grab it. I used step ladders for years,dropped things and da** near broke my neck a few times. Rolling ladder has made it far easier and safer. Steps are usually 10" apart so 4 step or 5 step is right for 8' rack.

 

[Vikir]

What did you end up choosing? I’ve been looking into a pallet rack frames myself. I’ve heard that while the tear drop style is fairly common, I should check the specifications of each brand to ensure compatibility. After some search, I discovered Speedrack pallet rack frame systems that seem a solid choice. Did anyone try them? As I go for a new system, I want to make sure to buy quality frames that can handle the weight I plan to store.

 

[caterpillar guy]

I bought a few cross pieces from a guy.they didn't have a way to attach them.I'm going to just use a couple bolts through them and a piece of square tube for the verticals. I just want them so I can put a couple transmissions underneath my bolt pallets. I've got about 3 pallets with bolts on on the floor I was going to set the cross pieces at a slope so I can see in the back better. Since this will only be about 4 foot tall I'm not to worried about tipping on a cement floor. Was thinking of moving them so I could use a taller upright so I could put some lighter stuff up top. I need to seal up the building first no sense making a nice nesting place for varmints.