What is the difference between Two or Four Way Pallets?
What is the difference between Two or Four Way Pallets?
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Making the right choice for your pallet needs is essential to all aspects of your supply chain. Deciding between a 2-way pallet or a 4-way pallet is a critical decision. Many people don't understand the difference between 2-way paddles and 4-way paddles, but there is a difference. For an inexperienced eye, a palette is just a palette. Your first step to making the right choice for your organization is to understand the difference between these two options.
The Basic Design
The Basic Design
Carriers - either strings running along the sides of the pallet or blocks, these allow the fork of a forklift (FLT) to penetrate between the top of the pallet and the bottom.
Bridge - the top or bottom of the palette. It is a flat surface and can be opened or closed.
Stringer panel - a horizontal element of the pallet construction which is supported by blocks and which in turn supports the upper deck.
Fork Entry - the space given to the forks of a forklift to enter and maneuver the pallet.
Wings - these extend beyond the supports and allow additional storage capacity for larger products. They also allow a narrower placement of the stringers and reduce the span between them, thus reducing the deflection of the terrace panel under load.
Chamfer - applied during the manufacturing process on the lower deck, this allows a pallet to be easily mounted by the wheels of an electric pallet truck.
Whether bidirectional or four-directional, the vast majority of pallets manufactured today in Europe comply with standardized sizes and are called European pallets.
2 Way Pallets
2 Way Pallets
The bidirectional pallets allow the forklift to enter from the front and back of the pallet. They are built with stringers. The ability to enter the pallet from just 2 entry points with the forklift can be a conundrum when it comes to stacking and space allocation, but this type of pallet has obvious advantages:
More economical option in most cases
Offer great strength
Offer great durability
The disadvantage of this type of pallet is the difficulty with the orientation in the warehouse, the distribution centers and other installations that will have to move the pallet. The gains in strength and durability can be offset by the investment of additional time to maneuver these pallets. 2-way pallets are a great option for atypically heavy loads, warehouses with enough space to maneuver them and for cost-conscious businesses.
4 Way Pallets
4 Way Pallets
The four tracks are made up of a handful of basic elements: upper deck planks, stringers or stringer boards and blocks, and lower deck planks. In the case of silt pallets, the silts are notched to allow the entry of the forks. These are called partial four-way input palettes. When built with blocks, the pallet is known as a true four-way entry pallet and can be entered on both sides and on both sides by the FLT as well as the motorized pallet truck. This allows the operator greater ease of maneuver in a distribution or storage situation than a bidirectional pallet and allows better use in transit.
The lower deck of a four-way pallet is generally available in two distinctive styles: either with a full perimeter base or with three planks at the base. These are generally called legged pallets or leggers. They offer great strength when required for heavy loads and are generally considered to be stronger than bidirectional pallets. However, they are more difficult to repair than two-way.
Pallet Uses
Pallet Uses
There are trade-offs between two-way and four-way pallets. Bidirectional pallets are generally cheaper to manufacture and more durable than four-way pallets, but the latter offer greater ease of handling materials, which many pallet users find cost-effective. The key consideration is to compare the purchase and repair price, pro-rata to the expected life of the trips, versus the operational advantages of four-way pallets versus two-way.
More than half a billion pallets are produced each year, adding to their growing number around the world. Their main use is to move heavy loads through the supply chain, including on and off container ships to allow the import and export of all types of items imaginable. Almost everything that has been imported into the UK will arrive on a pallet, from garden plants to children's toys. Although we can take them for granted, they are an essential part of world trade.
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