Pallet Rack Installation Instructions
When you receive pallet racking, they will always come to you as parts and will not be shipped in finished form. So installing it is the first and most important step before we use pallet racking.
But do you know how to install pallet racking? Do you know how to install it correctly? And we need to pay attention to what problems in the installation process?
Next let me answer all these questions for you one by one!
Type of Pallet Rack
Different pallet racks also have differences when installing them because they have different structural designs and different parts. So before installing your pallet racking you have to know what type of pallet racking you have, and I am showing you some common types of pallet racking.
Selective Pallet Racking
This is the most common type of pallet racking and the most popular. We find it in most of our storage spaces because of its proven and sturdy design and the advantage of easy adjustment and expansion.
Double Deep Pallet Racking
This is the upgraded version of selective pallet racking, which features double rows of pallet spaces on each shelf level, which is why it is called double deep pallet racking.
Very Narrow Aisle Racking
The VNA racking system is characterized by a very narrow aisle width, as its name suggests, and must be used with a dedicated forklift.
Other
There are many other types of racking that can store pallets, so you can also classify them as a type of pallet racking system. Examples include drive in racking, gravity flow racking and shuttle racking.
Components of a Pallet Rack System
The components I am referring to next refer to the most common type of selective pallet racking, which I will refer to in the text as pallet racking.
Pallet racking is basically composed of the following nine components:
Upright Frame
This is one of the main components of pallet racking and one of the supporting structural members. Its appearance is composed of two vertical uprights, diagonal braces and horizontal braces.
It is connected with beams to form the structural prototype of pallet racking, and becomes one of the load-bearing structures of pallet racking.
Beams
Beams are a part of pallet racking that provides loading space for pallets. It is horizontally connected with an upright frame to form the prototype of a pallet racking frame.
Diagonal and Horizontal Braces
Diagonal and horizontal braces are installed in the upright frame, its main function is to connect and reinforce the upright frame to ensure the rigidity of the upright frame.
Safety Pins/Clips
There are holes in the beams where the upright frame meets the beams. These holes are for the insertion of safety pins. These are safety pins, which are there to avoid the displacement of the beams due to handling errors or collisions.
Pallet Support Bars
The pallet support bars are mounted between the front and rear beams. They exist as an auxiliary support to reduce the distribution of stresses when the pallet is placed directly on the beams.
The presence of pallet support bars is even more necessary if your pallet's substructure is weak or if your pallet's dimensions are not standardized.
Base Plates
Base plates are a part of the bottom of the upright, its function is to connect the shelves to the ground for fixing, usually using the anchor way for fixing.
Column Guards/Post Protectors
Column guards are the protective parts of the shelves, which are installed at the bottom of the uprights, and their purpose is to prevent the collision of the handling equipment during the operation.
Wire Decking or Steel Panels
Wire decking and steel panels are both mounted on beams and are designed to provide a sturdy flat surface for pallet racking to prevent goods from falling or tilting, and are more suitable if you are using manual access.
Steel panels are better suited for heavy loads, while wire decking is better suited for loads that need better ventilation.
Back-to-Back Row Spacers
This component does not always exist, as its purpose is to be installed between the beams of two pallet racks when your two pallet racks are too close to each other, in order to keep a certain distance between the two pallet racks and to provide additional stability.
However, the pallet racking produced by each brand is not always the same, maybe they add certain extra features according to your needs, so there may be more or less on the parts, everything is based on the specific pallet racking you receive.
Pre-installation Preparation
Before officially installing pallet racking, we also need to do some preparatory work to ensure that your installation can go smoothly.
Safety Equipment for Installers
Before the installers come into work, we need to make sure that the safety equipment of the installers is complete, and strictly require them to be worn throughout the operation. This includes, but is not limited to, helmets, safety shoes and seat belts.
Read the Installation Manual
Most shelving brands will provide you with an installation manual or installation instructions after you receive the product. Before we install the product, we need to carefully understand the installation steps in it to avoid any installation that is not in line with the design.
Check the Shelving Components
Most of the shelves transported to your warehouse are stored in the form of components, not in the form of finished products. So we need to inspect these shelving components before installation to see if they have been damaged during transportation, and also to check if their dimensions deviate from the original agreement.
Site Inspection and Cleanup
Before the installation team and the racking components go into the warehouse, we need to inspect and clean the installation area to ensure that the floor in the area is level and tidy.
Installation Steps
Next we'll start the official installation and I'll show you what you need to do each step of the way.
Confirmation of installation location and marking
According to your racking plan, you need to mark out the installation position of pallet racking in your warehouse, in which you need to mark the right position and the boundary of the right frame.
The centerline should be marked on the floor to check the horizontal and vertical alignment of the shelves.
Installation of Upright Frames
First we bolt together the uprights, diagonal braces and horizontal braces to form the upright frame.
Then we attach the base plate to the bottom of the upright to secure the frame to the floor.
Finally, the verticality of the upright frame is checked and all the bolts of the upright frame are tightened and reinforced.
Installation of Beams
Install the beams one by one from the bottom of the upright frame according to your racking design, and pay attention to the height of the beams, which should be according to your design.
Remember to fit the beams tightly into the preset holes in the upright frame and use safety pins to secure the beams to the upright frame after installation to prevent them from falling off accidentally.
Installing the pallet support bars
Once we have installed the beams and the upright frame, we will now install a support bar between the two beams in the rack, simply press the notches on the front and back of the support bar against the front and back beams.
Installing Wire Decking or Steel Panels
With the support bars in place, we can now install wire decking or steel panels on the two beams of the rack, these are also very simple to install, most of them are just pressed and snapped into place on the beams, some of them may come with bolts to reinforce them if you have a high load capacity.
Fixing upright frames
If your pallet racking is heavy duty, then it must be fixed to the ground. The usual way of fixing upright frames is to use expansion bolts to fix your base plate to the floor.
If your racking arrangement is back-to-back, then you will need to use back-to-back row spacers to connect to your neighboring racks.
Installation of guards
After the installation is complete, we need to install column guards on the base plates of the racks to prevent collisions caused by mishandling of the handling equipment.
And if your access frequency is high, you can set up safety nets or fences according to your budget.
Calibration
After installation, use a level or laser range finder to check the entire racking system to see if its verticality and levelness meet the requirements.
And check out the load capacity of each shelf when put into use, there is no problem before actual use.
Seek Help From a Team of Professionals
If you don't have a suitable installation team, I would suggest that you look for a professional installation team to operate locally.
If you need to buy pallet racking to build your racking system, we are more than happy to provide you with a detailed quotation. Because we not only sell racking, but also provide you with installation guidance services, if you have the need, we will also send professional engineers to assist you in the installation!