What are heavy duty wooden crates?

Heavy duty wooden crates are typically designed to hold payloads of over 10,000 lbs and have a base constructed of dimensional lumber which is known to be stronger than a normal plywood base.

Valley Box can upgrade any component of a basic wooden shipping crate to increase strength, durability, and performance.

Strengthened base

The strength starts in the base of any heavy duty wooden crate.

  • Dimensional lumber deck is used instead of plywood for its increased load-bearing capacity

  • 2x lumber decks have a better interface for fasteners for the attachment of parts, blocking & bracing, saddles or tie downs

  • 4x headers can be included to limit flexing in the base 


Thick plywood panels

Increasing the panel thickness adds to the rigidity of the overall heavy-duty wood crate,

  • Wood gussets add extra strength and rigidity to the corners of a crate

  • The strength of a box is in its corners and when a panel is removed the box loses strength.

  • 1/2"+ panel thickness

 

 

Bigger Lumber

Cleats are dimensional material that run along the outer edge of the crate's panels and are the material that allows the panels to be fastened to each other. Since heavy duty wooden crates can be used repeatedly, Valley Box uses a thicker cleat than the usual 1x4.

By using a thicker option, the panels are strengthened and therefore the crate will withstand rough handling .

Accessibility

Consider the person handling your heavy duty wooden crate and that they may need to wrestle it in and out of some tight spots, be sure to have four-way forklift entry points. 

If the container offers quick and easy access, you will avoid wasting precious time trying to figure out how it works.

Steel plates located on critical wood material locations, such as forklift push points, can prevent wear and tear.

Heavy Duty Hardware

The addition of hardware to your wooden crate can create a truly impressive reusable or ergonomic solution for your product's needs. Valley Box can source a wide variety of special heavy duty hardware.

  • Simpson Strong-tie fasteners (check out the strength test performed by Simpson!)

  • Carriage bolts deck board corners

  • Bolts with receiving insert for removable wall

  • glue and screw assembly