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Luton van packing

Julian Hepworth

Julian Hepworth

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Joined
Jul 8, 2014
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363
Location
Taunton
Questions I now realise I should have asked a bit earlier :

Sensible loading for first outing Luton van - I thinking 3 x 3 so 9 ! ?

Best way to secure - 3 fit across but some room - ratchet strap to each other - band them so they don’t move , or to the side -

Finish off with steel bar across ?

Any thought greatly appreciated

Julian
 
I was reading the post, can't believe I'm tagged in the first reply.

I was about to offer my advice 😆
I learnt the hard way...

We had 4 along the two walls, so 8.
Anymore apparently is risky with regards to weight.

Each strapped individually to the wall.
(I think you can strap multiple together with less straps but I didn't try it).
You must make sure they're tight and there's no wiggle room so a ratchet straps hook can fall off if the pins bottom slides even a cm.
Always pull the strap and say "That's not going anywhere". I also made the mistake of not saying that the first time.
For the other 8 we had no issues at all.

Incase you missed it I had loaded Jurassic Park earlier the day before before, then van was taken elsewhere to get more games, JP fell on that journey.
The rest of the games were packed in after this and having learnt the hard way. If you missed this check my post history for horrible photos😆

20220826_111004.jpg20220829_165319.jpg20220829_165139.jpg

20220825_115520~2.jpg
Strap against the same wall the pin is pushed against 👍
If you're going to strap one pushed into a far corner make sure it's pushed right into the corner with no room to move, I didn't that was my error.
 
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I hadn't realised that those 'ugly cabinet' Gottlieb games didn't have a flat top to the back box.

And could there be a less accessible location for the back box lock?
 
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I fit them three across :head in, out, in with plenty of packing to prevent rubbing and checking none of the ratchets are against a machine. Wide bodies in the centre.

Three rows deep then fastened with a strap across to prevent them moving around or sliding backwards on hills.

Never had a problem that way in nearly 15 years of moving van loads of games to and from shows , although I know many others prefer to strap to the sides.

We used to put 4 rows but then realised that was putting us well overweight with a tail lift van
 
I also go with 2 rows of 4 strapped to the sides as per @David_Vi . It means that all of the machines are independently secure meaning they can be picked up / dropped off at separate locations if required.

Double check they are secure before moving!
 
I used to strap to the sides, until on one fateful trip to JMPs one of the ratchet straps popped out of the holes and .. well we turned up at John's with a pin upside down (and damage to the rails)

I strongly urge people to follow what @DAD advised me after that incident, and described above. It really limits the ability for pins to fall over individually. On the most recent runs to NERG the van hire place provided prop bars and it meant that I didn't use a single ratchet strap and yet had full confidence that the pins weren't going anywhere.

You might have to try it to convince yourself, but I promise that this way feels much safer

van-b.jpg
 
Martin @gopinball helped me move ten machines over the summer. He spoke to other Martin, the courier, and he said that ten was too heavy for a luton with taillift. In the end I rented a van and we did six or seven in the luton and three of four in the van, can't remember exactly.
 
@DAD and @Wizcat, can you talk us through this picture. It looks like each pin is up against the others, there is cardboard between them, they are tightly packed so they won't move and rub.
What stops the closest three then moving and it all getting loose, then rubbing or worse? Or the cardboard coming loose, compressing and starting a rubbing?
 
Whenever I've used Luton vans I use rope as well as the ratchets, and then I use the reinforced cables for securing bicycles as well. Bit OTT but hey.
 
That picture is prior to ratchet strap. It does rely on copious amounts of cardboard between the pins to prevent them rubbing as you're packing in/out, but once they're in they're totally snug. A late night trip around Asda or similar whilst they're stocking the shelves is a perfect opportunity to hoover up loads of large sheets of cardboard

The ratchet around the back means the only care you need to take whilst driving is in accelerating. Any side to side movement or sharp braking won't cause issues.

Who remembers this legend (now only an occasional visitor)
van-c.jpg
 
These are the prop bars I mentioned. These are spring loaded to just pop in or out as required. It was only after doing this for nearly 10 years that the van hire place said 'hey are these any use to you'. Heck yes they were and I'll be making sure to ask for them in the future. Although I had my usual bag of ratchet straps I didn't need a single one

propbars.jpg
 
Wizcat said:
These are the prop bars I mentioned. These are spring loaded to just pop in or out as required. It was only after doing this for nearly 10 years that the van hire place said 'hey are these any use to you'. Heck yes they were and I'll be making sure to ask for them in the future. Although I had my usual bag of ratchet straps I didn't need a single one
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Used to use them back in the 90’s when we loaded lorry’s up with lighting equipment, very handy things👍
 
DAD said:
I fit them three across :head in, out, in with plenty of packing to prevent rubbing and checking none of the ratchets are against a machine. Wide bodies in the centre.

Three rows deep then fastened with a strap across to prevent them moving around or sliding backwards on hills.

Never had a problem that way in nearly 15 years of moving van loads of games to and from shows , although I know many others prefer to strap to the sides.

We used to put 4 rows but then realised that was putting us well overweight with a tail lift van
Click to expand...
Your post was very timely - I read it in the cab having exactly that in the back ; 3 x 3. I then did another run 3 x 2 and both times it worked a treat. Mine were bubble wrapped and then shrink wrapped with edge protectors on all the long edges which greatly helped - when I got to the other end it was like a clump of After Eights that had all stuck together.

Although 3 x 3 was only about half van, I wouldn't want it any heavier.

Thanks for your advice; really appreciated !
 
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Wizcat said:
These are the prop bars I mentioned. These are spring loaded to just pop in or out as required. It was only after doing this for nearly 10 years that the van hire place said 'hey are these any use to you'. Heck yes they were and I'll be making sure to ask for them in the future. Although I had my usual bag of ratchet straps I didn't need a single one

View attachment 181215
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I had two of those in the van - I put them behind the last row of 3 and it seemed to work very well, based on my 2 runs. I'm making sure I get those again for the next run !
 
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