fedexhatch
Seasoned Expediter
the company im considering says I need an E track in my van. but not where they want it. I dont want to go to the expence to install it and then be told I did it wrong.
E track!
- Thread starter fedexhatch
- Start date
guido4475
Not a Member
I put 2 rows on the floor, 1 on each side, about half way up from the floor.I hardly use those, except when hauling a drum, then I put a shortened E-track load bar there in front of the drum, in addition to strapping it front and back to the floor.But anyways, the floor e-track I use the most,with ratcheting straps all the time. I have noticed alot of people mount their e-track on the floor along the outside edges of the plywood, on top of the plywood. I welded each of my 8' strips of e-track 13" from the center of the van floor,(center line from wheel well to wheel well).Then I cut the plywood into 3 strips to fit into the spaces between the e-track and e-track to side rub strips.And screw it down to the floor, that way, the freight rides on top of the wood, not on the e-track, which makes it alot easier when loading and unloading.Be sure that the e-track is mounted on the high strips of the van floor, so there is space under the e-track where the slots are at.This works well because then a small skid can be strapped down evenly, also, even criss-crossed with two straps.I tell you what, just pm me and give me youre e-mail addy and i'll send you some pics, it would be easier to see what i did.lol
fedexhatch
Seasoned Expediter
WOW thanks I will!
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
different people do it in dfferent ways...i have torn my rear deck and e-track up 3 different times and i still am not happy with how i have it...1 piece down the middle of the deck from front to back and 1 piece on each side on the side boards running front to back. i need to install 1 piece on each side high on the walls ft to back and i think i will have it then...also i use load bars as much as e-track and straps..it just depends on what you are hauling.....
dotcommark
Seasoned Expediter
Hey Turtle, what's the measurements between your e-track strips?
fedexhatch
Seasoned Expediter
WOW turtle! thats slick!
I dunno. I could go back there and measure, but that would require, uhm, effort.
I think it's about 41-inches. The narrowest distance between those two side walls down there is about 49 inches, maybe 49½, and the E-track is 5-inches wide, so in between the inner edges of the E-track would be 39 inches give or take. It doesn't matter much, so long as you have room for a 48" wide pallet. Basically, I laid out the E-track so that the outer edges were at least 48" apart, measured the distance between them then cut the plywood to fit in between them, then laid it all out and screwed 'em into the floor.
The plywood is 8 feet long, and then there's another one-foot section up front to give me exactly 9 feet, 108 inches, of decking.
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nightcreacher
Veteran Expediter
Turtle,that is awesome,makes me want to buy a van,not,but really.You have it covered
Scottrucks
Seasoned Expediter
Thanks Turtle for posting that shot!!!
Helps all of us newbie/want-a-bes C/Vers to understand what set ups work!!
I know each one might be different but this sure helps
Helps all of us newbie/want-a-bes C/Vers to understand what set ups work!!
I know each one might be different but this sure helps
Almost always, yes. I've had a couple or three loads where it made more sense not to, but the SOP is to cross the straps (unlike Ghostbusters, where you never cross the straps, oh, wait, that's streams. Never cross the streams. Never mind).
Most 2-skid loads I never have to strap, 'cause they're not going anywhere. And most 1-skid loads I just block with wood beam E-track sockets and a 2x8 wood beam. A 2x4 would work, but the 4" height on those could maybe might possibly allow some types of freight to actually slide off the pallet and over the top of the 2x4 and onto the floor in the event of slamming on the brakes. That would be embarrassing. Before I got a 2x8 I would strap those kinds of loads down anyway and not use the 2x4, but the 2x8 solves most of that, except for top-heavy freight which get strapped down. While I do carry and use 12-foot and 16-foot E-track tie downs, the vast majority of loads can be secured with the 2x8 load bar on the floor, and those side walls and shelving prevent anything from moving left or right.
Jefferson3000
Expert Expediter
I take it that your e-track is recessed?
I noticed you've put in a bulk head since we met up in Rogers, MN.
Jack_Berry
Moderator Emeritus
are those vertical custom pieces attached to the ribs of the truck? what holds up the whole shebang to keep it from going she-BANG!!
Sort of. It's just that the plywood is thicker than the E-track. The end result is that the E-track is recessed, 'cause the last thing you want is something other than a smooth deck for sliding pallets loaded with freight. I've seen some people go overboard in complicating the simple, putting for an awful lot of time and effort into installing recessed E-track. But using plywood that's thicker than the E-track seemed like the easiest way to accomplish it.
The Sprinter comes from the factory with its own finished plywood deck. It's dark brown and you can see it poking out there around the edges at the rear of the van. For some people, that's all they use, and they use the factory D-rings instead of E-track to tie stuff down. I left the factory floor in place and put down a piece of plywood sheeting for two reasons. One, to leave the factory floor alone (other than drilling holes into it), knowing it's easier to replace an added plywood deck than it is to replace an original factory floor when it gets all tore up. I used Minwax Polycrylic on the deck, several coats, and give it a good scrub and several new coats about once a year. I've had a couple of large chunks taken out of it by forklift drivers, which I patched with Bondo and then sanded down. That plywood deck is now 4 years old, never been flipped.
1/2" plywood is actually 15/32" (5/8″ plywood is 19/32, and 3/4″ plywood is 23/32), beeecause making 1/2" plywood 1/2" thick would be too easy, apparently. Actually, there are 1/32 or 1/64 inch tolerances depending on whether the plywood is sanded or unsanded, but either case the actual thickness should be labeled on the wood, like it might say 15/32 (1/2″) plywood stamped on the end or the face of the wood.
E-track is 1/2" exactly (16/32), so 1/2" plywood at 15/32 would still leave 1/32 of E-track sticking above the plywood, which would be bad, very bad. You have no idea how bad bad. I use 5/8" plywood, which is 19/32, so the deck is 3/32 (nearly 1/8) higher than the E-track. After 3 or 4 coats of Polycrylic, it ends up 1/8", maybe a tad more. So the end result is that the E-track is ever so slightly, just the right amount, recessed under the deck. It's a beautiful thing.
No, that's just the back of the bunk. Forward of the bunk is the fridge/microwave/printer monolith, then the driver's seat which is obscured by the fridge, and then the windshield is covered by the window covering. Above the window covering is the roof slope that's above the driver's head.
I'll take some pics so you can see, but it's basically held up with right angle brackets. If you look closely, you can see some right angle brackets supporting the shelves, 4 for each shelf. The ones for the shelves have one screw hole on each end, the ones for the vertical supports have two holes on each end. There are brackets holding the vertical supports to the ribs right under the top shelf, in the middle (on the right, it's under the shelf right behind the orange laundry detergent bottle), and then at the very bottom secured to the floor. Each support is secured in these three places. I also have two long screws, 2½ inches, I think, screwed right through the side walls into the edges of the vertical supports.
My main concerns were sturdy, solid, sturdy and solid. I used screws, but with all the jostling and bumping going on, plus the fact that the van body is flexible, screws will work their way loose. I used some thread-lock on each screw, which worked for almost all of them, but there were a few screws that kept loosening up and almost falling out, especially the one that I stripped and had to use a larger screw and then stripped that one, too. I ended up just using rivets for a few of them.
The front of the shelves get scraped by freight, and I've had a few overzealous forklift operators take some small chunks out of the vertical supports, but all in all it's held up far beyond my expectations. The shelves are 3 years old now.