The storing and transportation of coils are one of the most dangerous cargos to care for, as the chance of injury is increased if one doesn’t take proper precautions with properly securing these coils. Coil racks are designed to ensure maximum safety for both the equipment and employees at work. Coil racks for flatbed trailers have advantages and features that are meant to combat the common issues we face with the transportation of steel coils.
One of the coil racks’ advantages they’re built with is a latch installed to keep products firmly and safely in place. The coils are held still and will remain where they were placed at the start of a haul, keeping personnel and the flatbed safe while keeping wear and tear of equipment and the coil minimal! If you often store or transport steel coils, having coil racks and knowing how to use coil racks is integral to the safety of you and your cargo!
Advantages of Using Steel Coil Racks
1. Safe Transportation
Coil Racks are designed specifically to help you secure coils for safe transportation. In order to make sure you’re safely transporting a coil, you need to know the coil will not move! Unsecured coils pose a major risk to both driver and motorist alike. The damage and risk of death or injury are too great to not enforce strong securement on your coil racks.
This includes not just using tie-down chains but also making sure the coil racks are not too big or too small for the coil. Too large coil racks allow movement of the coil, which increases the risk of damaging the coil or the walls of a truck trailer because the coil collides with the walls or rack bars. Too small, and the coil will not rest safely on the coil rack which renders these coil racks useless. Using the right-sized coil racks will ensure your cargo will remain firmly, safely, and comfortably in place during transportation.
2. Increased Capacity
Coil racks have a variety of capacity ranges when compared to other industry-standard racks. A unique trait about coil racks is that as they are designed for steel coils, these coils fit easily and perfectly in the racks, reducing the amount of labor you or your employees need to do! Additionally, you can have coil racks that are built to the exact specifications of your coils to make sure that your cargo will remain safe and snug during the entire drive! Having specifically designed coil racks gives you an advantage over other coil haulers since you’re reducing the risk of damage to the rack or coil!
3. Optimal Flexibility
Since steel coil racks for flatbeds are designed not only to safely hold your coils but to provide the best flexibility of industrial coil storage for you! These racks can slip into small or tight spaces, giving you more room to store more racks!
Steel coil racks for flatbed trailers have the type of flexibility you cannot get with traditional lumber racks – wood is not flexible enough to fit into small spaces and you are forced to need to comply with the shape and size of the wood racks. The coil rack advantage over wood racks is this flexibility. You are able to transport steel coils where you need them, not where the rack decides to fit!
4. Long Service Life
A big benefit to coil racks is their long work life! Compared to wooden racks – which degrade over time and can easily break, chip, splinter, and snap – coil racks can take more abuse and handle the weight of coils for longer periods of time! As coil racks are integral to handling important, heavy products, they need to be reliable tools for truckers. This reliability is tied to their life span, and dependability is a big coil racks advantage!
Where Coil Racks Are Used
How to use coil racks is tied to where you can use coil racks for flatbeds. Coil racks are specifically designed to keep your cargo firmly where you set it down during the entirety of transit. Coil racks are used to prevent any damage to the trailer surface; coil racks cradle the coil above the surface, thus preventing any scratching or damage the coil may cause from movement caused by the bumps and dips in the roads.
You can use coil racks for a variety of coil types, such as titanium coils, but you must always secure the coil to the trailer using proper transport chains or straps and coil chocks. Heavy-duty coil racks will not bend or break under the pressure of the coil and will keep it firmly in place with proper securements, no matter how many hard stops or harsh turns you may face!
Styles of Coil Racks Loading
There are two different styles to load your coil onto these coil racks for flatbed trailers:
- Shotgun: Where you let the “eye” of the coil face forward.
- Suicide: Where the “eye” of the coil is facing the side of the trailer or is facing up, pointing at the sky.
How to Use Coil Racks on Flatbed Trailer Loading
Coil racks are especially useful when loading a coil with the eye facing forward or to the side. Here’s how to use coil racks when loading:
- Have at least three coil racks for every steel coil you plan to transport.
- Lie down the rubber mats or blankets.
- Bring the coil down to sit on the rubber mats.
- Place the support on coil racks if necessary – such as lumber.
- Use coil chocks and edge or corner protectors where you need them.
- Secure the coil to your flatbed trailer with the chains and straps necessary. Follow securement protocol, laws, and regulations.
Coil Racks FAQs
Coil racks are designed to keep steel coils firmly in place during transit. Coils are a very heavy and dangerous material to haul, so it’s exceedingly important to properly secure them to a flatbed or trailer. Coil racks are specifically designed to support coils safely.
Coil racks cradle a steel coil to keep it off the surface of the trailer. Because of their weight, steel coils are at risk of damaging or scratching the surface of your flatbed trailer if they move during transit. Coil racks are designed to support coils above the surface, so no contact with the actual trailer is necessary. With the proper tie-down securement, these coils will remain firmly in place allowing you to deliver damage-free cargo and prevent your trailer from needing any repairs.
A single steel coil rack weight rating comes to roughly 10,000 lbs. If you are going to be transporting steel coils heavier than this standard weight, it’s a good idea to consider purchasing custom-made coil racks for flatbed trailers. It is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to handling and securing steel coils.
Steel coil racks for flatbed trailers are becoming more and more common in the trucking and hauling industry as they’re very efficient and safe options for transporting coils! The advantages of coil racks are too grand to be ignored, and we hope this article will help you make that big leap into using coil racks for your transportation needs.
If you still have questions or are unsure about the types and sizes of coil racks you need, feel free to contact us at Mytee Products! We can happily answer any questions and have our own brand of heavy-duty steel coil racks available for purchase! We know how integral coil racks for flatbeds are, which is why our coil racks are made of the highest quality and heavy-duty materials for long-lasting life.
