Quote:
Originally Posted by DeepWater
We have searched around and found some cargo restraining systems called “E-Track” that looks like it would work well for securing carts, crates, boxes, etc. inside the trailer for transport. Does anyone have any experience with “E-Track”?
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In college I spent several years in concert production which involved loading and driving trucks daily. As such I have learned the importance of load control for even the shortest jaunt. In my opinion, E-track beats D-rings hands down. E-track is a continuous piece that I can connect into wherever the load dictates, while D-rings force connections at discrete points which may not be quite where I need them. E-track also does this while providing the flush installation of D-rings. I would not recommend any method that does not install flush as it will be a consistent source of misery from catching on equipment and people leading to damage and injury. (Wheel wells in a trailer drive me nuts.) I have seen E-track run in vertical and horizontal strips within the trailer and I find the vertical runs to have similar problems as the D-rings. Best bet, install 3-4 horizontal bands of the e-track in the sides of the trailer. Pick heights that coincide with the stuff you carry; 18", 36" & 54" from the floor are probably good places to start, but adjust for your load. The source you found for the track should also have straps and load control bars. If not, check out
http://www.etrailer.com/c-ET.htm. I'd start with 2-4 straps that clip into the track.
As an additional item, now that you have your own trailer, you have an opportunity to standardize your containers that may help making your packing life easier. We did this by making trying to get all of our container dimensions to line up with a fractional increment of the trailers inside width. For our 90" wide trailers this meant we had a 'half pack' dimension of 45", a 'third pack' dimension of 30", and a 'quarter pack' dimension of 22.5". As much as possible we made sure our containers had these external dimensions and they could quickly pack 2, 3, or 4 wide in the trailer without any real planning. This method lessened the amount of mental gymnastics required to pack the truck efficiently. Sure, we always seemed to end up with that roll of carpet or fake potted plant than needed to fit in there, but at least the silliness was limited. A robot with bumpers is probably a close half pack in a 6' wide trailer.
Just as a clarification, I'm not suggesting build your own set of custom road cases (which would be cool), but just keep those dimensions in mind as you look at other containers. Example, the KoP boxes do not fit well in my wife's mini-van, but some of the Rubbermaid 20 gal bins are 1/2 & 1/3 pack in that vehicle. Consequently, we use the Rubbermaid bins when we have to move stuff around in her van.
Good luck with the new trailer. As with any advice, your mileage
may vary.