Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[gtaus]

Sometimes a couple drops of Dawn dish soap helps to slip these into place.

And let's not forget that you can use really hot water with Dawn dish soap in it to warm up and soften the rubber hose or pipe while the dish soap adds a little extra lubrication.

 

[gtaus]

A day or so ago, a member, @Land of Lincoln asked me how many pallets does it take for me to build one of my pallet wood raised bed v2.0 designs? The short answer was about 3 pallets broken down and cut into correct sizes.

It occurs to me that some people maybe are looking for a simple design that uses less pallets. With that in mind, I would like to post a YouTube video that makes a nice, raised bed out of one pallet. Here is that video...

I think you could build a perfectly fine pallet wood raised bed that way. Obviously, the benefit of that design is it was an easy build with few cuts, he used 2X4's in the inside corners to strengthen the raised bed, and with a good pallet, he made a complete bed out of just one pallet. Considering the reduced time and effort for that build, I think you would get years of service out of it before it needed to be replaced. If that sounds good to you, then try it out.

Now, let me tell you a little back story of how I came up with my v2.0 design. I originally built some raised beds using the method in the above YouTube video. I added the 2X4's in the inside corners for extra strength. It was a fast and easy build. Let's call that pallet wood raised bed v1.0.

I was really happy with those v1.0 raised beds for a number of years. However, after 3-4 years, the wall boards started blowing out at the corners from the pressure of the heavy soil and the wood getting weaker. Your experience may be shorter/longer depending on your weather conditions.

In any case, I set out to strengthen my v1.0 design, addressing the issue of side wall panels blowing out, especially at the corners. That was the main point of failure in my v1.0 beds.

So, I decided to put the 2X4 framing on the outside of my v2.0 raised beds. And I used additional 2X4 pieces in the corners to really make those corners strong. The framing of my v2.0 design is rock solid. Now, to keep the sidewall boards from blowing out, I moved them from the outside of the frame to the inside of the frame. The soil pushes the wood into the framing, holding it into place. It's got nowhere to go. Again, extra strength for the walls.

With that in mind, here is a picture of my pallet wood raised bed v2.0 design that I currently prefer...

I have had some v2.0 raised beds for about 4 years, and they are holding up just fine. No signs of structural weakness like I eventually noticed in the v1.0 design getting weak at the corners.

The only issue I have had with these pallet wood raised beds is that sometimes a wall board or two will warp in the middle of a board towards the inside of the bed. None of the soil in the raised beds has fallen out, but I have replaced a couple of boards for cosmetic reasons. I just dig down the side of the board, remove it, put in a new board with some brad nails, put the soil back, and repair job done! No problems with repairs that way.

I saw one guy comment on the warping of pallet wood in his raised bed. His solution was to add another 2X4 on the inside of the box, sandwiching the pallet wood wall boards between the inner and outer 2X4's, preventing any warping of the wood. If you get a lot of warped boards, keep that solution in mind. For me, it was just a lot easier to replace a couple boards, over 4 years, in the ~8 pallet wood raised beds I have built.

Here is a picture of a warped board that I replaced last year. You can see that the soil is still confined inside the raise bed. But I wanted to replace that board for both cosmetic reasons and to see how easy/hard it was to replace a warped/rotted board in the future. Turns out, it was an easy fix that only took a few minutes...

My solution going forward is to leave a slight gap between the wall boards to allow for expansion, hopefully preventing warping in the future. After 4 years, that is the only issue I have noticed. That is not too bad considering the quality of some free pallet wood might not be the best.

Overall, I could not be happier with my pallet wood raised beds.

 

[fuzzi]

A day or so ago, a member, @Land of Lincoln asked me how many pallets does it take for me to build one of my pallet wood raised bed v2.0 designs? The short answer was about 3 pallets broken down and cut into correct sizes.

It occurs to me that some people maybe are looking for a simple design that uses less pallets. With that in mind, I would like to post a YouTube video that makes a nice, raised bed out of one pallet. Here is that video...

I think you could build a perfectly fine pallet wood raised bed that way. Obviously, the benefit of that design is it was an easy build with few cuts, he used 2X4's in the inside corners to strengthen the raised bed, and with a good pallet, he made a complete bed out of just one pallet. Considering the reduced time and effort for that build, I think you would get years of service out of it before it needed to be replaced. If that sounds good to you, then try it out.

Now, let me tell you a little back story of how I came up with my v2.0 design. I originally built some raised beds using the method in the above YouTube video. I added the 2X4's in the inside corners for extra strength. It was a fast and easy build. Let's call that pallet wood raised bed v1.0.

I was really happy with those v1.0 raised beds for a number of years. However, after 3-4 years, the wall boards started blowing out at the corners from the pressure of the heavy soil and the wood getting weaker. Your experience may be shorter/longer depending on your weather conditions.

In any case, I set out to strengthen my v1.0 design, addressing the issue of side wall panels blowing out, especially at the corners. That was the main point of failure in my v1.0 beds.

So, I decided to put the 2X4 framing on the outside of my v2.0 raised beds. And I used additional 2X4 pieces in the corners to really make those corners strong. The framing of my v2.0 design is rock solid. Now, to keep the sidewall boards from blowing out, I moved them from the outside of the frame to the inside of the frame. The soil pushes the wood into the framing, holding it into place. It's got nowhere to go. Again, extra strength for the walls.

With that in mind, here is a picture of my pallet wood raised bed v2.0 design that I currently prefer...

View attachment 4177717

I have had some v2.0 raised beds for about 4 years, and they are holding up just fine. No signs of structural weakness like I eventually noticed in the v1.0 design getting weak at the corners.

The only issue I have had with these pallet wood raised beds is that sometimes a wall board or two will warp in the middle of a board towards the inside of the bed. None of the soil in the raised beds has fallen out, but I have replaced a couple of boards for cosmetic reasons. I just dig down the side of the board, remove it, put in a new board with some brad nails, put the soil back, and repair job done! No problems with repairs that way.

I saw one guy comment on the warping of pallet wood in his raised bed. His solution was to add another 2X4 on the inside of the box, sandwiching the pallet wood wall boards between the inner and outer 2X4's, preventing any warping of the wood. If you get a lot of warped boards, keep that solution in mind. For me, it was just a lot easier to replace a couple boards, over 4 years, in the ~8 pallet wood raised beds I have built.

Here is a picture of a warped board that I replaced last year. You can see that the soil is still confined inside the raise bed. But I wanted to replace that board for both cosmetic reasons and to see how easy/hard it was to replace a warped/rotted board in the future. Turns out, it was an easy fix that only took a few minutes...

View attachment 4177831

My solution going forward is to leave a slight gap between the wall boards to allow for expansion, hopefully preventing warping in the future. After 4 years, that is the only issue I have noticed. That is not too bad considering the quality of some free pallet wood might not be the best.

Overall, I could not be happier with my pallet wood raised beds.

Love Gardener Scott! I got my cattle panel trellis ideas from him.

 

[gtaus]

Love Gardener Scott! I got my cattle panel trellis ideas from him.

I watch all the Gardener Scott videos I can find. I'm just a hack gardener, so I'm willing to listen to anyone and everyone and consider their ideas.

If you want a relatively quick and easy pallet wood raised bed, I think Gardener Scott shows how to make one with as little as one decent pallet. My pallet wood raised bed v2.0 design is a bit more work, takes more pallets, but is much stronger and should last many more years. I enjoy tearing apart the pallets and making the raised beds, so I am more than happy to do the extra work for the stronger build.

No doubt, people can decide what works best for them. I just wanted to offer other options. I hope it encourages people to try and make something on their own. You can save a lot of money and keep some pallets out of the landfill. It's a win-win.

 

[gtaus]

Had to say goodbye to my primary go to town pallet pickup vehicle, my 1993 Ford Explorer. The brakes went out and the estimate for repair was over $1,500.00. My mechanic advised me to not repair it, given the age of the vehicle, and the repair far exceeding the value of the car. I ended up selling it for scrap to a local junk yard.

I don't plan on replacing it. I was down to driving it less than 500 miles per year, primarily only for towing stuff and tossing pallets in the back end. It was great for that. But now my other cars have trailer hitches, so I can hitch up my utility trailer if/when I want to pick up any more pallets. It was more convenient just to toss pallets in the back of the Explorer and not have to tow a trailer around. Nothing but a memory now...

 

[Smokerbill]

Had to say goodbye to my primary go to town pallet pickup vehicle, my 1993 Ford Explorer. The brakes went out and the estimate for repair was over $1,500.00. My mechanic advised me to not repair it, given the age of the vehicle, and the repair far exceeding the value of the car. I ended up selling it for scrap to a local junk yard.

I don't plan on replacing it. I was down to driving it less than 500 miles per year, primarily only for towing stuff and tossing pallets in the back end. It was great for that. But now my other cars have trailer hitches, so I can hitch up my utility trailer if/when I want to pick up any more pallets. It was more convenient just to toss pallets in the back of the Explorer and not have to tow a trailer around. Nothing but a memory now...

Sad but smart to say goodbye. Maybe a little less insurance and property tax, less spent on oil changes and other maintenance. But dang, I would've paid you scrap value for it and fixed the brakes myself. LOL

 

[Sally PB]

Had to say goodbye to my primary go to town pallet pickup vehicle, my 1993 Ford Explorer.

Oh, no. That vehicle will live on in song and story. And this thread.

RIP, pallet pickup friend. May your bits of metal find life in another form.

 

[gtaus]

Sad but smart to say goodbye. Maybe a little less insurance and property tax, less spent on oil changes and other maintenance. But dang, I would've paid you scrap value for it and fixed the brakes myself. LOL

Yeah, I don't know if it would have been worth it to fix it yourself even if you could. The estimate was for $850 in parts and about 6 hours of labor for $600.00. Frankly, I would not put $850 in it for parts, even if I could have done the labor myself. I know that many shops like to replace worn things with new parts, and sometimes you get overcharged, but I'm sure he got a good look at the condition of the brake lines, calipers, etc... when he had the Explorer up in the air and had a good idea what needed to be replaced.

Well, all that, plus who wants to take a chance on NOT having brakes? Not me. So, when he told me to not to go ahead with the repairs, I listened.

I have been taking my cars to this mechanic for over 10 years because he has proven to be honest. He has saved me a lot of money on repairs compared to other shops I used to go to. He is also the mechanic that will tell you if you can get another year, or two, out of those tires or some part that maybe makes a little noise every now and then. So, when he says the repair exceeds the value of the car, by a lot, then I listen to him.

BTW, he said if it was his vehicle, he would not buy the parts needed for the repair even if he did his own labor for free. I sure did like that old Explorer, but I paid $650 for it about ~10 years ago and it served me well. He suggested I put that $1,500 towards a newer vehicle in better condition, and I suppose that is about right.

 

[gtaus]

Oh, no. That vehicle will live on in song and story. And this thread.

RIP, pallet pickup friend. May your bits of metal find life in another form.

Thanks. I really enjoyed having a working vehicle that I did not have to worry about getting any scratches or dents in it. Perfect for tossing pallets into the back and taking them home. Considering how many free pallets I have picked up over the years, it probably paid for itself many times over.

 

[chickengr]

Yeah, I don't know if it would have been worth it to fix it yourself even if you could. The estimate was for $850 in parts and about 6 hours of labor for $600.00. Frankly, I would not put $850 in it for parts, even if I could have done the labor myself. I know that many shops like to replace worn things with new parts, and sometimes you get overcharged, but I'm sure he got a good look at the condition of the brake lines, calipers, etc... when he had the Explorer up in the air and had a good idea what needed to be replaced.

Well, all that, plus who wants to take a chance on NOT having brakes? Not me. So, when he told me to not to go ahead with the repairs, I listened.

I have been taking my cars to this mechanic for over 10 years because he has proven to be honest. He has saved me a lot of money on repairs compared to other shops I used to go to. He is also the mechanic that will tell you if you can get another year, or two, out of those tires or some part that maybe makes a little noise every now and then. So, when he says the repair exceeds the value of the car, by a lot, then I listen to him.

BTW, he said if it was his vehicle, he would not buy the parts needed for the repair even if he did his own labor for free. I sure did like that old Explorer, but I paid $650 for it about ~10 years ago and it served me well. He suggested I put that $1,500 towards a newer vehicle in better condition, and I suppose that is about right.

sorry to hear it.

I wish we had cheap vehicles here. prices for second hand here are awfully high. not cars only, anything.