Machinery skids

A machine stands on feet or a base frame, so its weight comes down on a few points. Put a runner directly under each line of feet, and the load goes straight to the floor through solid wood instead of bending a deck board. Send the machine’s footprint and the position of its feet or frame, and the runners are spaced from that.

Machines usually ship bolted through the skid. Mark the bolt holes on the drawing, and full deck boards, or blocking between the runners, go under each one, so the bolts clamp onto wood and not a gap. Lag bolts and through-bolts both need wood thick enough to hold them; say which your crew uses.

The runners set how high the deck stands off the floor, and that sets which forks and jacks fit underneath. Standard runners leave room for forklift forks from the two ends; a pallet jack needs more height and no bottom boards in the way, which a skid already gives. If the machine will be lifted from the side, tell us, and the runners are notched or spaced for it.

Give the machine’s shipping weight and where its centre of gravity sits if it is far from the middle. A top-heavy or lopsided machine needs runners placed to keep it from tipping when lifted. For very dense machines, see heavy-duty skids.

Machines often arrive at a plant that has no dock, and are rigged off the truck with a forklift, a crane or rollers. Each method needs something from the skid: fork pockets with enough height for the tines, lifting points clear of the deck for slings, or a flat runner bottom that rides on skates. Tell us how the machine leaves your building and how it enters the next one, and the runners are sized for both ends of the trip.

Machines shipped for export also need the ISPM 15 treatment and mark on the skid; name the destination country on the request.

Bolts or lag screws through the machine’s base into the runners are the usual fixing. The runners must be thick enough to take them without splitting, and wide enough that the holes land in solid wood.

Long truck journeys shake a machine on its skid for hours. Tight fixings, blocking against sideways movement and a skid that doesn’t flex keep alignment and paintwork intact. Mention delicate parts such as spindles, glass guards or control panels.

Check that the runners lie flat and parallel, and that the bolt positions match the machine’s feet, before lifting anything onto the skid. A center-of-gravity mark on the side helps riggers and forklift drivers lift a top-heavy unit level. Photograph the fixed machine for your shipping records.