"It takes three days to unload an unpalletized boxcar. Once palletized, the same task takes only four hours." -Wikipedia

why this is so important / urgent

1. if we move to a new space, we'll DEFINITELY need to start using pallets (this is one of the major reasons we're looking for a new space, to make it easier to ship pallets in and out)
2. if we decide to move, and we're able to get our stuff palletized BEFORE the move happens, the move itself will take MUCH less time (amortizing rather than paying one lump-sum would be MUCH easier, especially given how scarce resources are)
3. if we're going to get stuff palletized for an eventual move, then we might as well get started palletizing stuff now. It will take a long time to palletize all of our bulk shit. Also, we're just now starting to REALLY get stuff organized, and we have a decision to make: do we organize stuff into gaylords/pallets, or do we use a finer-grained organization scheme? The former would be the ONLY choice if we're going to palletize stuff at any point before the move.

problems

• The elevator door entrance is ~42" wide, which is on the lower end of what pallets come in.
• Even for the smallest size pallet, the elevator is only big enough to hold the pallet itself. The elevator can't hold the pallet jack, thus, we'd have to purchase/rent a second pallet jack (one always stays downstairs and only loads, the other always stays upstairs and only unloads). (TODO: what are the costs associated with this?) [$280 new]
• The way the elevator is configured, the pallet would have to be deeper than it is wide (when looking at it once it's loaded into the elevator, and you standing outside the door). However, most two-way pallets are configured such that the forks enter on the widest side. There are two possible solutions:
  • buy four-way pallets (though they're more expensive)
  • are there any two-way pallets that have the narrower end available for the forks?
• The basement entrance to the elevator door requires a HARD LEFT turn immediately before going into the elevator. While this isn't insurmountable (thanks to the pallet jack's ability to turn past 90°), I need to TODO: confirm that a pallet of the size we're considering can ACTUALLY be maneuvered into place. It isn't sufficient just to know it can squeak past the elevator doors, I have to try to move it / turn it past all the corners we have to navigate.
• Taylor/Eads said "we can't do pallets in our current space". Did they mean that our landlord doesn't want us to use pallets in his (pretty, unscratched) elevator? (TODO: ask Taylor or Eads) (we should be able to get some surplus blankets, but TODO: we need to find out if the landlord would be okay with us hanging ugly-looking mismatched blankets in the elevator for

misc challenges

• need to find a gaylord size that matches the pallet size we'd get

creative solutions to explore

• would it be possible to use reclaimed-alley-wood to build pallets to our own specifications? Is there any way to ensure even a bare-minimum of quality control when using old semi-rotted wood?
  Honestly, they look very easy to build (PDF, HTML), but it may be going too far to use possibly-rotten wood when new wood isn't very expensive. Building our own sizes though looks like a great idea.

other limitations

• Without a proper fork lift, we won't ever be able to double-stack gaylords, right? Getting a real forklift is pretty much impossible, due to cost, ceiling height, and training/safety requirements.

proposal / finances

• what's an estimated number of pallets we'd need for a move?
  • how much would each pallet cost?
• what's an estimated number of gaylords we'd need for a first-time-buy?
  • how much would each gaylord cost?