How many desktops can you fit in the bed of a pickup truck?

Ok fellas. Got another score to go pick up tomorrow and I am trying to decide if I should bring my trailer. I know before I even get started there will be people who say that you should always bring your trailer because there could be more to be had. Ok with that out of the way I have 50 desktops to pickup and its an hour trip one way so I would like to leave my trailer at home.

How many desktops will fit in a 6 1/2 foot truck bed? Y'all can guess but I would prefer people who know actual totals. Thanks in advance.

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How many desktops will fit in a 6 1/2 foot truck bed? Y'all can guess but I would prefer people who know actual totals. Thanks in advance.

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I guess the answer will depend on if you have sideboards or at least some ratchet straps.

No sideboards and plenty of ratchet straps. Maybe I should add a little. I want to ride on the interstate safely and not worry about losing desktops along the way.

I know how you load them affects your capacity also. Kinda like Tetris as one computer shop owner put it.

I can fit 50 in a Ford ranger bed. If you can afford it, go to Wally world and buy a cargo net. It'll be the best money you ever spent. I use mine to haul all sorts of stuff.

I would say you can fit 50 okay if you line them up properly. I'm figuring 3 rows of 11 with a couple odd balls tucked in and the rest laying flat on top. Bring a tarp or a cargo net and you're good.

The answer is... 48!

Thank y'all with the helpful answers. I have a quad cab so if I do have overflow and could put them in the cab with me. That's a little extra insurance. I'm going to leave my trailer home and I'll make them all fit somehow. Again thanks for the quick advice.

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Originally Posted by maneddi

I can fit 50 in a Ford ranger bed. If you can afford it, go to Wally world and buy a cargo net. It'll be the best money you ever spent. I use mine to haul all sorts of stuff.

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How do you position them to fit 50 in the bed of your ranger?

Long bed F150........74 towers No sideboards.....Luckily I was about 5 miles from the house no interstate...LOL

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Originally Posted by toula

How do you position them to fit 50 in the bed of your ranger?

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I don't stack them neatly....I kinda just throw them in there and let them adust themselves........If u stacked them neatly it would be way to high

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Originally Posted by mikeinreco

Long bed F150........74 towers No sideboards.....Luckily I was about 5 miles from the house no interstate...LOL

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Could you have rode on the interstate with 74 towers?

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Originally Posted by mikeinreco

I don't stack them neatly....I kinda just throw them in there and let them adust themselves........If u stacked them neatly it would be way to high

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I would think that there would be wasted space if you just threw them in there. I've had my truck bed loaded down I just wish that I would have counted the towers in there.

This time I will. It's information like this that makes pick ups easier. I'm all about making it easier because I have been getting a lot of material lately.

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Originally Posted by toula

Could you have rode on the interstate with 74 towers?

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Perhaps with a little more preparation but I knew where I was going.....Sometimes on the way back from a long haul if it is a lot of stuff I set my GPS to back roads......It takes a lot longer but I would rather take my time than kill someone

When I have a lot to stack in (never had more than 50 towers without lots of other stuff) I use a kind of pyramid stacking. I'll lay down a flat layer until it's up to the point where a tower will stand up and be over the top of the bed by just less than half its height. I line each side with these upright towers to make them be their own side bodies. Then I lay in another flat layer and repeat with the uprights which go up against the first ones and stick up almost half height. It's amazing how much you can get in a truck this way and it's very stable even without straps.

This may not exactly help you because I have a 8 ft. bed and side racks but today I had 117 towers ,6 copiers ,a washing machine ,a kitchen oven , and a 1975 ford car hood on top . none of this protruded above my racks and I had room for 10-15 more towers.

I can fit about 50 in the back of a 6' Tacoma bed. I put a layer on the bottom laying down 2 thick and then pack the rest on top vertically and tight and it's almost like making bed rails.

Thanks for all of the advise. Especially the stacking strategy. I'll let y'all know how it goes today.

Ok, this is what you do. Load up your truck and any that you have left over just send them to me. PM me for address. LOL just kidding. Nice score, congrats.

I can handle about 100-125 stacked right since my partner showed me how. Only thing is it pushes 1500 lbs+ lol. Poor old f150 takes it like a red head step child and keeps hauling. Im gonna take a pic today how to load.

Very carefully...lol..u just have to stack all like sizes together and sometimes re-stack a few as you go to use all available space. I go 1 or 2 stacks above the sides since I use a cargo net. I have hauled many loads like this down both interstates and country roads.

Well I just made it back and I was successful. It turned out to be more than 50 desktops so I put some in the truck with me. I had to leave behind the monitors but it is what it is. Only thing I paid for was gas. Saw some pentium 2 stickers on some so I hope they are all old.

So it turned out to be 67 desktops. Counted them while I unloaded them tonite after me and the family went to a festival that was going on down the road. As I was unloading I noticed an intel inside sticker so I had to stop and open it. When I did I noticed the heatsink to be larger than normal. I took it off and what do you know? My first pentium pro. What an amazing feeling to find one.

This is the right way to load. I could go one more layer, maybe 2 depending on weight. Then I use a tarp to hold it in the box!

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/2826/sam1789.jpg

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Just found my first 386 also. Today has turned out to be a good one. All the info that I have learned on this site is greatly appreciated. Looking forward to sending out my next shipment.

If it came down to it you could just get a little creative... I would use the outer case part and build my own side panels if it came down to it. When I had the flatbed truck it was always super fun figuring out how much I could get loaded on there. Cargo net and ratchet-strap things were my best friends!!

I fit 39 full size dells in my range rover with a passenger. Great score and a pp to boot.

Bump, I got a 5 by 10 trailer and a Chevy Express van 2500, I'm wondering about stacking on a trailer, and then in a van so they don't come crashing down.

Go get some stretch wrap at a shipping supply store. Maybe $20 for a big roll. You can bind everything together into larger bricks.

Check this one out Kochy, he describes it really well, I actually thought there was a picture of it

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Originally Posted by Pnutfarmer

When I have a lot to stack in (never had more than 50 towers without lots of other stuff) I use a kind of pyramid stacking. I'll lay down a flat layer until it's up to the point where a tower will stand up and be over the top of the bed by just less than half its height. I line each side with these upright towers to make them be their own side bodies. Then I lay in another flat layer and repeat with the uprights which go up against the first ones and stick up almost half height. It's amazing how much you can get in a truck this way and it's very stable even without straps.

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I know, but we're talking in a van aswell, I'll do that for the trailer but I don't know about the van.

The van just stuff it till it won't hold any more ;) Thinking I'd survey the load, move the stuff that best fills the van to the loading area(like larger things half height of van in first, then fill the gaps with smaller things, towers etc.) Be sure to pack behind the seats in a way it can't shift forward in a crunch, in a sudden stop things can quickly become projectiles. You'll need to load as much weight into the van as it will carry or at least close to that, for better traction on your drive wheels(be sure you check your tire pressures all around before leaving, as always check while tires are cold)
If there's a dock where you can pull alongside it lengthways, that might work to your advantage. Otherwise you might do best to drop the trailer and load the van first, then pick up the trailer and finish loading