Transporting EMT Conduit

[aireq]

I'm building the common EMT conduit shade structure for our camp this year with 1" conduit.

Has anyone come up with a good way to bundle/transport the sections of conduit. I'm going to have 40 lengths, plus a few spares just in case.

I was thinking of using some kind of adjustable straps https://www.amazon.com/Malone-Canoe-Kay ... 021&sr=8-1. Has anyone come up with a better solution?

How may lengths of conduit is reasonable for a single person to handle? Home depot's site says one 10' section is 6.7 lb . So maybe no more then 10 per bundle?

[EGAZ]

Straps like you linked will work. Are the EMT bundles going on a roof rack, flat on a trailer, in a cargo container?

How many per bundle depends on who you have picking them up. I prefer more lighter loads, than fewer heavy loads.

[Jackass]

At 70 lbs. and 10 ft. long, it's still cumbersome. It also kinda depends on where they're traveling, floor in a box truck or roof of the RV....Work smarter, not harder.

[BBadger]

In addition to the normal strapping, I like using pallet wrap around bundles of common lengths. Makes them real easy to load and carry around.

[aireq]

Thanks for the replies. These will be going in a box truck.

@BBadger: What's the benefit of the pallet wrap if you already have straps?

[trilobyte]

In years past I'd used rope (which didn't work that well) or pallet wrap (which did) to do bundles, but in the end making bundles was something of a hassle (many hands loading/unloading, some ppl couldn't deal with larger bundles, etc). In the end I just knocked together a two foot wide frame out of wood. Actually, two frames - one at each end. The idea was to create a channel that we could just slide the conduit into so it wouldn't shift or roll around during transport. We put the frame into the middle of the truck, because the weight would end up being significant (we were moving 100+ pieces), and we wanted the truck's load to be as balanced as possible.

[BBadger]

@BBadger: What's the benefit of the pallet wrap if you already have straps?

If you have bundles of, say, 10 pipes you can just grab bundles to load/unload, rather than jockeying loose pipes with straps. You'll usually wrap the ends of the bundles in wrap, enabling the ability to prop them up on end without worrying that the pipes will fall out. It also reduces the chances of pipes slipping out of the bundle during transport. Finally, you can use the straps for strapping down bundles rather than the pipes themselves.

A frame is a nice way to go too if you have room and a lot of pipes.

[mudpuppy000]

A rack in the truck is probably easiest to deal with, so you can just slide them in/out a few at a time. When I put them on my roof rack I load them up individually then strap them down with ratchet straps when they're all in place.

[ygmir]

also consider with a bundle of somewhat smooth, round, conduit (or pipe), unless it's very tight the center pipes can slide out, especially under severe braking. Blocking the front end is good, if you have them on a rack or some such with no solid front.
Also check the cinches a time or two. Even though you think the bundle is "tight" vibration will sometimes cause movement and the straps end up loose.

[Luigi]

I wrap 5-6 pipes with cheap electrical tape in 2 places, it's easier to lift onto my roof rack. Then cam lock webbing straps. Sometimes wrap a package for a 10X10 in the tarp that will be stretched on it and bungee that together.

[Captain Goddammit]

When I carry pipe on a truck I run ratchet straps from one side of the truck, one loop all the way around the pipe, then over to the other side of the truck.
Tighten it down and it squeezes the pipes together too. Stays put even if you get "brake checked".

[EGAZ]

Exactly how I do it....

[some seeing eye]

The OP was transporting in a truck - easy. On top of a vehicle Mr Captain has a good solution. When I have transported a bundle of pipe, I'm always paranoid that the inner pipes will slip out in a braking maneuver. So I try to fit some sort of bag over the bundle front and back anchored to the roof rack.

[maladroit]

That's another great advantage of pallet wrap. If you make small bundles of pipes such that every pipe is touching some of the wrap, the pipes will all be firmly stuck together when you cinch a ratchet strap around the whole stack. They won't slide around.

[fireheadwhale]

I'm only bringing 4 10 foot pipes. I had planned to have them crosswise in a 6 foor pickup truck bed sticking out in the back with a red flag on them. That's how I normally bring them home from the store. Today I put then in there like that, and just...No. I can have them sticking up at an angle on the cab roof or elevate them in back and fabricate some kind of rack so they lay flat and extend over the cab. I considered plumbing pipe, my shelter fittings, wood, unistrut, unistrut bolted to plumbing pipe. I don't want to spend too much because I plan to get a camper shell after the burn so buying a ladder rack is not an option. Any ideas? I have 4 solid mounting points with two bolts going into each at the corners to tie to. Shelter fittings would be the easiest solution but that would make them vulnerable to theft. I have to park sometime. I'll rig something up. Thought I'd ask.

[mudpuppy000]

I'm only bringing 4 10 foot pipes. I had planned to have them crosswise in a 6 foor pickup truck bed sticking out in the back with a red flag on them. That's how I normally bring them home from the store. Today I put then in there like that, and just...No. I can have them sticking up at an angle on the cab roof or elevate them in back and fabricate some kind of rack so they lay flat and extend over the cab. I considered plumbing pipe, my shelter fittings, wood, unistrut, unistrut bolted to plumbing pipe. I don't want to spend too much because I plan to get a camper shell after the burn so buying a ladder rack is not an option. Any ideas? I have 4 solid mounting points with two bolts going into each at the corners to tie to. Shelter fittings would be the easiest solution but that would make them vulnerable to theft. I have to park sometime. I'll rig something up. Thought I'd ask.

You can cut them in half and use EMT fittings to join them together, but they won't be quite as rigid.

[fireheadwhale]

I'm only bringing 4 10 foot pipes. I had planned to have them crosswise in a 6 foor pickup truck bed sticking out in the back with a red flag on them. That's how I normally bring them home from the store. Today I put then in there like that, and just...No. I can have them sticking up at an angle on the cab roof or elevate them in back and fabricate some kind of rack so they lay flat and extend over the cab. I considered plumbing pipe, my shelter fittings, wood, unistrut, unistrut bolted to plumbing pipe. I don't want to spend too much because I plan to get a camper shell after the burn so buying a ladder rack is not an option. Any ideas? I have 4 solid mounting points with two bolts going into each at the corners to tie to. Shelter fittings would be the easiest solution but that would make them vulnerable to theft. I have to park sometime. I'll rig something up. Thought I'd ask.

You can cut them in half and use EMT fittings to join them together, but they won't be quite as rigid.

Zackly, Thought of that. I really don't want to compromise their integrity. But thank you. I'm leaning toward the shelter fittings. Buy a few more EMT and it would be a piece of cake and cheap to knock out a rack. I plan to stay in Reno at CIRCUS circus the night before the final push and think I'm going to use the airport parking lot for the better security. Maybe I'm being paranoid.

[Ratty]

Iggy said

Also check the cinches a time or two.

Igmirs not here so I can make fun...Haha. Igmir must have had his saddle slip more than once.