Freres Lumber turns panels with Caldwell Posi-Turner

24 February 2020

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Freres Lumber is using a 11.25 ton capacity Caldwell Posi-Turner to turn loads at its Mass Plywood Panels facility in Lyons, Oregon. It is designed to rotate bulky and hard to handle objects and is operated beneath the hook of a 15-ton capacity overhead crane to flip panels in the finishing area.

“We needed the ability to flip panels and the Posi-Turner has been a fantastic fit. I even saw one of our employees flipping a unit of plywood recently, which just shows how flexible the product is,” said Kyle Freres, vice president of operations at Freres Lumber “It is used sporadically depending on the job and it has been very efficient. The straps are easy to hook up and the unit is easy to operate.”

“Typically our panels weigh about 37lbs. per cubic foot (60kg/m3) The largest we have picked with the Posi-Turner, and oriented upright onto a drop-deck trailer, was 12in (30cm). thick, 12ft (3.6m) wide, and 48ft (14.6m) long, and weighed a little over 10 tons.”

The facility produces panels in 8ft, 10ft, or 12ft widths, up to 48ft long, with thicknesses ranging up to 24in.