Pallet Destroyer

OK! So.... This isn't an original idea, but I need an easy way to break down pallets, and I like this design. I have been wanting to make one of these and this is how I did it.

Some things you will need:

2" angle iron

welder

saw (band or reciprocating)

pipe

measuring tape and marker

*You are about to venture into metal working and trust me when I say you do NOT want metal slivers in your skin or eyes. Use your PPE! Also metal gets hot when being cut or welded. ;-)

I used 2" stainless angle for this project. It is a bit overkill, but it is some scrap I had.

There are basically 4 part to this project: the base, the two tongues, and the pole.

The base needs to be long enough to accommodate the two tongues as well as fit over a 4" beam. I settled on 8 " for the base. The tongues will need to be long enough to give proper leverage and short enough to be maneuvered between the pallet slats. I settled on 7" for the tongues.

Measure your lengths and cut up the angle iron. (side note: I used a band saw but not everyone has access to that. Use what you have access to and make the best of whatever situation you have. If you don't have a band saw use a sawzall. If you don't have a sawzall, use a cutting wheel on an angle grinder. If you don't have one of those, use a hacksaw. I really don't recomend going any further down the manual tool line than that.)

A great man once said " stop looking at the welding light stupid!"

I used a mig welder, welding helmet, and gloves, to attach the base to the top of the two tongues, as seen in the picture. You will want to weld all the way around each joint for maximum strength.

That same great man also said "if you got to grind your welds to make them pretty, you are a grinder not a welder."

Needless to say I'm a grinder.

After a bit of experimentation, I discovered that the corners of the tongues directly beneath the base need to come off. I was having trouble fitting the tool between the slats on some pallets.

I had a scrap piece of 1" tubing and thought it would work nicely as the handle. Just remember, will be exerting quite a bit of leverage so the stronger the better (within the confines of convenience).

Once the pipe is welded to the base you are finished and ready to destroy some pallets. It Works great as you can see. Good Luck with your build and be safe.