Signature Solar - Pallet of Panels - Shipper Issue

[Pinto Yates]

That will work sometimes… but not with my delivery. The solar panel pallet sides were straight 2x4s so no way to poke into the side of the pallet. Could only get it up from the end. Something to consider for sure when ordering a dozen or more high watt panels.

My Freight deliveries from Signature Solar were delivered by R&L or FedEx freight. No issues or damages with any so far and all the drivers were top notch and helpful Unloading. We’re out way past the boonies, off a dirt road and not at all easy to deliver to, so that’s pretty amazing to me.

That is a fine looking Branson you’re driving there. Own one myself!

 

[G00SE]

That will work sometimes… but not with my delivery. The solar panel pallet sides were straight 2x4s so no way to poke into the side of the pallet. Could only get it up from the end. Something to consider for sure when ordering a dozen or more high watt panels.

My Freight deliveries from Signature Solar were delivered by R&L or FedEx freight. No issues or damages with any so far and all the drivers were top notch and helpful Unloading. We’re out way past the boonies, off a dirt road and not at all easy to deliver to, so that’s pretty amazing to me.

That is a fine looking Branson you’re driving there. Own one myself!

Which model did you get? Drove my happy ass all the way to Coweta to get it. I’m sure I passed a handful of branson dealers on the way but the folks in OK treated me right. I love this thing man! I did load a pallet long ways into my pickup and it was a bear. No chance I’d pull it off a flat deck that way

 

[Pinto Yates]

I have a 5520 without cab and it’s a beast. I believe my TX dealer actually horse traded with the Coweta dealer then actually hauled it back down from Oklahoma for me to buy. That was back when you couldn’t find any in stock.

You wouldn’t think tractors and solar go together but I’m using mine all the time to build ground mounts, lift panels up high for install, trenching for wiring, etc. No way I could do much of that without some serious hydraulics! I waited way too long to get one.

 

[Recovering EE]

R&L delivered an EG4 12k solar mini-split on a pallet, they pushed it up the driveway, and "hid" it between a vehicle and my garage door.

I didn't even know they had dropped it off until I later saw the notice of delivery text on my phone.

 

[murmeister]

Thanks everyone for your comments and support - Especially Signature Solar folks.

I've been in touch with FedEx numerous times and have gotten nothing but a run around. I about blew a gasket when I got an overdue notice! I worked my way up the food chain and got nothing but sympathy - since nobody had the authority to override the charge.

I finally entered a "ticket" in their online system and haven't heard anything from anyone since then - including a new overdue notice. If they negated the charges, they could have at least told me about it.

The driver mentioned his pallet jack wouldn't move the pallet, but he was probably aware that the road slope at the end of my driveway was too much for his manual jack to hold it. I didn't consider the need for a motorized jack. I did end up maneuvering the pallet so I could grab it from the side since I don't have long forks on my tractor. A huge shout-out to Jake (my tractor) for handling such a load when it is WELL above the specified limit in the owner's manual.

Now, if I could just find someone willing to hook everything up for a reasonable price - heck - just getting a quote has been a challenge!

Thanks again for the comments!

 

[Daniel644]

I did just have a thought, if instead of laying the panels on their sides they where stood up on their ends then a 2x4 frame could be built around them on a standard single pallet (thats been reinforced with a solid sheet of plywood on top) could handle most pallets of panels and so could standard pallet jacks, would solve a lot of the shipping (lift gate depth, lack of fork holes on the side of the long pallets) issues, provided that wouldn't make the panels more likely to break in transit, I wouldn't consider myself an expert on shipping by any means, but taller is better if it reduces the foot print IMHO.

 

[murmeister]

I finally received written notification from FedEx that I was not on the hook for the additional time.

While I still think buying a pallet of panels is a good financial decision, I'm not sure about the logistics of delivery. I know Signature Solar wants to get products to their customers as affordably as possible. I just think there has to be a better way to do that so the end user isn't left wondering what to do with 1 ton of panels at the end of their driveway.

I like the idea of a vertical stack instead of laying on their side. I'm no shipper, either, but I envision two stacks side by side on smaller pallets that could be individually shrink-wrapped and bound together on the currently used larger pallet. The shipper could treat it as a single bundle, then the end user could grab one half at a time at their location.

My three PowerPro batteries came that way. Each one was on a small pallet and all were stacked together and bundled as a single delivery. I was able to manage one at a time with my tractor since they each had their own pallet.

I have every confidence that things will just keep getting better as more people run into issues. Growing pains are better than dying pains.

 

[HighTechLab]

Here is how we (currentconnected) have stopped panels getting damage:


Can’t stab the glass if you aren’t forking from the glass side in the first place…We also added a board at the bottom of the skinny side, so if the forklift operator has their forks too high, they hit a 1x4 instead of the frame of the panels.

$40 of wood vs many hours of headaches filing freight claims that often get denied

$40 of wood vs a reshipment to the customer because they actually need all the panels they pay for.

$40 of wood vs a complaint on the diy solar forum.

 

[PreppenWolf]

Current Connected "We've made a forklift proof box"

Fork Lift Operators "Hold my Beer"



On a serious note, I like the box.

 

[Skinny76]

I just received 27x395 watt panels. The delivery was canceled for Friday the 8th and rescheduled for Tuesday the 12th. They came straight from Texas to Memphis to Huntsville, but after the schedule change, they visited somewhere in North Carolina and Atlanta. The pallet was heavy. When I received them, there wasn't a little pyramid on top and there was evidence a pallet had been stacked on top. I assume the nail in the picture didn't just fall there with meteor force, so it must have came off a pallet placed on top. However, none of the panels were damaged.