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Best way to transport 6ft palms in pickup.


floridaPalmMan

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Hey everyone.

Tomorrow I'm heading to Moultrie palms in St. Augustine to pick up a few mule palms.

They're 6ft tall, too tall to leave standing up in my truck bed so I'm wondering what is the best way to transport them?

My truck bed is too short to lay them completely down but I have a 6ft trailer. Is laying them down best? Should I tie up the fronds? Will wind damage them?

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1 minute ago, floridaPalmMan said:

Hey everyone.

Tomorrow I'm heading to Moultrie palms in St. Augustine to pick up a few mule palms.

They're 6ft tall, too tall to leave standing up in my truck bed so I'm wondering what is the best way to transport them?

My truck bed is too short to lay them completely down but I have a 6ft trailer. Is laying them down best? Should I tie up the fronds? Will wind damage them?

Lie down at an angle, with the fronds / head facing off the back of the trailer /truck bed..( Use something like a piece of old Carpet/ towels.. to cushion the trunks from the back of the truck/trailer,  so they don't suffer any damage ) Can use either shade cloth or burlap to wrap the fronds, then use something like a rope to cinch up the burlap to help keep the fronds from moving around much. Can also pour water over the material to help keep the fronds from drying out while in -transit between where you pick them up, and your planting location.

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50 minutes ago, floridaPalmMan said:

Hey everyone.

Tomorrow I'm heading to Moultrie palms in St. Augustine to pick up a few mule palms.

They're 6ft tall, too tall to leave standing up in my truck bed so I'm wondering what is the best way to transport them?

My truck bed is too short to lay them completely down but I have a 6ft trailer. Is laying them down best? Should I tie up the fronds? Will wind damage them?

I wouldn’t worry about a mule palm ;) 

And to think now I have a V8 Silverado and no more room to plant!

I took the livistona across the St. John’s River Ferry like that from Jax to Fernandina. 

The royals were just from Ormond to Daytona - not bad. 

The cocos was from Titusville Home Depot to Daytona on I-95 in Feb. 2020 - 80mph and 49 degree air temp. 
 

if it makes you more comfortable, tie them up. I did more damage to the cocos though tying them up. 

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I have transported several 24 inch boxed Howea palms 500 miles on the freeway from San Diego to San Francisco in my tiny, 2004 Tacoma truck.   Here in California the permissible rear overhang is 2/3 of the vehicle wheelbase length.  This is from the "last point of support", during daylight hours, with a 16 inch square red flag at the rear.

This is California Vehicle Code Section 35410.

  Lay the palm down in the truck bed with the pot all the way forward, while standing at the tailgate start tying the petioles closely together.  Face forward, with the palm between your torso and right arm, and wind the rope around the group of petioles, compressing them with your right arm as you back up with the spiral rope binding the petioles and fronds together into a tight bunch. 

Use fabric that breathes to wrap the bundled palm, I use  36 inch wide weed control fabric.  Fasten the fabric with wide, blue painters tape, duct tape is too sticky and will be difficult to remove.  Use more rope on the top of the fabric.  Be sure to securely fasten the red flag to the palm with a cord all the way up to the petiole base.  If you try to just tape the flag to the fabric it is likely to blow off.

  If you have a cylindrical pot rather than a square box, then you must secure the pot so that it doesn't roll from side to side.  I use sandbags, but rope will work also.

Good luck, and now you owe us a photo of the load !!   :greenthumb:  

 

(Disclaimer, this wrapped Howea exceeds the 2/3 wheelbase dimension, but I slipped through with no problems !  :mrlooney: )

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San Francisco, California

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All great ideas just wanted to add if you want to keep the soil in the pot crunch up some newspaper inside the top of the pot and tape it down

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Loving the Tacoma pics in this thread. 

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3 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Loving the Tacoma pics in this thread. 

Was a good truck 

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I had a 1978 Toyota mini truck, drove 256 K miles, then a 1995 Tacoma 165K miles, then a 2004 Tacoma 146K miles, this one was stolen,  it is the one shown in this thread with the lumber rack. 

    I currently drive a 2003 Tacoma, purchased to replace the stolen one.  I bought the 2003 in 2019 with 23K miles, and have driven it myself 17K in the last two years for a current total of 40K. 

  The four cylinder engine is underpowered, with about 140 horsepower, and poor gas mileage at 22 mpg.  However, this engine DOES NOT break down, and is about as reliable as a stone.  :D

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San Francisco, California

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37 minutes ago, Darold Petty said:

I had a 1978 Toyota mini truck, drove 256 K miles, then a 1995 Tacoma 165K miles, then a 2004 Tacoma 146K miles, this one was stolen,  it is the one shown in this thread with the lumber rack. 

    I currently drive a 2003 Tacoma, purchased to replace the stolen one.  I bought the 2003 in 2019 with 23K miles, and have driven it myself 17K in the last two years for a current total of 40K. 

  The four cylinder engine is underpowered, with about 140 horsepower, and poor gas mileage at 22 mpg.  However, this engine DOES NOT break down, and is about as reliable as a stone.  :D

I've got a 98 Tacoma. Mine is lowered A LOT so my hauling capacity is basically a full tank of gas and a cheeseburger --- but can confirm the 2rz motor is bombproof

 

I just bought a Venza last week and already wish i had just fixed my truck. 

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@floridaPalmMan I wouldn't worry too much about a mule. Just like everyone has said, do your best to prep it before travel if you are unsure. I have used my truck to transport multiple medjool date palms, a jelly palm and a 30 gallon bismarck palm. I just tied up the fronds as best as I could and secured it as best as possible. I took it easy down the road and on the highway. Doing 65-75mph and they all seemed unfazed. I used plenty of rope, twine, ratchet straps and some 2x4s. Here is a couple of photos.

20210305_112035(1).jpg

20210305_133142(1).jpg

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58 minutes ago, Darold Petty said:

I had a 1978 Toyota mini truck, drove 256 K miles, then a 1995 Tacoma 165K miles, then a 2004 Tacoma 146K miles, this one was stolen,  it is the one shown in this thread with the lumber rack. 

    I currently drive a 2003 Tacoma, purchased to replace the stolen one.  I bought the 2003 in 2019 with 23K miles, and have driven it myself 17K in the last two years for a current total of 40K. 

  The four cylinder engine is underpowered, with about 140 horsepower, and poor gas mileage at 22 mpg.  However, this engine DOES NOT break down, and is about as reliable as a stone.  :D

What wonderful averages. Meanwhile, I do 35k per year. Ugh. 

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I will be heading to Moultrie in the very near future as well for mules. I have a Tac as well but my plan is to rent a uhaul that has sides and some have gates on the back. Only $35 for the day and you can fit 3-4 mules in them depending on size. I was also going to tarp it over with strong tie downs. 
 

6x12

 

 

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Edited by KDubU
Added image
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I drove a few up the highway in the back of my Tacoma lately, up to about 12 feet to the tip.  
I just put it in the bed with the gait up, padded the spot where it was on the gait, and the nursery just wrapped it up carefully with a hand roll of shrink wrap while I pulled up the fronds.  

Worked really well actually going 65 mph down the highway.  

Pretty simple and they made it just fine.  Got a little hand roll of shrink wrap for the back of the truck after that.  
 

 

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16 hours ago, NickJames said:

I took the livistona across the St. John’s River Ferry like that from Jax to Fernandina. 

31ACD160-5C98-473E-8964-C33CA976D328.jpeg

That thar looks like an FDOT violation!!!  :D :D :D

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2 hours ago, Merlyn said:

That thar looks like an FDOT violation!!!  :D :D :D

Don’t tell !!

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3 hours ago, NickJames said:

Don’t tell !!

Don’t worry, I see 10x worse on i4 and 417 every single time I’m on them. This wouldn’t be blip on anyone’s radar, par for the course at worst. Hahaha 

@floridaPalmMan I drove my leptocheilos all the way to Orlando from SFL in 40 degree cold during the Christmas cold snap last year and it never batted an eye. Laid it down in the back of my F150, fronds out the back like everyone has shown, and it was fine. A mule would DEFINITELY be fine doing the same. They’re pretty bullet proof in all regards. 

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Former South Florida resident living in the Greater Orlando Area, zone 9b.

Constantly wishing I could still grow zone 10 palms worry-free, but also trying to appease my strange fixation with Washingtonias. 

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5 hours ago, chad2468emr said:

Don’t worry, I see 10x worse on i4 and 417 every single time I’m on them. This wouldn’t be blip on anyone’s radar, par for the course at worst. Hahaha 

@floridaPalmMan I drove my leptocheilos all the way to Orlando from SFL in 40 degree cold during the Christmas cold snap last year and it never batted an eye. Laid it down in the back of my F150, fronds out the back like everyone has shown, and it was fine. A mule would DEFINITELY be fine doing the same. They’re pretty bullet proof in all regards. 

I’m a consultant for them so I have to be on my best behavior :) ...I think that’s what @Merlyn was referring to (my field office is near his palm paradise)

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  • 5 weeks later...
On 5/7/2021 at 9:06 AM, Merlyn said:

That thar looks like an FDOT violation!!!  :D :D :D

I have one for you. 18ft queen on a 8ft trailer.  It was fully maxed out and would not recommend doing this or will I be doing this again.  I had people taking pictures as I drove home. The drive was only about 15 miles. 

 

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Oh the things we will do for our palms! :rolleyes:

@NickJames that livistona picture is epic .... something I would pull off! lol 

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