Best way to transport paving slabs

[Ouch77]

What's the best way to shift a largish quantity of sandstone paving flags? They're a variety of sizes up to 900x600, and there's about 4 tonnes worth.

They've been sat for a couple of years, it seems, in wooden stillages in the open, and I doubt the stillages would survive being used to lift the contents again.

Can I just stack them flat in a van? would they be better on end? Pack them out with wood in between?

I don't have far to move them, though it is down some pretty skinny & bumpy roads, and I appreciate I'll probably have to do at least a couple of trips.

 

[kbdiy]

Stacked on edge would be best in my opinion. If you lay them flat there is a greater risk of breakage.

 

[WabbitPoo]

ditto

 

[r896neo]

the crates are nearly always hardwood and may be better than you think.

Not much fun if it gives way once its up in the air though

 

[Ouch77]

Just to follow up on this:

Ended up carting all 3.5 tonnes of slabs in the back of my car

put the seats down, a layer of 9mm osb to protect the upholstery and that gave me 2x1m load area for laying the stones flat. 400kg at a time, with cardboard in between to prevent them grinding themselves to dust in transit, and did it all in 7 journeys.

probably about £50 in fuels spent, and no damage to the car, despite the the state of the roads. Result.

 

[Trazor]

500 Kg per journey, rather you than me..........

 

[Ouch77]

500 Kg per journey, rather you than me..........

The plated payload of my car is 520kg, I made sure I only had half a tank of gas or less, and I didn't have breakfast that day..