Ancra’s Lift-A-Deck II "load maximizing system" is said to boost load averages by as much as 30% while cutting cargo-damage claims by nearly half. That performance is based on real-world results. The company developed the estimates from proprietary studies and analysis of carriers that have installed the Lift-A-Deck II system. It’s said to make any standard van trailer more productive by enabling it to carry 10 to 30% more cargo while keeping it more stable and secure.
           
The Lift-A-Deck product is available on new trailers as an OEM installation or as a retrofit. It can be installed in all manner of trailer models, Ancra says, from little 28-ft pups up to 53-footers.
           
As it completes current installations with several major carriers, Ancra says it will have more than 55,000 Lift-A-Deck systems on the road by 2013. Leading LTL carrier Con-way Freight, which markets the Ancra system as ‘SafeStack’, is equipping its entire fleet of 16,800 trailers.
           
The Lift-A-Deck II system seems easy to configure and use, creating multiple decking platforms for palletized freight. It starts with a foundation of narrow, low-profile, aluminum aircraft-style cargo tracks. They resist forklift damage and attach to the trailer’s vertical structural posts every 16 or 24 in., becoming an integral part of the sidewall structure.
           
Horizontal shoring beams clamp securely into the vertical tracks and the ends of the metal beams are each independently height-adjustable at one-inch increments. The system provides adjustment flexibility, allowing loaders to accommodate freight pallets of varying shapes and sizes by precisely setting the right second-tier deck height. When not in use, the shoring beams can be retracted to the trailer ceiling, remaining out of the way but easily accessible.
           
The system’s standard shoring beams have a working load limit of 2200 lb, with heavy-duty beams available, rated for a working load limit of 3000 lb.
           
Have a look at a YouTube demonstration of The Lift-A-Deck II system here.