WHY A BARKOW STONE CARRIER?
Getting Started
After Barkow’s professional installers have mounted the stone carrier on your vehicle*, there are a few things you’ll need to know about your new Barkow Stone Carrier. A typical van or pick up rack can hold 1,000 lbs. per side, conservatively, which is ultimately dependent upon the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of your truck. Since the amount of granite or marble needed for a kitchen installation weighs 600-700 lbs., our carriers are the perfect way to transport stone safely.
In addition, since our stone carriers are mounted approximately 18” from the ground, stone handling is much easier than the more traditional method of loading it and removing it from the bed of a box truck or pick up truck.
Loading Stone For Transport
Stakes are the removable vertical tubes that are used to secure the stone to the rack and prevent your valuable product from moving during transport. Stakes need to be removed from the rack before loading the stone. The stone should be placed at the forward-most location on the rack so that it is touching the front loadstop. The stone carrier is mounted at a 6-degree slant, so you can temporarily leave the stone without worrying about it tipping and falling off.
Proper Use of Stakes
The stakes should then be replaced by first fitting the top hook into the top of the stone carrier, then fitting the lower tip into the ledgeboard. The stakes should be spaced evenly along the length of your product. At this point the BarkleatsTM (triangular rubber cleats that hang from the stakes), should be pushed snugly up against the stone, and the wing nut tightened. You will notice Barkow stakes have a spring- loaded bottom tip. This is a safety feature called Stake-Loc®, which prevents the stakes from coming out during transport.
Straps
As an additional safety measure, we encourage our customers to use strap assemblies in conjunction with our stakes. All of our stone carriers come equipped with horizontal “B” loadholding slats. The “B” slats have our patented round (stone cushioning) rubber Barpads® every 8” on center, while also providing rectangular slots that accept straps.
“Barstack” for Backsplashes
Often, backsplashes are part of the final stone installation. For transporting backsplashes we offer the Barkow “Barstack”. Barstack is actually a secondary removable ledgeboard that mounts to an upper horizontal slat. A Barstack set consists of two removable ledgeboards and one removable loadstop. Backsplashes are then secured with stakes and straps. Because Barkow BarkleatsTM line up with horizontal slats, your stone must be pinched between two pieces of rubber, ensuring no movement during transport.
Monthly Maintenance
As a final thought, we encourage you to check the nuts and bolts monthly on your mounting kit. A good habit to get into is to check your equipment on the same day each month.
Why a Barkow Stone Carrier?
F. Barkow Inc. is conservative in nature; if anything, our products are “overbuilt.” We do everything we can to ensure that our customers don’t lose product off of their trucks. In addition, we’ve built our stone carriers with an eye towards cutting down on breakage and reducing employee injury.
* Please note that Barkow Stone Carriers can also be shipped to you with detailed mounting instructions. There is no additional charge to have the carrier mounted in our shop in Milwaukee.
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