what does it mean to pin wheel skids?

It is a way to fit more pallets in the same length more than width; pinwheeling puts the length of the pallet at roughly 40 inches instead of 48 inches, it is used to make 24 pallets fit side by side into a 48 foot trailer easily.

The load may also be loaded that way so that the singles in a mostly double load are a bit shorter, getting slightly more weight per foot of length.

A disadvantage of pinwheeled skids is that those skids must be either unloaded with with a regular forklift, meaning you must be at a loading dock, or you need to skid them to the back and, or turn them with a line or chain, a pallet jack can't get under them from the side.

1 more thing, the pallet is structurally stronger with the boards running for and aft, rather than side to side, pinwheeling accomplishes that, the pallets must be 4 way pallets to do it.

 

Chimney blocked is easy compared to pulling a sideways single dead center with a large pallet jack, my companies have never provided us with one and the ones you get to use often should be in a museum or a junkpile.

Seemed it was always a ton on a pallet in a 96 dry van on which the receiver specifically ordered them to not pinwheel any pallets.

Probably the worst thing to get out is a liquid bulk container weighing 3000 lbs where the frame has collapsed,flat forks are no problem but you can't cram the jack into a hole that's not half high enough; time for a chain and some prayer that the thing survives the pull.