The Pallet Dawg pallet guard.

Raymond Corp has introduced the Pallet Dawg, a pallet guard for forklifts with class 2 fork carriages.

Positioned in the middle of the carriage, the Pallet Dawg directs a forklift's impact force to the centre stringer of the pallet instead of the top boards.

That prevents damage to the first crossboard and minimises wood debris, which can lead to wheel and tyre damage and sudden load instability, Raymond said in a statement.

Pallet Dawg is made from lightweight, high-density, impact-resistant nylon and easily attaches to any class 2 carriage with a 9/16 inch socket and wrench.

Raymond sales and marketing manager Bill McCampbell said there were 1.9 billion pallets in use in the US today.

"Most are constructed of wood [and], once damaged, grade A pallets lose 70 per cent of their value. Considering one wooden pallet costs as much as USD8, the cost savings over time would be substantial for those shipping and receiving product," he said.

"For example, if a customer receives a damaged pallet and has to re-palletize it, the shipper of the product becomes responsible for the cost."