Why Funeral Homes Use Link Transport Equipment

Funeral Service Workers play a crucial role in guiding families and communities across the nation with care, dignity and stability through one of life’s most difficult moments. Now more than ever, this critical profession is facing innumerable challenges, between rising costs, fewer qualified personnel, and changes to burial and cremation preferences. As these cornerstones in our communities continue to seek new ways to enhance their practices, Link is committed to providing transportation solutions that improve the safety, efficiency and professionalism of service.

Removals are the first step in all death care processes. More and more, families prefer discreet removals. When a hearse pulls up to a home, everyone in the neighborhood knows someone has passed. This can lead to conversation and confrontation for the family before they are prepared to discuss their loss with others. Therefore, in the interest of discretion, many funeral homes are migrating towards minivans, SUVs, Suburbans, or full-sized vans for their first call vehicles. These types of vehicles are much more likely to garner less attention, allowing families privacy during their grief.

While improved privacy is a benefit, minivans, SUVs, Suburbans, and full-sized vans are not readily equipped to transport cots, containers and caskets. Transporting these mortuary containers is cumbersome, requiring generous lifting power when loading and unloading, risking movement or tipping during transport, all while damaging the interior and exterior of the vehicle with wear from loading and unloading. Vehicles’ interiors are also difficult to sanitize with ease, meaning that significant time and effort must be put into cleaning the vehicle between each removal. These reasons and more are why many funeral directors and morticians turn to Link decks for their transportation needs.

Each Link Transportation Deck is designed with the end-user in mind. While our deck offerings are various, each one has several features in common, the first being they are designed to enhance a vehicle’s professional appearance. Extruded aluminum and sealed fiberglass are the basis for each deck, protecting a vehicle’s floor from wear caused by repeated loading and unloading. All components on the deck are sealed as well for easy sanitation, allowing morticians to use their cleaning product of choice and simply wipe down the deck after each use.

All decks by Link Mortuary Equipment also feature a bumper ramp. These ramps are designed with extruded aluminum and molded, high-density plastic, engineered to withstand impact during loading and unloading. Each ramp folds down over the vehicle’s bumper, providing a smooth transition for cots and containers into the vehicle. Not only does the ramp protect the bumper from wear over time, but it also reduces physical effort, providing a lower point of contact and a simpler incline for cots and containers while loading. When not in use, the bumper hinges up to store vertically, allowing full rear-door clearance.

When transporting cots, stability is a must. All Link decks feature a series of recessed aluminum cot cups, providing funeral directors and morticians peace of mind during transport. When cot legs are placed in the cups, the cots’ movements are drastically reduced, ensuring that the cots remain upright and stable throughout the duration of the call.

Link’s SS150 single deck system features all the above benefits, providing a simple, straightforward transportation solution for funeral directors and morticians. The SS150 fits in most minivans, cargo vans, and full-size SUVs. Each SS150 can safely transport two standard cremation containers, two cots, one air tray, or one casket, making it an ideal solution for those practices who average a lower volume of removals.

For those who often transport containers, be that cremation containers, air trays, or caskets, a preference for Link’s SS150XL single deck emerges. What sets this deck apart from its SS150 counterpart is a series of inlayed rollers on the deck. These rollers are entirely enclosed, ensuring that the units can be cleaned if the need arises. When in use, the rollers drastically reduce the amount of force needed to load and unload containers, allowing morticians to swiftly load and secure containers for transport.

Once in place, morticians secure containers on the SS150XL utilizing a series of Bier Pins and Bier Pin Plates. Each Link deck comes standard with a set of adjustable bier pin plates, which when combined with the 6-hole bier pin plate, accommodates a wide range of container sizes. Morticians appreciate the Bier Pin system for its flexibility and for ensuring minimal container movement during transport, protecting both the container and the vehicle from wear and damage.

As costs continue to rise, many funeral homes, coroners and medical examiners with a high call rate turn to Link for transportation solutions. A popular Link deck is the DD2000-XLC, which fits in full-sized vans, such as a Ford Transit, Mercedes Benz Sprinter or Ram Promaster. This double deck system effectively doubles the transportation capabilities of a full-sized van, allowing professionals to transport up to 4 cots, 4 cremation containers, 2 air trays or 2 caskets per trip. By increasing the capacity of their vehicle, morticians can save on fuel by reducing the number of trips to and from the funeral home, crematory or morgue.

Link’s Double Deck System allows one person to safely and swiftly load and unload cots and containers from both the top and bottom deck. The top deck raises and lowers in a matter of seconds, sitting flush with the bottom deck when lowered. No extra effort is required to load the top deck before flipping the switch and raising the fully loaded deck so that the lower deck may be loaded as well. The top deck is rated for 600 lbs., providing morticians with a significant weight capacity for their transportation purposes.

Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to speak to multiple funeral directors who have utilized the DD2000-XLC to combat rising prices and labor shortages.

The DD2000-XLC features the same cot and container security features as the single decks. Each deck has a series of cot cups and bier pin plates, ensuring stability and security throughout the entire trip. The deck’s bumper ramp is positioned so that cots are easily rolled right into the vehicle, while glide strips on the ramp provide an easy transition for containers from a church truck. Every element of the Double Deck system is designed with safety, efficiency, and professionalism in mind.

Sometimes a mortician needs more than just a first call vehicle. Sometimes, when the need arises, morticians need to use their vehicle to transport people, flowers, items, and more. To fit this need, Link released the SR75 Suburban Ramp. This mini deck provides morticians with the capability to stow the third and second row seats and transport two cots. Much like Link’s other decks, a series of cot cups provide stability while transporting, while a bumper ramp protects the vehicle and offers cots and containers a smooth transition into and out of the vehicle.

Unlike Link’s Single and Double Decks, when not in use, the third and second row seats can be deployed and used as normal. Link’s Mini Deck installs in the rear of a suburban in a matter of minutes with no drilling or vehicle modifications, allowing for easy removal if needed. The base replaces the vehicle’s cargo organizer, swapping in and out with relative ease. This option provides morticians and funeral directors with the versatility their job, and life, calls for.

Link is proud to make durable, quality products that help morticians and funeral directors transport human remains safely, securely and with dignity. Our mission is to provide great products, superior service and support, and outstanding product quality. As the mortuary profession changes, we adapt our products to fit the needs of our partners and customers, so that they can meet crucial challenges and serve our communities with care. You can reach our team at 800-222-6283 for questions regarding our mortuary products, or to find a distributor in your area.