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Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

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Educate me on storage containers. The really big ones that look like they belong on a flatbed longhaul truck or a train.
I need to buy one to store someone's entire 1700sf household contents for a few months.
I see 40'-ers for sale in the 1000-4000$ range.

Do they come in different specs; ie weather resistance, interior/insulation, doors.
How difficult is it to get someone to move one?
 
We use them for field storage in our operating locations.
Standard sizes are 10, 20, 40 and 53 feet. Most common are 20 and 40, and therefore those are usually the most economical as there are so many of them around (a TEU, twenty foot equivalent unit, is a standard measure of volume in the shipping industry).

There are companies that convert these units into almost anything. Fit them with shelving, racks and hangers for storage, benches for portable tool cribs and workshops, living accommodations including modular bathrooms, anything you can think of. Best to find one that has been single use (e.g. used to transport an international cargo once since new). There are no shortage of them available anywhere near a coastal port or an inland intermodal rail facility.

Moving them is not too expensive as they lock onto a standard 20 or 40 ft container trailer chassis. Also not usually difficult to find a picker that can sling one on and off the trailer for you at either end, unless you are really in the boondocks somewhere. Any decent trucking company can usually provide or arrange for the picker to lift a container.
 
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I am gonna guess your talking about conex containers. Most people buy them and set it where they want a storage unit. Usually, but not always, the seller will put it where you want it.

Usually pretty much weather proof unless a hole has poked in it. I have seen a few where a person put a regular outside house door on the side. Pretty much dry inside and vermin proof as long as the door fit and no other holes in it.
 
I meant to mention they are also commonly used as housings for portable industrial equipment - electrical generator sets, petroleum processing equipment, that sort of thing. They are cheaper than other forms of equipment housing and damn near indestructible.

Also, properly skidded they don't need to be lifted on and off with a crane. We often use a winch truck with a roller to move ours; but that is after they've been modified.

Biggest problem with storing household goods is the temperature in hot climates. If you plan to leave it in the sun in a Texas summer it'll get mighty toasty inside that thing.
 
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I suggest getting from South America, more specifically Colombia region, you might luck out and find one with a bunch of "residue" still in it.
 
Acrodustertoo said:
I suggest getting from South America, more specifically Colombia region, you might luck out and find one with a bunch of "residue" still in it.
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Might be better off buying a recently retired AA Boeing in which to store the furniture if one is looking for that sort of bonus...
 
GRG55 said:
Might be better off buying a recently retired AA Boeing in which to store the furniture if one is looking for that sort of bonus...
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Isn't that what John travolta did?
 
I just sold 5 of them that I had for storage for a few years.

They are a great storage solution...but temperature is a consideration depending on what you are storing. They can be giant ovens in the summer time. For household goods you should be fine.

There are basically four categories...new, cargo worthy, wind and water tight and used. Then you have standard height and high cube. Anything insulated is gonna be a custom modification to them.

My recommendation is to buy wind and water tight from a broker...used from a private seller you really have no idea what you are getting and how rusted out it will be. The need to be stored up on blocks to allow air flow underneath or they are prone to rot and rust.

The fronts need to be set level or you will be fighting the doors the while time if the container is at all tweaked on the ground...but a small forklift or bucket loader with a chain can easily lift a corner to level or drag them around when they are empty. They can be supported from just the four corners. We used 2x12 pressure treated blocks to level.

I bought 45' high cubes and when it came time to sell...I lost my shorts cuz no one could move the 45' and struck a deal with the one firm I found that could move them to haul them all away. Most decent towing or low boy trucking companies can move a 40' empty all day long...in my area they wanted $125 hour with 2 hour minimum to move containers and I had a handful of options...but none were able to move a 45'. 20' Units can be moved on tilt bed flatbed tow truck. The container moving firms wanted $600 each for the move...but closest one I had was 100 miles away.

For a WWT 40' unit you should be about $1800-$2k plus tax and delivery. I was into great condition WWT 45' high cubes units for $3,000 each all in with container/tax/lockbox/100 mile delivery.
 
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Here's the Starbucks at Boeing Field in Seattle.

img_1622.jpg


Ron Wanttaja
 
My wife's house sold fast and we ended up with about three months til our new house was finished. Renting a POD was perfect for us. They dropped it off in her driveway, we filled it up, and they took it away and stored it, then delivered it to our new home's driveway.
 
GlennAB1 said:
My wife's house sold fast and we ended up with about three months til our new house was finished. Renting a POD was perfect for us. They dropped it off in her driveway, we filled it up, and they took it away and stored it, then delivered it to our new home's driveway.
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That's what we're planning to do. Hopefully the present house doesn't sell too quickly, but we may be looking at a similar time frame before the new one is finished. I can only live in a tee pee so long ya know.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Educate me on storage containers. The really big ones that look like they belong on a flatbed longhaul truck or a train.
I need to buy one to store someone's entire 1700sf household contents for a few months.
I see 40'-ers for sale in the 1000-4000$ range.

Do they come in different specs; ie weather resistance, interior/insulation, doors.
How difficult is it to get someone to move one?
Click to expand...

Portable on demand storage. PODS. Look them up in the phone book. They have short term rentals for situations like you describe.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
what does a 40ft-er weigh?
can i set it on an array of pallets?
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Standard height will weigh about 8000 lbs empty. Usually just put them on some timber dunnage to get them off the ground a few inches and make it easier to swing the doors. Support them with timbers across the ends or on the corners only, makes it easier to level them up that way and for storing furniture no need for anything else.
 
No on pallets. 12"x12" timber pads on each corner is all you need...or heck, 2x6's or 4x4's will work depending on what the surface is and they won't sink into the ground.

The corner blocks of the containers are only about 8"x8" at most and that is all they need to be supported on, even when full. They do not need any sub structure or support in the middle, they can float on just the four corners.
 
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Interesting ideas, and some useful information. Thanks for starting the thread.
 
First, are you intending on moving it full of stuff? If so, then PODS rental (or other similar company) mentioned above is what you need. They have systems to keep it level while moving it. If you are just dropping it at someone's yard, filling it, not moving it (i.e, major home renovation project), then a standard 20' unit (or other size) can be rented from companies like Mobile Mini for reasonable monthly and delivery costs, but they won't move it if it has stuff in it. I rent these for company construction jobs a few times a year.

As mentioned above, it gets hotter than f#%& in these things in the summer, like 140F+, so don't put anything in there that is temperature sensitive.
 
What about Pods, if you fill one and have them store it for a few months at their place. Temps still the same concern? I would think it would be.
 
mscard88 said:
What about Pods, if you fill one and have them store it for a few months at their place. Temps still the same concern? I would think it would be.
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Most professional moving/storage outfits have air conditioned indoor space in hot climate and heated indoor space for cold climate storage, if you need it. I have several containers with equipment in storage in Houston, TX. One indoor container has all our temp sensitive material, the rest is outside.
 
Shawn said:
...I bought 45' high cubes and when it came time to sell...I lost my shorts cuz no one could move the 45' and struck a deal with the one firm I found that could move them to haul them all away. Most decent towing or low boy trucking companies can move a 40' empty all day long...in my area they wanted $125 hour with 2 hour minimum to move containers and I had a handful of options...but none were able to move a 45'. 20' Units can be moved on tilt bed flatbed tow truck. The container moving firms wanted $600 each for the move...but closest one I had was 100 miles away...
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:yeahthat:

Pay heed to what Shawn noted here. 20 ft and 40 ft standard trailers are the most plentiful by far, and you will find these two sizes of container generally the least expensive to purchase and the least expensive to move by truck, if you need to. There are a variety of other lengths, but I would stay away.

I moved a 2200 sq ft house full of stuff from North America to the Middle East in a 40 ft with 10 ft of length inside to spare. Judicious packing may allow a 1700 sq ft home to be fit into a 20 ft, depending on how bulky their stuff is.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
What is the difference between
Storage, Shipping, and Reefer containers?
Price difference too.
example
http://www.containeralliance.com/Storage-Containers/area.php?stateName=Texas&areaName=Midland
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Reefer is slang for a refrigerated container. Used for anything that needs to be moved in a temperature controlled environment, including frozen foods.

Storage containers are generally a used shipping container - same thing, just re-purposed. This comes about because there is limited container backhaul.
 
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Let'sgoflying! said:
What is the difference between
Storage, Shipping, and Reefer containers?
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"Shipping" will be New or Cargo Worthy meaning they are still fit for service on the ships
"Storage" will be Used or Wind/Water tight where they have been removed or retired from service. Used is a crap shoot, WWT is just that...retired but still wind and water tight.
"Reefer" is basically a refrigerator version of the containers for moving food products with built in compressors and such. They still need external power though to run.
 
I have a couple. A local dealer has special roll-off trailers for positioning them. If it can't be dropped by trailer you'll need a crane. I've had electic lighting added to mine, all to code. Very handy storage containers but you'll need to deal with humidity and condensation depending on your climate.
 
Thanks, folks.
"Storage" will likely be the appropriate one for me and the least expensive.
 
For 'a few months', you may be better off renting a container or a storage trailer. Just like the containers, trailers that are not fit for commercial use are available for rent.
 
Priced rental v ownership and based on some assumptions (duration of need, resale-ability) it looks like buying will be slightly better.
PS the best price is http://www.iplport.com/
and I think they are nationwide. Beat all other prices by $800+ delivered. And
'where delivered' did not affect the price.
Hope they are a reputable company.
 
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