moving 20' container

[bendrewjr]

moving 20\' container

I need to move a 20' container, to another spot on same property. (flat ground) I have moved smaller sheds with boards and pipe by rolling them on the boards. This to me is the easy way . ( With out a rollback). Thinking of moving this same way , on 4" PVC . Will the PVC carry the weight of a container of this size ( about 5,000 lb.) Thank you for all advice Andy

 

[Farwell]

Re: moving 20\' container

I doubt that the wall of 4" PVC pipe will take the weight. If the bottom of the 20' container is flat and the weight is distributed evenly over the pipe there is a possibility that it will work but I still doubt it. I have used 2" rigid conduit and planks to move heavy objects.
Good luck.
Farwell

 

[gordon21]

Re: moving 20\' container

PVC pipe comes in different thicknesses. Schedule 40 is the normal grade used by homeowners. There is also a thinwall version to be used strictly for sprinkler systems. Thicker versions used to be labeled schedule 60 or 80. Ask a local plumbing supply. Don't bother going to the big box stores. They will not have it. The best bet would be if you could scrounge up a couple pieces of the super thick pipe used for municipal water systems. They are really heavy duty. They are typically blue or green with flanged ends and huge o-rings in the pipes. Compared to a big commercial project, you would be needing scraps. Ask around. Pipe will definitely be the best way since it keeps the contact point between the shed and the pipe very small. I assume you have a tractor to pull it along. Use several pieces of pipe and keep rotating them to the front as they pop out the back. I once moved a 2000# flat bottom floor safe all by myself about 10' by using a large pry bar and several pieces of 1" cast iron water pipe.

 

[Boondox]

Re: moving 20\' container

No. I tried the same method (with schedule 60 PVC pipe) to move my 8x8' chicken coop and only made it about four feet before the PVC failed. Not sure how heavy the coop is, but since my L4630 easily picked the entire thing up using pallet forks it must have been less than 1000#

Pete

 

[RichNJKubota]

Re: moving 20\' container

I just moved a small wood shed(8x14). Not too heavy. I bolted a 6x6 under and across one of the narrow ends. Then I wrapped two small chains around the 6x6 and bolted each chain to one of the lower 3pt lift arms. At the other end I screwd a scrap piece of plywood under the shed to act as a skid.
I raised the 3 pt and drove away. Turns had to be very wide to keep the 3 pt arms from hitting the shed.

Rich

 

[ScottAR]

Re: moving 20\' container

We moved a 15x20 ?? shed on machinery rollers. Think solid steel roller skate. Jacked up the four corners and hitched up the yandeere and away we go... Gravity kept the rollers under the bottom plates and they rolled along planks layed over dirt.

Moved it about 30ft I guess onto a concrete slab. We had to stop a couple of times to gather up the planks behind the path to continue the "road."

Slow going... took several hours but it was faster than building a new shed.

 

[Henro]

Re: moving 20\' container

Just a thought, but you might take that PVC pipe and fill it with concrete...

I doubt that PVC would hold up on its own, but with a concrete or motor or sand mix hardened inside, I bet it would do the job, at least on flat ground like you have.

 

[CurlyDave]

Re: moving 20\' container

I watched a crew of 4 or 5 riggers move a 10' x 30' flat-bottomed steel vessel weighing 30,000lb about 50' in less than 3 hours (including jacking up time) with those machinery rollers.

The rollers were about 4" high and maybe 12" long. Worked like a dream on concrete/asphault. Smooth wooden planks would make them OK on dirt.

Highly recommended.

Another possibility is the sets of wheels used to move mobile homes. They might be rentable.

 

[banjopkr]

Re: moving 20\' container

Around here people use logs the width of the container to move them around their yard.

 

[kensfarm]

Re: moving 20\' container

I tried moving my 12'x16' cattle shelter in the rain.. couldn't get enough traction going up a small incline. I laid out rough cut oak boards(wet).. once the shelter was on the boards it slid like they were greased rails.