cargo vessal containers

Timber · Nov 24, 2007

Watch the floors in those, I have clamp trucks go through them a lot. I am not a big fan of them for buildings but they do work and they are instant. I would rather build a barn but then I am a fair carpenter. Be very careful running electrical, They are all steal

BarryinMN · Nov 25, 2007

Sounds like the prices are coming down, last Summer I was quoted $5K for 1 trip near new 9 1/2' tall x 40' container.

Putting it in shade is good and be sure there is ventilation under it to keep it from sweating.

Skyco · Nov 25, 2007

Whats with the giant text on a couple of posts? I'm on a new computer so it may be something here...

Anyway- they aren't all steel, the floors are generally wooden.
I've considered one to store my tractor in on my distant property then decided they aren't all that theftproof when one has multiple days to work on getting it open..a $300 oxy/acety portable torch can be in in minutes and silently too, not that there is anyone to hear it

So I still trudge back and forth with the gear

Timber · Nov 25, 2007

Yea I don,t think I would leave my equipment out in the middle of no where in a locked container. That is just begging to be broken into. I know when I was a kid that would be irresistible if we came across that. Now if you buried it in the ground like a Bunker & hid the opening you might be OK

gordon21 · Nov 25, 2007

I have about $2400 invested in mine. A 20' model in good shape with steel brackets welded at one end to put shelving across, a 9' window for light and ventilation, tax and delivery 120 miles from the lot where I bought it. These pictures were from right after it was delivered. I have since painted it dark green to blend in with the woods. No need for a pad. It sits up on some blocks. Completely watertight and not too hot with the windows left open a crack.

Most are 8' high. Occasionally you can find one that 9.5' high. Typical lengths are 20' or 40'. Have it delivered with a rollback wrecker and anywhere the wrecker can get to, you can have a container. Mine was down a gravel path in the woods. At the time, the path was about 10' wide and he backed down into the woods. the wide roadway was done since then. A 20' model weighs about 5200#, so the closer the wrecker can get to the spot you want it, the better off you are. Don't plan on moving it yourself in the woods unless you have some big equipment at your disposal.

A small LP camping heater will keep it warm. A put the 20# LP tank outside the door, leave the door open a foot or so and run the hose to the little heater. Nice and warm. It's called a Mr Buddy or something similar. TSC and sporting stores sell them for $40-80.

sandman2234 · Nov 25, 2007

I have one out back that I have had since the early eighty's. I paid $275 for it. It has steel endcaps, but that is all that is steel. The rest is aluminum, and it weighs 3500 pounds and is forty feet long. I sat my on an incline to where one end was sitting on the ground, and the floor rotted out on that end. A little air flow is a good thing to have under it. Set it off the ground on something extra sturdy and build a ramp up to the door if you plan on the floor lasting any time at all. (You guys in the desert can ignore that part).
I don't use it much anymore, and have considered scrapping it out, just hate to send it to the scrapyard. It is worth more in scrap than it is worth as a container. I have moved it three times and it can be fun to move, lol!
I wouldn't hesitate to buy another if I needed a quick building and looks weren't a problem. There are different styles of them, some have different door heights, insulation, roll-up doors, refrideration units (diesel heat pumps) and the list goes on, especially if you get into dedicated freight containers that are built to handle a certain type of freight. I have a friend that purchased 4 of them that were 12 feet wide and 9'6" door openings, 53 feet long. He got them for about $600 each because they required a wide load permit to move them. He just got a wrecker company to move them, about 40 miles for $200 each. He stacked them two high and built a roof over them, and has a really nice shop in between, with stairs built up to the second level for storage.
David from jax

Skyco · Nov 25, 2007

Hey gordon21- do you "camp" in that? I'm just over the mountain from Lake Lure and have a small "storage shed" that I sleep in sometimes when I don't bring the camper up. Lots of times I want the toys- tractor, log splitter, UTV etc so I can't haul the camper too

BTW my "storage shed" is insulated, paneled and has gas heat and a generator run AC for the summer. Someday I plan to build a permanent cabin, but for now I'm boondocking on the weekends which suits me and the dogs just fine although the wife grumbles some with no shower etc

Piperflyer · Nov 25, 2007

Always thought about putting a couple of Seavans together and making a camp out of them. They got to last a long time

Adam23 · Nov 25, 2007

My neighbor has one and he loves it. He stores his tools, 4 wheelers and tractor in it. He told me that he does not worry at all when he goes on vacaction. He says it is like a safe!