Moving a cargo container

[avorancher]

Waiting for my B7800 to come next week (new to tractoring). Any ideas on how I can slide, pull, or drag an 8x20x8 steel cargo container about 1000 feet on a smooth dirt road. Tare weight is 5225 lbs, fairly smooth bottom. I'm not sure if the little Kubota is up to the task, especially during the break-in period. My Tacoma 4wd pickup moved it about 12 inches before breaking traction (no weight in it and no lifting force applied).

 

[TOMLESCOEQUIP]

Get your local towing company to pull it onto one of their rollback trucks......Most towing outfits have super duty flatbed low profile trucks these days and 5000# is very do-able on one of those. If you were in ohio and local I'd do it for less than $75 on my truck........as long as the road was decent it should be a cake job for someone with a proper truck...........TOM

 

[F350Lawman]

I have seen the rollbacks move them and that is the way I would go as well. Not worth the effort and wear and tear on the road and my 1 ton truck to lug this thing for 1000 ft.

If I only had say 100 ft. to go I would jack the container up and roll it on top of the 8 telephone poles that I have in my yard (waiting for pole barn). But 1000 ft. would take forever swapping the poles and pulling with the truck.

 

[avorancher]

Rollback was the way it was delivered. They had to drop it where it is because they couldn't negotiate a couple tight turns. The truck nearly tipped over once and the driver turned white and asked if he could just drop it as far as he could safely get. I had to agree after seeing how top-heavy things looked.

I'd rather keep it low. The drive where is it sitting is smooth and wide, but where I actually want to evidently get to is not so easy.

I've been thinking about 8 metal pipes and doing the pyramid thing using the tractor.

 

[F350Lawman]

Like I said I'd do with the poles, the pipes will work. The down side is it is going to be SLOOOOOOOW.

good luck!

 

[fivestring]

Slow, but safe.
That's close to how they moved the Hatteras Lighthouse.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I'll still go with the tow company idea but suggest something a bit bigger. Get hold of a heavy duty towing and recovery outfit. These are the boys who pull rolled semi's up mountainsides after they failed to negotiate a turn and right things like tipped fire trucks. Moving your 5200 pound box would be a piece of cake for them and they can probably put it exactly where you want it with an extendable boom.

If I were you I'd make sure I emphasized that I want them to do this as "fill" work and don't really care when it's done so as to avoid as many charges as possible.

Good luck with whatever you decide. I hope this helps. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[avorancher]

Thanks for the tip about avoiding extra charges. I'll check out some local big-rig towing companies.

This winter, I'll have a dozer up here to push in another road and I can have them drag it to where I want it. In the shorter term, I just need to get it off my drive.

 

[country]

I have a couple of those containers. Run an axle thru the forklift openings on the side of the container and installed the tires. Make a tongue on the front of the container and pull it slowly with your tractor. The axle can be a heavy duty pipe with spacers to keep the tires from rubbing the container. Boat trailer tires will work. In other words, make it like a trailer.

 

[theboman]

1. Use the Tacoma, locker in 4wd low and pull in reverse.
2. Jack up the container, roll a log/utility pole underneath and drag it unil you reach the end and repeat the process, and you can do this with the Tacoma or tractor.

 

[david43a]

I have a 40 foot shipping container two years ago when I moved into my home I ordered one and when the driver tried to unload it it slipped half way off the side of the truck. I thought for sure it was going to roll over my neighbors new fence and onto his new lawn. luckally it only slipped off his truck half way. I had the driver leave since he could not unload the shipping container. A fiew months later when I had rented a couple of large tracors and leveled out the bottom of my lot I had another container delivered. This time it was pretty uneventfull. The driver was able to deliver it where I wanted it.! Now of course the container is full of stuff and I an thinking of moving it a fiew hundred feet back on my lot. I want to build a garage where my container is presently located. Good luck moving your container I am also enjoying hearing the advice that you are getting on how to move your container. We don't live too far away from each other. I am 30 miles form Temecula CA. David

 

[Libertine]

country:

Excellent idea. I'm gonna havta position one and had planned to "log roll" in place. Your idea sounds lots better.

JEH

 

[avorancher]

Country's idea sounds good to me too, but don't have extra wheels laying around. (neighbors... keep your wheelbarrows locked up).

I'm afraid I'll be like David and fill it up with stuff before I get a chance to move it off the driveway. After all, I did get it to store stuff in and it ain't doing me much good right now.

I'm thinking about jacking it up and laying some pipes underneath it to break friction with the ground (pipes won't need to roll), then give it another try with the pickup. If I can get it sitting on 6 or 8 square inches of metal surface instead of laying flat on the ground, it just might be pullable. If the pipes do roll a little... even better.

Thanks to everyone for all the great ideas... it was my first post after lurking here for a couple months and a good experience.

 

[david43a]

Another cargo container story my new neighbor above me is having his lot graded for a home site. The contractor is operating a D8 dozer the lot has a lot of rocks and bolders some of them are pretty round. Well the container was stoared below the future home site. It looks like the Dozer was pushing a round bolder to the edge of the pad and the bolder did not stop it rolled down the hill and crashed into the shipping container the bolder was about 3 1/2 to 4 feet round. now the neighbors 40 foot container had a big dent about 5 foot form the corner of the container. So my quick advice don't store your container below any site you plan to grade if you have a bunch of large rocks. David

 

[Stroll]

Guys... I have two containers that are sitting on dirt. I'd like to get them up on some concrete blocks, or maybe treated 6x6s. Several of you in the thread above mention jacking the container up. Exactly what kind of jack are you suggesting to use to do this? My containers are 40 footers. Tare weight on each is 8,800 lbs. I've thought about digging a hole a couple feet in from the corner and putting my rolling car jack under there and seeing what happens, but I think the jack will simply fail. Then I have a ruined jack, and the container is still in the dirt.

What kind of jack do I need, and what method do I use? Really appreciate the advice. Thanks, Steve

 

[ustmd]

Stroll,

You are definitely going to need hydraulic jacks (4 ton) working together and a good platform under each to disperse the weight.

I would jack at one end and then move to the other. Also, you need to be careful about movement as you raise. I would definitely look at blocking it as you lift it just in case a jack slips.

Your profile, doesn't have a location, but one thing you should be concerned about if you raise the container up on 6 x 6s, is that you have now created a great habitat for snakes, mice, rats and other creatures of country living.

We have a container my wife uses for a hay barn. It sits one a pad of road base and I still have problems with the wildlife moving in. I am considering taking up the wood floor and filling the void with more road base to eliminate the habitat. I just need her to use the hay.

-ustmd

 

[dstig1]

Find a local house mover. It will not cost much to have them lift it and set it on cribbing or blocks for you. Or they could build a whoel foundation or whatever.

 

[CurlyDave]

Guys... I have two containers that are sitting on dirt. I'd like to get them up on some concrete blocks, or maybe treated 6x6s. Several of you in the thread above mention jacking the container up. Exactly what kind of jack are you suggesting to use to do this? My containers are 40 footers. Tare weight on each is 8,800 lbs. I've thought about digging a hole a couple feet in from the corner and putting my rolling car jack under there and seeing what happens, but I think the jack will simply fail. Then I have a ruined jack, and the container is still in the dirt.

What kind of jack do I need, and what method do I use? Really appreciate the advice. Thanks, Steve

I agree with ustmd that you only need two jacks and something stiff under them, like doubled 24" x 24" 3/4" plywood.

I don't think you need two 4-ton jacks. Lifting one end of an 8800 lb load only requires 4400 lbs force. Two hydraulic jacks with 3000 lb capacity each would be enough, but I would want 4000 lb to be on the safe side. (One jack at each corner on one end of the container.) This is only a 2-ton jack, available in most auto parts stores.

Lift a little, crib a little, and keep repeating.

I think treated 6 x 6 is the way to go. Single lengths that fit entirely under the container from side to side.

 

[brokenot]

Here's a video for you, at about 1:30 or so you get a look at their home-brewed adjustable jacking setup.

Also, check out the submitter's other clips with the home-made diesel garden tractor too.

YouTube - Kenya 2010

 

[travis potter]

I moved from the ground on to a trailer a 40 and then a 20 with 2 hi lift farm jacks the lift part fits in the hole on the end of the container the other end is onthe ground so it is stable. They were both jacked up high enough to get the trailes started the I used pipes between the trailer and the container and come a longs to pull the container on to the trailer. I un hooked the trailer so the toung would go up and align with the bottom of the container. The trailer was an 80 ft MH that I cut the front 40 ft off and used the I beams inside the back I beams all narrowed to 8ft wide the toung is now on the rear the axels are 2/3 back to the new rear/old front It worked out just right for halling the container 250 miles loaded with a lot of stuff. The 20 ft was the same but i used a 25ft Construction trailer. The trailers were given to me just to get them off the land. I dont plan on moving them again. I left them on the trailers blocked them up too high for critters to use as a home.Sorry it,s so long and not correct english but maby you can get the idea.