Empty 20' Shipping Container Weight?
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MrJimi
Elite Member, Rest in Peace
The weight is written on the back of all the ones I see, I hope you have a long and strong trailer
not sure about weight, I will vary, maybe Sandman2234 will chime in
not sure about weight, I will vary, maybe Sandman2234 will chime in
brandoro
Platinum Member
I looked at one and it was 4700lbs empty. Reason I looked was to see if my 2X3500lb axle trailer would carry one. Probably not worth taking the chance as it would be difficult to load/unload and would most likey cause some damage to the trailer since my trailer is not a deck over. Think I'll pay someone with a truck to bring me one. They tell me that most people get a car hauler with the hydraulic deck to move them, easier to unload that way.
firedog
Gold Member
The 20 footers will generally run from about 4400 to 5200 lbs. (empty of course)
powerstroke444e
Veteran Member
If you plan on picking up one in a shipping yard most companies will not let you haul them on a small trailer. Most yards require over the top ties & chains @ all 4 corners. I have hauled 20's behind a 1ton & you would be surprised how much air they catch so be ready.
MikeD74T
Veteran Member
You can move one easily with a ramp truck. Many tow operators work a rotation & will work cheaper on "off" days. MikeD74T
gordon21
Veteran Member
You should be able to find almost any tower to haul it 100 miles for about $250. He will back up, slide the ramp back, winch it up and secure it with straps. Two hours later he can set it down exactly where you want it in less than 5 minutes. Compared to the costs of trying to do it yourself, this is a no brainer unless you really do have a lot of big equipment and experience to do this. Your average tow truck can easily go down dirt roads or across fields to the exact place you want the container to set.
Things to worry about if you try to do this:
Damage to your own vehicles such as tranny or engine concerns.
Do you have enough HP in the tow vehicle. A container will have 64 square feet of non aerodynamic frontal area. That is a LOT.
Winching up onto the tow vehicle.
How would you get it off at the destination. Can you place it precisely?
How will you handle crowned roads or sharp turns? (container could twist on an open deck)
I had my container delivered about 120 miles and set into the woods down a driveway we made ourself with the tractor. The path was still dirt with no crusher run yet and only about 12-15' wide. As the tow truck driver backed into the woods, he had to carefully watch for trees. He dropped the back edge within inches of where I marked it for him. He spent about 10 minutes backing, unloading and gathering up his straps. It was a smart $250 that I spent.
Double check the weight. The yard I bought mine from only had 20' models in the 5000# and up range.
The best price for a tower will be a flexible schedule tow at his convienance. This is how you will get it done for about $200 or so.
Things to worry about if you try to do this:
Damage to your own vehicles such as tranny or engine concerns.
Do you have enough HP in the tow vehicle. A container will have 64 square feet of non aerodynamic frontal area. That is a LOT.
Winching up onto the tow vehicle.
How would you get it off at the destination. Can you place it precisely?
How will you handle crowned roads or sharp turns? (container could twist on an open deck)
I had my container delivered about 120 miles and set into the woods down a driveway we made ourself with the tractor. The path was still dirt with no crusher run yet and only about 12-15' wide. As the tow truck driver backed into the woods, he had to carefully watch for trees. He dropped the back edge within inches of where I marked it for him. He spent about 10 minutes backing, unloading and gathering up his straps. It was a smart $250 that I spent.
Double check the weight. The yard I bought mine from only had 20' models in the 5000# and up range.
The best price for a tower will be a flexible schedule tow at his convienance. This is how you will get it done for about $200 or so.
patrick_g
Elite Member
I have two of the 20 footers. Do check the actual weight of yours. There are different height units (one is called high cube and is taller) and weights vary. The selling yards usually have means of picking them up and placing on a trailer so unloading is the issue. Mine were both transported on and unloaded from a semi by a forklift ($500 and this was a monster forklift) inside one of my buildings (14 ft rollup doors at both ends for drive through) however mine were both full and quite heavy.
Empty, I am confident that I could safely load and unload one of them onto and from my 12,000 lb (max gross wt) 18 ft trailer (not deck above so would require cribbing.) I am further confident that I could secure it safely to the trailer and pull it with either of my diesel pickups at or above the minimum interstate speed of 45MPH with no particular consideration for excessive risk to the equipment.
Attempting to drive at or near the upper speed limit would incur those considerations and risks because it is like towing a parachute and HP requirements go up radically for each small increment of increased speed.
So much for my confidence in being ABLE to do it safely. A fair question is, would I go through all the effort (and expense of procuring the required materials) required to set up to do it and the doing of it to save $250. I don't think so. If you didn't have all the required materials and equipment and had to buy any (or most) of it you could find the margin nibbled away to the point you were working for free or maybe even paying more for the opportunity to DIY.
Just for info:
You can move these things around on a concrete floor using some floor jacks on wheels (standard automotive floor jacks) You can jack them up at one end at a time with a pair of jacks at the ends of a beam you have placed transverse at the end. By jacking and cribbing you can raise the container pretty evenly up high enough to back a trailer under it. This requires a heck of a lot of running around and around and back and forth jacking, cribbing, moving jacks, lather rinse repeat, but is doable.
There is no really hard part except for the jillions of repetitions required to get it up high enough using this simple method. It would be wonderful if you had helpers and 4 floor jacks. Railroad ties make pretty good cribbing but other arrangements can be made.
For heaven's sake, if you are thinking of involving concrete blocks in the process, first take out a big life insurance policy in favor of someone you like. Oh, and the helpers need to be able to pick up a floor jack and lay it down at least at the height of your trailer deck, either single handed or with another helpers assistance. They need to be able to stack the cribbing (like playing with Lincoln Logs on steroids.)
Readers Digest synoptic versioin: Pay the $250.
Pat
Empty, I am confident that I could safely load and unload one of them onto and from my 12,000 lb (max gross wt) 18 ft trailer (not deck above so would require cribbing.) I am further confident that I could secure it safely to the trailer and pull it with either of my diesel pickups at or above the minimum interstate speed of 45MPH with no particular consideration for excessive risk to the equipment.
Attempting to drive at or near the upper speed limit would incur those considerations and risks because it is like towing a parachute and HP requirements go up radically for each small increment of increased speed.
So much for my confidence in being ABLE to do it safely. A fair question is, would I go through all the effort (and expense of procuring the required materials) required to set up to do it and the doing of it to save $250. I don't think so. If you didn't have all the required materials and equipment and had to buy any (or most) of it you could find the margin nibbled away to the point you were working for free or maybe even paying more for the opportunity to DIY.
Just for info:
You can move these things around on a concrete floor using some floor jacks on wheels (standard automotive floor jacks) You can jack them up at one end at a time with a pair of jacks at the ends of a beam you have placed transverse at the end. By jacking and cribbing you can raise the container pretty evenly up high enough to back a trailer under it. This requires a heck of a lot of running around and around and back and forth jacking, cribbing, moving jacks, lather rinse repeat, but is doable.
There is no really hard part except for the jillions of repetitions required to get it up high enough using this simple method. It would be wonderful if you had helpers and 4 floor jacks. Railroad ties make pretty good cribbing but other arrangements can be made.
For heaven's sake, if you are thinking of involving concrete blocks in the process, first take out a big life insurance policy in favor of someone you like. Oh, and the helpers need to be able to pick up a floor jack and lay it down at least at the height of your trailer deck, either single handed or with another helpers assistance. They need to be able to stack the cribbing (like playing with Lincoln Logs on steroids.)
Readers Digest synoptic versioin: Pay the $250.
Pat
powerstroke444e
Veteran Member
With a F350 you should be able to put it on any gooseneck deck over trailer, & pull it all over.
patrick_g
Elite Member
powerstroke444e said:
That is definitely true BUT... if it is empty you should be able to pull it all over just fine with a F-250 or similar. My 2008 F-250 Powerstroke would certainly not have a problem, the gross weight would just not be that much and a "bumper pull" (with correct receiver hitch, draw bar, ball, and coupler) will do just fine.
Pat
Highbeam
Super Member
Mine was delivered by a guy with a rollback or ramptruck, whatever you call the trucks with a flat bed that tilts and slides to the ground. He set it right where I wanted it in 5 minutes.
It's at least 8 feet wide so a typical car hauler won't do it. You'll need a deck over. I drug mine around just fine with a bulldozer.
It's at least 8 feet wide so a typical car hauler won't do it. You'll need a deck over. I drug mine around just fine with a bulldozer.
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patrick_g
Elite Member
Highbeam said:
Unless of course you have some timbers, RR ties, or other cribbing to get above the fenders. My car hauler is 18'3" and rated for gross weight of 12,000 pounds. It is some additional work to have to load and secure cribbing, your CG is raised a bit, but it is not a particularly difficult job to load and unload if, 1. you have a FEL or something that can hold up one corner at a time (or better yet one end at a time) while it is blocked up or 2. you have sufficient cribbing and the patience to use a jack several times.
I suggest that there are lots of axles available on the used market from trailers/manufactured homes and that it would not be all that difficult to put one of these containers on wheels and to fashion a tongue with a coupler and tow it like a trailer.
I was considering this for moving mine a bit over a quarter of a mile. I don't have a dozer. I do have dozer envy though. Since I will not be going off of my property I could put some curved ramps/sled runners in front to avoid making a grader out of it and pull it cross country then remove the tow assist apparatus and put it on the second container, lather rinse repeat.
I'm currently out for bids on moving a 35x70 steel building cross country a tad over 1/4 of a mile. The containers are currently in that building so I will be moving them. The massive semi type tractor (for highway towing) that the house mover uses would be able to drag the containers easily but I would want a sloping front on the skids.
Pat
Extraterrestre Ermitano
New member
This thread is kind of old but still relevant. A 20' shipping container empty weight vary from 3800 pounds to 6800 pounds depending on how many doors, height etc, etc.
Do they can be move on a flat bed trailer easy? Yes ill do it all the time. My longest trip was 650 mi from Los Angeles, CA to St Johns, AZ, hope it helps
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ch1ch2
Veteran Member
Where did you find that container with side doors?
Extraterrestre Ermitano
New member
Any major port will have them, google "open side shipping container". Got that one out of Los Angeles
ch1ch2
Veteran Member
Extraterrestre Ermitano
New member
You are welcome!
mobilemike73
New member
This is an old thread but I was wondering what one of these containers typically sells for? A local company (Michigan) quotes $2800 delivered for a mildly used container. Is this in the ballpark?
