How hard to move a shipping container around?

[CavinMan]

Wife and I are looking at obtaining a 40 high cube shipping container to store the tractor and implements in. We're not at all sure the delivery truck can get it where we want it. Seller claims we can drag it easily with a tractor, but we're talking somewhere between 8K and 11K lbs. I don't believe my little 32 horse Kubota will budge it. I don't think my neighbor's Deere 5030 will have much more luck than my 'bota.

We'd likely need to drag this thing maybe 100 foot or so. Anybody out there ever have to move one of these things? Just how beefy a tractor does it take? (pretty much talking level ground here, we won't be pulling it uphill). They don't look flat enough on the bottom to put logs under for rollers, and our tractors aren't going to pick up one end of a 4-5 ton container in the first place.

We could go with a 40 std container, but we'd have drop the ROPS to park the tractor in it. Not a big deal actually, but the neither the price nor the weight varies much between a std and a high cube, so why not make it easy and be able to leave the ROPS up was our thinking.

 

[2manyrocks]

I had a hard time moving a 12 x 20 metal skinned utility shed. It wouldn't budge with my 22 hp yanmar. I moved it a little at the time with the backhoe boom on a terramite backhoe.

Maybe you could move it if you put round posts under it to act as rollers, but mainly you could save yourself some hassle if you can find somebody with the right equipment to move it for you.

 

[BarryinMN]

Get rollers. 10' long pipes fence posts etc. work well. The bottoms are made with several length wise rails and the better ones are undercoated.

Your little tractor has no chance to move it otherwise. It is still going to suffer overload abuse if it does roll.

I welded a lifting T for my 3pt when I got a 40' hi cube, but my tractor 3pt is good for nearly 7K lbs lift. Used it to lift & put RR ties under it at the final position -- not for moving.

I pushed the thing with a 10K lb crawler dozer in the dirt about 30'. The tracks still spun even when transferring some weight to the dozer blade. Get a rock or root along the 40' and it'll pivot like it's on a bearing.

Don't bend or twist the frame as the doors can be sprung & cause trouble and injuries to users wrestling with them. Pick a shady well drained location & install it up off the ground for ventilation to prevent humidity, mold, etc.

The best stress free option is contract the delivery to where you want it.

Second best is find a neighbor with a 2X the box weight some kind of machine to push or pull it where you want it.

 

[knute_m]

Wife and I are looking at obtaining a 40 high cube shipping container to store the tractor and implements in. We're not at all sure the delivery truck can get it where we want it. Seller claims we can drag it easily with a tractor, but we're talking somewhere between 8K and 11K lbs. I don't believe my little 32 horse Kubota will budge it. I don't think my neighbor's Deere 5030 will have much more luck than my 'bota.

We'd likely need to drag this thing maybe 100 foot or so. Anybody out there ever have to move one of these things? Just how beefy a tractor does it take? (pretty much talking level ground here, we won't be pulling it uphill). They don't look flat enough on the bottom to put logs under for rollers, and our tractors aren't going to pick up one end of a 4-5 ton container in the first place.

We could go with a 40 std container, but we'd have drop the ROPS to park the tractor in it. Not a big deal actually, but the neither the price nor the weight varies much between a std and a high cube, so why not make it easy and be able to leave the ROPS up was our thinking.

You shouldn't have any problem moving it. I moved a 20-foot container about 200 feet, loaded with scrap metal, with my little 20 hp tractor. I figure it weighed 7000-8000 lbs.

I started out with 3 and 4 inch pipe as rollers. They were unfortunately crushed when the truck dropped the container off the bed. I had several 10 to 11 foot wooden fence poles that were about 6 inches in diameter. I used two floor jacks to raise the container enough to get four poles under the container. I then towed it forward, re-arranging the poles as necessary, and then pushing the container into final place with my FEL.

Again, this was done with a 20 hp 4WD tractor.

 

[tommu56]

old telephone poles work good for rollers I mover our chicken coop about 200 ft with them and the kids and a jd 312.
I jacked it up to get the first pole in pulled about 1/2 way on with the tractor till it just tipped forward had the kids go in and walk to back it tipped the front up.
I put another pole in and rolled it till it tipped forward again kids got in again sewsawed it up again put pole bacl under it repeated till i got it in place.

To turn the thing put roller closer on the side you want it to swing to like a V to turn.


tom