Many of us are looking for a storage accomodation for vehicles and parts,
and here is my experience so far:
I wanted:
large yet not too big,
affordable but not cheap,
fireproof but not concrete,
dry yet with some ventilation,
secure yet accessible,
mobile yet permanent,
etc.
I looked at shipping containers or "CONEX" as they are called. They
were hard to off- load at destination, and for lack of a crane, nearly
impossible to move after set in place once. They have NO ventilation, and
commonly come in 26' and 40' long x 8' wide x 10' tall. There is rarely
access except dual rear doors. Usually 12 gauge steel and heavy as hell, up
to 9-10,000 lbs for the big ones. Few thiefs could hack a hole in them.
They are low to the ground once set up, and only a small ramp needed to gain
vehicle access. Price: $2000 range for 26' and up to $4000 for the big ones
in great shape.
I looked at regular tractor trailers, and found them similar to
containers except more mobile later on if you leave the wheels on. But
getting in and out requires steps for you and a major ramp for vehicles or a
dolley full of heavy MV parts. They are more commonly 16 gauge or 14 gauge
aluminum in construction, therefore lighter, but not as much theft deterrent
as steel. No ventilation. Dual rear doors again is not the best solution.
Prices vary greatly depending on condition and age, but $2-4000 should do
it.
I finally chose a MOVING VAN trailer. It is a short 26' version used
for commercial quick moves. It has dual 8' wide doors on BOTH sides and the
rear. Again, no ventilation is provided. It was wrecked (bumped a bridge
girder), but professionally repaired, all aluminum exterior. It has
hardwood tongue and groove floors over aluminum sheet and plywood interior
wall liners. It has a full 12 volt interior light system as some moving
vans will have. The complete undercarriage was removed, leaving just the
two steel I beams underneath. I built a shop with work tables near the
front with shelves. It sits 12" off the ground so I drive my jeep straight
in the rear doorway with two cheap little car ramps which I throw inside
when I'm not around. The huge side doors open for those hot afternoons
working in the shop on the jeep. Three keyed alike padlocks means I lock all
three doors with one key. We got it for $1000.00 plus $200 to have it
hauled and set on the ground over 100 miles from where we bought it. We
used floor jacks to get it up off the ground and 6x6 treated timbers and
concrete blocks to set it on. It is really nice, you can get a couple of 4
wheelers in there, too! I'll have some photos in a week or two if you are
intersted in the set up.
Try a trailer repair center. All major cities have them. Try calling
trucking companies and moving companies. Privately owned places can sell
their stuff easier without beurocracy. Shipping containers can be located
any where, not just at port cities. You can find out where the nearest
places are on the internet, or just try the yellow pages!
Good luck,
Brent brent@multipro.com
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