Used sea container
 

I am negotiating with a few local Ottawa companys that supply sea cans. They ain't giving them away. I guess they figure we are all rich here in the nation's capital (not to be confused with the other nation's capital down river).

Anyone in the greater Ottawa/Montreal area have a line on sea can suppliers from outside of the city of Ottawa?

Locking for high cube boxes - prefer 20 foot high cube, but will entertain a 40 foot high cube. Should be fun wrestling into the Hammond barnyard...will tackle that challenge once the can is found and delivered.

We at work have 5 of hem and I have one on rental.

Their value depends on many things and fluctuates.

First off don't get mistaken about what you are buying.

The "real" sea cans are different from the "one ship" cheapies that come from china.

The "real" ones are the used ones and the "one ship" look a lot nicer.

Lowest we paid for a real 20 ft one was $2800 delivered all in a few years ago.

The delivery is what kills you.

R

The secret is.......
 

....finding a contractor that has finished with a job site and would rather get rid of his used container cheap than pay to have it moved...... but that requires a lot of networking..... and means of moving it or have it moved cheaply and rapidly.

A twenty footer can be moved by Gervais towing with their tilt and load tow trucks.... a quote from a few years ago was $600 from Hawthorne depot to Hammond barn. So you can buy it for $2500 and pay to have it moved or they will sell youone and move it for you for $3200 using Gervais as the mover....!!!!! go figure.

We could get a better price per unit if we could pick it up in Montreal or Toronto...... but would need to fabricate a support system on our 5 ton barn float and then pay for diesel back and forth...... if we had 10 sea cans to move it might be worth our while but for one or two not a money saving proposition.

Still waiting for one to fall from the sky......gently !!!!!!

Bub
....phrum the barn

Keep an eye on craigslist. There was a nice hicube 40' with double doors installed halfway along one side listed in the Fraser Valley recently for about $1500. I think it sold within a day...I tried to get my mitts on it.

Hint guys, as I am looking as well.
Buy a 40ft, you will use the space.
The 20ft cans command premium prices. A 20ft can costs about double what a 40ft can costs. Makes sense right?
In the case od sea cans, you get what you pay for, especially when dealing with a dealer. A cheap can may seem a good deal but when it leaks all over your stuff and the doors don't close, the value will be realized.
Best advice- heavy equipment auction- do not use a dealer of sea cans
Hire a heavy equipment company with a Landoll trailer who can slide it off right into place.
Failing that, be prepared to hire a 35 ton boom truck to lift off a transport and place where you like ( 4hrs minimum at $150/hr)
The most recent cans I saw went for $1200 to $1800 at auction plus transport.

some corrections needed.
 

A 20 foot can is $3200 in Ottawa .... a 40 is $4500 so they are not cheaper.
Similar price for TO based advertising in Auto trader,

40 footer requires a crane for $$$$ a 20 footer I can move around with my old farm tractor and a home made axle at my leisure.

20 foot can will fit and can be delivered with a tilt and load tow truck...Gervais towing makes living doing just that... 40 footers require the special trailer for can and a tractor truck to move it.... they would not be able to manoeuvre my barn driveway and would need to dump by the road with a crane waiting to move it.

All in all a 20 footer is much more practical

One more thing Rob found out..... 20 footer high cubes demand a top price due to demand/short supply...... 40 footer high cubes a more readily available.

I agree that dealers are the worst place to buy them from.... construction sites when major contract are over....contractors have already charged for the container cost in the contract..... they are trying to cut there losses short by selling them cheap.....rather than pay to have them moved into storage somewhere not knowing when they will used them again and move them again..... problem is finding out where these deals are..... and you have to be prepared to move them fast at your cost......

Bob

Hi Bob
I do not know where you are quoting prices from, I am going by prices and deals that I have found. 20s command higher dollars period, due to the ease of mobility, size constraints etc.
As far as contractors selling cheap yadda yadda, good luck.
I work for one of the largest electrical utility contractors in the world, and trust me, sea cans are gold on any job site and 99% of the time go from job to job. Contractors like us have things like float trailers, cranes etc so moving one is never a problem.
Our company has purchased several and they get used and used again.
I do happen to have a line on 3 or 4 cans (40ft highcubes) for around $2000 each plus moving from the Acton area.
Have you ever moved a 20 footer with your tractor? They are not as lightweight as you may think.

Hiab
 

I used to Move 20ft Containers for the odd Construction Contractor with the Building Supply Company I worked for.
The average Move was approx $100 dollars local .No more than $200 around town.
I used a Hiab 200 mounted on a Kenworth with a a 17 foot Flat deck.
Most contractors avoided the Tow Companies due to the cost ,The Hiab Truck mounted crane can place the Container Most anywhere.
Jeff

Another idea just came to mind and may be cheaper. Have you considered a 48ft van trailer? Get it towed into place, jack up the rear, cut off the axles and drop it. Used van trailers are dirt cheap.

Chris is onto something. If you need the structural strength of a container, then you need a seacan. If you just need closed storage, a condemned semi trailer is as good as anything.

Terry, I have seen guys do this in two ways; either knock the dollies and rear axle off and set on the ground or dig a big hole for the rear axles to drop down into.
The better semi trailers are the insulated reefers, they are stronger and have less chance of condensation
The oine issue you need to think about on seacans is that they will condensate on the inside- they are made of steel inside and out so many guys spray foam the roof on the inside ($$$). The other alternative is to use a roof top whirly bird to encourage ventilation.
I was just on Kijiji and saw a guy who has a bunch of 45 and 48ft van trailers in Toronto at $1200 each.
Another suggestion if you want smaller is to look at a truck wrecker for a 20 to 28ft van body off of a moving van/cargo truck.

Chris makes a valid point on condensation. I have two 40 ft. ventilated containers filled with antique cars & have no condensation problem.
There are sealed & ventilated containers available. The ventilation is simply a few small holes drilled in each corner with a shield over it. This seems to allow enough air to circulate but will not admit mice. The other important factor is allowing air to circulate under the container. The two I mentioned are sitting on very solid footing with a single railroad tie under each end.

I just spoke with my local container guy here in North Bay.
He advised me that seacans etc are use specific and careful consideration should be made before purchasing.
He carries all types including steel, plywood lined, refridgerated etc.
He did indicate to me that straight steel boxes do tend to have condensation issues, even though they have some ventilation.
He recommended going with a plywood lined can or a reefer can as they tend not to have this issue.

Containers.
 

last week I bought a 20 ft container from a company in Toronto Easy Access and I got a 20ft in excellent condition, it had been bout new and rented for a year. It was painted blue and the interior was very clean, I paid $2500 plus taxes.
I picked it up in Mtl, left Merrickville at 9:30am and was back home by 15:30.
This was amore expensive unit because it was new, an older model not as nice looking was going for about $2100.00. I have a 30 ft gooseneck and picked it up myself. The real killer is the shipping, they will charge you between $600 to $800 to bring one in from Mtl.
The 40 ft containers are cheaper than the 20 ft. The guy in Mtl was telling me that containers have dropped in price in the last month, before the same container I got would have sold for about $3000.00
I now have 3containers and I really like them, when you consider that building a wood shed the same size wil be as expensive apart from the time you take to build it and it is not as secure as a container.
Gilles

Another factor Gilles is that a container, unlike a wood shed, is not considered a "structure" in most jurisdictions, therefore, improvement taxes on you property nor building permits apply. It is considered a portable unit similar to any trailer, vehicle etc.

In some areas, that might not be a good thing.
Some places have ridiculously tight restrictions on how many (and how large) trailers, vehicles or "restoration projects in wating" you can have on your property.

Two for sale on Crown Assets in Montreal.

http://tinyurl.com/84fu9la

Get them cheap and have a transport company haul both of them on one flat bed trailer.

Says they are badly rusted and floors are rotten but the pictures say something different. They are used but look to be in decent shape.

I wonder if there will be more coming out of Montreal (possibly other points too although I believe I read that most was being shipped to Montreal, offloaded from container for onward shipment) as a result of shipping material back from Afghanistan?

I'm Bidding
 

Will see if the minimum bid holds...

The marker system on the can's door looks a lot like the location system we had in SPSS at KAF, so it may well be one of those containers. Note that these containers are likely condemned. The roofs may leak and they may be structurally weak. Best to sink the time into looking at them. We had some condemned cans in KAF that were not worth their weight in scrap, although those should have all been left there.

Yes, Grant, I am aware of this point but unlike an improperly or illegally constructed building, at least a container can be re-sold or moved.
Best to always check local regulations for clarity.
I would rather have to re-sell or relocate an old seacan than have to demolish a $20,000 shed...

Sea containers show up on Crown Assets pretty regularly. Usually 1-2 every other month. Some are in good shape, but a few were good just for scrap.

Hopefully they go for cheap, but don't count on it. The last 5 containers sold for around $1,700.

http://tinyurl.com/cgs8rqc - $1,777

http://tinyurl.com/7dkf343 - $1,772

http://tinyurl.com/7dbkaaq - $1,881

http://tinyurl.com/7zbddy2 - $1,757

http://tinyurl.com/7z5loac - $1,566

Not a sea container, but this truck shelter sold here in Ottawa today http://tinyurl.com/c9awrta - $1,695

We finished unloading the container from the trailer and into its spot today.

Is worth spending the extra money for a good container. This one is super clean and will work great for the extra storage we need.

I have to agree with Alain on buying a good one. When you consider that the shipping cost is the killer, you might as well throw in a few extra dollars for a good unit.
A bargain that leaks, has you going through the floor or has doors that you have to wrestle to open and close will surely prove this fact in short time.

Setting them up and some hopefully helpful info.
 

My experience is mostly with the insulated std height 20 footers.
When you put them on site make sure the doors open and close o.k. They can twist under their own weight, if they are not blocked properly. Imagine what happens when you put 20 ton in them and one corner sinks. Think about it, and plan what you want.
In my experience it pays to set them up so any water runs to the door end. The reefers (insulated 20 footers) I bought, have drain holes in the corners at the door end but if a leak is happening or develops you can see them. They generally get a hard time from the container lifters, and older ones can have leaks at the roof corners.
The insulated ones (stainless or alluminium) with the "port holes" have galvanized bases. I think they are the only ones that do. To expand on that, they are the ones used below deck on the ships, and they plug refridgeration hoses into them, at the end opposite the doors. The ones with the fridge units in them dont have galvanised bases.
For those that dont know they are all steel framed.
I have owned 7 of them and I'm sure the insulated ones are much better in regards to condensation.
They usually have an adjustable vent. It pays not to have them completely closed.
Containers are made from all sorts of materials. I have one here that has sides of fibreglass over plywood. The stainless varies too. Some are made from "muffler grade" stainless(doesn't sound good to me) while others are of a known grade. It usually says on the container.
I think the alluminium (aluminum?) ones are the best made.
Generally they are sold because its not economic to repair them. This is not nessassarily because they are rusted. Sometimes its because the linings are delaminating, or the box is good but the refridgeration unit is beyond repair. As someone said, You need to have a look. Get up on top and check those corners, as well as checking underneath.
Six of mine were shifted about 100 meters being dragged by a bulldozer, while still full. I dont think it did any harm, but I did have to dig a lot of dirt from the door ways.

As a side note, some guys prefer the hi-cubes 9'6" because you can drive a fork lift inside whereas the shorter versions do not allow for this as they are usually hand bomb loaded.

Chris,
 

Thats what they built all those short masted forklifts for. (inside std containers)

Container supplier
 

If you are interested in a container I deal with accompany in Toronto with pickup in Mtl. The company is Easy Access Storage Co. And ask to speak to Harold. if you buy more than one he can be negotiated. tel:1-866-676-6686

I have owned two 20's and a 40' for many years and the best advice I could give anyone is:- Do Not sit your container on the ground long term unless in a very dry climate or very well drained location.
:- Do install a whirly gig ventilator in the roof or even better construct a basic roof with an air gap. This can be as simple as lengths of used decking resting on a number of cross timbers and held down with a couple of crosswise pipes and chains or cables. If the roof is given fall by using thicker timber at one end this allows allows the container to be set up level.
The tops of containers are flat and tend to have bellies in which water accumulates and it can require quite a tilt to run it off.
A more sophisticated roof can be constructed to attach at the corner lift/lock fittings without the need to drill a hole in the box.
Condensation can be a real problem and I have seen a great deal of materiel damaged because people thought that putting by it in a container they couldn't go wrong and it would be perfectly preserved when they opened the doors again

David