I am thinking about buying one of those shipping containers that they use to ship stufff overseas on the freighters and use it to store 2 trucks for the winter but here in NJ the winters can get cold and wet and I was wondering if anybody did it and if they did was there a problem with mold and condensation. They are plenty wide and seal good and thight and come in 40' lenth. Thanks, Tom

 

Ah Tom. . . ?
How do you plan to get out of vehicle after you get it in a container?

I mean you can't open doors or fit between body or cab sides if you're plan on going out a window. Just not enough room inside there to do it. Width inside is usually 80 to 84 inches avg. That's 6'-8" to 7'-0" and a slick is about 78" wide.

I've shipped whole, halves, & quarters of classic & antique vehicles & other Parts across the pond. It's tough to get a whole vehicle in & out of a "Sea-Tainer". There is just not enough room inside a Air Cargo Container for a whole vehicles, Unless they're like a Small Race car or sport models.

Another set of problems is sitting the "box" on the earth/ ground. How would you lift it off the "boggie" or tandem it arrives on, and if you were just getting it for the winter, how would you pick it back up next spring? Or. . . if youplan to leave it on the earth semi permanently, what do you plan to do to keep it from corroding and rusting away from corrosive gasses soil emits?

If faced with a winter storage problem I would probably try to lease storage for this winter, and make plans to erect some sort of shelter before next year. I doubt that a Sea-Tainer is all that inexpensive, plus most likely you'll face hauling & set off costs & other expenses too.

I don't know where you are in the Garden State but if you're in a developed area, I promise you'll encounter zoning and other ordinance problems. But if you're in a rural area you can find "low cost" winter storage if you look hard enough.

As to mold, fungus & condensation the potential for those problems always is present.
Without light, adequate ventilation & circulation over long periods of time, pathogens like that will take advantage of the opportunities to develop. They are advantitious in nature and seek the opportunity to "bloom" because that's how they replicate.

So IMHO Closed Sea-Tainers & other closed frieght containers are not a good plan, or I wouldn't do it myself. But what do I know. . . . that's just my $.02 on the plan.

FBp

 

Pete, are you sure on those sizes? I measured one and if my memory serves me right it was about 96" clear inside which would give me plenty of room and the other issues arn't a problem and have them covered it's just the condenstation that I was worrying about. Thanks, Tom

 

What we do with boats and campers that are stored all winter is leave a 60 watt light on - keeps the inside from freezing, and dries the condensation. There is also a granular desicent we leave out. It absorbs moisture, and just needs to be heated to release it so it can be reused. Camper stores carry these things.

I would also want some air movement, even if it was just a whisper fan blowing through some holes drilled in the side of the container.

The 20 foot containers are around $2300 delivered in California and are wide enough to drive a car in. If I could get it past the zoning board, I would buy two 40 footers and space them 20 feet apart, making the area between them into a covered car port.

 

Tom
Federal DOT law says 96" OA outside width is standard Max Width. Over 96" of body it takes Wide Load Sinage. In some states an Escort service is req'd. So I'm sure inside's less than an 8.0' dimension.

Otherwise SeaTainers & Inter-Modals would require all that rigamarole to go down the road. Refrigerated & Corrugated Steel inter-modal containers are tightest inside. Dry freight vans with exterior vertical ribs are widest. They're still less than 8.0' I/S Dims although they may get as wide as 7'-8" or so. . .

That's why standard shipping pallets are 42" X 48" instead of 48" sq.

FBp

 

Is this correct? I understood it was changed to 8' 6" by the Bush administration in one of the highway bills.

 

*****,
As far as I know of it's correct. It may be in a bill that's not into law yet though. I can't keep up with the mess in Washington DC. . . I have Hypertension already and it could kill me if I payed attention to them.
I know of a few bridges over the Mississippi two 8.5' trucks won't be able to pass on tho'. And a bunch of two lanes in Apple country from Carolinas to Maine an 8.5' truck and a regular pick up won't fit very well on either. Also an 8.5' on Saluda Gap outside of Hendersonville NC will hit the overhanging rocks. . . . I bet the tunnels would be a thrill too. . . .

FBp

 

Back to the beginning. For the season YES. I have done with success. Long term definate NO!!!. Size for steel box. 90" inside. Refers and dry vans vary from manufacturer. Up to 102" all legal. # number of axels and time of year to vary from state to state.(Half Load Season) (Michigan) Anyway rear slider and some will no problem. ONE SEASON....

 

Sorry to be so **** on you, but I was interested as my boat trailer is now 8' 2" wide with the new rims I put on it. I used google and discovered that several states say their max width is 102 inches (8' 6") excluding safety devices. I don't know if they all are, but remember that this change was part of a federal highway bill.

No reason why a state maintained road couldn't have a 8' limit - the bill only covers US Highways.

And yes, there was a warning on South Dakots's website about driving Hummers through one of their tunnels - guess it is only 9 feet wide.

 

Not rub you wrong way. 50 State standard now is 102

 

I stand corrected and you're not the one being ****, I was.
I just thought guys were crowding or bad drivers driving too close to me on the tight roads lately. Thanx for the info.

FBp

 

shipping containers have well gaurded vents in the corners.
Toss in some desicant bags and a new air freshner and your good.
I've got two 62 darts in one now.

44dwarf

 

Tom, with all of the response, I guess you can already make up your mind which was to go but just for the record, here is my experience with storage containers. I work at a private country club ( building maintenance ) in the notoriously wet Willamette Valley of Oregon. From 1996 through 1997 we rented 4 containers 8'X40' to store all of our "household" effects and office records while our new clubhouse was being built. We had everything in there over a period of time that included two very rainy winters. Paper products to uniforms, table linens to toilet paper, it was all in there. We suffered no moisture damage. In the beginning of the construction, I even had a mini shop in one corner of one of the containers in an attempt to have some semblance of normalcy until we could get our equipment moved into the new building. Since that experience I have been tempted to get one for my personal use but the county regs make it more feasable to build a pole building. If you proceed, I wholly recommend elevating it on treated beams or railroad ties to facilitate air movement underneath. Steve