Wanted: Used sea container

[Alain.C]

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.

[chris vickery]

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.

[Lynn Eades]

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.

[chris vickery]

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.

[Lynn Eades]

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