Industrial Storage Totes?

[dr_clyde]

So, I have a lot of random stuff. You know. Stuff. Good stuff. Useful stuff. Some of it was expensive or hard to find. Some of it I may only use once in a while. But I need it. Hard to store random stuff. Stuff like pipe fittings, random material like rolls of rubber or lead ingots. I’ve got extra welding lead connectors and spare hoses and tubes and cords and electrical twist locks and sanitary stainless parts and all kinds of STUFF. The problem is organizing it and storing it in a fashion that allows me to find it when I want it. I’ve culled the herd over the years down to the truly useful and valuable stuff that I want to keep. But there’s still a lot of it.

My plan is to make a version of Jamie Hyneman’s “Wall O’ Boxes”. I don’t need as many as he does, but I’ll probably have a use for at least 30 - 40 totes. I plan to set up some shallow pallet racking and store rows of industrial storage totes to label and sort my stuff into.

Current front runner is Uline’s Round Trip transport totes. They’re durable, versatile and I can buy them in quantity. They are $19 -$30 each in the sizes I’m thinking. About the size of a banker box or a touch bigger.

Is there anything else I should be looking at? I don’t have a color preference, but I would like a lid, preferably attached so it can’t get lost. Clear or solid, doesn’t have to be plastic but cardboard just isn’t as long lived. I may have 20 pounds of stuff inside.

I don’t have a strict budget, but obviously I don’t want to go broke buying totes. The racking is going to set me back several hundred bucks so I’d like to find something that isn’t crazy money but is more durable than the $5 special from Menards.

Thoughts?

 

[LeeG]

I have given this topic quite a bit of thought over the past couple years.

Straight Wall Containers, Straight Wall Totes in Stock - ULINE

Uline stocks a wide selection of Straight Wall Containers. Order by 6 p.m. for same day shipping. Huge Catalog! Over 45,000 products in stock. 14 locations across USA, Canada and Mexico for fast delivery of Straight Wall Containers.

www.uline.com

That is what I will be using when I move to a new shop. Sturdy and no wasted space. Containers that nest inside each other for easy shipment and storage end up costing a ton of usable space.

Lee

 

[iamhomeless]

I use that style of tote at work, and I am in and out of them all the time. Distributing the weight is one of the keys to not destroying them.

But the biggest downfall is keeping whatever is in the tote easy to access and find. Lots of small parts are easy to get lost and the angled sides don't lead themselves well to dividers od any kind.

Not a huge problem for storing power cords or cables, but fittings, gaskets, hardware or any other small parts can be a nightmare. Zip lock bags are the key here, you can write on then with an industrial sharpie and be able to easily ID the bag you need based on that. I would highly recommend gallon or larger bags so you can sort through the labels without digging through layers of bags.

You can make cheap and easy labels for the outside of the tote with an industrial sharpie and 2" wife white vinyl tape. Put labels on the top and the front facing side, and list a description of every bag.

As long as you aren't trying to store engine parts or industrial motors, you can get buy with stacking them, but more than 2 high is a huge hassle if you need in the bottom box. And even rough they are really strong, if you are going to use one as a stop ladder, keep your feet to the sides, otherwise you will go through.

As far as racking for them goes, the cheap racks actually aren't bad. They force you to only put the totes one deep on a shelf, which makes getting to them easier. The biggest downfal of the cheap racks is really the particle board shelves, but even the "nicer" rack systems just have plastic laminated particle board shelves. And with any real weight they will eventually start to bow.

 

[southalabama]

Industrial quality totes get expensive. I have some that I’ve acquired and I have some from dad that are 20 plus years old.

For lighter stuff I use the black totes with yellow lids from a big box hardware store.

I’d prefer all industrial totes but the budget doesn’t allow that.

 

[ybnormal]

I picked up used Metro shelving (48"x19"x72") from Craigslist at $60/unit. the black/yeller totes @southalabama refers to are great for holding stuff. keep an eye for when they go on sale. the other "heavy duty" stuff is just junk plastic.

 

[809]

If you ever go into Canada for cross border shopping, Princess Auto has these:

https://www.princessauto.com/en/15l-x-12w-x-6h-in-stackable-tote/product/PA0008197469

https://www.princessauto.com/en/15-x-6-in-tote/product/PA0008938474

They regularly go on sale for a $2-3 each. They stack on top of each other (if you have stuff inside them) and within each other (if they're empty) depending on which direction you stack them. Two of the small one stack on top a bigger one as well.

If Canadian shopping is not an option, go with the Uline crates. Also look at AkroMills.

 

[809]

Another option is Ikea's Samla series. Not extreme heavy duty but affordable, stackable, with lids, and you know that they'll be around for a long time.

 

[rharman]

Industrial quality totes get expensive. I have some that I’ve acquired and I have some from dad that are 20 plus years old.

For lighter stuff I use the black totes with yellow lids from a big box hardware store.

I’d prefer all industrial totes but the budget doesn’t allow that.

Costco has these in the regular (large) as well as a smaller size. Pretty handy.

My needs are not as "industrial". I have all my spare parts (plumbing, hinges, lighting, doors, etc.) in various sizes of the Container Store shoe/boot boxes. Clear so you can see (sort of) what's in there and easy to label.

 

[Shocker]

Ok, so start looking on Craigslist etc for the totes with the folding lids. In my area there are a ton of them for sale on a regular basis.

I have picked up several of these over the last few months to store home remodeling stuff along with other ****. Here is one of the ads to show what I am talking about.

Storage bins / totes Heavy duty plastic containers moving box -...

Storage bins / totes Heavy duty plastic containers moving boxes box. Good condition with collapsible lid. Clean for the most part. Dimensions Length 22 Width. 13 Height.13 Minimum order is 10 $5...

seattle.craigslist.org

There are different sizes of this plus some with perforated bottoms that were used for produce. They are very heavy duty and you can't lose the lid!

 

[honcho]

May I suggest the large size milk crates. No, don't liberate them from your local stores / dairies. The film industry uses them extensively. Liners can be made or purchased so small items don't fall out.

Here's one vendor https://www.filmtools.com/grip-and-electrical/grip-essentials/milk-crates.html

 

[RonnieMac]

I used these reusable shipping containers for many years. The automotive parts distribution centers use them extensively. I bought the boxes from industrial shipping suppliers to get a higher quality.

In my work, I shipped materials back and forth across the country by UPS, DHL, FedEx, etc. and found the boxes very durable. If they did develop a crack, the boxes didn't split open and lose their contents.

When I got off the road and set up a hobby shop for working on my British cars, I repurposed the boxes for parts storage. They can carry heavy materials and stack up to four high. I don't mind shifting them to get to the bottom box. If I had the money and inclination, I could build shelves to put one box on a shelf, but the convenience wouldn't be worth the cost. I'm not in the boxes often.

 

[Old Mechanic]

Jamie Hyneman’s “Wall O’ Boxes”:

 

[rmack898]

The cost of high quality totes and a rack system to hold them puts you in used Vidmar territory.

I use a combination of Vidmar cabinets and the black/yellow "Bumble Bee" totes.
The BB totes seem to hold up quite well as long as they don't get any UV exposure.

 

[cannuck]

I use the totes I get at Costco for some fairly heavy stuff. Things I need daily access too go on a shelf (also from Costco) and longer term, lower use get stacked. Really big and heavy stuff goes into plastic folding pallet/totes that I buy surplus (usually small damage) from farm equipment manufacturer. They have gates on 2 sides that allows you to pick stuff out from inside while stacked. I have found there is no easy way to store stuff, but if you think it through it is somewhat workable.

What I have to warn about: while various totes from different big box suppliers LOOK the same, they are not. Once you select a source, stick with it.

 

[bdbecker]

Might be worth doing some looking around on the interwebs to see if you can find a place like this in your area:

Totes & Parts Bins Archives - Welter Storage

www.welterstorage.com

No deals right now, but they had a bunch of lightly used flip-top containers this summer at half price of new. I was really tempted to buy a bunch and get rid of the mixed bag of totes I'm currently using.

 

[neophyte]

If you want to stacks those bins on top of each other, buy the versions were the lids are separate, and can also be purchased separately.
The weight capacities for stacking the “flippy lid” boxes are almost always wrong, and overrated, and once the flippy lid lids break, the boxes become useless.
With separate lids, if the lid breaks, which is most likely with an overweight stack, then you just toss the lid and put on a replacement.
The boxes with separate lids are also less likely to get water in from rain or a roof or pipe leak.

 

[RTM]

Don’t underestimate the need for smaller bins, either inside bigger totes, or on a spot of their own. I had some big totes, and bought some Akro Mills stuff in a smaller subdivided space, just to organize a little better. Still haven’t done it, but parts are all in house.

 

[nbpt100]

If you are stacking you want something robust. I have kept a cheaper RubberMade one in my van for storing tools I keep in there. It lasted about a year before ti started to tear around the handles. I usually just pull it back towards the talil gate to pull stuff out. Then push it forward when I am done. That is all it took to caused it to tear and crack. My point is get robust ones that are better than home use only grade.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

Have had good luck buying used GM parts depot totes at closed dealer auctions ( nesting with lids ), I might have a 100 of these with parts stored in them. On the tool storage side, Ive found the sweet spot buying the same style tote, but smaller, made by Akro-bins ? in Ohio. The GM totes are too large for tools, as in the tote gets too heavy to fast.

Use the " gorilla " rack or baby pallet racking for storing the totes ( as shown ).

All of it is rather durable, if you dont drop loaded totes and dont try stacking 100lbs + totes on top of each other, long term.

Also found this inexpensive shelving they sell at Costco, works well with this specific sized Akro-bins totes. The totes are up to 75 pounds a piece as shown in the pic, and those shelves take that weight no problem. Ive got 4 of them well loaded. Everything I do is heavy.

 

[dr_clyde]

The cost of high quality totes and a rack system to hold them puts you in used Vidmar territory.

I use a combination of Vidmar cabinets and the black/yellow "Bumble Bee" totes.
The BB totes seem to hold up quite well as long as they don't get any UV exposure.

I wish I could find used vidmars that cheap lol. $100/drawer is the cheapest I can find typically and they're only for the shallow drawers. I need storage for bigger, bulkier items. Plus, I plan to go up at least 12 or 14 feet.

Which isn't to say I don't want or need more Vidmar cabinets, I'm always looking for those.

I've done the math, if I buy pallet racking I'm into the racks for about $1500 and the totes for about $600, if I buy tube steel and fab myself I'm around the same as the pallet racking after labor, but I have a more bespoke shelving system. 3 foot deep pallet racks aren't as useful as the 4 footers, and I'd be wasting a foot of floor space with unused rack shelf depth.

I'll probably end up buying tubing and making my racks. A few hundred in tubes and some paint plus a day of my time is still less than the off the shelf racks.

The totes from Uline are probably the best for the money, just didn't know what else was out there. We have a few of those totes now we use to ship parts back and forth between a customer's shop and ours and they've held up well to the fedex package throwers.

I really like the hinged lids, the tapered, stackable shape of the Round Trip totes from Uline, but I just wanted to poll the crowd to see what else was out there.

 

[dr_clyde]

I'm going to start with the bottom shelf at least 6' off the floor as I plan to put these over some manual sheet metal tools along a wall. I can get at them using my forklift or a ladder. This is stuff we won't be needing to access every day.

 

[dr_clyde]

I should also point out that I don't plan to stack the totes. One tote high per shelf, max.

 

[alinc100]

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[yatg]

I have lots of the flip top totes from Costco, semi-clear with black lids. Walked by them in the store yesterday and they were 7.99 each now. Probably only busted a few of them over the last several years, mainly due to my own dumbness in throwing/dropping something in them. Easier to handle and store than the larger black with yellow lid totes. They don't stack well if there's a lot of weight on them, so they should be on shelves, and anyway who wants to unstack a bunch of bins to get to the bottom bin every time. They don't do well outside - the UV/weather makes them brittle. They are 21-1/2", which will fit on an 18" wide shelf with a little overhang. But they don't cost a lot and its silly to spend $20 on a container to store $5 of stuff in them.

 

[dscheidt]

. But they don't cost a lot and its silly to spend $20 on a container to store $5 of stuff in them.

If I remember right, dr_clyde runs a fabrication shop of some sort. Depending on what the work is, and who the customer is, having that $5 part, knowing where it is, and being able to get it out easily, can be worth a lot more than twenty bucks. And sometimes, having the reputation as being the shop that can get it done today, instead of in a week when bits come in, is worth a whole lot more than that.

 

[dr_clyde]

If I remember right, dr_clyde runs a fabrication shop of some sort. Depending on what the work is, and who the customer is, having that $5 part, knowing where it is, and being able to get it out easily, can be worth a lot more than twenty bucks. And sometimes, having the reputation as being the shop that can get it done today, instead of in a week when bits come in, is worth a whole lot more than that.

Yeah, this right here.

Having my own hardware store in house has saved my customers many thousands of dollars in down time.

Plus, when you know what a sanitary stainless 3” weld elbow for example costs you don’t just toss them in the scrap if you have a couple extra left over. I’ll use them on a job, it just might be a year or two before I need it.

Obviously I can’t save everything and I only have so much space so I have to be fairly choosy about what stays and what goes. But what stays is still a substantial amount of stuff.

 

[danski0224]

But they don't cost a lot and its silly to spend $20 on a container to store $5 of stuff in them.

People spend thousands storing junk in storage units. I've seen it. Boxes of clothing, cheap and usually ratty furniture.

 

[yatg]

People spend thousands storing junk in storage units. I've seen it. Boxes of clothing, cheap and usually ratty furniture.

Oh man, the MIL passed a year and a half ago. Wife moved all her **** to a HUGE storage unit and is still sorting though it. And its best that I don't get involved unless asked.

 

[danski0224]

Get some "Gorilla Racking" and cut the empty space down, it'll be cheaper.

 

[Higgins]

Might be worth doing some looking around on the interwebs to see if you can find a place like this in your area:

Totes & Parts Bins Archives - Welter Storage

www.welterstorage.com

No deals right now, but they had a bunch of lightly used flip-top containers this summer at half price of new. I was really tempted to buy a bunch and get rid of the mixed bag of totes I'm currently using.

Love the gray flip top containers but haven’t been able to find a lot of them.
I’ve been using the traditional yellow black tubs from HD, Lowe’s etc. in three different sizes.
Currently have them on HF dolly’s and can roll them around the garage with ease.
Don’t get carried away with purchasing large containers as they become difficult to lift to stack!
Just my 2 cents

 

[yatg]

Get some "Gorilla Racking" and cut the empty space down, it'll be cheaper.

You talkin to me?
What about "I don't get involved unless asked" don't you understand?

Seriously, wife would have to be motivated to find a smaller storage unit (hard to do around here), I'd have to buy a bunch of racking, assemble it, then move all the **** from one unit to another unit, maybe not even in the same storage facility.

It wasn't supposed to take this long to sort out, but she's slow and frustrated and emotional about it. Maybe I should just buy another cargo container and shove it all in there. OOS OOM.

 

[dogdog]

costco have these 27 gallon totes with block bins / yellow tops for about $11 or $12 (if on sale it's $8.99 sometimes) cheaper than BJs Sams HD or Lowes. it's pretty heavy duty.

they apparently have racks also for the totes. mail order delivery.

https://www.costco.com/proslat-heavy-duty-12-tote-rack.product.100785477.html

 

[RichieP_MechE]

I totes that I own and use:

Orbis FP261 - Needed a larger size than the standard Lowes/Home Depot attached lid container for storing some mats for my photography business. Well made tote. Orbis is an industrial manufacturer and makes a lot of different sizes/styles of totes.

Milk Crates Direct attached lid tote - I forget how I found these. Was looking for a specific size to fit a shelf in my house and these worked out well. Quality is not as good as other industrial brands - I would describe the molding quality as sloppy. But they are pretty cheap. Also available in an XL size.

Lowe's Project Source attached lid tote - have a bunch of these in the garage. They're fine, no complaints.

Quantum Storage Systems Dividable Grid Containers - Have some of these in smaller sizes for storing a bunch of electronics hardware in the house. Have dividers so you can partition the container how you'd like. Stackable with or without lid. More expensive (per storage volume) than other options I've listed. Quantum is another industrial manufacturer with a bunch of tote varieties available.

 

[TailGunner3000]

I use the totes I get at Costco for some fairly heavy stuff.

What I have to warn about: while various totes from different big box suppliers LOOK the same, they are not. Once you select a source, stick with it.

This is true. But you need to follow up with the reason. The shapes of the totes are different so the bottoms of one supplier will not nest into the tops of another. I found this out the hard way. It's not a problem if you are going to only have one layer of totes per shelf, but a big problem if you plan to stack them.

 

[neophyte]

This is true. But you need to follow up with the reason. The shapes of the totes are different so the bottoms of one supplier will not nest into the tops of another. I found this out the hard way. It's not a problem if you are going to only have one layer of totes per shelf, but a big problem if you plan to stack them.

The Industrial flippy lid totes are a fairly standard size no matter what brand.
Usually around 15”x 22”.
I’ve purchased two or three industrial brands, and all would stack, since the flippy lid boxes taper towards the bottom.
The boxes were you run into issues with are the consumer boxes sold at big box stores.
Those sometimes vary the dimensions, such as the ikea Samla boxes mentioned earlier.

If you need a bunch of the boxes,
Places like Glabsl Industrial, and any major industrial supply company, will sell the boxes by the half dozen or so. (The quantities vary by brand and model)

 

[bugnut]

I have used the cheapest roughly 15 gallon lidded tote from wally world. I would suggest clear for the visibility of content, but mine are labeled also. One of these has trailer hitches and ball stored so it does hold a fair amount of weight. All large totes are above 6 foot so I use a ladder to retrieve. As you plan, the one high is best for large totes so moving them does not consume the most valuable commodity, time! I am ocd about my storage and the totes have to match so I bought many extras, which are stored for later use. My smaller parts go into the container store shoe boxes which come in three sizes and they do stack if wanted. Small containers are stored by size of item inside or alpha order.

 

[dutchgray]

I have given this topic quite a bit of thought over the past couple years.

Straight Wall Containers, Straight Wall Totes in Stock - ULINE

Uline stocks a wide selection of Straight Wall Containers. Order by 6 p.m. for same day shipping. Huge Catalog! Over 45,000 products in stock. 14 locations across USA, Canada and Mexico for fast delivery of Straight Wall Containers.

www.uline.com

That is what I will be using when I move to a new shop. Sturdy and no wasted space. Containers that nest inside each other for easy shipment and storage end up costing a ton of usable space.

Lee

This side of the Atlantic those are Euro containers and are a standardised product which you can buy from many different manufacturers and they will all be compatible.

 

[dogdog]

Costco price today $9.49 and it’s thicker plastic than HD or Lowe’s

 

[39CAMC]

At work, we used to do apparel sales out on the road and had a ton of product to move around in trucks and trailer. Flip Top bins were perfect, with a twist. They are available in a few sizes, stack nicely (and don't slide off each other) and store empty in a small place. Useless trivia, you can fit 84 of them in a E350 15 pass van with the back seats removed. Related to that trivia, the OK state patrol gets curious when they see a loaded van that they can't see what is inside it. I had to unload half of it on the side of the interstate to prove I didn't have illicit stuff in there while on a trip to Vegas for a show.

The big downside for us was/is the fact that the heavy duty ones that won't break are not clear and the clear/see through ones are not heavy duty. When things get packed up in a hurry by multiple people, labels tend to not be accurate and things get stuffed in bins that make sense to the stuffer, but not to the guy looking for the item in 2 months.

If you aren't stacking them super high or super heavy, I would stay towards the clear(ish) ones so you can see what is in there. We don't do those shows anymore but now I find myself packing stuff in the blue totes and then a month later trying to find something I "lost" by forgetting which tote I put it in. Made sense at the time....

DaveW

 

[ybnormal]

At work, we used to do apparel sales out on the road and had a ton of product to move around in trucks and trailer. Flip Top bins were perfect, with a twist. They are available in a few sizes, stack nicely (and don't slide off each other) and store empty in a small place. Useless trivia, you can fit 84 of them in a E350 15 pass van with the back seats removed. Related to that trivia, the OK state patrol gets curious when they see a loaded van that they can't see what is inside it. I had to unload half of it on the side of the interstate to prove I didn't have illicit stuff in there while on a trip to Vegas for a show.

The big downside for us was/is the fact that the heavy duty ones that won't break are not clear and the clear/see through ones are not heavy duty. When things get packed up in a hurry by multiple people, labels tend to not be accurate and things get stuffed in bins that make sense to the stuffer, but not to the guy looking for the item in 2 months.

If you aren't stacking them super high or super heavy, I would stay towards the clear(ish) ones so you can see what is in there. We don't do those shows anymore but now I find myself packing stuff in the blue totes and then a month later trying to find something I "lost" by forgetting which tote I put it in. Made sense at the time....

DaveW

ahhh, good to know the Okies are doing illegal policing. and before anyone snaps back with "well, they just trying to......". BS. if it had been a box van with no windows they wouldn't have had any probable cause cause nothing to see. end of story.

as for clear totes not being heavy duty, I'd agree there. they're just not strong enough compared to compared totes, too flexible I find.