Industrial Storage Totes?

[Snapped-off]

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.

This is what's going in my future basement.

 

[Jlarson]

We've been using those black ones with the yellow lids for a while. I did the wall of bins thing for all our electrical stuff, next is all the PVC fittings and stainless stuff, its real nice to just walk in and pull out the one bin you need.

 

[onsail]

I have a BUNCH of the Home Depot, Black and Yellow totes.
We were moving, needed boxes and wanted something a bit more substantial, so we picked some up.
I stole this idea from my wife, she had taken photos of her shoes and taped them to the front of the shoe boxes.
I took this a step further. Bought the sticky backed clear document sleeves, stuck them to the front of each tote and took a picture of the inside, printed it and shoved it into the sleeve.
Not my idea, just re-purposed.

 

[mepstein]

I had to load up a 25’ box truck with car parts so I bought 200 of the Home Depot totes. My buddy bought some of the more expensive folding lid totes but I’m not a fan of them. Anyway, they did the job.

 

[Maddog1337]

If you're familiar with the commercial rigidity of Rubbermaid Brute trash cans, there's also a line of Brute storage containers. Available at Lowe's.

 

[Snapped-off]

I had to load up a 25’ box truck with car parts so I bought 200 of the Home Depot totes. My buddy bought some of the more expensive folding lid totes but I’m not a fan of them. Anyway, they did the job.

What's the backstory?

 

[jeffmoss26]

I have a dozen or so of the folding lid totes. I use them for wire, old phones, electrical parts etc.

 

[TinkerLogic]

When I start another collection of stuff I'm thinking about just building shelves with dividers and some kind of 1/4 high clear fronts, and for really small stuff like screws or other small hardware I was thinking building little inserts made of thin plywood or using 6 inch diameter piece of pipe with end caps with a notch at one end for easy parts retrieval and carry.

This is just a couple of my ideas and they'll probably change. I'm aiming for long term so spending a little extra doesn't feel so bad. Maybe this can be useful to someone or modified to fit ones own use.

Happy Holidays Y'all!!!

 

[dogdog]

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

today and tomorrow 1/22 ends this item on costco is $7.99

 

[californiamilleghia]

you can order Home Depot black totes with red tops , but right nor they are almost $12 each ,

What happens to all the flip top boxes that Kmart - sears used ? and other out of business companies /

 

[dscheidt]

you can order Home Depot black totes with red tops , but right nor they are almost $12 each ,

What happens to all the flip top boxes that Kmart - sears used ? and other out of business companies /

They end up at auction with the rest of the fixtures. lot of them probably end up carrying other things at the auctions and closeuot sales.

 

[ZRX61]

Was in Costco today & they had pallets of the large black/yellow lid totes for $7.99 each.

 

[shortykorte]

After years of collecting and using totes, I wish I had one style and color. Started off with Texaco oil case box then with our NAPA store, I got some flip lid containers. Better than boxes.
Milk Crates, have about 15 of various styles/colors. I like milk crates.
Brought the retail version of flip lid. Ok but lightweight. My wife uses for sorting clothes she sells online.
To do over, the black/yellow totes that have a couple different sizes. CBAcres did that for tools he was selling at a swap meet. Big for bulky stuff, smaller for tools, small parts, etc.

 

[dr_clyde]

I ended up ordering 24 of the “round trip” totes from Uline. Hopefully they’ll do what we need and are somewhat long lived. They’re currently at a buddies shop, he orders a lot from Uline and I had him throw them on one of his orders.

Now I need to design and build my shelves. I have a basic plan, just need to get final dimensions and build it.

Other than pallet racking I couldn’t find any off the shelf products that did what I wanted. Pallet racking would be too deep and more expensive than I’d like, especially for the end use. I have about 60-80’ of racking in the shop as it currently sits and I’d have to buy something not compatible to suit what I want.

My main obstacle is the access ladder. My bottom shelf will be 80” up in the air so I can use small machines below the racks. I’ll probably anchor it to the wall (steel girt) and either make a rolling library style ladder with a small platform or some sort of bracket to attach a ladder to. A common step ladder works great until you have to schlep a tote up or down. In a perfect world I’d just get a small scissor lift but I don’t feel like dropping 10k to access my boxes and light bulbs right now.

I need to ponder this for a while but if anyone has any cool suggestions I’d be interested.

 

[dr_clyde]

My first thought would be to make small custom pallets and use the forklift to get the totes or maybe even get a dedicated small walk behind forklift. I will investigate the reach and capacity of these and see if that makes any sense or if I should go a different route.

My forklift is almost too big to grab a tote and turn around, plus I’m worried someone will stab a hole in the wall.

 

[tool_scrounge]

If you need to hold chunks of steel or aluminum material for your shop, it is hard to beat surplus ammo cans. It is pretty hard to break them. They also come in various sizes.

 

[dr_clyde]

If you need to hold chunks of steel or aluminum material for your shop, it is hard to beat surplus ammo cans. It is pretty hard to break them. They also come in various sizes.

I’ve got material storage pretty figured out, these are for the random detritus that accumulates around a shop that you need to save but only use once every few years.

 

[bugnut]

Don't know what you are planning to store but the closetmaid maxload does about 100 lbs per foot

ClosetMaid's heavy-duty Maximum Load ShelfTrack creates the ultimate garage storage solution for heavy and bulky items. Made with industrial-strength extruded steel, Maximum Load products can hold up to 600 pounds per 6' shelf.

 

[dr_clyde]

Don't know what you are planning to store but the closetmaid maxload does about 100 lbs per foot

ClosetMaid's heavy-duty Maximum Load ShelfTrack creates the ultimate garage storage solution for heavy and bulky items. Made with industrial-strength extruded steel, Maximum Load products can hold up to 600 pounds per 6' shelf.

I’m just gonna weld 2X2 tube steel and use 1/2” plywood for shelves.

Just need to solve the ladder problem.

 

[VR6ix]

dr_clyde you're in Michigan the epicenter of automotive industry... what you might start looking at is, as previous mentioned, the Orbis brand. SSI Schaefer is another option but frankly cheaper construction but for personal use likely more than good enough. Both offer open-top and flip-lid style totes and they are designed to be stacked or nested and to fill-out a standard skid side 45" x 48". They make plastic skids with a lip around the perimeter to keep the totes from sliding off.

I cut my design teeth on automotive packaging fabrication, ask me anything... it's super simple to design & build some beer-box style partitions to fit the insides of these totes and help organize things. a couple followed me home lol. I might have some industry contacts still active and it should be super easy to find recycled plastic totes even if you're no where near Detroit. Let me know if I can help!

 

[dscheidt]

They end up at auction with the rest of the fixtures. lot of them probably end up carrying other things at the auctions and closeuot sales.

And one such auction, next Tuesday (25 april 2023), featuring hundreds and hundreds of the flip top boxes. Just outside Chicago.

Doorage, Elk Grove Village | Grafe Auction

Welcome to the exclusive online auction for the recently closed Elk Grove Village location of Doorage, Inc! As a cutting-edge moving and storage company, they have entrusted us to liquidate their high-quality equipment from this facility. This auction boasts an impressive lineup featuring (3)...

www.grafeauction.com

 

[pfbz]

Bumping this thread....

I also have TONS of different storage totes.

The ********* ones from Costco are fairly sturdy and cheap, but essentially are a black hole for anything that isn't fairly big. And while they will stack ok, the lids will eventually crack, particularly if not kept in heated space.

The flip-top style is a bit better size, but they don't hold up over time. Plus they always seem to be just the wrong size for putting on storage shelves.

Some of the most durable, cost effective, and right-sized for what I need are the Rubbermade roughneck 10 gallon totes. $9 each and shipped free from Target. Not too deep, so stuff isn't lost forever. About 24"x16"x9".

Right now I'm working on overflow tool storage. More big tool boxes cost a fortune, and dedicating a big drawer in a $3,000+ tool chest for oversized hammers, big pipe wrenches, hack saws, seldom used air tools, oversize sockets, etc. that are only used a few times a year doesn't make sense, so I'm going to try and setup a some racking that will allow maybe a dozen of these to fit snugly on shelves without too much wasted space.

By the way, these rubbermade 10 gallon roughnecks make the absolute best oil drain containers as well... Just don't use the same one to hold your extra tools as your waste oil ;-)

 

[seber]

It's pretty hard to beat milk crates. They can be found for a dollar or two, will always be the same standard size even decades from now and are tougher than anything you ever use them for. I have around 70 of them filled with semiprecious rocks, lead ingots, and all kinds of miscellaneous parts. They also have a flat panel for labels and built in handle that does not take extra space. They stack to a stable column as high as your ceiling.

 

[blazemaster83]

The best ones I have found for heavy use are these two. They stack and you can buy dividers but you will need a top cap for the top of the stack. The second ones are spendy but are rated for 100lbs each

Amazon.com

Akro-Mils 35300 Nest and Stack Plastic Storage Container and Distribution Tote, (29-1/2-Inch L x 19-1/2-Inch W x 15-Inch H), Red, (3-Pack) - Open Home Storage Bins - Amazon.com

Akro-Mils 35300 Nest and Stack Plastic Storage Container and Distribution Tote, (29-1/2-Inch L x 19-1/2-Inch W x 15-Inch H), Red, (3-Pack) - Open Home Storage Bins - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

 

[zanyad]

I’m just gonna weld 2X2 tube steel and use 1/2” plywood for shelves.

Just need to solve the ladder problem.

I know this was first posted almost 3 years ago. Did you find a solution? Did you consider a rolling ladder or stock picking ladder?

 

[dr_clyde]

I know this was first posted almost 3 years ago. Did you find a solution? Did you consider a rolling ladder or stock picking ladder?

I made a shelf out of plywood and 2x4s and bought Uline totes.

What I ended up doing did not need a ladder. I ended up putting the shelving up on the loft over my office so I have everything within arms reach.