Mobile shelving (sliding / pullout)

[stickshift]

I've got a lot of metal shelves on the wall in garage and basement that range in depth from 12" to 18". These eat up a lot of the wall space. Thinking about going with a higher storage density solution, on a budget.

One option is a DIY Levrack:

But (1) this is expensive, though it could certainly be done for less than he did it by using double sided shelving, and fixed shelving at either end (reduces the # of trolleys by more than 50%, and trolleys are a big cost driver of this project), and (2) it's permanent, and I prefer something that I can move either to reconfigure the space or if I need access to that area (pipes or wiring behind wall or above ceiling, etc.).

So I'm leaning toward individual mobile shelving units like this:

(schematic below), though I'd be using it to store individual items, not totes, so I'd have more shelves - maybe 4 shelves excluding the top. So have several of these next to each other, and you pull one out to access contents.
It's not quite as storage dense as a Levrack style system because you need to have free space in front of the shelving array to pull each unit out, but it's a lot cheaper and easier to build, and of course it's totally mobile.

In terms of shelf depth, I'm thinking 16" or 24" to make efficient use of 7/16" OSB sheets that would make up the shelves. 16" depth would be preferable in terms of access without digging, but at 6ft tall + caster height, seems like it might be a tipping hazard at only 16" wide. At 24" shelf depth, I would keep both sides of the shelving open, so all stored items are easily seen and reachable. If I use overall dimensions of 24" depth, 36" length and 72" height (excluding casters), assuming I don't load it in such a way that makes the unit top heavy, tipping risk should largely be eliminated?

Ballpark estimate on materials and cost per unit, assuming 5 shelves including the top:
8ft 2x4 x 12 @$3.85
7/16" OSB x 1 @$16
casters x 4 - estimate $5/ea
total excluding fasteners = $82
Which puts it in the ballpark of common NSF wire rack shelving like this: https://www.amazon.com/Storage-Shel...nt-Kitchen/dp/B07FXH81ZT?tag=atomicindus08-20 (pic below).
And this rack comes with decent looking casters, not the cheap plastic casters that come with smaller wire rack shelves, so they might roll well even when loaded. This wire rack also has an extra shelf, and of course these are easily adjustable.
Hmmm, I might have talked myself into buying these racks instead of building.

What do you guys think?
Anyone have DIY mobile shelving like this? Was it worth DIY'ing vs buying something like these wire racks? Anything you'd do differently?

 

[72Anthony]

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[72Anthony]

What if you built a DIY Levrack on heavy duty casters in order to allow for the ability to move the unit out of the way?

Since moving the unit would be infrequent, I'd temporarily secure a diagonal across the front face to keep it from racking as you wheel it out of the way.

While in place, I'd lightly secure the frame to the wall to keep it in place day to day while you move the units on the trolley.

Option #2;
I'd go with the wire shelves on casters 99% of the time.
The reasons are time, cost and flexibility. They take about 15 minutes to unpack and assemble. You can adjust the shelves in 1-inch increments to suit your needs now and in the future. If you buy multiple units of the same size you can mix and match the number of shelves per unit to accommodate your needs (one unit with 3 shelves for large bins and one unit 9 shelves for smaller containers)...again, lots of flexibilty.

Are available in chrome or black finish.

The only caveat against using the wire shelves is if you are really space constrained and are trying to completely optimize your storage with custom sized units.

 

[stickshift]

What if you built a DIY Levrack on heavy duty casters in order to allow for the ability to move the unit out of the way?

Since moving the unit would be infrequent, I'd temporarily secure a diagonal across the front face to keep it from racking as you wheel it out of the way.

While in place, I'd lightly secure the frame to the wall to keep it in place day to day while you move the units on the trolley.

Interesting! Makes the DIY Levrack even more expensive, but this would be best of both worlds in terms of Levrack style storage density and system mobility.

Option #2;
I'd go with the wire shelves on casters 99% of the time.
The reasons are time, cost and flexibility. They take about 15 minutes to unpack and assemble. You can adjust the shelves in 1-inch increments to suit your needs now and in the future. If you buy multiple units of the same size you can mix and match the number of shelves per unit to accommodate your needs (one unit with 3 shelves for large bins and one unit 9 shelves for smaller containers)...again, lots of flexibilty.

Are available in chrome or black finish.

The only caveat against using the wire shelves is if you are really space constrained and are trying to completely optimize your storage with custom sized units.

Yeah, these wire racks are very practical. Can buy extra shelves, extra poles, those vinyl sheets to create a perfectly flat surface. I do wonder how they would roll on concrete with 500lbs on them.

 

[dcg9381]

Yeah, these wire racks are very practical. Can buy extra shelves, extra poles, those vinyl sheets to create a perfectly flat surface. I do wonder how they would roll on concrete with 500lbs on them.

I've been buying the fairly heavy duty shelves, 24" depth. We add properly sized castors to them (you may have to build pads for the feet), but I can roll them around the shop with a lot of weight on them.



At $200/each, they're not as budget friendly as building your own, but I don't ever regret the investment in these.

 

[stickshift]

I've been buying the fairly heavy duty shelves, 24" depth. We add properly sized castors to them (you may have to build pads for the feet), but I can roll them around the shop with a lot of weight on them.



At $200/each, they're not as budget friendly as building your own, but I don't ever regret the investment in these.

The deal killer for me, even more so than cost, are the dimensions. They are too wide to work as pull out storage. For example, a unit at 5ft wide needs 5ft in front of it to pull the unit out far enough to access all contents. Unless someone makes them 32" to 36" wide.