No Crane? No Forklift? No Winch? No Problem: Moving a Shipping Container Without a Lot of Equipment
Need to move a shipping container? Worried about the expense of hiring a forklift or a crane to move it? Not sure how winches work? Luckily, you don't need any of those things. With a tilt-up trailer and a couple of other basic supplies, you can easily move a shipping container without a crane or forklift. Here's what you need:
1. Tilt-up trailer
Ultimately, you are going to use the tilt-up trailer to wedge the shipping container up and onto the trailer. If you were already planning to hire a trailer to move your shipping container, switching to a tilt up container isn't likely to increase your expenses by much. Ultimately, however, because you don't need to hire a forklift or a crane, using the tilt up trailer should save you money.
2. Two Heavy Duty Chains
Once you have the tilt up trailer positioned so that it's back edge is parallel to the narrow edge of your shipping container, you should lower the edge of the tilt up trailer all the way to the ground. Then, grab your two heavy chains -- they don't need to be long.
Find the corner castings (small openings near the base) of the shipping container and lop a heavy duty chain through the two corner castings closest to the trailer. Attach the chains to the edge of your trailer, and pull them tight. These chains are going to help lift up the end of your shipping container.
3. Two blocks of wood
Once you have the chains in place, start to lift up the tilt bed of your trailer. Do this until you have lifted up part of the shipping container. Then, slip the two pieces of wood under each of the lifted corners of the shipping container. This wood is going to hold your shipping container in place so that you can wedge the trailer underneath it.
Once the wood is in place, release the chains attaching the shipping container to the tilt up trailer. Lower the tilt up trailer until the chains are loose enough to remove. When the shipping container is fully resting on the blocks, lower the tulip trailer all the way to the ground. Now, back up the tilt up trailer so that the edge of it slips beneath the shipping container. Continue to back up the tilt up trailer until more and more of the trailer bed is underneath the shipping container. You may want people to move back the blocks of wood incrementally as needed to support the shipping container as you back up the tilt up trailer.