Shipping Container Placement in Lake Havasu City

When a Tilt Bed Cannot Get There

Most containers get delivered on a tilt bed truck that slides the box off the back onto the ground. That works on an open lot with a straight run twice the length of the container. It does not work behind a block wall, down a narrow side yard, onto a slope, or anywhere the truck cannot back straight to the spot.

A crane lifts the container off the delivery truck and swings it over whatever is in the way. That is often the only way to get a storage container into a backyard, onto a job site with fencing already up, or onto a lot on the hills above the lake where nothing is flat for long.

The weight is easy. The tare is painted on the container door and on the data plate. Empty is how containers should move, because anything loaded inside has no known weight and can shift. If it has to be moved loaded, we need to know what is in it and how it is secured.

Rigging From the Corner Castings

Containers are built to be lifted by their corner castings, the steel blocks at each corner with openings made for lifting hardware. Slings or chains go to the four top castings with the right hooks or shackles, and nowhere else. The top rails and the roof panels are not lift points.

Sling angle matters on a long box. Short slings run at a flat angle pull the top corners inward and put a lot of tension into each leg. Longer slings or a spreader bar keep the pull closer to vertical, which is how a container is meant to be lifted.

A forty foot box is a big flat side on a windy day. Two tag lines go on opposite ends so it can be held against a gust, and if the wind is strong enough to swing it past what the crew can hold, the lift waits for calmer air.

A Level Base So the Doors Open

The number one complaint about a placed container is that the doors will not close. That comes from setting it on ground that is not level or that settles unevenly. A container racks when one corner sits lower, and the door gaskets and the locking bars stop lining up.

The base goes in before the truck arrives. A compacted gravel pad, concrete footings at the corners, or solid blocking at each corner casting are all common. Whatever is used, it has to be level end to end and side to side, and it has to be firm enough that a corner does not sink after the first monsoon rain.

Plan where the doors face before the day. A container dropped with the doors toward a wall is a second crane call to turn it. Leave room in front of the doors for them to swing all the way open.

Rules on Residential Lots

Many neighborhoods have HOA rules about storage containers, and the city may have its own requirements depending on the zoning and whether it is temporary or permanent. Those are the property owner's to check, and it is much easier to do before a container is sitting in the yard.

Setbacks, visibility from the street, and how long a container may stay are the usual questions. Get the answers first, then book the lift.